Hey folks,

a friend from a guild i am in on a WoW server recently started experiencing problems with a PC that he juts assembled from high end parts about a month and a half ago. I can't find the parts list but parts models are not as relevant here.

what is happening is, his system with no warning will power off when he is using it, usually under load and then refuse to restart until the mobo power connector is disconnected and reconnected, sometimes also requiring other components, like the HD's being disconnected first.

it's a INtel quad core 6950 I think CPU
4 gigs of pc 3200 RAM
1200 watt thermaltake PSU
SLI'd Nvidia 8800's
2 200gb sata HD's
and some kind of watercooler.

my thought was not gettinga good enough connection with the mobo power cable or the cable itself is faulty from the PSU.

any otehr idea's or comments?

Thanks.

Shady

Heat?

Does it look dusty in there...

heat sinks on right? and or waterblock.

CPU heat
GPU heat
Ram

i had a problem close to that and it was heat....thats when i found out my cats felt like knocking my harddrive over and busting my fan

Pull the side cover off and run it like that, should keep it cool enough to help diagnose if it's heat.....

so he has tried running iwth the cover off and no difference. both his pc probe and bios temps read at a max of 40 C under a stress test, he said all 4 cores at 100% for 12 hours, the GPU's run in the 50-60c range under load.

I'll have him check the RAM. I'm almost suspecting it to be a bad mobo power cable.

faulty psu , cutting out ?

If it's not heat, then I'd suspect a power issue. You ask yourself, "how can it be a power issue with a 1200 watt psu?". Good question, fortunately I have an answer.

With all the hype about multiple 12-volt rails (ads claim that two rails is better than one, five is better than four, etc.), you'd think it was a better design. Unfortunately, it's not!

Here are the facts: A large, single 12-volt rail (without a 240VA limit) can transfer 100% of the 12-volt output from the PSU to the computer, while a multi-rail 12-volt design has distribution losses of up to 30% of the power supply's rating. Those losses occur because power literally gets "trapped" on under-utilized rails. For example, if the 12-volt rail that powers the CPU is rated for 17 amps and the CPU only uses 7A, the remaining 10A is unusable, since it is isolated from the rest of the system.

Since the maximum current from any one 12-volt rail of a multiple-rail PSU is limited to 20 amps (240VA / 12 volts = 20 amps), PCs with high-performance components that draw over 20 amps from the same rail are subject to over-current shutdowns. With power requirements for multiple processors and graphics cards continuing to grow, the multiple-rail design, with its 240VA limit per rail, is basically obsolete.

The symptoms you describe to power it back up are classic for an over-current shutdown. The PSU simply will not power back up until it "resets".

Ya bum, you stole that from one of my earlier posts. LOL. Good for you.

YEAH! Which YOU stole from one of MY earlier posts!!

kinda what i said without the glitter , LOL

Hehe

Actually I took my from an article from PC Power and Coolings article, maybe which we both looked at and saved. Here's mine:

"Here we see the 850 Precise from several different angles. The first
thing that stands out about this unit is the mirror-like finish. NZXT
calls this color "gun metal", which I do like but something more along
the lines of black chrome seems more fitting. If aesthetics are even
remotely important in your next power supply purchase, rest assured that
this unit will look great in any system. A free-flowing honeycomb-style
grill allows for maximum airflow from the 120mm cooling fan.

A power switch is located on the rear of the unit, as well as a switch
for the +12v rail which can be set to "split" or "combined". This is the
first power supply I have seen that offers such a switch. There has been
a lot of talk the past few years with the introduction of multiple 12v
rails, and even more as of late with the jump back to single 12v rails.
From the outside, each method seems to have its pros and cons, so I
decided to settle it once and for all and see which method truly is the
best choice. After a bit of research, I ended up at PC Power & Cooling's
website. The team at PC Power & Cooling are often considered the leading
experts when it comes to power supplies. I found the answer I was
looking for there, and below is a direct quote from their website:

/"With all the hype about multiple 12-volt rails (ads claim that two
rails is better than one, five is better than four, etc.), you?d think
it was a better design. Unfortunately, it?s not!

Here are the facts: A large, single 12-volt rail (without a 240VA limit)
can transfer 100% of the 12-volt output from the PSU to the computer,
while a multi-rail 12-volt design has distribution losses of up to 30%
of the power supply?s rating. Those losses occur because power literally
gets ?trapped? on under-utilized rails. For example, if the 12-volt rail
that powers the CPU is rated for 17 amps and the CPU only uses 7A, the
remaining 10A is unusable, since it is isolated from the rest of the system.

Since the maximum current from any one 12-volt rail of a multiple-rail
PSU is limited to 20 amps (240VA / 12 volts = 20 amps), PCs with
high-performance components that draw over 20 amps from the same rail
are subject to over-current shutdowns. With power requirements for
multiple processors and graphics cards continuing to grow, the
multiple-rail design, with its 240VA limit per rail, is basically obsolete./

So there we have it, as the guys on the Discovery channel would say,
myth busted! With that said, I will be leaving this setting on
"combined" during testing. Anyway, we find a specs sticker on the side
of the 850 detailing its power output. The "front" of the unit has the
main cables hard-wired in and provides a modular system for all other
cables. As mentioned earlier, modular power supplies are great for
keeping your system clean and cool. But do remember that there is a
slight risk involved. Adding an extra "link" in the system increases the
electrical resistance and could lead to a slight loss of power vs. a
hard-wired system. But, in all of my experience, I have never had a
problem with modular systems and will continue to use and recommend them."

There ya go.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article28-page3.html

http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m8

http://www.bjorn3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7457

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/503/4

Oh hush you Bart!!!

Ace= Busted

t_b nice refind! Good info.

In actuality, Ace knows at least 10X as much about computers as I do, however this is not about that, or who found what first; it is about giving/supplying good information in a timely fashion for others. We both did that so no one lost or won other than the recipient(s) of the info.

( TB should be a politician)

Can I settle for half arsed diplomat with tendencies toward grouchiness instead?

Thanks for the help guys, it is much appreciated!

Im glad you kids got that settled.

Thanks old man.

The two Jedi's working together to find the answer.......... "Bart Vader and Ace Skywalker"

Oh sure. Make the Canadian the bad guy. Nice. LOL. Bwhahahahahaha.



<Darth Vader voice in Dr. Evil body: "Austin, I have something to tell you."

Austin Powers voice: "What?"

Darth Vader voice in Dr. Evil body: "I'm you're father."

Austin Powers voice: "Really?"

Darth Vader voice in Dr. Evil body and with tone of disgust and shake of head: "No, not really.">