3 PSU`s died on same machine

Dully

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2009
5
0
18,510
Ive gone throght 3 PSU`s in about 3 years. I cant rememeber the namebrand of the first 2, but i think it was a cheap one. the last was a seasonic, they were either 600 or 650 watts. The first 2 just died, this last one actually had smoke etc. I have my PC plugged into a UPS (the whole time) and all the PSU`s have fried at different houses (moved a few times) I did have a SATA HDD where the sata data connector connects to the HDD, the plastic piece above the metal contacts broke off inside the sata data cable, so if i remove the cable you just see the metal contacts on the HDD and the plastic piece that supports them inside the sata connector. It looks like they connect ok so ive been useing it as a secondary HDD, not sure if it was on for the first PSU fry, but def for the last 2. Also i noticed my CPU said INTEL Confidentual which i learnt meant a developers chip. Other then that i cant see anything that might be causeing this.
My Question is if something INSIDE the pc is shorting out (like the HDD data conection if it even can) or maybe this chip has a problem i dont know about. Can that cause the PSU to fry. Ive been a computer tech for years, and never seen a PC fry so many PSU`s.
I was going to go buy a new PSU and CPU and unplug that secondary drive, but it can take months for the psu to fry, so was hoping for any other ideas out there.
 
My pc specs are:
Asus P5B Deluxe mobo
Intel Confidential chip (i think it was around 2.4ghz) I dont think it was OCed, becuase under load it ran like 60C
e-geforce 8800GTS 320 meg video
2x1gig gskill ddr2
IDE DVD burner
600Wthen 650W Silverstone, and the last one was a 650W Seasonic.
Smart-ups 1400 (old black version)


And Oceanian, they all fried over time, first 2 took like 6-8ish months apiece, the 3rd took like 2 months. The first 2 i dont think they actually burnt and smelt, but the last one sure did. I guess it could be alot of bad luck, like i said different power sources, but all through my UPS
 
What case are you using. It could be that your power supply is not getting enough ventilation. Make sure the power supplies fan is not being blocked. It is rare for high quality power supplies to burn out so quickly.
 
I have an old case, med sized, 5 case fans (air leading in from front and sides, exiting out the back) Lots of vent holes and i cut one on the side of the case and maounted a big fan to blow air onto the video card and cpu)
Im going to get a new psu again today, but im still interested if anyone can think of anything else to look into.
 
How old is that ups, and has it been the same one the whole time? I recall reading that those are only good for so long, might try unplugging it.
 
Yeah the UPS was given to me, and same one the whole time, so it must be pretty old, i think the bartterys have been changed, but im guessing its over 6 years old, maybe 10yrs even. I wasent monitoring it witht he cable, so im going to set that up now and see if it tells me anything, all the other lights on it say its working good. It checks fo bad power and stuff.
 
If the ups is sending out to low a voltage to the computer the computer has to pull more amps to feed it self so checking the voltage that the ups is sending out is important. Amps create heat, might be the killer here.
 
It's probably the UPS. After so long the batteries on those need to be replaced and they start having all sorts of problems. Of course, most people chuck them rather than fix them or send them back to the manufacturer. So yeah yours was probably on its way out when you got it and it's been killing your PSUs ever since.
 
Thanks guys, ill bypass the UPS till i can check it out.
The PSU was under warrenty and they replaced it right at the store so im happy (NCIX) usially makes you send them away