Question Did I mess up my PC?

[GeorgeCZ75]

Hi everyone,

I have a Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 with an i3-4130, GT 730, with 8GB of RAM and a 280W OEM PSU. I switched to an HP PSU power outlet cable to power the PC, but on the sticker of the cord it says “180W.” So I’m guessing that power cable is only rated up to 180 watts. It has been shutting off randomly and powering itself on — something that didn’t happen with the OEM Lenovo power cable. I’ve been using this HP power cable since I lost the OEM one from Lenovo. However, recently I have found it and switched the power cables. Even with the Lenovo OEM power cable, the PC still shuts off randomly and boots itself up right after. Have I permanently damaged my PC by using the wrong power cable? As I’ve said earlier, this problem did not happen before I used the HP cable — it only happened after I started using it. So far the longest it’s stayed on continuously has been around 10 minutes without shutting down and powering back up again. However, the Lenovo power cable does allow the PC to stay on longer than the HP power cable; the HP power cable allowed the computer to boot up for 2-5 seconds before it shut down.

I’ve resettled the CMOS to no avail. The PC boots and shuts down in a loop. Could it be that it’s overheating? The PC is 8 years old and I figure it could use a thermal paste reapplication on the CPU. Could my PSU be fried from using an inadequate power cable?

 

[Darkbreeze]

I of course can't guarantee anything, but in reality, the probability of changing external power cables causing any kind of problem unless what you had was REALLY some kind of cheap POS, is very unlikely. To the point of almost being impossible unless it was sourced from the very cheapest of systems from like 1982. So, not very likely that the external cable swap is the reason.

The PC being "over 8 years old" is the more likely problem, and in cases like this it is USUALLY because something on the motherboard has crapped out.

 

[GeorgeCZ75]

Hi everyone,

I have a Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 with an i3-4130, GT 730, and 8GB of RAM. The other day I swapped out the OEM memory and added 4x4 DDR3 Corsair Vengeance sticks but the computer was acting up. It would start for 3 seconds then shut down again and start itself up again and shut back down on and on again. Although, it would sometimes stick and I could play games for 10-20 minutes before it would shut down and start back up again. Thus, I decided to take out the Corsair sticks and put back the OEM 2x4 sticks. The PC still has this issue, as it reboots and boots and shuts down. Sometimes my PC makes it past the logo screen and I can actually use the computer. But during those times I can only use it for 10-15 minutes before it forcibly shuts itself down. What’s happening? Again, this problem happens even with the OEM sticks.

The RAM Slots are clean, and so are the RAM sticks. I tried reseating them to no avail. I have not tampered with any other component besides the RAM. I even tried trouble shooting by taking out each stick individually and ruling them out. I reset and updated the BIOS as well and I still have not found the issue. The CPU and GPU are at normal temps.