Have killed 3 800 watt power supplies in past 3 months

[Domdoyle]

I have an issue that is either hardware related or outlet/surge protecter. Basically my issue started up 3 months ago when my first xion 800 watt psu went out. Was first problem with computer which was built about two years ago. Then I went to Best Buy and got a 800 watt corsair power supply. that 1 died within a week. I also had my 44 inch lcd die pretty much at the same time too. At this point I was sure I had a bad outlet so bought a decent extention cord and surge protector and ran my computer from another outlet afterI got a third psu another corsair 800 watter.This went recently bad causing after post resets I know my sysrem isnt pulling that much juice msi 785gm-e51, amd phenom ii X4 cpu, gt 9500 gpu 8gb ddr ozc. what do I do? Is there anyway to tell if my other hardware is the culprit or if it just the shitty outlets in my house?

 

[scottiemedic]

Have you taken a volt meter and tested your outlets, watching for spikes while someone else turns random things on and off? Could be both outlets you picked are on the same breaker, causing the problem to persist. If it's getting past a surge protector, I'd guess they are big spikes.

If you aren't comfortable testing outlets with a voltmeter (yes, you could get electrocuted), then call an electrician.

 

[Domdoyle]

Tested both of them 121 and 120 v both on different breakers. I dont have multimeter to them on so it may not be volt issue

 

[InvalidError]

Random electronics failing sure makes it sound like a site wiring fault could be the root cause.

Tested both of them 121 and 120 v both on different outlets

As suggested by Scottie, keep an eye on those as someone switches large loads on/off. If you have a floating/weak ground/neutral, those values may surge/sag.

 

[assasin32]

Best guess is the surge protector isn't doing it's job. I know off hand your not suppose to plug surge protectors into extension cords, been told that several times concerning electrical equipment, I look into it more I just vaguely remember being told it somehow defeats the purpose of a surge protector somehow.

I would switch out the surge protector for something better, and not use the extension cord eitherway as if it was a spike than the surge protector didn't do it's job.

 

[smorizio]

sounds like your second power supply was a doa unit that got passes the qa testing. if you think it a house power issue start with walking outside your home. if the house is 10 years or older look at the wire going into the outside meter. does it go through some trees. if it does it could have rubbed a bare spot on the wire. and during wind storm could be grounding out. also check to see how far you are from the local transformer and look at the transformer age. could be an output issue from the transformer on the street. have the power company test the voltage and amps going into your home and have them check that the leggs on there meter are tight. on the inside if you have a local eletrication that your friend. tos him some beer and some money have him come over and check the breaker panel. make sure the breakers are on tight and the power wires from the street are on tight. also check if you have an older home that your not over loading the bedroom or where the pc is with a pc and a window ac unit.

 

[mavroxur]

Might try a line-interactive UPS between the source and your computer. An APC 1000VA UPS might be a good investment.

 

[InvalidError]

Might try a line-interactive UPS between the source and your computer. An APC 1000VA UPS might be a good investment.

Agreed. At the very least, PowerChute would categorize and count events which would enable the OP to get a better idea of what might be going on and how frequent the problem is.

 

[geekapproved]

If your motherboard is grounding on the case, that could be a problem. Are you sure there aren't any extra standoffs under your motherboard that aren't being used?

Why on Earth would you need a 800w psu for a system that draws about 200w?

 

[InvalidError]

Why on Earth would you need a 800w psu for a system that draws about 200w?

Could be that he was expecting higher-rating PSUs to have a better chance of surviving whatever is killing his PSUs.

 

[Domdoyle]

I wanted to upgrade my gpu so ifigured buy one psu instead of 2. Also had electrician look and was having major power spikes on my current breaker, we found it was on same breaker as fridgerator. So I relocated my pc to different room and plugged the surge protecter directly into the wall as suggested by assasin32 I think this will rememdy the issue.