Did my PSU just quit?

[jbone]

Hi guys,

I built a new gaming computer about two months ago and it ran beautifully without so much as a hiccup.

Then today, it suddenly shut off for no immediately obvious reason. When I went to start the computer again by pressing the power button, it fired up for about 1 second; then quit. The fans didn't even have time to spool up. About five seconds later, it tried again to start on its own, and this attempt lasted less than half a second. I don't believe I had any sort of power spike, as other computers in the room were running and unaffected, and everything runs through surge protectors.

I noticed a faint burning/coppery smell, so I immediately removed the power cord and opened up the case. There seemed to be a trace of this odor coming from the PSU, but it did not seem hot to the touch or anything. I saw no smoke.

I let the whole thing cool down, reconnected power, and tried to start the computer one more time. It went for a second and quit; then five seconds later it attempted a second time, which lasted only half a second. Just like before.

Does this sound like something a failed PSU would do?

System specs:
Intel i7 3770k (not overclocked, ever)
Zalman 9500A heatsink
ASUS P8 Z77 V-PRO mobo
2x HD 7970 GPUs (also not overclocked)
4x 8GB RAM GSkill Ripjaws X Series, DDR3 1600
1050W Cougar GX PSU
OCZ Vertex 4 SSD 256MB, primary drive
WD Blue 1TB storage drive (internal)

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Ketchup]

Sounds like there could be a short in the PSU. I would try to RMA if you can.

 

[bryanl]

A heatsink not making good contact with the CPU can cause a sudden shutdown.

A PSU can smell burnt from odors originating elsewhere in the computer since since its fan pulls in air from it. Use a multimeter and check the PSU according to the sticky: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=257485

 

[jbone]

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, I cannot RMA it with Newegg since I am a few weeks past the 30-day cutoff; however I believe the PSU company (Cougar) has a five year warranty that I can take advantage of. I just hate the downtime that comes with something like this (Wait for shipping both directions, from/to Alaska no less; wait for Cougar to evaluate and approve a replacement, etc.) meanwhile my computer is useless.

I don't believe I can do the multimeter testing either, as the computer will not even run for one second; let alone long enough to complete testing.

What I really would like to avoid is an endless cycle of returning/replacing item after item until, two months and six items later, I finally find the problem.

I think my first option will be to swap in a PSU from another build and see if that fixes anything... does that sound reasonable? I guess where I will really be stuck is if a different PSU does not solve the problem... not sure where I would look next.

Regarding the possibility of the heatsink not making good contact... it is securely fastened, though the clip system provided by zalman leaves something to be desired. While it keeps the heatsink firmly against the CPU, it doesn't do so with much pressure. I used a thin, vertical stripe of Arctic Silver according to their instructions for the i7 CPU. If this did cause the problem somehow, would it indicate the CPU is now fried? I had some temp monitoring software in use and have never noticed anything amiss.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Eureka]

I would doubt your CPU is fried. The motherboard has a built in thermal limiter and so should the CPU.

It sounds like the PSU more than a motherboard failure. You can test the PSU by powering it on with a paper clip (disconnected from all your fancy computer parts, of course). Look up the pinout diagram online but it's just a jumper that switches on the PSU. Then you can use a multimeter (or in the absence of one, a computer fan, led, or any other cheap item that takes in 5 or 12V) to test out the PSU alone.

However, that smell sounds like it could be a blown component. PSU and motherboard are the two I would suspect.

 

[Ketchup]

You can remove the psu connectors from the motherboard/video card, and see if anything looks too dark. If the white inside those connectors has turned dark, it is possible that item could be damaged. If you don't have a surge protector, now would be the time to get one. It sounds like just an internal issue, but might as well be safe with it.

 

[Eureka]

You can remove the psu connectors from the motherboard/video card, and see if anything looks too dark. If the white inside those connectors has turned dark, it is possible that item could be damaged. If you don't have a surge protector, now would be the time to get one. It sounds like just an internal issue, but might as well be safe with it.

It doesn't hurt to check, but if it was already running before, I doubt there would be any scorching of the connectors. Usually that comes from arcs and the system was already wired up. Burn marks happen at the point of failure, usually.

 

[xit2nowhere]

OP, a bit off topic, but do you use any UPS?
Your post scares me, but it also makes me feel right about my decision to buy a ups instead of a surge protector

 

[jbone]

Hmm... a UPS might not be a bad idea; though admittedly I've never had any trouble with surge protectors and I still don't know if whatever is wrong with my computer, would have been prevented with a UPS. It sure would weather power problems much better.

I'll take a look when I get home, for any issues with the PSU connectors.

Thanks again!

 

[bryanl]

I don't believe I can do the multimeter testing either, as the computer will not even run for one second; let alone long enough to complete testing.

Disconnect it from the computer and short its green wire to ground (any black wire). That should make the fan spin, but some PSUs need a minimum load to run (fans, disk drive, 12V car lightbulb).

 

[jbone]

Progress!

Just ripped out the cougar PSU (so thankful its modular, it was easy) and swapped in another PSU, a 750 W Corsair. Only connected the 24-pin and 8-pin, to see if it would at least turn on and power the fans/etc on board.

Well it works. Got steady power and cpu fan is running. Gonna try connecting the rest of the components and see that it all works.

I'll post back in a bit.

Edit: when I reconnected the Cougar, things reverted back to the original behavior. Time to shop new psu's!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that I've read that Cougar is made by HEC, which is not a top mfg. Also, I've read that the Cougar-branded PSUs in Europe are not the same models sold here in the USA under that brand, and that the USA versions are inferior.

Best to stick to good brands, don't get suckered into cheap PSUs with high wattage labels. They are cheaper for a reason.

 

[Ketchup]

Progress!

Just ripped out the cougar PSU (so thankful its modular, it was easy) and swapped in another PSU, a 750 W Corsair. Only connected the 24-pin and 8-pin, to see if it would at least turn on and power the fans/etc on board.

Well it works. Got steady power and cpu fan is running. Gonna try connecting the rest of the components and see that it all works.

I'll post back in a bit.

Edit: when I reconnected the Cougar, things reverted back to the original behavior. Time to shop new psu's!

Glad to hear nothing in the system was damaged.

 

[jbone]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that I've read that Cougar is made by HEC, which is not a top mfg. Also, I've read that the Cougar-branded PSUs in Europe are not the same models sold here in the USA under that brand, and that the USA versions are inferior.

Best to stick to good brands, don't get suckered into cheap PSUs with high wattage labels. They are cheaper for a reason.

That's good to know; I'd never heard of Cougar but a little research while purchasing it led me to (apparently) read about the European offerings. People kept calling them bulletproof, and praised the German Engineering. Looking into my current PSU, once I saw where I was directed for warranty info, I thought something was up but couldn't quite put my finger on it. HEC? Compucase? No mention of Cougar anywhere.

I'm posting this now from the previously afflicted computer, and all is well. I ended up buying another PSU to use as a temp until I can have the Cougar replaced by warranty; but as this one is only 850W, I've disabled Crossfire as I don't know how well it would support my system otherwise. The computer I took apart to get the donor PSU I used for testing, went back together and it actually still works!

Have no idea how long it will take to get the broken PSU replaced, but perhaps I should re-examine my choice of PSU again. This current 850-watter won't cut it for long-term, and I'm not as up as I could be on who the top-tier PSU companies are.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Ketchup]

That's good to know; I'd never heard of Cougar but a little research while purchasing it led me to (apparently) read about the European offerings. People kept calling them bulletproof, and praised the German Engineering. Looking into my current PSU, once I saw where I was directed for warranty info, I thought something was up but couldn't quite put my finger on it. HEC? Compucase? No mention of Cougar anywhere.

I'm posting this now from the previously afflicted computer, and all is well. I ended up buying another PSU to use as a temp until I can have the Cougar replaced by warranty; but as this one is only 850W, I've disabled Crossfire as I don't know how well it would support my system otherwise. The computer I took apart to get the donor PSU I used for testing, went back together and it actually still works!

Have no idea how long it will take to get the broken PSU replaced, but perhaps I should re-examine my choice of PSU again. This current 850-watter won't cut it for long-term, and I'm not as up as I could be on who the top-tier PSU companies are.

Thanks for all the help!

Based on the specs, that power supply should run your Crossfire setup just fine.