Possible PSU failure

[bloojays23]

Hi, for some reason, my computer randomly shuts off. This happened since yesterday and I'm not sure exactly why. Some possible leads could be either a PSU failure, MB failure, or maybe just virus/spyware.
I doubt it's spyware/virus since I thoroughly scanned my computer last night with malwarebyes, and superantispyware. My avast! antivirus has been constantly updated so that lead has little chance.

My CPU temp are constantly at 45-50 Celsius so I dont think my CPU is failing at the moment. I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this if it's my MB failing.

I have :
OS: Windows Vista 32-bit Ultimate
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 v2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ (2 CPU) ~3.1GHz
MB: MSI - MS-7309 --- MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Ram: 3070MB
Directx 10
GPU: Radoen HD 6770
PSU: Ultra LS500 Lifetime Series 500W Power Supply

I've been planning on buying a CPU anyways and if my PSU is the one at fault, this may be a good time to buy a CPU+PSU package deal on newegg.

EDIT: It could also be a outlet problem since I have seen my Belkin Surgemaster to have some weird lights. The orange light that lights up when it's on sometimes faints up, or dims up. Not sure how to describe it but right now, i switched the surgemaster to another wall outlet.

 

[rolli59]

It is hard to tell but your cheap Ultra is not their best! It could simply be your surgemaster failing!

 

[nforce4max]

Junky board any crappier psu, Ultra is complete crap and has a bad rep of failure so get rid of right away and get a new psu. Don't buy Antec either because their units don't work very well with sata drives for some reason. Either spikes or dips on the 12v or 5v rails that cause the drives to power down (power retract count).

 

[delluser1]

Junky board any crappier psu, Ultra is complete crap and has a bad rep of failure so get rid of right away and get a new psu. Don't buy Antec either because their units don't work very well with sata drives for some reason. Either spikes or dips on the 12v or 5v rails that cause the drives to power down (power retract count).

Got dozens of systems out there with all sorts of Antec power supplies in them, never heard anything like that before.

 

[bloojays23]

I'm not worried about the MB right now. At the moment, I'm currently looking at this right now :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

I dont need modulars or any high tech PSU like that. The one I linked above seemed to be reputable brand with 600w which is more than enough for my system I believe.

And going with the PSU, I may buy this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995

Are these components compatible with my system? And if not, what else should i get?

 

[nforce4max]

Got dozens of systems out there with all sorts of Antec power supplies in them, never heard anything like that before.

Got two Antec units and one was purchased brand new, with one or two drives no issue at least that is noticeable but when you install 3 or 4 drives on those sata chains that is when power issues come up. It is strange that I don't have the issue with my other units. My ide drives don't have the issue at all but sata drives on antec units do. Unstable current, 12v source in bios is 12.1v while the others are normal as well but during use the issue takes place. Even more odd it even affects my ssd and not just mechanical drives. So I am going to ditch antec altogether.

 

[rolli59]

I'm not worried about the MB right now. At the moment, I'm currently looking at this right now :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

I dont need modulars or any high tech PSU like that. The one I linked above seemed to be reputable brand with 600w which is more than enough for my system I believe.

And going with the PSU, I may buy this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995

Are these components compatible with my system? And if not, what else should i get?

Both good compatible choices!

 

[nforce4max]

I'm not worried about the MB right now. At the moment, I'm currently looking at this right now :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

I dont need modulars or any high tech PSU like that. The one I linked above seemed to be reputable brand with 600w which is more than enough for my system I believe.

And going with the PSU, I may buy this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995

Are these components compatible with my system? And if not, what else should i get?

Low quality supplies have much higher failure rates than quality models. From experience power supply failures can kill your comp beyond repair. It can take out your drives, board, graphics card, and cpu depending on the type of failure. Most simply just degrade and eventually drop dead with only the unit that failed. Some blue smoke (short out) leaving behind a nasty odor that fills the room with toxic smelling smoke. Others can spend one last spike over the rails killing everything that is connected to the unit that can't filter or endure the surge. Cheap units also pose a safety issue to the people who use them if they are unlucky enough to get a nasty jolt when they go if they were happen to be touching the metal case with no or improper grounding.

 

[bloojays23]

@nforce4max : Thanks for the lesson.

I dont think the PSU that i linked in my previous post would be consider " cheap" or "low quality". From what I have researched, Corsair seems to be a reliable and reputable brand. And there was a "gamer series" of the Corsair that would be around $90+ but I dont think that would be necessary for my rig.

On another note, i think this was the best time for this to happen since I have exams this week and now I wont be distracted by my pc now. Haha. Though Im going to have throw in around $180~ to get it back on and running again.

 

[delluser1]

Got two Antec units and one was purchased brand new, with one or two drives no issue at least that is noticeable but when you install 3 or 4 drives on those sata chains that is when power issues come up. It is strange that I don't have the issue with my other units. My ide drives don't have the issue at all but sata drives on antec units do. Unstable current, 12v source in bios is 12.1v while the others are normal as well but during use the issue takes place. Even more odd it even affects my ssd and not just mechanical drives. So I am going to ditch antec altogether.

Certainly sounds strange, just not something I've heard before
I use EA 500's for 4-6 drive servers and EA 650's for anything more, haven't had a problem using all of the available sata connectors on either of them.

 

[bloojays23]

Best answer selected by bloojays23.