A chain reaction..perhaps?

[marsay001]

hello fellow tech heads, couple of months back i bought a cheap system bundle which I could slowly upgrade for gaming:

amd athlon 7750 x2 be

asus m3n78 mo/bo

WIN POWER 450 atx

saph 3850

3gbb 800 ddr 2 ram


about a month ago my pc started running a little bit hot..i thought nothing of it, down to the crap cheap bundled case i thought. then it started become rather unstable under gaming, and in general if been on fora couple of hours.
yesterday I came to turn it on.

5 secs later it cut out.

it did this TEN times.

so i thought ok if it is the psu, il unplug my gfx and take it out. the system booted up and stayed on.
today i replaced my psu with an ezcool 600. AND before you say anything. it ways a lot more than the winpower, has dual 12 v rails each with 20 amps and a load of connectors and a 12 cm silent fan with thermal control.

Now as I write my PC is sat in the bios with the side of the case OFF idling between 47 and 51 C*. with side on it goes to around 56-58 C*

IN BIOS. what the hell is the problem.

and just before i go, the old supply had a 20 pin connector, my mobo is 24, so i was sceptical about using this when i first got it, it worked ..for a while. Do you think my components have been damaged by the power supply, also my gfx card sounds like a friggin jet when idling with the case panel ON.

Please help. the case has 2x80 mm intake and 2x80mm exhuast and these fans are NEW hipers.

thanks in advance and sorry for long post!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

It sounds like you haven't properly installed the HSF. Your idle temps shouldn't be anywhere near 50C. You'll want to get some new thermal paste, remove the HSF, clean off the existing thermal paste, and reinstall the HSF with new thermal paste. Be sure to follow the instructions for installing your HSF.

 

[leo2kp]

Your computer could have been damaged by the PSU, and your new one isn't something I would have picked out either. While amperage and voltage are important, the quality of the internals are also very important. With that said, the PSU is something you'll want to go name-brand on, and not just name-brand but a select FEW brands (and even specific models within the brand) that you should consider. I'm a big PC Power and Cooling fan because of their solid reputation and the warranty you get (5-years). If it comes down to money, downgrade something until you can afford a decent power-supply. Really. The motherboard and PSU are the foundation of a solid PC. If you skimp out on one of those, things like you're describing start to happen and you end up blowing more money replacing parts, or frustrated due to instability.

My second point is regarding cooling and cable-management. 80mm fans are great as long as they can push a lot of air, but they're obviously louder than the same CFM 120mm fan. You probably can't fit 120mm fans so you're stuck with the size. The fan design is the next important thing. I've had cheap fans that blow out to the sides barely hitting what's behind them, and I've had higher quality fans that blow straight out cooling things a lot better. Interestingly, some of the best high-flow fans are also the quietest due to their design and efficiency. Air is pushed through easier making less noise. However, a cheap fan is better than no fan.

Thirdly, you want to make sure the inside of your case is clear of clutter. If you haven't, spend some time routing wires in such a way that they are out of the way of airflow, yet can reach your components. Keep motherboard wires away from heatsinks and other hot-spots. Use zip-ties or other fasteners to bundle wires and route them around the case fans or anywhere else that keeps them out of the way. Sometimes you can't avoid having some wires in the airflow path, so just keep those wires bundled tightly to make them more streamlined. A good case will have areas you can use for cable-management.

You're describing a computer with a lot of hot air inside. If your CPU is hot and your video card is sweating just trying to stay alive, then either you don't have enough airflow, or there is too much in the way. It doesn't sound like a CPU-only problem which would indicate a loose heatsink but anything is possible

 

[marsay001]

iv already done this, should of mentioned it, bought some arctic silver did the cpu and gpu, cleaned the chips with alcohol and still the same.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Is the HSF on tight? It should have little to no play when you try to wiggle it. Did the thermal paste have a uniform thin pattern that covered the majority of the heat spreader when you removed it? I still think there's a problem with the HSF installation based on the very high idle temps.

 

[marsay001]

thanks for the input guys,

yeah I didnt want to buy that psu at all if im honest, I was going to order a 500 cooler master, but because im replacing the crappy case etc, I really couldnt afford it. I read some good reviews on the PSU, it definitely feels quality.
All the cables are tie-rapped and round the back of the mo/bo tray. the fans are silent and move a good amount of air.....

The heat sink is on tight as, the clip is down, barley moves with force. the thermal paste is spot on.

I used to work for gamestation repairing xbox 360's and had to apply thermal paste and sit heatsinks about 15 times a day lol.

So the old psu, ( with lack of the extra 4 pin mobo power) could have damaged my board, :/ well unfortunatley theres only one way to find out.