Motherboard of PSU issue? I'm not sure which.

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C

CowPunk

Commendable
May 29, 2016
6
0
1,510
Over the course of the last few months or so I've noticed intermittent issues when trying to cold boot my PC. Sometimes it would work, and other times it wouldn't. I did some research and discovered a common problem with ASUS motherboards not discharging capacitors correctly, so I tried pulling the power cable for 30 seconds or so and holding the power button (until the light on the motherboard quit coming on) and then plugging it back in. This worked for a while, but no longer.

It is progressively getting worse, to the point that anytime I have to start my computer from the off position, I must remove the side of the case and manually spin the CPU fan before it'll kick on without turning itself back off again.

I initially thought this was a problem with my CPU fan, so I replaced it. To no avail, I then began to believe that this was a problem with the video card, so I replaced it. Again, no progress.

Now when I boot my PC one of my chassis fans doesn't spin faster than about 300rpm until the computer is fully booted and then idles at about 800rpm. As of today I have to re-enter the bios and set the time/date again. I replaced the CMOS battery the day before yesterday in case that might have been causing some intermittent booting problems.

Once the PC is up and running, I don't notice any issues at all, and can use it for extended periods of time (6+ hours) without any freezing or other issues. My temperatures are normal. My CPU is at 40-45C and my GPU between 40-50C, depending on load. According to HWMonitor, my PSU readings show exactly as they should, as far as I can tell PSU output screenshot for reference.

Specs with purchase date:
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 -- 3/26/15
PSU: Rosewill Photon 850 -- 3/26/15
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws (4x4gb) -- 2/9/12 & 3/16/15 (decided to add 8gb more later down the road)
GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 750TI -- 5/23/16
CPU: AMD FX 6300 -- March 2015
Heatsink/Fan: Cooler Master Hyper T2 -- 4/17/16

I'm at a loss. My computer isn't that old and I'm not sure what's causing these problems. I appreciate any advice!
 
Solution
geofelt
Many fans will not start if the voltage is not sufficient to run at 500 rpm.
On the psu, return it.
A very good reason to buy from newegg, namely customer support.
Your build needs minimal psu capability, 400w or so.
Look for a tier 1 or 2 unit from a list like this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

550w should not be much more expensive.
t will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
Seasonic is always good.
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C

CowPunk

Commendable
May 29, 2016
6
0
1,510


Unfortunately the first part of this isn't an option. I've lived in this area for less than 6 months and everyone I've met thusfar uses laptops, and probably wouldn't be comfortable with me disassembling their working PC if they used otherwise.

I would have to order a new PSU in order to try another (theoretically) working unit. Both my PSU and motherboard should still be under warranty, I believe they both had a 3 year warranty when I purchased them, but I'll have to double check. For this reason, I'd rather not order a new piece of equipment if I can avoid it, especially if I can RMA my current unit for a replacement at no cost.

Is there no software I can run or other tests I could do to verify the integrity of the unit?
 
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B

brispuss

Splendid
Dec 27, 2014
2,607
26
26,490
Could try measuring PSU voltages using a digital multimeter while the PSU is connected to the motherboard and whilst the system is running. Measure voltages at unused PSU connectors. Voltages should be within the following tolerances -

12 V DC = ± 5% = 11.4 V ~ 12.6 V

-12 V DC = ± 10% = -10.8 V ~ -13.2 V

5 V DC = ± 5% = 4.75 V ~ 5.25 V

5 V DC Standby = ± 5% = 4.75 V ~ 5.25 V

3.3 V DC = ± 5% = 3.135 V ~ 3.465 V

But this procedure is not an absolute guarantee of there NOT being a PSU fault, particularly if the PSU has an intermittent fault. I had a PSU which had intermittent faults, particularly at cold starting. The only way to verify that the PSU was faulty was to have it sent away for thorough testing using specialized equipment.

If still under warranty, it is suggested that the PSU be returned for testing and/or replacement.
 
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C

CowPunk

Commendable
May 29, 2016
6
0
1,510


I will give this a try tomorrow. All of my PSU cables are currently attached to components. I'll have to get up in the attic to retrieve the rest of the cables to attach and test.

It's worth mentioning that since I've moved I live in a more "country" area that suffers from power outages with every thunderstorm that rolls in, given the time of year we're getting many of those here in Texas. Since my system is not hooked up on an APC (I know.. I know..) I'm not ruling the PSU out as the culprit since power spikes, surges, and drops can cause issues and premature failures. I may just forego the warranty and just see about a replacement.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,298
4,146
174,240
What is different over the last few months?

Is there a motherboard bios update that might address the issue?
DO NOT update just on speculation.
A failed bios update can brick your motherboard and with your flaky power you run a risk.

In the bios, is there an option to change the minimum cpu fan speed?
Possibly your cooler fan has gone bad and needs too much voltage to start spinning.
Can you buy/try a different cooler fan.

If all else fails, buy a replacement psu from a source with a good return policy.
Expect to pay a restocking fee.
If your old psu proves to be the issue,, just return it.

 
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C

CowPunk

Commendable
May 29, 2016
6
0
1,510


I've never flashed a BIOS before. The process makes me nervous, and I agree with my power issues that it'd be a terrible idea to try and do it now.

There is an option in the BIOS to change the minimum CPU fan speed. By default it sits at 600RPM. I changed it to 200RPM with no luck. I then disabled the monitoring entirely, still with no luck.
I find it hard to believe that the cooler fan is the issue though. It did this with my old fan (which gave audible signs that the bearings were going bad), so I replaced it last month. It's still performing in the same way.

I read some of the reviews on Newegg. (where I purchased my power supply) only to discover that I'm not the only one experiencing these types of issues. It would seem that I got a longer life out of mine than most of them did. I'm starting to lean heavily on the side that the PSU is the culprit of my problems, and am now searching for a permanent replacement before RMA'ing this one back to Newegg.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,298
4,146
174,240
Many fans will not start if the voltage is not sufficient to run at 500 rpm.
On the psu, return it.
A very good reason to buy from newegg, namely customer support.
Your build needs minimal psu capability, 400w or so.
Look for a tier 1 or 2 unit from a list like this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

550w should not be much more expensive.
t will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
Seasonic is always good.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
C

CowPunk

Commendable
May 29, 2016
6
0
1,510


For the sake of playing it safe, I'm looking at 600w and higher models. Most calculators I find online don't take into account things like multiple monitors and some additional peripheral items. I use my PC primarily for gaming, music production, graphic work, and occasional video editing, so I would rather have more than I need than less.

I will look into Seasonic, I've never heard of that brand. Thanks!
 
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