What's killing my PSUs?

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dagazz

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Mar 7, 2014
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In the last 2 weeks, I've had 2 PSUs (Coolermaster Silent Pro M2 620W and 720W) die on me, the first one exploded and triggered a power outage while the second one just suddenly died overnight and refused to turn on, doing the split-second power on problem. Both units failed the paperclip test so I'm pretty sure they're both dead, but I honestly have no idea what's causing them to fail!

The problems started appearing after I installed a new GPU, an R9 270X to replace my 7850, the first PSU exploded while playing BF4, but the replacement PSU did fine for about a week before suddenly dying one day without any indication.

Specs:
Asrock Z77 Pro 3
Intel i5 3470
Powercolor R9 270X PCS+
Cooler Master M2 SIlent Pro 620W/720W
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM 1600MHz (2 DIMMs)
1 Hard drive (WD Black)
1 SSD (Crucial M4)

I suspect that it's the motherboard that's causing issues, but I don't have another one to test with, the new GPU seems to work fine, as the system had no issues for about a week with the 720W PSU.

Also, if it matters, the ethernet port on the motherboard had also failed a few months prior to these issues, so I'm inclined to think that the mobo the source of my problems. Thanks for the help!
 
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ubercake

ubercake

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Oct 28, 2009
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Could be a couple of things:

1) You may have the kind of luck by which you just got two bad PSUs.
2) You may be getting bad power from the wall (more likely explanation).

I haven't seen a case by which a bad motherboard kills a PSU, but I've seen quite a few where a bad PSU kills a motherboard. If you have power problems, you'll start to see your motherboard's controllers failing over time (ie your ethernet).

First, I wouldn't get another Coolermaster PSU when replacing the last PSU. If you can, pick up a Seasonic, XFX or Corsair (over the years these have been the brands I've come to turn to due to reliability). Second, I'd try another power outlet (preferably on a different circuit in your house).

I'm not ruling out the motherboard altogether because it may have been affected by the bad power by now, though I don't think the motherboard would cause the PSU to go bad as it only draws power from the supply. Though, the power supply does draw power from the wall.

One of the best things anyone could do for their system is to pick up a UPS such as this:

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/pfc-sinewave-series/CP850PFCLCD.html

The power conditioning is the greatest advantage to using a UPS. When using these you know your system is getting clean power at all times.

I have my PCs and entertainment center components running on these.
 
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crashburn162

crashburn162

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Feb 1, 2012
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Check the electricity my idea is that you are not getting a steady current with low or high spikes, or drops of valltage which is the main cause of these, can be checked with many tools and fixed with a UPS if it can't be fixed centrally. IF the problem was in the MB it would have died too.
 
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dagazz

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Mar 7, 2014
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Thanks for the inputs, I'm also suspecting the electricity supply within the house, as the wiring is over 20 years old, though I don't think I can do much to fix the circuit even if the problem lies there.

I'll look into getting an UPS, but I can't seem to find any Cyber power ones in Singapore, is APC a reliable brand? Thanks!
 
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ubercake

ubercake

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Oct 28, 2009
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