[SOLVED] Frequently crashing Dell Precision T1700

la chupacabra

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2014
114
6
18,695
Hi everyone, I'm having a serious problem with my Dell Precision T1700.
It keeps crashing, usually when any USB pen drive is connected to it. After it crashes I need to disconnect and turn off the PSU, do the power reset (sometimes couple of times) and then it usually starts working.
I've tried to disconnect most of the components including all drives and USB front panel ports and it's still happening, definetly most of the time when a USB pen drive is connected (I'm in a process of testing the PC without any USB pen drives connected to it).
Does anyone know what could be the problem or what is the next thing that should be tested? I did some research and after a lot of testing it seems to be down to faulty PSU (or the 24pin to 8pin adapter), the motherboard (which would be the worst case) or the 24pin to 8pin power adapter connector from Amazon that I use with my Antec 550W Plus PSU (original Dell's PSU has only two connectors, one 8pin for power and one 4pin for CPU).
Could it be caused by that generic 24pin to 8pin power adpater?
Is there a decent budget PSU (at least 550W) that would be compatible with Dell's 8 pin mobo power port?
 

la chupacabra

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2014
114
6
18,695
dont think its anything to do with psu, ...as last thing maybe..

describe "crashing" ... blue screen of death .. freeze ....shutdown without warning.... suddenly or gradually ...

It shuts down suddenly and doesn't restart by itself. The orange light on the power button is flashing and to start it up again usually I need to do like 3-5 power resets.

I would change out that crappy converter with one from moddiy. The other thing I would try is see if you still have the usb issue with a linux live cd/usb to confirm it is a hardware issue.
I suspect that it's caused by that converter, although it supposed to be for that Dell model (Precision T1700) and had good reviews on Amazon, nobody has reported any issues
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Optiplex-Power-Supply-Motherboard-Adapter/dp/B0758H3WVX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=24+to+8+Pin+ATX+Dell+Optiplex+3020+7020+Power+Supply+Motherboard+Adapter+Cable&qid=1590157724&sr=8-1

I don't think it happens at all when no pen drive is connected, I've been using it from yesterday and hasn't crashed even once. As soon as I connect any pen drive it crashes within couple of hours and keeps crashing. Again, I think it's related to that converter

I'm pretty sure if I run Linux live from USB it will be crashing

I would buy that Moddiy adapter, but I'm worried that it will take a long time for a delivery from US to UK, where I'm based.
https://www.moddiy.com/products/Dell-OptiPlex-3020-PSU-Main-Power-24-Pin-to-8-Pin-Adapter-Cable-30cm.html
Would it be easy to find a quality PSU with this power connector (8 pin) that will with this proprietary Dell socket?
My current PSU (Antec Basiq Power 550 Plus) has a 8 pin connector that fits inside that connector on Dell's motherboard, but for some reason it doesn't work (nothing happens when I connect it and I try to turn it on) :unsure:
 
Last edited:

chuda

Commendable
Aug 28, 2017
60
5
1,535
i still believe there is nothing wrong, or nothing "c3apy", with power adapter, its rated for more than half for what you use, if anything then proprietary system might not like power supply change it self. if you still have old one, givit a go for a while.
usb, might be making some short and shutting down your system, then systems shutting down suddenly , its likely case because they do it as safe feature to protect components, and i bet you 3-5 restart is because you try restart in time system is set to not start for set period of time after power failure and if you wait 5-10 min , or even disconnect power plug for 1-2 and will try then, you ll be getting boot from 1 try.
is your usb drivers( and rest of motherboard and bios for that matter) updated from dell website to latest ?
and does it act like that since a day changed your powersupply or just lately?
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra
I suspect that it's caused by that converter, although it supposed to be for that Dell model (Precision T1700) and had good reviews on Amazon, nobody has reported any issues
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Optiplex-Power-Supply-Motherboard-Adapter/dp/B0758H3WVX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=24+to+8+Pin+ATX+Dell+Optiplex+3020+7020+Power+Supply+Motherboard+Adapter+Cable&qid=1590157724&sr=8-1

I don't think it happens at all when no pen drive is connected, I've been using it from yesterday and hasn't crashed even once. As soon as I connect any pen drive it crashes within couple of hours and keeps crashing. Again, I think it's related to that converter

I'm pretty sure if I run Linux live from USB it will be crashing

I would buy that Moddiy adapter, but I'm worried that it will take a long time for a delivery from US to UK, where I'm based.
https://www.moddiy.com/products/Dell-OptiPlex-3020-PSU-Main-Power-24-Pin-to-8-Pin-Adapter-Cable-30cm.html
Would it be easy to find a quality PSU with this power connector (8 pin) that will with this proprietary Dell socket?
My current PSU (Antec Basiq Power 550 Plus) has a 8 pin connector that fits inside that connector on Dell's motherboard, but for some reason it doesn't work (nothing happens when I connect it and I try to turn it on) :unsure:
The problem is that Amazon isn't what it once was (at least here in the US) and ships a lot of shoddy stuff all the time with fake reviews. I don't think the adapter would take more than 2 weeks to get to you since they seem to specialize in international delivery.

Good point. Can you boot a live cd instead? If you have no usb problems in linux, then there is possibly some sort of solution or workaround.

The problem with these Dells is that besides Dell, no one makes a power supply for them. That being said, the best test to eliminate the power supply would be to just use a Dell power supply and temporarily remove any hardware that exceeds the wattage. Then you could try booting and the usb again. If it works, then you know it is power supply or adapter related. If it still has issues, it could be related to the motherboard itself going bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra

chuda

Commendable
Aug 28, 2017
60
5
1,535
Rated and actually be made are possibly 2 different things on Amazon where bait and switch techniques abound. It might have lasted a few years and then finally failed.

agree whit what you said.
its just, since adapter i not bought on ebay from china, have no visual burn/smell/melt marks, connectors doesn[/ICODE]t pops out from other side, while you are trying to get male connector from otherside...
i would say, lets troubleshoot around first, lets make sure its adapter after all...
otherwise oh yeah, just change adapter, pay for something what might not be broken, wait 3 weeks to test it ... and if it turns out its not adapter ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra
agree whit what you said.
its just, since adapter i not bought on ebay from china, have no visual burn/smell/melt marks, connectors doesn[/ICODE]t pops out from other side, while you are trying to get male connector from otherside...
i would say, lets troubleshoot around first, lets make sure its adapter after all...
otherwise oh yeah, just change adapter, pay for something what might not be broken, wait 3 weeks to test it ... and if it turns out its not adapter ...
Without any other parts to test with, you can't determine what has failed. The adapter is a suspect and is the cheapest to start with. :rolleyes:
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra

la chupacabra

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2014
114
6
18,695
is your usb drivers( and rest of motherboard and bios for that matter) updated from dell website to latest ?
and does it act like that since a day changed your powersupply or just lately?
Unfortunately it started to crash even without any pen drive plugged in. Now I'm installing the latest the chipset drivers from the Dell website and after will do the BIOS (both drivers fairly recent and marked as urgent by Dell) so hopefully that will solve the problem.
The problem is that Amazon isn't what it once was (at least here in the US) and ships a lot of shoddy stuff all the time with fake reviews. I don't think the adapter would take more than 2 weeks to get to you since they seem to specialize in international delivery.
I asked Moddiy about shipment to UK and they said it may take 1-2 months because of the covid, or pay the price of the adapter for express delivery, which I will probably do if updating drivers won't help.

The problem with these Dells is that besides Dell, no one makes a power supply for them. That being said, the best test to eliminate the power supply would be to just use a Dell power supply and temporarily remove any hardware that exceeds the wattage. Then you could try booting and the usb again. If it works, then you know it is power supply or adapter related. If it still has issues, it could be related to the motherboard itself going bad.
So there is no EVGA\Corsair\Anker or any other good brand that have a PSU with that Dell power connector?
I would use original Dell PSU, but it's only 290W and has only 2 connectors (Power and CPU), so I won't be able to connect anything, but I guess it can be used for testing if everything else fails.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: chuda
So there is no EVGA\Corsair\Anker or any other good brand that have a PSU with that Dell power connector?
I would use original Dell PSU, but it's only 290W and has only 2 connectors (Power and CPU), so I won't be able to connect anything, but I guess it can be used for testing if everything else fails.
None of these brands are interested in making replacement parts for Dell. Otherwise they would and then Dell would sell them as Dell parts.

I would strip the system down to a barebone setup--cpu, 1 memory module, no gpu, and the original power supply. Then see if you have the usb issue. If you do, then I would think it is actually the motherboard failing and not anything else. Unfortunately, swapping the motherboard is one of the most time consuming of all repairs. At the same time, it would not be that bad cost-wise since Dell motherboards are cheap and plentiful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra

la chupacabra

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2014
114
6
18,695
I've installed back the original Dell's PSU and the graphic card that I bought it with (Nvidia K2000) and it works perfectly fine, hasn't crashed again, what I actually expected. But I really need to be able to use a better GPU (like my GTX760) and that PSU will not support it. It's either the 24 to 8 pin converter (most possible in my opinion), PSU (rather not since it's a good brand and it worked fine with my other computer) or the motherboard.
I will probably order a proper adapter from Moddyi (but again it may take up to 2 months for a delivery to UK because of the lockdown) and then test it again with my Anker PSU and GTX760 GPU and if it still keeps crashing I will probably sell the desktop with original parts (which all work fine) and get something different (lesson learned to pay attention what connectors PC's MoBo has :), as I need a PC with a better GPU for occasional gaming. Thanks again for all your help
 
The original Dell PSU has only two cable connectors (8-pin for power and 4-pin for CPU), so the GPU would have to be powered from the PCI-E, but I don't want to get anything slower than my GTX760
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about that without solving the power supply issue. That's why I was saying stick to what works within the specs. The next rendition of gpus will be able to hit the power target of the system and the performance target of the gtx760.
 
  • Like
Reactions: la chupacabra

la chupacabra

Distinguished
Apr 26, 2014
114
6
18,695
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about that without solving the power supply issue. That's why I was saying stick to what works within the specs. The next rendition of gpus will be able to hit the power target of the system and the performance target of the gtx760.
I will probably try to get that Moddiy 8-pin to 24-pin adapter that supposed to be designed for this Dell Precision T1700 model (along with others) and it seems to be the best solution for using different PSU with Dell desktops.
The only problem is that it may take up to 2 months for a delivery from US, or maybe I just pay extra for faster delivery (around £17 - $22), I guess it's worth it
but it will be a bummer if it arrives, I install it and PC still crashes 😑