Computer Randomly Acts Like it Loses Power?

[PulsePanda]

Sorry if this is the wrong section, I'll gladly move this post if it is.

Once in a while, and so far I have not found a way to replicate this, my computer acts like I unplug it. It isn't the outlet, that I know of, because all my peripherals and monitors are plugged into the same power strip and those arent affected. When I start my computer back up, it acts like nothing was wrong, but it doesnt detect my USB wifi (too far from my router) and my External HDD, forcing me to re-plug those in.

Usually, after it turns off, it'll start right back up by itself. But, the last few times it hasn't, it made me push the button, and the last time it happened (a few mins ago) it wouldn't actually start for another few minutes, no matter what I tried. The Mobo, CPU, GPU, ram, or any other devices are overheating. I have enough watts with my power supply, and I just reformatted windows to see if it would fix it (it didn't). My windows installation is on an SSD, so I doubt that it's that either, and my HDD's are all brand new.

I recently upgraded my CPU and GPU, so it's POSSIBLE that it's one of them, but they are benchmarking perfectly, and i'm not having any issues with them. I'm also not thinking that it's the mobo being damaged, because i would think that would be a consistent issue...

The only thing I can think is that my power supply might be going bad, but there's not really a good way for me to test that (i'm kinda poor atm), and there's no way to replicate the issue.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what's going on? I dont have any errors given, or any other information on the problem. One second I can be playing a game, the next my computer is off with no warning. I'm out of ideas, but this is getting on my nerves....

 

[ingtar33]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

 

[PulsePanda]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

 

[ingtar33]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

 

[PulsePanda]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

Ok, sorry, i didnt really think to list my specs XD My previous specs were
AMD FX-4350 (quad core)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550ti (old ass card)
and my power supply is 600 watts, no issues

New specs:
AMD FX-8350 (8-core)
Sapphire r9 280x overclocked 3gb ram
same psu

As far as i know, my psu should be able to handle the new load, but maybe not? either way, when I get home from work today I'm going to take apart my computer and "re-build" it to make sure everything is where it should be, maybe that'll fix it.

Also, this morning, tried to turn it on after it sat all night, not a thing. had to try for a solid 5 minutes before anything happened. Could that possibly be an issue with the pins where the power switch plugs into? though i dont know of them shutting down a computer, but the starting i could see that being a thing...

Anyway, thanks for your help so far

 

[ingtar33]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

Ok, sorry, i didnt really think to list my specs XD My previous specs were
AMD FX-4350 (quad core)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550ti (old ass card)
and my power supply is 600 watts, no issues

New specs:
AMD FX-8350 (8-core)
Sapphire r9 280x overclocked 3gb ram
same psu

As far as i know, my psu should be able to handle the new load, but maybe not? either way, when I get home from work today I'm going to take apart my computer and "re-build" it to make sure everything is where it should be, maybe that'll fix it.

Also, this morning, tried to turn it on after it sat all night, not a thing. had to try for a solid 5 minutes before anything happened. Could that possibly be an issue with the pins where the power switch plugs into? though i dont know of them shutting down a computer, but the starting i could see that being a thing...

Anyway, thanks for your help so far

well... you went from a system power draw of 300W and jumped up to one with 400W-500W depending on overclocks and the like. If that's a bad psu then i could see this being an issue.

a number of the cheaper psus out there can't even deliver their rated power... what psu do you have?

 

[PulsePanda]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

Ok, sorry, i didnt really think to list my specs XD My previous specs were
AMD FX-4350 (quad core)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550ti (old ass card)
and my power supply is 600 watts, no issues

New specs:
AMD FX-8350 (8-core)
Sapphire r9 280x overclocked 3gb ram
same psu

As far as i know, my psu should be able to handle the new load, but maybe not? either way, when I get home from work today I'm going to take apart my computer and "re-build" it to make sure everything is where it should be, maybe that'll fix it.

Also, this morning, tried to turn it on after it sat all night, not a thing. had to try for a solid 5 minutes before anything happened. Could that possibly be an issue with the pins where the power switch plugs into? though i dont know of them shutting down a computer, but the starting i could see that being a thing...

Anyway, thanks for your help so far

well... you went from a system power draw of 300W and jumped up to one with 400W-500W depending on overclocks and the like. If that's a bad psu then i could see this being an issue.

a number of the cheaper psus out there can't even deliver their rated power... what psu do you have?

ThermalTake TR2 600W. Also, when I was re-building the computer today, I tried to turn it on when I was done, nothing. So i was fiddling with some of the cords, turns out that there's a short in the connection of the main 24pin power cable and the Mobo, moving it around gave/cut power. What I dont know is if it's in the mobo or in the cord...

 

[ingtar33]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

Ok, sorry, i didnt really think to list my specs XD My previous specs were
AMD FX-4350 (quad core)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550ti (old ass card)
and my power supply is 600 watts, no issues

New specs:
AMD FX-8350 (8-core)
Sapphire r9 280x overclocked 3gb ram
same psu

As far as i know, my psu should be able to handle the new load, but maybe not? either way, when I get home from work today I'm going to take apart my computer and "re-build" it to make sure everything is where it should be, maybe that'll fix it.

Also, this morning, tried to turn it on after it sat all night, not a thing. had to try for a solid 5 minutes before anything happened. Could that possibly be an issue with the pins where the power switch plugs into? though i dont know of them shutting down a computer, but the starting i could see that being a thing...

Anyway, thanks for your help so far

well... you went from a system power draw of 300W and jumped up to one with 400W-500W depending on overclocks and the like. If that's a bad psu then i could see this being an issue.

a number of the cheaper psus out there can't even deliver their rated power... what psu do you have?

ThermalTake TR2 600W. Also, when I was re-building the computer today, I tried to turn it on when I was done, nothing. So i was fiddling with some of the cords, turns out that there's a short in the connection of the main 24pin power cable and the Mobo, moving it around gave/cut power. What I dont know is if it's in the mobo or in the cord...

probably the cord. as i said before your problems resemble a grounding error/power issue. try to move the cords as they enter the plug, if any feel loose that's probably your culprit.

as a side note the TR2 series of psu has some serious quality control issues. while on the whole it's not a bad unit... many of them sport some bad workmanship, that results in some randomly poor performance. if you can't figure out what's causing the short, i would suggest you replace the psu just to be safe.

 

[PulsePanda]

intermittent power failures with disappearing devices is almost always a grounding issue or a power supply failure. you can check if the motherboard or gpu is dirty or stained... of if something metal is touching the back of your motherboard or something.

otherwise i'd say it's the psu.

So what's your solution to fixing it? Assuming that it's the power supply, is there any way to test other than just getting a new one?

not really. you mentioned you got a new cpu and gpu... you don't say anything about your previous or current hardware so i don't know how likely it is that it's the psu.

just can make a judgement based on the symptoms. and they're pretty indicative of a power supply either failing or simply unable to supply the power the system needs; OR a grounding issue (which can cause the exact same type of issues... because at it's heart they're all symptoms of power fluctuations)

Ok, sorry, i didnt really think to list my specs XD My previous specs were
AMD FX-4350 (quad core)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550ti (old ass card)
and my power supply is 600 watts, no issues

New specs:
AMD FX-8350 (8-core)
Sapphire r9 280x overclocked 3gb ram
same psu

As far as i know, my psu should be able to handle the new load, but maybe not? either way, when I get home from work today I'm going to take apart my computer and "re-build" it to make sure everything is where it should be, maybe that'll fix it.

Also, this morning, tried to turn it on after it sat all night, not a thing. had to try for a solid 5 minutes before anything happened. Could that possibly be an issue with the pins where the power switch plugs into? though i dont know of them shutting down a computer, but the starting i could see that being a thing...

Anyway, thanks for your help so far

well... you went from a system power draw of 300W and jumped up to one with 400W-500W depending on overclocks and the like. If that's a bad psu then i could see this being an issue.

a number of the cheaper psus out there can't even deliver their rated power... what psu do you have?

ThermalTake TR2 600W. Also, when I was re-building the computer today, I tried to turn it on when I was done, nothing. So i was fiddling with some of the cords, turns out that there's a short in the connection of the main 24pin power cable and the Mobo, moving it around gave/cut power. What I dont know is if it's in the mobo or in the cord...

probably the cord. as i said before your problems resemble a grounding error/power issue. try to move the cords as they enter the plug, if any feel loose that's probably your culprit.

as a side note the TR2 series of psu has some serious quality control issues. while on the whole it's not a bad unit... many of them sport some bad workmanship, that results in some randomly poor performance. if you can't figure out what's causing the short, i would suggest you replace the psu just to be safe.

Alright that helps a lot PSU's have always been my weak point. what is a good brand, just so I know? i've had 3 psu's go out on me in 2 years, because I dont know what is a good brand/model or not xD

 

[ingtar33]

Alright that helps a lot PSU's have always been my weak point. what is a good brand, just so I know? i've had 3 psu's go out on me in 2 years, because I dont know what is a good brand/model or not xD

There ARE better psus out there, but no company is as consistently good as seasonic (in short nothing seasonic makes is a "bad" psu... the worst you can say for them is their X series suffered from some coil whine issues). they also sell their psus under different names, the Corsair AX series, the XFX Pro/XXX/XTR, Antec HCP

understand there are plenty of PSUs out there outside that short list that are good enough for your needs, some even better then the units on that list, the only reason i listed those specific psus is because it's a "quality" guarentee type of thing.

Sure i could say EVGA Supernova, however i'd have to point out exceptions such as certain models, such as NEX units, or units with the G designation that are better then 1000W... stuff like that is sprinkled all over other lineups.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Select a PSU from either tier 1 or tier 2 in this PSU tier list:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html