Computer has slow spurts, liquid cooling flashes

[ConfirmedCasual]

My computer has been having an issue lately where when I'm playing graphic intensive games (noticed this with Rust and Smash + Grab specifically) my computer will start running incredibly slow for about 5-30 seconds. I noticed that when the spurts occur, the light on my liquid cooling system will flicker, and sometimes the fan that I'm able to see will kind of hiccup (slows, then speeds up, then slows, etc) until the problem stops. I have only noticed this occur when I'm playing graphically intensive games.

I had a theory on what may be causing this, but I'm pretty inexperienced in this department, so I thought I would get some extra thoughts on it here. I did recently upgrade my motherboard, processor and RAM. My old processor had almost no bells and whistles, very barebones, which causes me to believe that it didn't take much power from the PSU. Meanwhile, my new motherboard has loads of bells and whistles. I don't remember the exact wattage on my PSU (can check on it when I'm at home), but my theory might be that at certain points in games it pushes the hardware a bit more, requiring more power, and the PSU simply can't provide enough. I'm not sure if this theory actually makes sense, so some input on it would be appreciated. Below are the specs for my computer, as well as the old parts that were replaced as a reference.

- Intel Core i7 6700k (upgraded from AMD 8350)
- Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (Upgraded from Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+)
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Upgraded from Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866)
- Nvidia GTX 970 (I want to say by EVGA, but it might be by MSI, will update when I get home)
- Regarding the power supply, I'm looking at my PC Part Picker list, and I see a 600w on there. I know I didn't buy that one, but I am concerned that at the time of purchasing my computer, I did buy a 600w power supply, which might've been okay with my old hardware, but just isn't cutting it now. As stated before, I will update when I get home.

Thank you for any help and input you can provide, and feel free to let me know if there is any other information I need to provide.

 

[TofuLion]

sounds like PSU to me. figure out exactly what make and model it is.

 

[ConfirmedCasual]

That's what I thought. I'll check it as soon as I get home. Thank you.

 

[amtseung]

A 6700k uses about half the power the FX8350 uses. If overclocked, that difference is even bigger. DDR4 uses less power than DDR3. Your GPU hasn't changed.

A dying PSU could certainly be the source of the problem, but a decent quality 600W is theoretically way more than enough for that set up. Motherboards themselves consume an insignificant amount of power compared to everything else.

What's important here is to figure out how powerful the 12v rail(s) of your power supply are. If you have a 600W power supply with only 400W split between two 12v rails, that would be problematic. Let us know what make/model it is.

 

[ConfirmedCasual]

Just got home. My power supply is Corsair CX600M, Model: 75-002018.

 

[TofuLion]

cheap corsair PSUs are, well, cheap. they are known for having problems, partly because they are in fact cheap and very wide spread. that particular model isn't as bad as others in the series, but it is very likely that is your problem. do you have another PSU you could try out? it is also possible that there is something wrong with the GPU. was that upgraded recently as well?

 

[ConfirmedCasual]

I bought the GPU a little over a year ago. I went ahead and bought a new gold certified power supply, which should be arriving today. I figure even if that isn't the issue, it's the only thing in my rig that I'd consider still cheap, so it's worth replacing either way. The GPU isn't new, but it isn't particularly old either.

 

[ConfirmedCasual]

I popped in the new power supply. Played Rust for about 4 hours smoothly, so I think it was definitely the power supply dying. Thanks a lot for the help.

 

[TofuLion]

you're welcome. glad you got it up and running.