is my psu bad?

[ug_rulz_all]

link back to http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=839549 - which contains the problem im still having to this date

ive narrowed it down to either the psu or motherboard - its a 300 watt psu that comes with the evercase ECE4252. now i get that error in windows, but linux seems to run fine. what i want to know is - is this more of a problem with my psu or the motherboard itself? ive contacted my motherboard manufacturer for additional support, but they havent replied yet

 

[Ice Czar]

well the heat related theory applies not only to the CPU\GPU but also the PSU
as the supply gets hotter its capacity will drop, till some combination of component draw adds up to more than it can handle

in which case it should shutdown gracefully without letting any overshoots or undershoots of the main rail voltage through (+3.3V, +5V, +12V)
but in a cheaper supply thats not always the case
in addition if the AC source voltage fluctuates too much, that also stresses the PSU considerably and its harder for it to maintain those stable DC Voltages

which is why PSU problems are infamous as intermittent problems
your dealing with 3 dynamic variables, and singly or in combination they
can effect all your other components

to rule out the PSU Id start with running the numbers
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=844691

if it will actually work at a lower temperature, that is suggestive
if it regains stability with a stable source power the same
or reducing the load on it, or if you can cause the issue when the supply is cold with more load on it

supplies that get bundled with cases are generally suspect
if you had acces to a better supply you could quickly rule out that one
(crossparting being the primary reason most of the membership runs multiple systems)

post the make model and specs on the lable of the PSU
that might give me a few clues to the veracity of the manufacturer
your config isnt what youd call a high draw, but then watts alone rarely means much since PSU manufacturers spin the specs so much

 

[ug_rulz_all]

after reading that thread...

ive got finals week to worry about so i may hold off on doing those tests to that detail for a few days, but i will say this:

1) it is indeed a psu that came bundled with my case

2) ive noticed that i do get 'hardware malfunction' on a fresh boot after the system has been off for a while, and i sometimes do get it after a few successive reboots but then eventually it will work fine (until i play a 3d intensive game)

3) up to the 'hardware malfunction' incidents, ive noticed that i gradually have less and less of a chance of successfully recovering from suspend mode - in other words, up to the 'hardware malfunction' incidents, ive been unable to gracefully exit suspend mode and have had to force a poweroff by holding the power button for 5 seconds

i can run through the numbers, but given that this is finals week, not now. given what ive mentioned above, though, is that still enough information to reasonably conclude that its most likely a psu problem?

 

[Ice Czar]

hmmm...not really
PSU problems can be very elusive
but those arent the "classic" signs
or more accurately they are but not under the thermal problem as the root cause of the issue
good luck with finals
if you happen accross someone with a known good PSU, see if you can borrow it for an hour
that will by far be the easiest way