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Odd issue with PSU

C

crippledlemming

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
166
So I have one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817379007

Here lately when I am gaming in graphics intensive games the computer will just shut off and refuse to come back on for a period of time. I know it is not CPU / GPU / NB / SB overheating as I have a dual WC loop configuration and the temperature readings from all of the other devices in the system aren't outside of acceptable ranges.

I am currently running (attached to PSU):

AMD 960T OC 4.8GHZ 1.40 vcore
120GB Corsair SSD
256GB Sandisk SSD
(2) d5 water pumps
(3) 6970 2gb cards
(8) 120 mm fans

The weird thing is I can play games like dishonored, diablo 3, crysis 2, farcry 2 no problem no shutdown, but when I fire up borderlands 2 for example I can get about 20 minutes of gaming in and then random shutdown. I am running in eyefinity, and have enough horsepower to do so.

My question come in, when I feel the case of my PSU after a shutdown its almost too hot to touch, is the PSU overheating and shutting down? If so would it be beneficial to remove the 120 MM vent fan out of the PSU and replace it with a higher performance fan? Or should I look into getting a higher capacity PSU? To be honest this zalman PSU has been a champ, but I wouldn't mind running it till it goes out. Any thoughts on getting the PSU cooler? I was thinking about running it outside the case but that's kind of ghetto.

Thanks for any advice.
 
It failed Hardware Secrets testing, so I would look at getting that power supply replaced.

With 3 6970s, you probably want a 1000 watt power supply. 850 is probably just barely cutting it.
 
It is really weird that is on one speciffic game. Is it always on borderlands? It can't be your PSU I say your OC is not stable there is something that isn't right and when playing borderlands too that specific process comes up that causes the shutdown probably from your motherboard not the CPU or power supply itself.

Trying turning off crossfire and see if you get the same results. I would really troubleshoot as much as possible before you strip out the PSU and find out you have some other issues with your system. Keeping your hardware cool doesn't mean it will be stable that's just a start.
 
@Tsumi Thats a different PSU than the one I have, the construction internally is completely different and kinda worse, but thanks for the thought :)

@PSU Guru I thought the same thing, and I cant imagine that Borderlands 2 is that much more intensive than the other games listed, but the computer seems to heat up more while playing that game. Also the Zalman PSU I have is rated for 1050 Watts continuous operation. So that's why I am so boggled, because tripple 6970 shouldn't draw more than that right?
 
That's even worse... it's only got 720 watts on the 12v rail. Each 6970 uses somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-225 watts, resulting in 600-675 watts for the GPUs alone. The CPU can use anywhere from 150-200 watts at that high clock speed. That leaves you at 750-875 watts required on the 12v rail, well over what is rated on your power supply.

Also, that maximum peak can mean anything Zalman wants it to. It can mean that it can provide that for 30 seconds or 30 minutes, and is not a number you should go on. Especially since there are no peak numbers for each rail.
 
I didn't even realize it was 3 6970's, yep that could be a big power issues. The 12v rail is what counts here because most of your power comes from that making sure you have enough amps on that rail is crucial to make sure you don't have issues.

Borderlands too does not even need one HD6970 to play at max settings. Turn off crossfire see if you still have issues.
 
Dude, you need to get a new power supply. Plain and simple.

Your lucky it hasn't died yet.
 
Corsair HX 1050. $167 after rebates and coupon.

Lepa G1000. $174.25 after coupon.

Without a proper power supply for your system, your system will be as crippled as well.. a crippled lemming (sorry, I had to :p)
 
LordofWar said:
I didn't even realize it was 3 6970's, yep that could be a big power issues. The 12v rail is what counts here because most of your power comes from that making sure you have enough amps on that rail is crucial to make sure you don't have issues.

Borderlands too does not even need one HD6970 to play at max settings. Turn off crossfire see if you still have issues.
Click to expand...

It does require three 6970 for 3 HP 24" monitors in eyefinity 5760 X 1200 with full candy....

Corsair HX 1050. $167 after rebates and coupon.

Lepa G1000. $174.25 after coupon.

Without a proper power supply for your system, your system will be as crippled as well.. a crippled lemming (sorry, I had to :p)
Click to expand...

Rofl, that's punny :p, Would it be worth stepping to a 1600? For future proofing VS just getting the minimum of what I need? I've had this Zalman since I had (2) GTX280's so its been a good PSU. Would it be worth the Lepa up-charge to go with that brand?
 
I would go with a high quality/highly reviewed 1000-1200w. That way you are staying in the sweet spots for efficiency, and plus a 1600W psu is really overkill even for a system like yours. As newer components dont necessarily require more power (they tend to provide better performance at similar power as the previous gen) you probably wont need much more than 1000-1200w. 1600w is really for like a dual cpu system with 3-4 vid card.
 
The problem I'm having is the Seasonic 1250W costs ~250$ and the Lepa 1600W can be had on amazon prime for ~298$. So for $50 more I get quite a bit more power supply... Deep sigh...
 
1200 watts would be sufficient for quad-crossfire 6970s. Your system would require a good 900-950 watt power supply, but there are very few power supplies in the 900-950 watt range, which is why you would have to step up to the 1000w for your current system.

1600 watts is massive overkill, and you should only look at getting that if you plan on going with a dual socket platform. Or 4 massively overclocked 580s.
 
Your typical home outlet is wired to your fusebox with a 15 amp wire and breaker. The theoretical maximum output for 15 amps is 1800W, but for safety you should not run more than 80% of the wire's max, so you should not try to pull more than 1440W from each of those breakers (and please note that each breaker usually covers a lot of wall sockets).

If you have a 20 amp breaker in the fuse box going to your wall socket, you should wonder about whether the wire is 15 amp or 20 amp because the stupid idiot's response to a breaker tripping all the time is to upgrade the breaker to 20 amp without consideration of what gauge wire is in the wall, and wire greater than 15 amp is very uncommon in homes unless you specifically requested to have it installed during construction or remodel. Overamping a wire is only recommended if you enjoy putting out wall fires.

The point of all that is that 1600W is overkill for most house wiring.
 
Thanks for the detailed responses y'all. I really appreciate it, I think I'll go with the Seasonic 1000W recommended. I like the looks and the reviews, past that I like to buy something that's quality once and keep it for a long time.
 
You could turn off xfire or remove one card and test it in dual-xfire to see if its possible that the psu isn't supplying enough juice.
 
Going with the Seasonic 1000W Platinum? Excellent choice. That is considered the best PSU on the market by many people.
 
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