Author Topic: My newest headache (Read 901 times)

SuperDud · « **on:** August 16, 2006, 06:59:21 AM »

So I'm chuggin along with my new PC lovin life when...BAAAMMMM, it completely shuts off on me. I think "Hmmm, must be working out a chink". So I fire'er back up and start my adventure again and BAAMMMM, back off we go. Now I'm thinking there's a problem. Open up the case, fudge with the wires, close her up and... nuthin:mad: This was last night night and I had to go to work so I figure I'd fool with it when I get home. Come home today reopen it, reconnect all the power wires/cord and... nuthin!

My thought is power supply is dead. I know the PC is new but reading some of the reveiws they warned the power supply might not last long. Also, when you turn on the switch in the back, the mobo gives you a green light letting you know you have power to the board and I don't get that either. Does this sound like the likely culprit?

Here's the case with built in power supply:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811209018

Irwink! · « **Reply #1 on:** August 16, 2006, 07:05:17 AM »

Sounds like the supply may have gone away. Are any vent fans running? I don't suppose you have a volt meter handy by any chance?

SuperDud · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2006, 07:45:10 AM »

OK it might not be my power supply. Or it might not only be my power supply. I just took the one outta my old PC and it fired right up. My PCU is running HOT! I'm talking 90C. Before it would run at about 65C. Well when I was having an unrelated problem I took the heatsink off the PCU and noticed my thermal paste seemed to be thinnly spread. So I went ahead a plastered more of it on thinking you can never have to much of a good thing. Well that must not be true because I was watching my PCU temp gauge and it starts at around 65 then just keeps climbing to 85 then poof, system shuts off. So now I think it might be both. I still think the power supply is junk b/c when I flipped the switch for it I got nuthin, no fans, no anything. So looks like I'll have to scrape off my plastering job and just add as much as I did last time.

eagl · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2006, 07:48:11 AM »

heatsink paste should be a VERY thin layer. As thin as possible while keeping it evenly spread. Lots of people used to use a razor blade to scrap it until it was a very thin and flat layer.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2006, 07:50:31 AM »

More thermal paste is a bad thing. Thermal paste actually inhibits thermal transfer when it interferes with the metal-to-metla contact. It is only meant to be used to fill the gaps between the contact surfaces which cannot mate due to irregularities in the surfaces.

What thermal paste did you use? If it is conductive or of a low die-electric strength and you got some bridged across the pins of the CPU or nearby components you could have damaged the CPU or related electronic components.

SuperDud · « **Reply #5 on:** August 16, 2006, 07:51:25 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by eagl
heatsink paste should be a VERY thin layer. As thin as possible while keeping it evenly spread. Lots of people used to use a razor blade to scrap it until it was a very thin and flat layer.

Yeah that's what I'm gonna do. I know it's globed on now. What can I say, I'm a dud.

Skuzzy, I used artic silver 5. Gonna take a look now.

SuperDud · « **Reply #6 on:** August 16, 2006, 08:07:00 AM »

Yeah it was on thick. I took a lot off and reattached the pcu and heatsink but it still got to hot. I think I might have fried it.

eagl · « **Reply #7 on:** August 16, 2006, 08:33:12 AM »

take it all off, clean both the cpu and heatsink with rubbing alcohol. Put a drop of AS5 the size of a grain of rice in the center of the cpu, and attach the heatsink. After clipping on the heatsink, if possible gently twist the heatsink left and right about 1 degree (but just ONCE!) to help spread the little drop of paste.

That's the instructions on the artic silver website.

SuperDud · « **Reply #8 on:** August 16, 2006, 09:03:43 AM »

OK, I'm good. I did just that eagl and am now running at about 50C lol. I now have a new problem that I wasn't sure was a problem at all b/c of all my other problems. Sometimes my computer just restarts itself for no reason. I thought it was do to temp but just now running at 50C it did it? I just went to read your reply and mid paragraph poof, I get a black screen. It then restarts my computer but as it goes to load the windows screen(with the blue thingy ticking across) I just never get anything back? I have to manually turn it off and restart. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Before I had the heat problem it could suddenly happen 5 mins or 2 hours after turning on the PC. As a matter of fact I'm editing the heck outta this because I was afraid it'd do it mid paragraph again:noid

SuperDud · « **Reply #9 on:** August 16, 2006, 09:08:51 AM »

Oh, and thanks for the help guys!

Skuzzy · « **Reply #10 on:** August 16, 2006, 11:28:06 AM »

It would not surprise me if it was power supply related. Caution: If it is power supply related and the supply is crow-barring, then it is also slowly damaging the power regulator circuits on the motherboard.

Conutinued use will eventually cause a total failure of the regulators and you will be out a motherboard and CPU.

SuperDud · « **Reply #11 on:** August 16, 2006, 05:00:38 PM »

Looks like I'm just gonna stay off it then. I just ordered a 550V PS so hopefully that'll clear things up. Thanks again guys.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #12 on:** August 16, 2006, 05:20:34 PM »

Name brand power supply? It is not the wattage the supply produces, it is how it is distributed over the various voltage rails which is important.

For high end systems, I would only trust PC Power & Cooling, Antec, and Enermax supplies.

Krusty · « **Reply #13 on:** August 16, 2006, 05:25:39 PM »

I'm surprised you didn't go to the arctic silver webpage and print off the instructions!!! They have them online. I think my tube of AS5 has the url on it somewhere. I did a google and found the official site. More = BAD.

Also this is a silver-based material, it has actual silver in it. As such it conducts electricity. If you had it plastered all over it can cause a short somewhere. Make sure you clean up any residue with rubbing alcohol or something.

SuperDud · « **Reply #14 on:** August 16, 2006, 05:25:56 PM »

LOL as luck would have it, it is an Enermax. And I went ahead and went with a 600V b/c it was only $13 more. Talk about lucking out:D