need new power supply?

[craniumdesigns]

my computer will randomly shut down and restart after playing fallout 3 for a bit. at first i could play it for hours and be fine, but recently it just started restarting after a couple minutes of play.

i looked inside the case and feel a lot of heat and a burning smell coming from the PSU. it's a 600w cooler master PSU. i have one HDD and an Nvidia Geforce 8800 GTS. do i need a higher capacity PSU?

 

[DaveSimmons]

600 watts is plenty. What happens if you go to the BIOS screen and stay there for awhile:
- temperatures
- fans
- voltages

Fallout is buggy, I get a lockup in VATS every couple of hours, but I've never had it reboot or shut down my PC.

 

[jdjbuffalo]

If you smell something burning disconnect your hard drives and anything else you care about immediately!

I had a friend that had this issue for about a week and kept putting off fixing it. The long and short of it was that he fried almost every component in his computer, lost everything he had stored on his hard drives and cost him several hundred dollars to repair the computer.

You need to isolate the problem. Make sure it's the power supply and not something else in the system (the power supply is the most likely though based on what you've stated). It might be possible that your power supply isn't providing enough power but it's more likely that it's just on it's last leg and about to die. You didn't provide a full system spec but based on what you've put in the post so far, I would say that a good quality 600 watt power supply would be plenty. When you go to buy a replacement don't buy a no-name brand or the cheap one for $30.

 

[DaveSimmons]

^ good point, the power supply wattage is good enough but it could be defective, about to die, and may take other parts with it.

 

[craniumdesigns]

i built this system in january, all new parts, so it should last longer than this.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
i built this system in january, all new parts, so it should last longer than this.

Well what kind of PSU is it? If it's a crap unit, I wouldn't expect to last long.

 

[craniumdesigns]

ok, so i looked at the BIOS, and got these readings...

CPU: 43C/109F
MC: 35C/95F

Fans: 1950RPM and 1205RPM

Voltage...

Vcore: 1.22
3.3V: 3.28
5V: 5.18
12V: 11.87

When i was in the BIOS I also turned on the fan control module and set it to "performance" mode and set the target chasis temp to 37C.

 

[craniumdesigns]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
i built this system in january, all new parts, so it should last longer than this.

Well what kind of PSU is it? If it's a crap unit, I wouldn't expect to last long.

i said it was a 600w cooler master. cost about $50. guess i should upgrade?

 

[craniumdesigns]

as far as specs...

CPU: 2.4ghz Quad Core 6600
Mobo: Asus P5KE
Ram: 4gigs OCZ
HDD: WD 320 gig Sata 3.0
Vid: Geforce 8800 GTS

 

[Blain]

* Does your case/fan setup have good air flow?
* Are your heatsinks & fans clean and working properly.
* You might want to crack the PS open and check for burnt spots.
* A PS tester is a good investment for the long term

 

[DaveSimmons]

> You might want to crack the PS open and check for burnt spots.

If you're new to PSU cracking, beware the deadly caps.

 

[jdjbuffalo]

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
i built this system in january, all new parts, so it should last longer than this.

Yes it should last longer but like any part it can break. While it may still be under warranty, I wouldn't bother for a $50 part (at least until to figure out the issue and get a different power supply). $50 does sound like a lower end part and unless you got it at a really good sale I would say it's likely the cause. Most quality 600 watt power supplies run $75 - $125. Now, I'm not saying you can't find good ones for less but I tend to err on the side of caution because I've seen what a crappy power supply can do (see previous post).

Do you have a different power supply that you could use from another computer in your house or from a friend for testing? If so, give it a try.

Also, do you smell the burning all the time, does it come and go, or is it only when the computer is on? Are you able to tell approximately where the smell is coming from?

With a few hours to air out the room and a different power supply your system should be stable and you shouldn't smell the burning. If you do then it's likely another part. If that's the case then try to figure out what part it is before going back to your old power supply.

 

[craniumdesigns]

it ONLY happens when im running fallout 3, not any other game. the smell is coming directly from the PSU, so i think i am just going to invest in a nicer 600-650W.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
i think i am just going to invest in a nicer 600-650W.

* PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W
+3.3@24A, +5V@30A, +12V@49A (Large Single Rail), -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3.0A
Efficiency - 83%

* CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
+3.3V@24A, +5V@30A, +12V@52A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3.0A
Efficiency > 80%

* Antec EA650 650W
+3.3V@25A, +5V@25A, +12V1@22A, +12V2@22A, +12V3@25A, -12V@0.5A, +5VSB@2.5A
Efficiency - 80 PLUS Certified

 

[magreen]

Sounds like your psu is defective. You could probably rma it. Or you need a new, good psu. The key here is quality, not watts. You actually don't need a 600W psu at all. A quality 500w would be more than enough for your components. Your system doesn't draw all that much power. OTOH if you want to buy a bigger psu for greater headroom or to keep your psu at under 50% of its rated load (helps sometimes w/ fan noise&cooling, maybe efficiency depending), there's nothing wrong with that.

Look in the hot deals forum for psus from Corsair, pcp&c, bfg, Antec (earthwatts), maybe OCZ.

 

[craniumdesigns]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
i think i am just going to invest in a nicer 600-650W.

* PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W
+3.3@24A, +5V@30A, +12V@49A (Large Single Rail), -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3.0A
Efficiency - 83%

* CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
+3.3V@24A, +5V@30A, +12V@52A, -12V@0.8A, +5VSB@3.0A
Efficiency > 80%

* Antec EA650 650W
+3.3V@25A, +5V@25A, +12V1@22A, +12V2@22A, +12V3@25A, -12V@0.5A, +5VSB@2.5A
Efficiency - 80 PLUS Certified

the antec is almost half the price of the other two. should i just get that one?

 

[Blain]

The Antec isn't "almost half the price", when you factor in the generous rebates.

Just to be clear...
* PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W = $89 after rebate
* CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W = $80 after rebate
* Antec EA650 650W = $65

 

[oynaz]

Before taking your chances with a new PSU, check the GFX card. It might be defective or overheating.

 

[craniumdesigns]

i ended up ordering a new PSU from newegg.com.

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W

everything runs fine now.

oh, forgot to mention, i guess my old PSU was a 500 watt. might have been part of the problem.