Computer Shut Itself Off And Now Won't Reboot

[Cinn]

I recently built a new computer aimed towards newer game titles, and all was going well until I actually attempted to play. I hadn't actually got past the character creation so it shouldn't have been doing anything that intensive.

I'm running
AMD FX 8350
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P Motherboard
700W Ace Power supply
8Gb Ram (forgot the brand)
(if other parts would be helpful to know I can add them, and I did check compatibility before buying)

Due to knowing about potential heat problems with the FX 8350, what I think happened was that it overheated and shut itself down. However even after waiting and checking that the heat sink etc is relatively cold to the touch, and it must have been off for at least an hour by now, it won't reboot.

I haven't attempted to over-clock it or anything, and when I first booted it after building I checked all the bios settings and they all seemed normal - I admit to being somewhat of a novice - and within standard spec for the processor. And whilst I know it's common for that processor to get hot, the supplied heat sink should be able to handle it to the spec on the side of the box, especially seeing as you can't install a different heat sink without voiding the warranty.

Should the processor turn itself off to avoid burning out? Is there anything I can do with basic tools to determine where the problem is? I've already checked things like the power lead and loose connections. Anything else to try would be really great.

Thanks.

 

[popatim]

I wish you would have posted before building this. I was not wise to put whole your system at risk with a $10 (£15.20) power supply that gets such poor reviews (I'm going by reviews found from a quick search I just did since I have never heard of this brand)

Yes the processor should shut down the system to avoid burning out but the processor should not reach this point unless you forgot to put the thermal paste on or limited cooling/airflow thru the case to the processor.

After an hour, if it were a heat shutdown issue, it should power back up. If it is not then please try a known good power supply. Hopefuly if this one died it did not kill everything else in your new system with it.

 

[Cinn]

I wish you would have posted before building this. I was not wise to put whole your system at risk with a $10 (£15.20) power supply that gets such poor reviews (I'm going by reviews found from a quick search I just did since I have never heard of this brand)

Yes the processor should shut down the system to avoid burning out but the processor should not reach this point unless you forgot to put the thermal paste on or limited cooling/airflow thru the case to the processor.

After an hour, if it were a heat shutdown issue, it should power back up. If it is not then please try a known good power supply. Hopefuly if this one died it did not kill everything else in your new system with it.

I was very careful installing the heat sink & everything, I realised after I bought the CPU that there were common problems with overheating, but as I didn't plan on overclocking I figured it'd be ok if I was careful & there's actually a panel missing on my case so it should have a pretty decent air flow.

But now I feel silly for assuming that the PSU - about the only thing with the whole spec that I didn't properly research - would work fairly well. I didn't realise there were bad reviews, I bought it from an electronics shop along with all the various cables etc that's provided decent+ quality products all the time I've known it. Lesson learnt, always research.

After reading your advice I had a look around and came across the PSU Tier List. I'm trying not to spend a million quid on this spec, but at the same time I don't want a repeat of this & reliability, so if it is the PSU (which is mostly likely I admit), would I be safe aiming for a "Tier 3" as I don't plan on doing any overclocking, or are they still not really suitable for gaming and therefore skip straight to "Tier 2 Class B"?

Thanks for the help, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[MasterDell]

I wish you would have posted before building this. I was not wise to put whole your system at risk with a $10 (£15.20) power supply that gets such poor reviews (I'm going by reviews found from a quick search I just did since I have never heard of this brand)

Yes the processor should shut down the system to avoid burning out but the processor should not reach this point unless you forgot to put the thermal paste on or limited cooling/airflow thru the case to the processor.

After an hour, if it were a heat shutdown issue, it should power back up. If it is not then please try a known good power supply. Hopefuly if this one died it did not kill everything else in your new system with it.

I was very careful installing the heat sink & everything, I realised after I bought the CPU that there were common problems with overheating, but as I didn't plan on overclocking I figured it'd be ok if I was careful & there's actually a panel missing on my case so it should have a pretty decent air flow.

But now I feel silly for assuming that the PSU - about the only thing with the whole spec that I didn't properly research - would work fairly well. I didn't realise there were bad reviews, I bought it from an electronics shop along with all the various cables etc that's provided decent+ quality products all the time I've known it. Lesson learnt, always research.

After reading your advice I had a look around and came across the PSU Tier List. I'm trying not to spend a million quid on this spec, but at the same time I don't want a repeat of this & reliability, so if it is the PSU (which is mostly likely I admit), would I be safe aiming for a "Tier 3" as I don't plan on doing any overclocking, or are they still not really suitable for gaming and therefore skip straight to "Tier 2 Class B"?

Thanks for the help, it's greatly appreciated.

Yes. Tier 3 would definitely be fine for this system.

What graphics card are you running?

 

[Cinn]

Yes. Tier 3 would definitely be fine for this system.

What graphics card are you running?

Thanks.
And it's the Nvidia Geforce 760 (Msi).

 

[MasterDell]

Yes. Tier 3 would definitely be fine for this system.

What graphics card are you running?

Thanks.
And it's the Nvidia Geforce 760 (Msi).

Either of these would be great options:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/super-flower-power-supply-sf450p14xehx
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9

Both tier 2a.

Or the tier 3 option: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr

I really do suggest that you get the XFX. If it were me I would get the Super Flower but since Nvidia suggests 500w I am just going to tell you to keep it safe and get the XFX.

 

[Cinn]

Either of these would be great options:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/super-flower-power-supply-sf450p14xehx
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9

Both tier 2a.

Or the tier 3 option: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr

I really do suggest that you get the XFX. If it were me I would get the Super Flower but since Nvidia suggests 500w I am just going to tell you to keep it safe and get the XFX.

Thanks, I'll certainly look into those suggestions.

Just one last question; is there any reason for me to go way above the 500W Nvidia recommends just to ensure that I have enough power?
Like is there any reason for me to get a 600+W supply? I'm unlikely to need massive amounts of extra power, the most power hungry thing I'm likely to add to it would be an external HDD, but I don't think they are that power hungry... I guess it would be more of a "future-proofing" thing.

 

[MasterDell]

No reason. 450w would even be enough. Get the XFX 550w and you will be golden.