My PSU Horror Story

[Guest]

Hi, i just need some expert advice on the many problems that i'm having with my computers and the corsair products that possibly ruined them both. So without further ado, here begins my horror story.
A while ago I had a working computer that use to get blue screens every now and then, but suddenly blue screens started to increase over time. I then decided to run memtest on my Corsair 8gb Vengeance memory and it returned errors. Also around that time, i noticed that my Corsair tx850 v2 was making a scary ticking noise. By that time i immediately RMAed both psu and ram to corsair to avoid further damage to my OLDER computer. Keep in mind that this old computer was actually booting.
So when i got my Corsair PSU and ram back from almost a month long RMA period, i hooked up the psu and ram to my older computer, and nothing booted at all. The green light on my motherboard's power button would glow green when i hook up the psu to the wall jack, but when i press that power button to boot, the fans would spin for around one millisecond, then everything shuts down including the fan on the PSU. At that time i immediately called Corsair technical support and they told me to maybe try the psu and ram on another computer (which was a horrible idea and I don't know why I gave the psu and ram the benefit of the doubt after I saw the psu kill my older system) so I tried it on my brand new computer. Before I tried it on the new computer, i tried the paperclip test and it passed only when I linked the green wire with only a few of the black wires on the 24pin connector. Some of the black wires wouldn't make the fan spin when I connect them to the green wire and Ironically does the same exact millisecond fan spin followed by a halt.
That same exact day i got the new parts for my new computer I tried the psu and ram. Keep in mind that these parts are literally 30 minutes old out of the box (just so you don't assume that any part besides the psu or ram is at fault) and the same EXACT thing happened. The system wouldn't boot and the fans spin for about a millisecond, then nothing would happen at all.
Most likely the psu caused permanent damage to both computers that I've spent more than half my yearly income on. What I need to know is whether i'm completely screw out of my money at this point and if you guys think that this PSU in fact might have ruined both computers. I apologize if I sound rude in advance, you would be too if a $150 power supply ended up killing $2200 worth of computer parts.

 

[dragonbane]

Have you tried a different PSU in either system? If the PSU is at fault you wont be able to tell if the rest of the system is okay until you try a different one. If you don't have a spare PSU, you could buy a PSU tester as they're relatively cheap and extremely useful to have around in a situation like this.

One of the easiest ways to see if it's a component issue is by plugging in each component one at a time. Simply unplug everything and plug them back in one by one. It's entirely possible that one of your brand new parts was DOA and is causing the issue.

Also, are you saying that you're swapping the PSU and RAM back and forth between the computers or just the PSU? If both then the RAM shouldn't be ignored as a potential problem.

 

[Guest]

Yes i am using the same psu and ram for both systems and i've already tried running with bare minimum parts (cpu, ram, and psu) on both systems. I've also tried both ram modules on every single slot individually. I unfortunately can not afford a psu tester due to the fact that I spent all my money on the new computer parts, yes, i'm that broke right now. My only hope is on that damage claim form I've submitted to Corsair because of what their PSU have done to my systems. What makes me go nuts is the fact that the ******* psu is passing the paperclip test...

 

[TenPc]

BSOD's occur for various reasons such as incompatible drivers, hardware issues, PSU power shortfalls, hdd faults etc..there really isn't much of anything that doesn't cause the BSOD screen.

Considering the intermittent flash of the bsod, that could refer to a power surge issue or a ram compatibility issue, to which you have reasoned to be the culrprits.

What is the model of your motherboard, do you have any external devices attached during boot like an external hdd, and is you PC in a well ventilated area or is it next to the heater?

An 850 watt PSU is way too much power for a Pentium 4 if that is as old as your PC could be...

If possible give details of all your hardware incl CPU, Vidoe card, ram (brand and speed) motherboard etc..

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Where do you live and how is your house wiring?
Moto

 

[Guest]

neither computers are old as in pentium 4 old. Both of them are actually very high end and i was just saying "my older computer" as in my first computer. Here are the specs for both
1st (older computer)
msi z77agd65 motherboard
i5 2400 @3.1 ghz
1x msi gtx 680
8gb Corsair vengeance ram
corsair tx850w v2

the second computer is an upgrade from that i5 to i7 3770k and a new motherboard (a second msiz77agd65) and a second gtx 680 (that means now i can sli) and i'm using the same exact ram and psu on both computers. Meaning i swap ram and psu for whichever computer i want to use since they have two separate cases (obviously) and i don't have some spare ram or a spare psu.

I live in new jersey and i'm 100% sure this has nothing to do with my house wiring. Also my problem has nothing to do with BSODs right now. Please read my thread carefully before you talk about random problems that i currently dont have.

PS. i tested both systems with the bare minimum hardware needed to boot on a test bench outside of their cases (only cpu, ram, motherboard, and psu were hooked up and powered up to test). This returned with the same symptoms that i had when i hooked up the psu with everything all together in the case. I hook up the psu, then the green light on the motherboard's power button would turn on. After i press that button, the fans and the motherboard would power on for about one millisecond, then stop and nothing would happen. If i try to press the power button again, nothing would happen at all this time until i unplug the power cable then wait for a few minutes then plug it back in and the cycle repeats. Fans and lights on mobo turn on for one millisecond, everything stops, push the button again, nothing happens, etc etc....

both motherboards (the 2 year old and the 30 minute old NEW motherboard) show the same EXACT symptom with the same power supply and ram installed. What makes me go nuts however, is the fact that the psu is passing the paperclip test. This is what's driving me absolutely nuts.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

New jersey, ok so you are kind of in civilisation,
The reason I asked is because there have been other threads like this and folks spent awesome amounts of money on new parts and in some cases running to and from the local Pc store and back,
only to find their house wasn't properly grounded,
If an item plugs into the wall then the state of the house wiring can be a very relevant point,
Moto

 

[TenPc]

In your first post - "A while ago I had a working computer that use to get blue screens every now and then, but suddenly blue screens started to increase over time." Blue screens are BSoD's, Blue Screen of Death, it refers to.

A paperclip test only shows you that the PSU is working for a paper clip but not for your rig.

Did you fix your issues and if so, what was the solution?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

He never responded to my answer so I assumed he has somehow sorted it out but hasn't the time or inclination to feedback what the problem was, it happens unfortunately, folks wants answers but don't put information back into the loop for others to find later,' my problems solved so its all good' mentality
Moto

 

[TenPc]

I've got a couple of old threads that I queried and they are now still active (and still unsolved) and some have replied with solutions that were not even considered by anyone and there have only been a few that never replied to I just choose a Best Answer (if a Question) to finalize it, so to speak.

It's apity that I can't choose my own reply as Best Answer :lol: so I'll have to choose someone else.

Thanks for adding your reply, though.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

I can though
Moto

 

[TenPc]

Sorry, Moto, that Answer was not even related to the Question so I chose a Best Answer that was related. But thanks for the thought, anyway.