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Intermittent problem: won't POST but everything lights up

J

JimRice

Junior Member
I have a box that serves as my home theater PC.

AMD A10-7850K CPU
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Motherboard
Corsair CX430 power supply
Using integrated graphics
1x8GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3
1xToshiba 2TB boot drive
1xBlu-Ray RW drive
Recently added 2x5TB Toshiba drives in MS Storage Spaces mirrored config, ReFS. Added 2 additional cooling fans and fan controller.

Before adding the new drives, I would have problems restarting the PC if it went down when the power failed, as in this link (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2478432). Everything would light up (power light, fans, etc), but the system wouldn't beep, show the POST display, and boot to Windows. This would not happen if I did a power down from in Windows. This was a rare occurrence, so I didn't worry about it.

Since I had the computer on 24/7 anyway, I decided to add the drives as network storage for me and my wife. Since then, I'm finding that if I do an orderly shutdown in Windows, it will sometimes start up, and sometimes will not. Instead it does the no beep/no POST/no boot routine while everything lights up.

I've found that if I turn off the master switch on the back of the power supply and wait a while, it will eventually boot correctly. How long it takes is variable.

I've tried holding down the reset and power buttons on the front panel while the master switch is off to discharge the capacitors, with no change in how long it takes.

I've done the power supply calculator online and I should be within the limits for this power supply.

I'm pretty sure that this is either a power supply issue or a motherboard issue. Is there a way to test this without swapping components? Thanks for your help.

(And yes, I'm adding a UPS to the system once I get this squared away.)
 
For a thorough test, removing components one by one is the best way to find an issue. It's a pain, but it's worth it.

It does seem likely it's a PSU issue though. Also, I would say that's a lot of components for a 430w PSU. When booting, components need more of a power draw at first before they become steady. Remember that it'll be 430w peak power rating. It won't supply 430w continuous. That PSU is rated for about 336w continuous power according to the specs. What did the calculator tell you? You want to leave some breathing room, and not get too close to the power rating. Could cause wear and tear as well.

A PSU tester is also handy, you can find cheap ones in stores like Microcenter or Frys, or on Newegg etc. They aren't magic of course, but if something is super wrong it should show in the form of blinking or unlit LEDs on certain power rails, especially the ATX12v which you say is acting weird.
 
sn8ke said:
It does seem likely it's a PSU issue though. Also, I would say that's a lot of components for a 430w PSU. When booting, components need more of a power draw at first before they become steady. Remember that it'll be 430w peak power rating. It won't supply 430w continuous. That PSU is rated for about 336w continuous power according to the specs. What did the calculator tell you? You want to leave some breathing room, and not get too close to the power rating. Could cause wear and tear as well.

A PSU tester is also handy, you can find cheap ones in stores like Microcenter or Frys, or on Newegg etc. They aren't magic of course, but if something is super wrong it should show in the form of blinking or unlit LEDs on certain power rails, especially the ATX12v which you say is acting weird.
Click to expand...

I agree that it seems like a lot. The calculator said I was probably pulling 256w at load, and recommended at least a 306w power supply. This is the calculator I used: http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

I hadn't heard about the power supply tester. I'll take a look at that. Thanks!
 
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The testers are cheap little things indeed, but they are worth having around IMO. If you try one, make sure you plug the power in one by one until they are all in. Power supplies are tricky to diagnose a lot of the time though unless they give you obvious signs or sounds. That exact PSU is on sale right now at Newegg, I am currently troubleshooting a power related issue as well and I considered that one but went with an Antec VP450 instead. Also on sale btw.

You could always get a new one and test it. If the issue remains, return it and start looking into the motherboard.

What you mention about Windows shutdowns is interesting though. Have you attempted that with a different OS? I'd try that out of curiosity to see if it acted any different. I'd recommend Slacko64 Puppy, maybe throw it on a flash drive or disc and boot in, browse youtube for a bit or something, reboot a few times and see how it acts. Just to further the process of elimination. I'd attempt it first without any HDDs connected, then add them in.
 
sn8ke said:
The testers are cheap little things indeed, but they are worth having around IMO. If you try one, make sure you plug the power in one by one until they are all in. Power supplies are tricky to diagnose a lot of the time though unless they give you obvious signs or sounds. That exact PSU is on sale right now at Newegg, I am currently troubleshooting a power related issue as well and I considered that one but went with an Antec VP450 instead. Also on sale btw.
Click to expand...
I picked up a power supply tester yesterday. With just the power supply 24 pin and 8 pin motherboard connectors plugged in, everything was OK. But with a SATA or a Molex connector plugged in as well, the power good line was not responding some of the time. I'm guessing that the Windows orderly shutdown issue was coincidental, or once the other drives were added the power supply needed additional time to recover. Time to call Corsair. Thanks!!!
 
JimRice said:
I picked up a power supply tester yesterday. With just the power supply 24 pin and 8 pin motherboard connectors plugged in, everything was OK. But with a SATA or a Molex connector plugged in as well, the power good line was not responding some of the time. I'm guessing that the Windows orderly shutdown issue was coincidental, or once the other drives were added the power supply needed additional time to recover. Time to call Corsair. Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

Ah good call, hopefully that's all it is. Sounds like it might have been damaged or getting ready to call it quits. Depending on where you got it from and how long ago you might want to just forego Corsair and RMA right with the store. I've had much quicker turnarounds that way.
 
sn8ke said:
Ah good call, hopefully that's all it is. Sounds like it might have been damaged or getting ready to call it quits.
Click to expand...

So, I did a both-and solution. I sent the old power supply to Corsair, who sent me a new CX430 power supply. I did the standard replacement on it, so it took 11 days shipping out to California (USPS) and return ship from Hong Kong(!) via UPS Express. If I have time soon, I'll test the power supply with my new power supply tester to make sure it's good.

In the meantime, based on recommendations that the one I had was a bit puny, I went ahead and got a more powerful EVGA 650W GQ power supply for $75. So far it's behaving itself. This gives me plenty of headroom if I decide to add more hard drives, it's 80 plus gold, and according to reviews has great efficiency at lower draw.

Thanks sn8ke!
 
Yeah, it's usually the power supply. I have a backup PSU on hand just to easily test if it's the PSU that's the issue. I do have a digital power supply tester, as well as a multi-meter.

I'm not sure how old your PSU is, but it shouldn't have failed that early if you got it at the same time as the 7850K. If the CPU is the brain of your computer then the power supply is the heart. Many people don't realize that you shouldn't cheap out on that component.

Nice story. Better ending. 🙂
 
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