Possible Faulty PSU?

[matthew_r]

Hi,

I recently bought a cheap 800w (EzCool Tornado) to use in a new build.

I noticed yesterday, however, when booting up the fan and LED lights on the PSU itself keep turning off then back on again.

This lasts for about 30 seconds before the fan will spin up and stay spinning for as long as the system remains on. Even an immediate reboot will produce the same results.

I'm not sure if this is a fault or whether this is quite normal. I've never noticed a power suppply do it before!

Anyway, my specs are as follows:

Antec 300 Case,
ASUS M3N72-D Motherboard,
Athlon II 2.8 Quad Core CPU,
2 x 2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM,
Zotac GTX 275 876Mb GPU,
1 x 250Gb Sata HDD,
1 x 750Gb Sata HDD,
2 x DVD R/W,

 

[matthew_r]

Yeah, that's the strange thing. If I hadn't looked, I probably wouldn't have noticed. System boots with no issues and runs fine even when running games.

I know I cheaped out on the PSU but I heard good things about it and, due to my modest budget, the price was right!

I didn't want to have to go through the whole returns process as it's no fun but I think I might have to. It's only the fact that my system is otherwise operating normally that has made me a little hesitant.

Thanks for your reply, I will definitely check that PSU out.

 

[jsc]

Your system can be easily powered by a Corsair 550VX (41 amp 12 volt rail):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

 

[matthew_r]

OK I'm starting to think that I'm just plain unlucky.

I replaced the PSU. Unsurprisingly my PC booted up fine and the PSU seems to be running correctly.

However, I've now noticed that when I shut down (through Windows), I am unable to reboot. If I press the power button, the LEDs come on for a split second before switching straight back off.

The only way I can now boot my machine is to disconnect it from the mains for around 30 seconds. I'm assuming that it's another faulty PSU and I'm now going to have to look at getting a third.

Before I do, however, are there any checks I should be making? Could it be that one of my components is killing power supplies?

Thanks,

 

[banthracis]

Whats your new PSU? Have your trued this PSU in a different computer?

If it's actually a good one this time, check RAM.

Are RAM voltages correct in your BIOS? Did you run memtest for at least 8 passes?

 

[matthew_r]

Just to correct myself, as I'm apparently not allowed to edit my own posts, I meant to say "have now bought" and not "have not bought"!

 

[matthew_r]

The 2nd PSU was an Arianet 800w "Silent Gaming PSU". I know everyone here said to go branded but I was recommended the Arianet PSU by various people and on one or two forums so I thought it would be ok. It clearly wasn't.

Anyway, 3rd time lucky.

I've not bought and an installed an OCZ Modxstream Pro 700w. So far it is running perfectly with no issues.

I'm in the process of sending the 2nd one back and I think I'll have to just call this a lesson learned!

Thanks for the advice to those that posted.

 

[Transmaniacon]

Antec, Corsair, Silverstone, SeaSonic, OCZ, PC Power & Cooling, and a few other exceptions

Stick with those brands for PSUs, in this category quality is utmost.

 

[matthew_r]

Yeah, I won't make the same mistake again!