Replacement PSU - Won't Boot

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oskar5

Apr 9, 2018
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Hi everyone!

I have a custom-built PC I made a few years ago, but beyond putting it together my knowledge of components is pretty limited, so when my PSU now started acting iffy I thought I'd turn to the experts.

After 2 solid years with no trouble, my Dark Power Pro 11 850W suddenly popped and broke down about a month ago. I sent it to the manufacturers for the warranty and today received my replacement one. However, after putting it all together I can't get the system to boot.

I decided to follow some online tutorial to troubleshoot it and ended up breadboarding with my motherboard (Asus z170-Deluxe), CPU (i7-6700K), cooler (NH-D15) and annoyingly one stick of RAM (G-Skill Ripjaws 4 4GBx4) because the supersized NH-D15 has it locked in place and I'd prefer not reseating the CPU. When I flip on the power switch, the LEDs on the motherboard light up as per custom, but pressing the power button does nothing apart from the PSU making a faint and suspicious tick (only at the first press of the button, until the power is reset).

After plenty of time making sure the cables were correct and properly attached, clearing CMOS and hoping for it to somehow fix itself, I found my old 650W Chieftec PSU with which the system booted nicely, fans turning on and everything. Funnily enough, I only realised today that I had been using the now-defunct Dark Power Pro 11 with the old Chieftec cables for the past two years and even tried using the Chieftec CPU connector in desperation, but to no avail.

As the motherboard does light up, I can't tell if the replacement PSU is also broken or if there is something else at work. I've been wondering whether the electrical sockets in the (rather old) flat I stay in might not be providing enough, which I also suspect was the cause for the old Power Pro, but I wouldn't know the first thing about that. I'm hoping someone here might have a better clue about what to do as I don't want to send yet another PSU back without being sure that the fault lies there (and since shipping faulty PSUs to Germany was more expensive than I thought). Thank you for reading and for any tips!

Cheers!
Oskar
 
Solution
Aeacus
Since your system works just fine with Chieftec unit, it's safe to assume that the replacement Be Quiet! unit you got was DOA (dead on arrival). While it's rare, it can happen.

Also, i don't think your Chieftec power cables were at fault that caused your 1st Be Quiet! unit to go sky high. While it isn't good idea to use another PSU's power cables (some power cables contain capacitors), it's clear that Be Quiet! warranty team found out that the PSU died due to the internal malfunction (reason unknown) and not due to the user error (your Chieftec power cables). Else-ways, they would've not sent a replacement unit.

As far as what to do next, you got few options:
1. Return the 2nd Be Quiet! unit and hope the 3rd one they send to you...
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Aeacus

Aeacus

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You say that when using your old Chieftec unit, you can get your PC to boot. Do you actually get any signal to the monitor and are you able to enter the BIOS? Or are just the MoBo lights turning on?

Though, are you sure the replacement they sent back was completely different unit (e.g new one, in a sealed box) and not the same unit you sent to them? Since if you were at fault, they will send the dead PSU back to you together with a detailed test report.

 
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oskar5

Apr 9, 2018
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Yes, I'm able to enter the bios and everything is running as it should with the Chieftec unit, only lights with the DPP unit.

The replacement they sent was a new one in a sealed box. I never got the dead PSU back as it must apparently have been some hardware failure covered by the warranty.
 
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Aeacus

Aeacus

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Mar 21, 2015
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Since your system works just fine with Chieftec unit, it's safe to assume that the replacement Be Quiet! unit you got was DOA (dead on arrival). While it's rare, it can happen.

Also, i don't think your Chieftec power cables were at fault that caused your 1st Be Quiet! unit to go sky high. While it isn't good idea to use another PSU's power cables (some power cables contain capacitors), it's clear that Be Quiet! warranty team found out that the PSU died due to the internal malfunction (reason unknown) and not due to the user error (your Chieftec power cables). Else-ways, they would've not sent a replacement unit.

As far as what to do next, you got few options:
1. Return the 2nd Be Quiet! unit and hope the 3rd one they send to you works.
2. Cope your losses and buy another brand PSU.

While Dark Power Pro 11 850W is a good quality unit, but if you don't want to hassle with 2nd RMA or if you don't trust Be Quiet! brand anymore, going with another brand can be a good solution. Here i suggest Seasonic who is one of the best PSU OEMs in the world. (Depending on who you ask, either Seasonic or Super Flower is considered the best PSU OEM in the world.)

Seasonic PRIME series PSUs are the best consumer PSUs in the world and they are also the only PSU series that come with 12 years! of OEM warranty. No other PSU OEM/retailer offers more than 10 years of warranty for their PSUs. For comparison, your Dark Power Pro 11 850W PSU has 5 years of warranty.

Also, with Seasonic PRIME 80+ Titanium series, besides longest warranty, you'll also get the highest efficiency (94%), tightest voltage regulation (0.5%), longest hold-up time (30ms) and lowest ripple noise (20mV) there is. Fully modular cables and toggle-able Premium Hybrid fan control too.

Seasonic PRIME 80+ Titanium series: https://seasonic.com/prime-titanium
Seasonic PRIME 80+ Platinum series: https://seasonic.com/prime-platinum
Seasonic PRIME 80+ Gold series: https://seasonic.com/prime-gold

Of course, you can also go with Seasonic Focus+ series if the PRIME series is too expensive for you. Focus+ series have 10 years of OEM warranty,
Seasonic Focus+ 80+ Platinum series: https://seasonic.com/focus-plus-platinum
Seasonic Focus+ 80+ Gold series: https://seasonic.com/focus-plus-gold

Few reviews too if you're interested:
Review of PRIME 750 80+ Titanium: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=481
Review of PRIME 650 80+ Titanium: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/seasonic-prime-titanium-650w-psu,4690.html
Review of PRIME 650 80+ Platinum: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=514
Review of Focus+ 750 80+ Gold: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=524

All my 3 PCs: Skylake, Haswell and AMD are also powered by Seasonic, where my Skylake build is powered by Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium. Full specs with pics in my sig.

Oh, all fully-modular Seasonic PSUs are also compatible with CableMod SE-series custom sleeved power cables, if you're into that thing.
To match my Skylake's black & red theme and Haswell's black & blue theme, i have replaced the stock black power cables with CableMod SE-series custom sleeved power cables (red colored for Skylake and blue colored for Haswell).
cablemod: https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_series=se-series&show_products=48

If you're worried that the electrical grid is one of the possible causes that made your 1st PSU to blow, getting an UPS would solve that issue. Best part about UPS is that when you have a blackout, you have time to save your work and safely shut down your PC. Though, instant power loss can cause data corruption on your drives, not to mention the frustration over lost and unsaved work.
In my opinion, every PC should be backed up with UPS. Btw, my Skylake and Haswell PCs are also backed up with UPSes, one UPS per PC.

If you do like to get an UPS as well then i'd need to know your full system specs with monitor(s) make and model, so i can calculate how powerful UPS would be needed for your PC.
 
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Solution
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oskar5

Apr 9, 2018
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Thank you, Aeacus!

I think I'll try my luck with a second RMA as I had my two good years with the first unit, but thank you for all the suggestions. If it comes to a second DOA unit, I will have to consider getting a Seasonic one.

I'll definitely think about getting myself a UPS, that sounds like a life-saver. Thanks for the offer, I'll get back to you if I decide to get one.

Cheers!
 
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oskar5

Apr 9, 2018
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Yeah, I used all the cables that came with the replacement.

It seems they weren't Chieftec cables after all. bequiet must have changed the design of their cables since the first DPP11 I bought and I mistook them for the Chieftec ones. My bad.

I've been in contact with the company and they asked me to do the paperclip test in which the PSU didn't start either. They seem pretty hesitant to help though and told me that the first PSU wasn't actually defective, but had a loose connection on the switch which is why they replaced it. Is that something I could have easily caused again with the replacement unit?
 
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