I installed a new video card today. It’s a geforce gtx260. From what I know you need at least a 525 watt power supply to run it. I have a suntec 580 so I’m not sure if that’s the prob.
Anyway after installing the video card I had the computer up and running for a few hours with no problems. Then I got crysis and started to play it. The game ran super smooth but after about 10 mins of playing graphical glitches started to occur and the pc shut down. I tried to turn it back on but nothing happened. I switched the psu off and back on then hit the power button but still nothing. I also tried unplugging the wire and plugging it back in.
I do notice when I have the switch for the power supply set to on the green light on the mobo lights up but when i hit the power button I just here a small click like it tried to do something but nothing happened. No fans start to spin or anything.
I’m just trying to figure out if it’s either the power supply or the mobo. I’m really hoping it’s just the psu.
Thanks for any help and let me know if you need any other specific info.
Edit
There was also a slight smell and the power supply was the only thing that really felt hot. I just don’t want to jump the gun and get a new psu if that’s not the cause.
Is the card getting the right amperage from the 12 volt rail of the power supply? Video cards may need a minimal amperage from the power supply to work properly.
I’m not sure about that but I did have to hook up 2 dual 4 pin to 6 pin pcie converters. My video card needed 2 6 pin converters and my psu only had 1 8 pin and a bunch of 4 pin plugs.
It’s the power supply. You overloaded and killed the thing. This time buy a quality power supply like an Antec Earthwatts or Corsair. They last years and are well worth the money.
It could be the motherboard as well, perhaps try a different power supply (if one is available to you) and/or jumping it with a piece of metal to check that the power button connection is still intact. This exact problem happened to me recently, and it was the motherboard that went out. The odd thing here though is that it happened after a video card installation… my motherboard was fried when I put in a new power supply, also weird but more more likely.
I’m honestly unsure of how motherboards get fried, but this shit happens. When mine got fried, the green light also lit up, but I didn’t have an error indicator on the motherboard so I couldn’t resort to that. If it won’t start without the graphics card, then I would definitely pin this on a motherboard failure.
EDIT: i see that people have posted while I was typing this, one thing that should definitely be noted is that if you have a power supply readily available, or could borrow a friend’s power supply, take out the video card and find out if the computer turns on, that will give you your answer.
I’d have to agree with the power supply thing. If you already tried it without the video card, then it’s not the video card. It might be, but man you are seriously fucked if you fried both at the same time. lol. If it’s not the power supply, then it’s the motherboard. Even if the light still comes on, I think it can still be “broken”. My video card died on me somewhat recently and my computer would turn on, but it would give me beeps, which makes sense since the mobo, psu, etc. were still fine. If you’re computer doesn’t turn on at all, then damn. You’ve definitely got a problem. So I say start with the thing that gives it power and see if that’s good or not. PSUs are pretty cheap. Antec is my brand of choice, I still have an older 500w unit that works, I just upgraded since I got a new vid card that needed more juice (due to the above). Good luck man, and I guess keep us posted.
New to the forums, but just wanted to say that this is the correct answer. Some PSU’s will show high number of Watts just to make the product box look more attractive but video cards are very dependent on the number +12v rails.
I think that at least a PSU with 36 amps on the 12v rail is the minimum suggested by Nvidia, but i would go with at least 38 to be sure.
Here’s a long but good post taken from the Steam forums with a lot of helpful info about PSU’s.
One thing though, i think that it’s just the PSU that died on your system, however keep in mind that the mobo could have been fried when the problem arose so if you can get an spare PSU you should try that first, and for testing purposes use the old video card.
Also keep in mind when shopping for a new PSU, some will show multiple +12v rails, that doesn’t mean you can just add the numbers, each +12v rail will be used for different things.
My Antec Quattro 850 decided to fry itself last week, awaiting the replacement which I will promptly eBay. Gee-K you are right about the rails, I’m going for a model with one big +12V rail rather than the multiple rails that seemed to be so popular in the past few years. Corsair 750HX or 850HX most likely, the OP may want to look into one of those if he determines the PSU was indeed the culprit.
Budget psu’s that meet wattage system requirements often don’t actualy work as they should on high wattage-requirement systems… better psu should sort your problem out.
I don’t have a spare one around but I’m going to buy a psu today. So antec and corsair are top quality? I want to get a good one wit more than enough of what I need to safely run everything.
Well, I’ve had two Antec PSUs die on me in the past few years, the first an old NeoPower 480W, but those had horrible capacitors in them. The 850W Quattro that died last week is supposed to be a really good model, Japanese caps, strong rails, high efficiency etc but it still croaked. Personally I’m not buying any more Antec power supplies, but you’ll have to make your own decision.
I can vouch for corsair and hiper, never had any problem with any of their psu’s, any big name brand (coolermaster, ocz etc.) that meets your wattage requirements should work fine though, as for the reliability, check reviews maybe, though I’m surprised antec’s havn’t apparently been lasting long.
Best psu’s in the industry. Expensive, but you’ll really never need to buy another one, for any computer you ever own in the next 10 years.
You can jumpstart a truck with one of those fuckers.
Otherwise any old Antec “True” series is cost effective, and rock solid.
*Corsair * seems to be a good brand, PC Power & Cooling too. However even great brands have crappy products so you should check internet reviews before spending your hard earned cash. In the steam link i posted there’s a long recommendation of different PSU’s.
A good 600-650 Watts seems to be sufficient for most modern computers that are not using a SLI configuration, but you also have to take account on how many fans, hard discs, dvd/cd recorders, type of video card and other stuff you have plugged into your computer. A good 800 Watts or more PSU will keep you from upgrading in years if you want that. Just make sure to compare the specs on the +12v rails. Those alone may not be the end all numbers when deciding for a new PSU, but they are really important for gaming PC’s.
Rule of the thumb in the computer building universe though: “You’ll get what you pay for”. Occasionally you can find special low prices and stuff, but really good computer parts are usually expensive.
EDIT: Tom’s Hardware is also a good place for resource on computer parts.
I got an antec 650 watt. It’s up and running fine right now. Next time I’ll be sure to check out the other brands but hopefully this one wont go on me. I don’t have too much hooked up so I should be fine. Thanks for all the help.
Antecs are fine enough. If that ever happens again you can do a simple test to see if the PSU is fried. Take the CPU out of your board and fire it up. The fans should kick on if the PSU is good.