Confusing issue with PSU, UPS and Motherboard

[TDsouza007]

Here's my current rig

Motherboard: Asus H81M-CS
Processor: i5-4440 3.1Ghz
Ram: Kingston hyperx fb-dimm
SSD: Kingston SSDNow 300 (128GB)
HDD: WD 1TB
Graphics Card: GTX 750Ti
PSU: iBall zps290

I recently had a situation where my LAN cable got highly charged as it came in contact with a high voltage live wire. This, in turn, burned up my router as well as the motherboard connected to the router. My UPS and router were connected to the same spike guard. The spike guard took a hit too. I've provided a detailed description of what happened in this question that I had asked regarding an overvoltage issue I was earlier facing (this is a follow-up question on the same).

My motherboard's LAN port was burned so I got it replaced under warranty by ASUS. They replaced it with a refurbished one, which I'm fine with as long as it works really well with absolutely no issues. When checking it at the service center, it worked fine. They even connected it back to my system and re-confirmed this. However, once I got it home, it started to give me a "CPU over voltage" error.

I tried the following to solve this

Reset my BIOS: No difference
Tried a different PSU: Worked a little longer the first time, but eventually gave me the same issue.
Tried using the wall socket directly without my UPS: Worked much longer the first time, however, post using the UPS once it now behaves the same
Asked this question here on the site (Same link as before)

At first, I felt it was the UPS, as things worked fine when I used to wall socket, however, I later used the UPS again, just to confirm it was indeed the UPS that was causing the problem. This time, the fans just spun for a very brief moment and then powered off. This happened when using the wall socket too. After a really long time, it booted up again but still gave me the CPU over voltage issue.

I took it back to the service center, who checked the motherboard with a different machine with a different CPU. It showed issues there too. He then switched a chip which he claims holds the BIOS and it worked fine. Concluding that it was a BIOS issue, he rewrote the BIOS to the old chip and placed it back on the motherboard. He then seemed to solder something, which I inquired about, to which he said: "He was just ensuring it's all done fine". This time it booted normally at the service center again. I left it on for a good 20-30 mins and checked all the voltage reading, it was all ok.

I got it back home, plugged it in again using the UPS as I thought the motherboard was the culprit and it worked fine. Again I left it on for about 30 mins and monitored the voltages which were all ok. However, the next day when I booted it, it started to show the same issues again. It either lets me get into BIOS, where the voltage for the CPU starts to shoot up until the system shuts down, or it doesn't boot with just the fans spinning for a brief moment.

I've gone back to the service center and they have now replaced the motherboard again, this time with a brand new one and not a refurbished one (they claim). However, they also said that now if I still hit the same issue again, it's not the motherboard but something else that's the culprit. The motherboard is fine. I don't really know if that means I can claim warranty the next time.

As it has always worked fine at the service center and had issues at home, I feel there is a valid chance that something here isn't right. But I don't really know what and how to figure that out.

Initially, I had asked this question where I've found out I'm using a really low-grade "horrible" PSU at the moment. This is making me feel, maybe the PSU is the culprit and I should invest in a better PSU. I have narrowed down to these three

Circle 400 Watt CPH698 V12 SMPS

Corsair VS450 450-Watt Power Supply

Frontech JIL-2423 600W PSU (NO PCI EXP Connector)

This is purely based on Amazon rating and my budget. The Corsair one, however, explicitly mentions "Over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, and short circuit protection provide maximum safety for your critical system components" which is why I'm feeling it's worth.

However, at this point, I'm still skeptical if the PSU is really the issue or the UPS or something totally different.

So my questions are

1. Should I still take a chance with my existing PSU in the interest of unnecessary expense

2. If yes, how do I ensure the least damage to the new motherboard?
a. Can I run some tests separately to ensure it's sending the right voltages?
b. I have never used a multimeter so not really sure if I could use it.
c.Alternatively, I came across this but not really sure if it's helpful.

3. If no, then which of the above would you recommend as a great deal. I also have challenges as the form factor of these three PSUs aren't in compliance with the form factor of my current cabinet which is a iBall Piano 440. Is there a way of working this out / alternate PSUs that would protect from over voltage etc.

4. If it's not the PSU what else could it be and how do I determine that. I suspect the UPS as much while the service center guys said I might need to change the processor.

All in all, how do I figure out what exactly is causing these issues with least risk to the motherboard or unnecessarily spending too much money. Also, I've been dealing with this issue for almost a month now, looking to solve it as fast as possible.

 

[cin19]

Remove the gtx750ti, try use your PC with onboard iGPU to see the PC works fine or not, like you said the PSU may have problem.

And if the PC works fine without the gtx750ti, that means either the gtx750ti or your PSU may have problem. Test the gtx750ti is other PC, or boot into the BIOS, in hardware monitor section to check the +3.3V, +5V and +12V. You want to see those voltages are within +/- 5% range. Otherwise the PSU has problem.

Recommend to buy the vs450 PSU, becuase it is the best on amount those three you listed.

 

[TDsouza007]

Remove the gtx750ti, try use your PC with onboard iGPU to see the PC works fine or not, like you said the PSU may have problem.

And if the PC works fine without the gtx750ti, that means either the gtx750ti or your PSU may have problem. Test the gtx750ti is other PC, or boot into the BIOS, in hardware monitor section to check the +3.3V, +5V and +12V. You want to see those voltages are within +/- 5% range. Otherwise the PSU has problem.

Recommend to buy the vs450 PSU, becuase it is the best on amount those three you listed.

Thanks for the reply, sorry didn't get to check this thread for a couple of days.

I forgot to mention, the graphic card has been removed, packed and kept separately ever since this issue has occurred.

I took the PSU to a service center and got them to check the voltages of all the rails. I did the same with my UPS. Both are said to have fine voltages. With these out, I'm left with just one question

Is it possible that a faulty processor is causing this? I mean it sucks it too much voltage when running at higher loads. If yes is there a way to check it.

I'm kinda lost at this point, and borderline paranoid. I'm planning on getting it checked at a service center too, but any inputs would help. At least, I'll have all the right questions to ask them when I go (this Saturday)

 

[cin19]

1) You got the power surge problem that caused the MB LAN port to die.
2) Your PC still had the problem even without GPU.
So that means the problem may damage your other pc components too. You will need to test the part one by one in other PC, otherwise you will not know which one has problem. Yes it is good idea to ask the local PC shop or something like that for help.