Power supply died twice

[GHLCowboy]

Ok, yesterday when i got home from work my system was off, i thought it was strange since i never shut it down. When I tried to start it it was dead, i broke it down to see what was wrong with it(checking all the things that it could possiblely be ie:HD,CD,FD ect.)I was left with the fact that my Power Supply was dead. I had a brand new 300 watt on hand so it was easy to replace it. It booted right up and everything seemed just fine. I put it back together and got on AIM and talked with my buds for about 10 minutes and then decided to play Spearhead online for a bit, I joined my teammates on Ventrilo and loaded the game. The new Power Supply shut down in the middle of loading the game. That is number 2 Power Supply and now I am totally stumped why. Have you ever heard of anything that would kill a power supply?

Hoping you guys can help.

Cowboy
GamerHost Council

btw

My web page is http://gamerhost.com

do you guys think it would be ok if i post a link to this forum on our web page? I really like what i have seen here and we have tons of members that are always asking for system help.

[Budfred]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif

First thing I would wonder is if it is the power supply. I would test the other one out in another system or even put it back and try it in this system to be sure. Second, depending on what equipment you have, that is a pretty small power supply and it may not be able to handle the load. Also, some power supplies are pretty crummy out of the box, so the brand makes a difference. If you do establish that it is the power supply, you probably need to look for a short or find out if the power coming into the system is flaky. If you find that it isn't the power supply, you will need to do more problem solving, so post back with system details...

As for posting a link, you will have to check with the moderators about that...

[GHLCowboy]

well, I will tell you this right off, last night I put the new power supply in and it ran fine for 15 or so minutes. I really dont have a good way to test the power coming from the wall. I have the system plugged into a power strip. The 1st power supply that went bad has been in this system for almost a year so with that in mind i was thinking that 300 watts was adiquate. But with all that said i can buy a 400 or bigger power supply of you think i need to. I will put my system specs up for ya and maybe it will give you more to work with.

AMD 1800+xp
512 megs ram via 2 256mbddr 2100 sticks
Iwill xp333-r motherboard
Radeon 9500pro 128ddr Video
Blaster live gamer sound card
Maxtor 7200 20gig Hard Drive
DVD
CD
Floppy
2 Case fans

I think thats all ya need
I am going to put the power supply in another system right now and see if it works and will post here and let ya know

[GHLCowboy]

I have installed anopther power supply that i found i had forgot i had, it is another 300 watt and it is the same brand as the other two. I am going to let it run plugged into the well in the work room where i work on my computers. If it keeps running i am going to change the power strip and see what happens, i may even try and change to another wall socket, i have two in the wall where my system is i will just have to install another power strip there.

Boy, I hate the trial and error kinda searches of a problem.

Thanks for the help, I am kinda of an idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff. HeHe, i know just enough about it to get me in trouble.

[Budfred]

Most power strips are basically just extension cords. Unless it comes with a warranty for like $25,000 or more, it isn't going to give you any real surge protection. The best bet is a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which provides surge protection and also even out the power. Several have been on sale lately so you may want to think about it.

As for the 300watt power supply, it is near the edge of what your system probably draws in power and may not even be on the right side of the edge depending on the quality of the power supply. What brand is it?? You can get lots of info about power supplies here... (http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/default.asp)

I understand dislike of process of elimination, but it is often the only way with computers....

[GHLCowboy]

I am going tomorrow in search of a 450w power supply, I think that is the problem for sure. Thanks budfred, you have been a great help. That web site taught me a thing or two and I know now that I havent been running enough power. BUT, having a power supply that is too low in watts should just shut down , right? Not burn the whole power supply out completly? Huh? I have fried 2 power supplies, although I have not got enough power to run my system, the 300 watt power supply that i had first lasted almost a year without failure and the only thing i have added recently is an additional stick of ram(256mbDDR) and according to the site i just went to it only needs 2 watts of power so I guess i am back to the drawing board. Maybe i have multiple problems and I just need to address all of the posibilities.

1. Replace power strip
2. increase size of power supply
3. Buy a UPS(if i can afford it)
4. Pray

[Budfred]

Yeah, I would go slow since we don't really know if the power supply is the problem. Also, if you get a UPS, you don't also need a power strip, so that will save a few bucks. You can't lose in getting a UPS. I just hooked one up recently and my internet connection even cleaned up. I have a DSL line and it was dropping me all the time and was often very poor. With running it through the UPS, it is stable and clean....

You still didn't mention which power supply you have. If you look at the amps on the 12volt leg, it will give you a better idea of what it can handle. And yes, it usually doesn't totally fail, it is more likely to just shut down. This suggests that it could be something else causing the problem and more experimentation is worthwhile.

That said, I did once have a power supply that came with a cheap case that died completely the third time I turned it on. Some are just garbage. It is possible that your's was just limping along and one time that you were using a bunch of devices at once, it simply gave up...

[GHLCowboy]

I have installed a new 300 watt power supply and put a new power strip/serge protector on and move most of the other items to another power strip. I have had no problems for a full 4 hours of operation and i have really tried to load it down by playing full steam using as much power as i can. I still intend to get a UPS and at least a 400 watt PS but so far so good, must have just been a crappy PS. I am gunna leave it on all night and see what happens in the mean time.

Budfred, thanks for the help and I will continue to come here often and who knows, maybe I will get the oppertunity to repay the favor one day.

[BigBlue66]

I can't speak highly enough of the TruePower series of power supplies from Antec. I use them in all my machines.

The TruePowers have dedicated circuitry for each voltage rail, so a big draw on the 5volt line won't bring the 3.3volt line down.

As Budfred mentioned, one of the basic things to look for in a power supply is the amperage rating on the 12volt line.

Looking at your system, I don't think you're running real short running a 300watt supply, however, the amperage ratings on the various voltage lines may be too low.

I highly recommend the TruePower series of power supplies and I hear that Enermax are pretty good, too, although I've never used one. For your present system, I think a True330 (330 watt) would suffice just fine. I have one in a system that is running far more components, lights, fans, etc. than your system and it doesn't even burp. But, the more the merrier when it comes to PSUs and the larger one you can get, the better of an upgrade path you will have. For example, even if you're running fine with the current 300watt PSU, if you were to add a higher end graphics card, the system would most likely puke up a hairball. (Sorry, been having problems with the cat lately. :) )