Black screen while stresstesting / gaming ONLY with power extensions

Paincake1

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Dec 20, 2016
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first of all my specs:

i7 3770k @ 4,5 ghz
corsair h110i gt
asus rampage v extreme z77
16 gb ddr3 corsair vengeance
asus 970 strix
corsair hx750 psu
2 ssd's (1x 128 gb, 1x 275gb)
1 tb hdd
cablemod basic extension cables for cpu, motherboard and gpu

After building the "old" rig into a new phanteks eclipse p400s, i'm getting black screens and "no input" message on my monitor after a few minutes of either stresstesting or gaming, mainly overwatch.

This issue only happens with the power extension cables for the gpu installed, and i'm really struggling to understand why. Already got a new pair from cablemod after complaining, but it's still the same. crashes in heaven benchmark within 3 minutes.

Things i've tried:
- every 6+2 pin included with my psu in all the different ports
- every extension cable (got 4 now and my gpu uses single 8 pin)
- stock speed on both cpu and gpu
- underclocking the gpu by 200 mhz on core and memory
- 4 different driver versions
- logging crashes with gpu-z. I'm no expert on this one, but nothing stood out on the log as it crashed, all values were the same for the last 20 sec or so, and then it's just dots / lines.
- Using only the corsair cable, i can run heaven benchmark all day with oc'ed cpu and gpu at 1420 mhz on core and 7500 on memory

Overheating is not an issue as far as i can tell, as i get exactly the same temps without the power extension. Does the hx750 not like extensions on power hungry components? as far as i can tell, the 970 strix should only draw somewhere between 250-300w at full load, and my psu is rated at well over 700w on the 12v rail. The LED on the gpu connector also indicates correct power installation. link to extensions: https://cablemod.com/product/cablemod-basic-modflex-cable-extension-kit-dual-62-pin-series-white/


Any help is greatly appreciated, as this ugly corsair cable is a thorn in my eye atm.
 

Paincake1

Commendable
Dec 20, 2016
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1,510
I didn't go for those cables for several reasons. The heatshrinks look terrible, it doesn't include the 24 pin, no one in their right mind needs sleeved sata and molex cables (unless you've got an all glass case) and the price is way too high. I'm aware it has to be something about my cables, but i'm struggling to see why it's failing since it's basically just making the power cable longer and can't mess up any wiring. I'm aware that adding more wire adds more resistance, but shouldn't the psu compensate for that?

forgot to mention in the first post; the wires on the extensions seem to be as thick, if not thicker than the wires on corsairs cables.
 

Louise Porkolt

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Nov 25, 2014
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Hi there,

I got a UPS from a friend and it was broken.. I tested it and there was indeed a bad contact.
I checked the internal connectors and indeed some didn't have allot of strength holding on to pins, so I pushed the pin holder in the right direction and that made a good contact again. and still working!

Those extensions could have bad connection and also maybe they have been setup wrong ?
Have you checked if there are known issues with them where you bought it ? Maybe on forums ?


Let us know,
Cheers, Louise.
 

Paincake1

Commendable
Dec 20, 2016
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1,510


Thanks for your feedback. The wires do indeed seem a bit "loose" inside the connectors. all 4 extensions are like this. I'll give it a go to tighten them up a bit, but I have to admit it seems odd that i would get 4 faulty wires. Cablemod customer support is as baffled as me and say they've had very few complaints on their basic extensions as they're just plug and play. I've checked that each wire goes to the same spot on both connectors on all 4 extensions. I'll either test the wires on a friends 970 (gainward 8+6 pin though) or try tightening the connectors on one set later tonight and keep you posted on how it goes :)
 

Louise Porkolt

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Nov 25, 2014
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Hi,

It could also depend if the computer has thicker connection-pins or smaller pins !
You can remove and straighten the connectors pin by pin ! be sure you put them back in the right housing!

(be carefull when playing with them !)

Testing on another PC is also good but maybe also measure the thickness of those pins if they are the same !

Goodluck, Louise.
 

Paincake1

Commendable
Dec 20, 2016
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1,510
Tried tightening the connectors as best i could with my available tools here, connectors were very hard to connect afterwards, still crashes within 3 minutes of heaven benchmark.
 

Paincake1

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Dec 20, 2016
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1,510


The only thing catching my eye is critical error 41 Kernel-power, which i am 99% sure is triggered because i have to hit the restart button after a gpu crash. Did 2-3 hours of gaming late last night without the extension, and no errors logged.
 

Louise Porkolt

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Nov 25, 2014
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Here is what I found:
Solution 1 – Update your drivers
Solution 2 – Disable duplicate audio drivers
Solution 3 – Uninstall your antivirus
Solution 4 – Change your power settings
Solution 5 – Turn off Fast Startup
Solution 6 – Update your BIOS
Solution 7 – Check your hardware
you can read all the steps on: http://windowsreport.com/kernel-power-41-error-windows-10/

this is a known issue !
Let us know what you get
Louise.
 

Paincake1

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Dec 20, 2016
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its only triggering kernel error when using extensions, though. No errors when running only stock cable. already done most of the things you mentioned, but i'll have a look at duplicate audio drivers as I did fresh win10 install after finishing the build. hard to imagine power cables causing a driver crash, but you never know :) thanks for feedback, i'll test it when I get back home.
 

Paincake1

Commendable
Dec 20, 2016
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Just tried the extensions in a friends pc with a cx750m and a gainward 970 with 6+6 pin and it worked flawlessly without crashing in both stresstesting and gaming while overclocked. Could this be an issue with the cables not handling ~275w on a single 8-pin?
 

Paincake1

Commendable
Dec 20, 2016
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1,510
Just got back from testing my 970 strix in my friends pc with a cx750m, and it does indeed work flawlessly, so it seems that either my hx750 really doesn't like cable extensions, or it's starting to fail.

Thanks for all the feedback you've given me, it's very much appreciated!
 

pedro.sombreireiro

Prominent
Nov 7, 2017
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510



Ok, sorry for this reply, bringing this topic from the dead, just to say i did suffer the same issue. I have a XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition and bought some BitFenix extensions ... although not immediate, after some time i started having black screens, fans would ramp up ... to a point where i saw artifacts on the black screen or it would even do that just after Windows login.

Just tried without the extensions, and everything runs as it should ( i was already freaking out thinking my 1080ti was messed up or my PSU ) ...

It seams that to keep a stable power delivery, the cables used have, some times, a minimum spec that the extensions don't meet ( i don't know if its the cable section or if there's something else )