Bad PSU or MotherBoard?

[metallica435435]

hey guys, this is my first time posting so I'm going to try hard and do this post right. I recently build my own

system (first time) and I am having problems with my computer freezing and shutting off randomly. below are the

system specs:

i7 3770
ASRock B75 PRO 3
G.Skill NS Series 4GB DDR3 1600
Crucial M4 SSD 128GB
EVGA GeForce GT 650Ti
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
SeaSonic S12II 430B -430Watt Power Supply

I have done some testing but have had no luck trouble shooting the problem
I have re-formated my machine with win7 64 bit multiple times <--but I didnt have any luck
I have run memtest for hours and no results
I have tried using different DIMM ports for my RAM
I have removed the video card and used onboard graphics card (which actually made the freezing worse)
I have removed the SSD and used a known working normal spinning hard drive <--but I didnt have any luck with that either
I have removed the CD reader
I have used multiple outlets in my house and have tried removing the surge protector as well<--all these still continued the freezing and/or the random shutting off
I have updated the firmware on my SSD and BIOS for my motherboard
Ive tried different RAM sticks, which were know to work on other computers in my house
downloaded all the current drivers from all the manufactures websites
Monitored my CPU and GPU temperatures with nothing surprising (actually very low temperatures)


the freezing and shutting off is very random..
It happens alot when i do windows updates though (for reasons that are unknown to me)
never seen it do it while playing a game (and i have gamed on it for hours before)
it has happened within the first 5 minutes of being turned on, even after days of being off
it has done after waiting hours to turn off (12 plus hours)
which makes me think it is not thermal related
sometimes it happens when nothing is going on and sometimes it happens when a good amount of windows are open

both the shutting down and freezing happen at different times

i dont know if i should return the parts, call myself a failure, and move on. or if i should try getting a replacement motherboard or power supply. since these sound like the only other two components it could be...

Any help would be much appreciated!!!

 

[alexoiu]

Hi,
I would firstly start by taking the board outside the case (to rule out a short). Then removing all unnecessary components and leaving only one RAM stick and HDD, regular keyboard and mouse (some fancy USB mouses/keyboards can create issues). Reinstall Windows on the HDD and only the necessary drivers (Intel VGA, audio and LAN).
If still the same, reinstall the CPU heatsink and check for extra thermal paste or bent pins.
If still no luck, then yes, either a board or a power supply issue.

 

[metallica435435]

Thanks so much for the fast reply! I will certainly do what you said. could a short also cause the freezes? I do have "sort of" a fancy mouse and keyboard so i will grab some old dell's and check my cpu for bent pins or just reinsert it. Ill let you know how it goes

 

[metallica435435]

Ok, Since my last post I have been using my CPU. my computer hasn't froze in a while. Not sure if it was the flashing of the bios or lack of stress (aka: lack of windows update and driver installs that had to be performed)... At any rate it appears to have slowed down or completely stopped.

The randomly shutting off is still an issue though.

I have taken my motherboard out of the case and set it on what I would guess is not a highly conductive table (just a very clean wood desk), and for a while a ran great. I unplugged the wifi USB device, CD rom, videocard, and just left in 1 stick of RAM, HDD, processor, and power supply. After doing some of the first windows updates however, the problem hit again with the random rebooting.

SO, now i have a motherboard, RAM stick, HDD, processor, and power supply just sitting on my desk.
how do i figure out which one of these is bad? I dont have a spare 430 Watt power supply lying around anywhere and I guess i feel its the motherboard since most of the time ive seen a power supply die, it just dies. (doesn't randomly keep shutting off).

Any suggestions before I try getting on the phone with the manufacture of either of these parts?

Thanks!

 

[alexoiu]

I guess it's the power supply. But... hard to say.

 

[metallica435435]

Ok Ill try sending it back. I might also just send back the mobo and processor as well just to make sure.

 

[metallica435435]

Ok, I sent back the Power Supply and the same freezing and shutting off was still happening. Kept this power supply and sent back the mobo. Problem was solved. freezing and random shutting off never again accured even after running it 24 7 and doing non stop windows updates. new board is great, its an asus. Turns out that AsRock board has some really bad rating and tons of people have been having the same random freezing and shutting off problems. thought i would post back just incase anyone else runs into this! Thanks Tom's Hardware.

 

[metallica435435]

Hi,
I would firstly start by taking the board outside the case (to rule out a short). Then removing all unnecessary components and leaving only one RAM stick and HDD, regular keyboard and mouse (some fancy USB mouses/keyboards can create issues). Reinstall Windows on the HDD and only the necessary drivers (Intel VGA, audio and LAN).
If still the same, reinstall the CPU heatsink and check for extra thermal paste or bent pins.
If still no luck, then yes, either a board or a power supply issue.

I guess it's the power supply. But... hard to say.

How do I select a solution for this since it is solved?

 

[alexoiu]

Thank you for the follow up.
Just add "solved" to the title.
Good luck!

 

[metallica435435]

I, do not know how to do that I dont think... Sorry im still really new to the forum. On all my other threads I can select a big green button that says "choose this as best answer"

 

[alexoiu]

The thread was started as "discussion" and not "question", therefore no "best answer" option.

 

[metallica435435]

oh, gotcha well thanks!