BSOD due to faulty PSU

[Karambir24]

Hi guys,

Basically to give you a bit of insight I built a new PC about 2 months. All the parts I used were bought new, except for the power supply which I reused out of my old computer since it was an aftermarket corsair cx600 I bought 3 years ago. The specs of my pc are as follows:

CPU: Intel core i5 6600k @3.5ghz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce gtx 970 g1 gaming edition
RAM: 8GB DDR4 @2400mhz
HDD: 1TB seagate 7200rpm
SSD: 128GB Kingston
PSU: Corsair CX600 atx
MOBO: ASUS Z170 pro gaming

Now I'm running into two problems
1) BSOD when I turn my computer on when showing windows logo, after which it restarts and work fine
2) Computer shutting off a few seconds after I start it up, after which it restarts and no BSOD comes up.

Now here's the important thing: BOTH THESE PROBLEMS ONLY HAPPEN AFTER MY COMPUTER HAS BEEN OFF FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS (E.G OVERNIGHT)

I've reinstalled windows 10 3 times, updated windows and all my drivers. Ran memtest overnight for 20 passes, where it showed no errors. Ran Intel processor diagnostic tool which showed no errors. Updated my bios through the Internet. I've now reinstalled windows 10 and not installed any drivers to see if the problem persisted, which it did. I've tested booting the computer without a gpu and hdd in turn, but it still shows it. There has been no point booting into safe mode as I only get the bsod after I turn it on when it's been off for a couple of hours and the problem still occurs even after a fresh install of windows without any drivers. The error messages I've had range from system_thread_exception_not_handled, kernel_security_check,failure all the way to driver_irql_not_less_or_equal

Honestly what can I do? I know it's a pretty small problem as my computer works flawlessly after it's restarted but I'm scared it could be an underlying problem and could cause issues to my pc later down the line. I've got a suspicion it could be the psu since I didn't use my old computer (and in turn the psu) for a year and it could have been damaged somehow, hence both the problems only occurring after its been off for hours.

Can anyone please help me out? Thanks

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Probably the CX , power supply , very poor quality and one of the. highest return rates among PSU's with the CX500.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Changing the PSU should clear these issues.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£70.97 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £70.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-16 18:43 GMT+0000


It's the best 550w PSU on the market based on the award winning Super Flower Leadex Gold series with a 7 year warranty.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=440
550W G2 review.

Performance (40% of the final score) - you probably already know what I'm going to say here. Voltage regulation was excellent, averaging 0.9% in the hot box. No points deducted. Efficiency was a pass for Gold both times. No deduction. Ripple control was amazing, and probably the best I've ever seen, so definitely no deduction there. I saw no issues with anything else, so this unit gets a 10 here.

Functionality (20% of the final score) - this unit gets everything right. Even the CPU cable, which I thought was terrible on the 650W, is done right here today. Semi fanless mode works well, the manual is decent, we got lots of connectors to power anything a 550W unit should power, and the box came with more goodies than I tend to expect with such a small unit. 10.

Value (20% of the final score) - you can get one of these for $84.99 at Newegg right now. That's a fair bit for a unit this size these days, but as always EVGA is right at the bottom of the cost pile when it comes to 80 Plus Gold and full modularity. The nearest competition is their own 550W GS unit at one dollar more money. This is nuts. How are you making any money on these, EVGA? 10.

Build Quality (20% of the final score) - oh, snap... EVGA just got another perfect total score. There's nothing wrong with this unit. Nothing. 10.

 

[damric]

I agree. It's 3 years old, which is about 3 years too old for a CX to run a graphics card without problems. It's also only rated to run at 30C without failing, which for some folks is less than ambient temperature.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Rest of the components are very good , time for some quality power.

 

[Karambir24]

I don't know how to reply to you but if the psu is faulty wouldn't that mean it doesn't work at all? Seems a bit strange for a psu to give out BSODs

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Not true, PSU's can still work and be unstable , power issues like this are usually PSU related.

CX series don't belong in these type of builds.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

You don't want this to happen to your new build.

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8-wNmYJvM"][/video]

 

[Karambir24]

So should I go for something other than a corsair? The reviews for it are really good for gaming PCs on amazon

 

[damric]

I don't know how to reply to you but if the psu is faulty wouldn't that mean it doesn't work at all? Seems a bit strange for a psu to give out BSODs

Let me try and explain this quick and dirty:

The PSUs job is to take AC from the wall, rectify it to DC, step it down to 12v, and filter out all of the ripple.

Key word here is ripple:

"Within digital circuits, it reduces the threshold, as does any form of supply rail noise, at which logic circuits give incorrect outputs and data is corrupted." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_(electrical)#Effects_of_ripple

To filter out that ripple, your PSU uses filter stages in the secondary that use capacitors. Leaky capacitors do not filter properly. CX uses junk capxon capacitors in the secondary that degrade quickly and do not handle much heat. Corsair acknowledges this and only rates the PSU to 30C and gives it a very short warranty. You probably bought this PSU because it had Corsair written on it and it was probably cheaper than the other models. You get what you pay for.

 

[Karambir24]

Also to point out it still gave me a bsod problem after I took out the gpu and hard drive. The second point I listed only happens from time to time too

 

[mjslakeridge]

Not all Corsairs are bad, but the CX series is. For a nice rig like you have, try to buy something in the Tier 1 or Tier 2 in the link below.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 

[Karambir24]

So it's definitely the psu? Sorry guys haha, I feel a bit paranoid it could be my mobo or another part

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I posted the best 550w on the market above.

 

[mjslakeridge]

It "could" be another component, but the only way to know is to eliminate the weakest link in your system, which is your PSU.

 

[Karambir24]

Any PSUs with higher wattage, say 600w or over? I'd like to have extra Wattage for comfort in case I want to add any other parts on, and the gtx 970 recommend 550w minimum

 

[damric]

So it's definitely the psu? Sorry guys haha, I feel a bit paranoid it could be my mobo or another part

Capacitors on motherboards and graphics cards will eventually degrade, but yours are still relatively new so I would not suspect those. Your PSU is by far the weakest link in your rig and should be replaced whether it is broken or not, but I would certainly bet money on that being the problem, as I have seen this problem with that PSU model enough times that I could buy a nice house if I won $100 bet every time this happens.

 

[damric]

Any PSUs with higher wattage, say 600w or over? I'd like to have extra Wattage for comfort in case I want to add any other parts on, and the gtx 970 recommend 550w minimum

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $48.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-16 14:12 EST-0500

Good quality PSU built on the Super Flower Golden Green platform. Excellent ripple suppression and heat endurance.

 

[Karambir24]

Well that's 60 quid (which is what it cost at the time) down the drain from 3 years ago lol. But seriously I bought it thinking it's a top quality power supply which will last me for years to come

 

[damric]

Well that's 60 quid (which is what it cost at the time) down the drain from 3 years ago lol. But seriously I bought it thinking it's a top quality power supply which will last me for years to come

Don't let brand names fool you. Companies like Corsair and EVGA use many third parties to manufacture PSUs, so quality can really be all over the place. Best to come here to THW and ask a PSU master what descent units are available on the day you want to purchase (prices are always fluctuating).

 

[Karambir24]

750W for only 48 dollars. I live in the UK I know but that's really cheap, the 550w evga posted here before was more expensive than that

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Quality on the G2 550W is top of the heap , so it commands more.

 

[Karambir24]

Right guys I'll try ordering/going to the shop to get a new psu then, if I post an update on here will you get notifications? Sorry I'm kinda new to this site

 

[mjslakeridge]

Yes, anyone who has contributed to this thread will see any updates under "new updates" above. Whether we will get an email notification depends on our personal settings.

Good luck with the new PSU!

 

[Karambir24]

Hi guys, quick update

I turned my pc on again to check for a bsod (force of habit) and right on queue it showed me a screen I've never seen before and had some random jargon followed by "power supply surges detected during the previous power on. Asus anti-surge was triggered to protect system from unstable power supply unit"

I'm officially panicking rn