Power Supply Problem?

[georgek]

Hi,

My son's computer with the following (main) components,

Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-8GPNXP Duo
CPU : Intel P4 540
Mem : Noname 2x512MB DDR2 667
Graphics : ATI Radeon X850XT PCIe-16
PSU : Thermaltake Toughpower 700W W0106
Hard Drive : 250 GB SATA
DVD-RW : LG
There are a few fans and LEDs as well in a Thermaltake Armour Case

has problems trying to start.

When the front panel power switch is pressed the computer has power for a fraction of a second (all the fans start spining and the lights come on etc.) and then it dies. If the power switch is pressed again nothing happens, i.e., the computer acts like it is completely dead. I disconnected and checked the power cord and its voltage and everything is fine (230 V). After waiting a while and reconnecting the power cord and then pressing the power switch again it tries once again to start but it just can't make it passed the first second. Strangely, once after the above mentioned repeated connecting/disconneting procedures the computer was able to start and everything work as before without problems, 3D games (Battlefield 2, Couterstike Source, etc.) had no problems, i.e., no shut-downs or anything abnormal happend. Unfortunately this has not happened again.

I also tried the screwdriver short of the switch pins and it behaves as described above - tries to start but just can't.

Does anyone have a clue what might be wrong with the computer system? Is it the power supply? Any tests I can do to isolate the problem?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

George

 

[doolittle]

Another thing you can do is test the PSU independently from the motherboard / cpu / gpu by removing those connectors, connecting some hdd / dvd / cd drives / fans then "jump start" the PSU by simulating the "power_on" motherboard signal by shunting the "PS_ON" green wire to ground via a paper clip or something - then plugging the unit in and powering the rear switch on...

Here is an example of the atx jumper:

It should fire up the PSU and stay on, the drives should be spinning and the cd/dvd should be able to eject. You *have* to have at least one hdd or cd/dvd drive connected to act as a "pull-up" load to power the unit on. The drives should spin up and the cd tray should be ejectable and it should stay on. If you have a voltmeter you can test voltages. If the PSU can't stay on it could be a defective unit.

If it's working well, then you can start the bare-bones "mobo / cpu / GPU mem / speaker & power-on header only" config with nothing else connected and see if it able to POST and get video, or beep codes or something. Makes troubleshooting easy at this point...

 

[georgek]

Thanks doolittle.

I tried your suggestion and I get the same result - power supply tries to start but can't.

It seems as though it is the power supply that is the problem.

Thanks for your help.

George

 

[georgek]

Thanks for the advice; however, RMA is not the norm here in Switzerland. Nevertheless, I will send it to the service centre advised from the shop I bought it at and hope for the best.

Thanks,

George

 

[Sanjay Neelamegam]

Please help me....... ANYBODY!please. I have a serious pc problem.
I live in a town where power blackouts are very common and unpredictable. The problem is: My pc simply goes off and restarts on ups backup the moment there is a power blackout. This especially happens when i am playing games. I am using a nVidia 7900 GT card. I was using a Champion 600VA/360W ups.
I called computer techs for help and i was told that the ups is overloaded by playing games when there is a power blackout. All i wanted was the pc to operate for a few minutes when playing games, so that i can save whatever i was doing and properly shutdown my system. So, i was recommended to upgrade to a Champion 1000VA/600W ups.
I did the same. I charged the new ups for 12 hours. I ran a game( Age of empire 3 and Ghost recon2) while playing them i switched off the mains. The pc still went off and restarts on ups backup.
I simply dont know what to do. I dont know where exactly the problem is. I am a lay pc user and i do not know the technical details of a computer.
Could there be a problem in Graphics card or mother board or cabin power supply unit or any software settings? Should I upgrade to a better quailty and high capacity ups like APC 1300VA/780W or higher?
This is my system configuration:
• Mercury motherboard
• Inted Core duo 3.0 GHz processor
• Seagate 160 gb hard disk
• 1 gb RAM ( 2 512 mb RAM cards)
• Sony DVD RW disk drive
• NVidia GeForce 7900 GT card
• Zebronics Lava cabin with two inbuilt fans and a 400W power supply unit
• Samsung 17 inch LCD monitor (Syncmaster 740n)
• Champion 1000VA/600W online ups
• Logitech keyboard and mouse
• Creative speakers with woofer
• Cannon ip1300 pixma inkjet printer
I have connected only the CPU and monitor to the ups and nothing else.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE RECOMMEND A GOOD UPS FOR THE ABOVE CONFIGURATION WHICH CAN KEEP THE PC RUNNING ESPECIALLY WHEN PLAYING GAMES FOR A FEW MINUTES SO THAT THERE IS TIME TO SAVE THE GAME AND PROPERLY SHUTDOWN THE PC?
and DO I HAVE TO UPGRADE THE 400W PSU ?

Please feel free to share your ideas to shed some light in my pc problem. I would greatly obliged for your kind help.