Reddit reviews Thermaltake Dr. Power II Automated Power Supply Tester Oversized LCD for All Power Supplies - AC0015

This is what he means.

It's about 30 bucks and will make sure a faulty cable pinout will only blow a PSU (worst case) rather then your whole system.

Check out /r/pcsleeving for all your tutorial needs.

Fuck that. Buy a PSU tester.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/

That's what I use, personally. It makes it fairly easy to test a supply since it will turn red and start beeping furiously if you are not getting enough juice. I don't test a ton of power supplies, so I can't speak to bulk usage/lifespan, but it has been great for my needs.

Buy a computer power supply tester. I have a Thermaltake brand.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO

You don't need to spend that much, there are cheaper ones out there. I got it on sale, years ago. It eliminates the "shotgun method" of troubleshooting where you are testing with known good parts.

The First thing you should do when having these types of issues, is reduce your hardware down to just the core parts needed to boot the system.

1. Remove any unnecessary add-in cards, take out all memory, except one stick.
   
   
2. All you should have in the system is, Power Supply, Motherboard, 1 stick of Ram, CPU+cooler, and Hard drive.
   
   
3. If the Problem still occurs try a different stick of Ram.
   
   
4. If the problem still persists, try re-seating your CPU.
   
   
5. If the problem still persists, replace your power supply.
   
   
6. If you replace the PSU, and you still have the issue, then its your motherboard.
   
   Pro-Tip* It really sounds like it's your PSU, but if you want to truly rule it out, you have to use process of elimination, unless you have a power supply tester, which has saved me many headaches.

You can get a PSU tester to check if it's functional at all, however I would still be wary of using it even if it appears to test ok. The PSU is the one part that can literally destroy every other component in your PC, so your safest bet is to just buy a new one.

There's nothing inherently wrong with using extensions or custom cables (if you bought/were shipped the right ones). BUT YOU HAVE TO TEST THEM. There's too much chance of human failure with custom cables/extensions.

https://www.amazon.com/Optimal-Shop-Computer-Supply-Connectors/dp/B00Q8SUYHW/ or https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/

At this point I'd test the powersupply both with and without the extensions. But you need to test that power supply!

When you build fancy, you have to "bench test" first. No fancy LEDs, just the base components on a non-conductive/anti-static surface. If you don't have such a surface, then just test the basics in the case.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005F778JO?cache=1036e9f35ec71cb01e3d3f2436b192cb&pi=SX200_QL40&qid=1407733518&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

It could be your PSU, or your motherboard, if you want to know for sure:

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/

I would also suggest popping onto /r/fixapc/ and posting this if you haven't already.

Did you build this PC yourself?

I would suggest checking to make sure that the stand-offs are properly installed. Also check your ground connection. It's definitely power related. Like something is retaining power that shouldn't or something is getting power that it shouldn't or something is not getting power that it should. Which is why I am checking for a short (the standoffs and ground). The other thing I would suggest is trying another power supply. You could also get yourself one of these to test your power supply. You don't need to get that fancy of one if you are OK with basic readouts. I just don't know what you skill level is when it comes to electrical work. If it's not the powersupply and not the standoffs I would lean towards the MoBo.

Good luck!

Though it's difficult to tell without a tester or multimeter, it sounds like a bad PSU. Depending on the setup, a surge could have knocked it out (especially if there isn't any kind of voltage regulation between the outlet and the unit). What model / make is your power supply?

Here's a basic test you can perform with a paper clip. The color coding is Corsair-specific, but the methodology works for all ATX PSUs:

https://youtu.be/5FWXgQSokF4

I like Corsair PSU the most. JMHO

Before you spend that much money think of investing in a PSU tester. I have, this is my latest arrival.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO

I've had one of these for a few years now. I consider it a pretty great investment as it's helped me out several times. Power supply tester.

Personally, I'm now in the habit of always using a UPS. The best part? I keep my internet stuff on a UPS too and I usually have internet during power outages. It's great.

This is some information about power strips.

When you hit the power button, does anything at all happen? Is there any clicking? Do the motherboard lights eventually go out? Do you have to reset the PSU before you can do anything? Or is it just absolutely flat out nothing when you press the switch?

RAM:

hit the windows-key

type mdsched

Run it now. This will check your ram for faults. It will take about 30 minutes to complete, and will tell you on the lower part of the screen if it's running okay (no faults found) or if there's problems. If you miss the warning on the screen while the test is running you can find results under event viewer.

Power Supply:

Find another to swap with and test. Or get one of these.

Motherboard:

When both the above fail, it's relatively safe to assume motherboard.

If what you describe is correct (Truly random restarts) Then it's likely one of these three things. If there's something else going on then we need more details to go on.

Extensions are easier to make, as you said 1 to 1, no hassle. Custom cables for modular PSU requires pin-out diagrams and a tester to insure that the cables are correct and won't "blow your rig." You may also run into double wires, which require a little more work to make them look good and function correctly.

In the end extensions are cheaper, less time consuming, and easier to install for most people. Custom cables are a lot more time consuming and require more tools to ensure that everything is kosher.

Lutro0's double wire guide.

If you have a pin remover (makeshift or actual) and the pinouts its a pretty simple process. Just be sure to triple check your work before plugging it into actual hardware. PSU testers (like the TT Dr power ii) are handy for that.

It is possible that irregular voltages could have damaged the GPU, but likely it's OK.

The best way to test a PSU is with an actual tester, this is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463180347&sr=8-2&keywords=power+supply+tester

You can also test each rail manually with a multimeter: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ht/power-supply-test-multimeter.htm

I can say with about 85% certainty that a new PSU will clear up your issues, but there is a small chance it's damaged another component.

The top GPU is probably toast, and some component that we can't see probably fried. Whether or not it was due to the PSU, or just the GPU going out, I don't know.

I'd get a PSU tester (Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/ ) to see if the PSU is still good before putting it into any rig again.

Personally I am going to try and avoid parts for his build because of not knowing exactly what he has.

You could get him zip ties, velcro strips, tool kit (just search computer tool kit on amazon), usb drive, DAC/AMP, nice router, custom mouse pad, nice pair of head phones, power supply tester, Electricity Usage Monitor, Electric Duster, Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol),... I could keep on going but I think you get the idea. Hopefully when you post your build I'll come back to edit my comment.

A psu tester is another option and is probably going to be easier to use.

Well, there are PSU testers like https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO

I use a Dr. Power II and it does a great job.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493684045&sr=8-1&keywords=dr+power+ii

Well there's PSU testers you can buy for that purpose. Other than that I am unsure short of putting it into an entirely different computer. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005F778JO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=101E02BC34IN0&coliid=IRL5JWJC1GMC0

I would strip it down to the bare minimum (cpu, cpu fan, 1 stick of ram) and see if it powers on. If it does then you know it's one of the 'extras'. If it doesn't then 90%+ it's the PSU.

You plug the cables in to the tester, so effectively testing both.
Something like this.

Best bet at this point is get a PSU tester and test it. This way if it is good it will rule that out. Another option to is check the SMART status of your HDD, or SSD if you have one of those. Also, you could open a CMD prompt, using admin rights, and run sfc /scannow.

A $32 Dr. Power II will pay for itself if you do much building or custom cables. Learned this the hard way as well.

yeah pretty much. any tester will do but id recommend getting something like this as there wont be any confusion if the power supply is bad

Does this happen with different games or just one?

The symptoms on the surface seem to suggest a GPU (hardware or drivers) is crashing and windows is resetting the display drivers. When windows does this it does not always succeed and takes the entire PC with it.

If temps all are ok, make sure the card is seated correctly (take it out and put it back in and pay attention to make sure everything is in all the way). Also make sure the PCIE power supply connectors are properly connected.

Also a bad power supply could do this, You can test for this using a power supply tester or a Multi meter.

I didn't notice the kernel power 41.

> "The kernel power event ID 41 error occurs when the computer is shut down, or it restarts unexpectedly. When a computer that is running Windows starts, a check is performed to determine whether the computer was shut down cleanly. If the computer was not shut down cleanly, a Kernel Power Event 41 message is generated."

This makes be think more inline with a bad PSU or Power related. Most quality PSU have a voltage out of range safety feature that if the output voltage is to low or high it will automatically turn off to prevent damage to the hardware.

--edit--

me english bad, me fix, me make english good.

also the ATX v2.2 voltage specs are +/- 5% on postive voltages and +/- 10% on negative voltages. ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide Version 2.2 section 3.2.1

Output | Range | Min. | Nom. | Max.
:-:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
+12VDC | +/- 5% | +11.40 | +12.00 | +12.60
+5VDC | +/- 5% | +4.75 | +5.00 | +5.25
+3.3VDC | +/- 5% | +3.14 | +3.30 | +3.47
-12VDC | +/- 10% | +10.80 | -12.00 | -13.20


Hope this info helps

In these scenarios, the next step I go to is testing the power supply.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/

You can test and prove every cable/connector in the entire system. Also, have you taken a good flash light and checked all of the capacitors on the motherboard to verify that none are leaking/bulging?

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO/