Strange issue... PSU?

sportwarrior

sportwarrior

Limp Gawd
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Jun 12, 2007
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Alright, so here's the deal. My computer won't post. Sometimes it won't even turn on... it just kind of starts and stops like a car really low on gas. Sometimes the HDs run through their startup clicks, sometimes they don't. Sometimes my optical drives light up, sometimes they don't. My monitor doesn't turn on and there's a strange, quiet whining sound that I cannot isolate.

Now this all sounds (to me, anyway) like a dead/dying PSU... but I've never had that problem before so I'm not entirely sure. Plus, for the past few weeks my computer has been doing a funny thing on start up. Every morning when I try to power it on, the thing will cycle on and light up, but it won't post and the HDs just constantly click as if they're trying to start but can't. The HD light, power light, and optical drive lights all stay lit (and I believe I got a post code, but I can't remember now what it was). Anyway, I'd power it down and it would always start just fine the 2nd try. Obviously something was wrong, but the thing worked and stayed on all day so I didn't think too much of it.

Today I went through the same start up issue and had my computer running... I left for a few hours and when I came back, the screen no longer receiving signal. The computer was still on, but the hard drive lights weren't flashing, there was no audio, and the optical drives weren't reading. (They did open and close, though). So I shut it down and tried to restart and got nothing but the power light... no HD clicks. I restarted it again... same thing. I powered it down, flipped off the master PSU switch and flipped it back on, attempted to start and got that sorry "low gas" sound.

So anyway, I guess I'm just looking for confirmation that it's a PSU issue. I know it's hard to diagnose, but it seems like there isn't enough juice flowing. I'm not sure what precipitated this, but maybe it's been a long time coming? Is there anything else that could be wrong?

My (4 year old) rig:

eVGA 939 mobo
Opty 170
7800 GTX
3x HDs
2x Optical

550w Antec Truepower PSU
 
I forgot to mention something. My problem over the past few weeks seemed to stem from my CPU's mild overclock somehow not working. I forget the exact message I'd get, but something to the effect that the clock settings were too high and that I should reset... only issue there was the clock settings worked just fine the 2nd time. My initial thoughts were that my mobo could be going south somehow, but then this happened.

Could it still be the mobo? Also I believe these Antecs have multiple rails, so if one or more go out there still could be enough juice to power some - but not all - components in the computer...
 
You did set the CPU back to stock settings right?

It could be the PSU though. The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.

So try another PSU, perferably a good quality one.
 
I did clear CMOS the first time it gave me that error and the problem persisted, so I just set it back to the old settings. That was the first clue it could be PSU related.

And it does seem to be a "degrade over time" issue. At the time those TPIIs were rated pretty good, but they were also pretty new and I guess hadn't had time to wear out yet. I dunno.

In any event, I've been thinking about building a new rig, and this might just prompt me to do it. I might pick up the 850w Corsair from newegg or the 750w PCP&C from ZZF... only problem there is slotting into my old build, recovering info and pulling it back out to reinstall in a new build... kind of annoying. Hopefully those two PSUs qualify as good quality?
 
It sounds like a dying PSU.
The whining sound is very common, check to make sure it is the PSU making the noise.
PSU death can kill other components so it might not be straight forward to diagnose by just replacing the PSU.

Try another PSU to see if that works, you may be ok.
If that doesnt work, try your parts in another machine to see what you can salvage.

Dont power your machine on again until you have established its not the PSU or have replaced it.
You risk further PC damage.
 
Awesome. I'm planning on throwing the PSU into an i7 920/GTX 275 build once I get all the parts together... 750W offers plenty of headroom for that, right?

And I'm definitely avoiding powering up the computer now. I don't really have another system to try things out in, though, which is unfortunate. I guess gives me a good excuse to build the i7 ;-) That just means I have to take the hour long drive up to the Tustin MC and shrug off the extra $30 I have to spend by not buying an i7 last week.
 
So I don't think it's the PSU. I ordered that PCP&C 750w PSU from ZZF and will receive it tomorrow, but in the meantime I borrowed a working PSU from another computer and tested it out.... Same exact issue. The first time I tried to start it, the same thing happened. On and off immediately. I then took a deep breath and tried it again... This time it powered up and *seemed* to be normal, except the screen never came on. It did do this a few times with the other PSU. I powered everything off, checked the connections, and it did the same thing... A seemingly normal startup with no screen image.

Now it doesn't seem to me a GPU could be causing all this trouble in the first place, but maybe it could? I mean, everything else seeeems to be working, but screen won't turn on. The more obvious answer would be the mobo is somehow fried, but I really have no way of checking that. Heck, I don't really have a way of checking the GPU. I definitely don't have a spare PCI-e card lying around and I'm not sure I have anything else that'll work.

I'm scratching my head here, guys. Help?
 
Nevermind. Nevermind. Goddamnit. Motherboard is gone. I feel like a jackass now. My first visual pass of the thing didn't yield anything suspicious, but once I got it out of the case and into some good light I could tell that 5 capacitors were blown. Eff. No idea what happened. I'd say power surge, but another computer in the home is on 24/7 and didn't suffer an problems. My PS3 was on (I believe), was plugged into the same surge protector and is still working fine... so I'd say no to a power surge. Never had a burning smell, never heard pops... Just came back and the thing was non-responsive.

That leaves me in a bit of a pickle, because while I was itching to use this as an excuse to build a new computer, I was also counting on using this old computer in tandem with a new one... To do that now I'd have to dig through the classifieds/google listings for old 939 boards. Newegg definitely doesn't have any.

Effin a.
 
Shit. Sorry to hear that your mobo went south. May have already been too damaged by the time you used that other working PSU.

See if your mobo is still under warranty. Also hit up the For Sale and For Trade subforum we have for s939 mobos.
 
Danny Bui... I don't have any medals to give out, but if I did you'd get the best one... Like the Sportwarrior Medal of Honor or something. Maybe you'd settle for a virtual cookie? I know that's not much, but man, you just parted the clouds for me.

The warranty thing just didn't even occur to me. Like at all. My motherboard is a Jetway... rebadged as an EVGA. EVGA initiated their lifetime warranty on June 22, 2005 and applied it to any product purchased on or after that date. My motherboard was purchased on September 3, 2005. I just got off the phone with a rep after completing an RMA request and I should be getting a replacement board in the next few weeks.

Now the only questions are A) if I'll get an exact replacement (which I doubt considering the age and rebranding) or a better board (which would be awesome), and B) if I get a better board what kind will it be? I'm afraid it's just going to be a low end AM2+ board, which would kind of dash my plan to get an i7 AND would still require me to dig up an old 939.

But still... somehow I'll be getting a replacement board for either an old or new system. And for that, Danny Bui, I have to thank you profusely.
 
sportwarrior said:
Danny Bui... I don't have any medals to give out, but if I did you'd get the best one... Like the Sportwarrior Medal of Honor or something. Maybe you'd settle for a virtual cookie? I know that's not much, but man, you just parted the clouds for me.

The warranty thing just didn't even occur to me. Like at all. My motherboard is a Jetway... rebadged as an EVGA. EVGA initiated their lifetime warranty on June 22, 2005 and applied it to any product purchased on or after that date. My motherboard was purchased on September 3, 2005. I just got off the phone with a rep after completing an RMA request and I should be getting a replacement board in the next few weeks.

Now the only questions are A) if I'll get an exact replacement (which I doubt considering the age and rebranding) or a better board (which would be awesome), and B) if I get a better board what kind will it be? I'm afraid it's just going to be a low end AM2+ board, which would kind of dash my plan to get an i7 AND would still require me to dig up an old 939.

But still... somehow I'll be getting a replacement board for either an old or new system. And for that, Danny Bui, I have to thank you profusely.
Click to expand...
You're welcome :)
 
sportwarrior said:
Danny Bui... I don't have any medals to give out, but if I did you'd get the best one... Like the Sportwarrior Medal of Honor or something. Maybe you'd settle for a virtual cookie? I know that's not much, but man, you just parted the clouds for me.

The warranty thing just didn't even occur to me. Like at all. My motherboard is a Jetway... rebadged as an EVGA. EVGA initiated their lifetime warranty on June 22, 2005 and applied it to any product purchased on or after that date. My motherboard was purchased on September 3, 2005. I just got off the phone with a rep after completing an RMA request and I should be getting a replacement board in the next few weeks.

Now the only questions are A) if I'll get an exact replacement (which I doubt considering the age and rebranding) or a better board (which would be awesome), and B) if I get a better board what kind will it be? I'm afraid it's just going to be a low end AM2+ board, which would kind of dash my plan to get an i7 AND would still require me to dig up an old 939.

But still... somehow I'll be getting a replacement board for either an old or new system. And for that, Danny Bui, I have to thank you profusely.
Click to expand...


being as how old it is.. most like it will be some refurbished board with a 939 socket.. it could be a refurbished high end board.. or a low end board.. but as per most of evga's rma's it might be a higher end board.. i doubt they have to many of the board you have laying around in storage..
 
Yeah I don't either... It was one of their first mobos, if memory serves. That, plus it was just a rebranded Jetway to begin with. I didn't think about other 939 boards though. I just hope I end up with one that can slot in this computer. It'd be a pain to get some AM/AM2 board that won't even run a Phenom II OR my Opty 170. Hopefully thats not a possibility?
 
sportwarrior said:
Yeah I don't either... It was one of their first mobos, if memory serves. That, plus it was just a rebranded Jetway to begin with. I didn't think about other 939 boards though. I just hope I end up with one that can slot in this computer. It'd be a pain to get some AM/AM2 board that won't even run a Phenom II OR my Opty 170. Hopefully thats not a possibility?
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its a possibility.. but doubtful.. hell im surpised they didnt just offer a discount to you buying another evga board instead of accepting an rma for the 939 board..
 
I am too... it would have been easier on them. As it stands, I'm not sure how they'd deal with things if they don't have any 939 boards in stock. I'd hate to think they'd send me a different board without checking first. I'd pay the difference to upgrade... I'm not sure if I'd want to pay the difference to an X58 board since it'd almost surely be overpriced, but I'd at least like the option.

I may call again tomorrow when the RMA is approved just to see. I also may get more info when the RMA is reviewed.
 
yeah id just ask them what to expect in return and see what they say.. evga's always been honest with me.. heck even when i rma'd my 7300GT they sent me an 8600GT and told me when i rma'd my 7300GT thats what i was going to get since they no longer carried or refurbished any of the 7300GT's..
 
Yeah the guy I talked to today just said Id get an equal or better board, but that was it. I had to go through some registration steps on the phone because the website was rejecting my board's s/n, then had to associate it with my account after the call and initiate RMA on the web. I'm sure thats why the answer wasn't as complete as possible. The guy was helpful though so I'm thinking I'll get some sort of answer tomorrow.
 
Mobo replacements are typically kept to the same socket. I've never heard of any company replacing a s939 board with an AM2 board, but hey, there's a first time for everything. :p If they don't have any refurb boards on hand, they'll repair your current board if possible. If not, they'll offer you some other sort of compensation.
 
Good to know. It would seem to be repairable... no other damage to the board that I know of. Not physically, anyway. I just found it unlikely they'd have any sitting around in surplus... The thing was out of date 3 years ago and I haven't even seen a 939 board for sale from a major retailer (online or otherwise) in a few years.
 
So an update on the mobo.. Not that I need to be updating on this, but whatever. The guy said the evga doesn't repair and only replaces mobos. He said they'd do their best to do so with a 939 but he couldn't guarantee it. In the case they couldn't replace it, they'd send me an AM2 board. I asked the guy to call me ahead of time if that was the case. Maybe then I can upgrade to an Intel board of some sort or something, I dunno. Hopefully I just get a superior 939 board, leaving me to purchase an i7 board on my own or something.
 
haha I know, right? I'll just let them know how much of an inconvenience it was to have my mobo blow up 4 years after purchase, haha.

Seriously, though, I would inquire about it. At the very least maybe I'd get an upgrade option or something. Worth a shot, right?
 
sportwarrior said:
haha I know, right? I'll just let them know how much of an inconvenience it was to have my mobo blow up 4 years after purchase, haha.

Seriously, though, I would inquire about it. At the very least maybe I'd get an upgrade option or something. Worth a shot, right?
Click to expand...

Yup. Since you're getting a new mobo anyway, might as well get an X58 :)

If they do offer upgrade options, do not go with any mobo based on the 680i, 780i, 790i, or pretty much any eVGA mobo for socket 775 Intel CPUs. The chipset quality (not eVGA's fault) is a bit suspect..
 
Danny Bui said:
Yup. Since you're getting a new mobo anyway, might as well get an X58 :)

If they do offer upgrade options, do not go with any mobo based on the 680i, 780i, 790i, or pretty much any eVGA mobo for socket 775 Intel CPUs. The chipset quality (not eVGA's fault) is a bit suspect..
Click to expand...


i agree with danny.. but on top of that id skip any board that has a nvidia chipset period..
 
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