Is this PSU up to the job - first time builder, please help! :)

[jcsammut]

Hi,

I have built a PC but have a problem with random reboots, the specs are as follows:-

Corsair AX860 Platinum PSU
4770k processor
z97 Asus Vii Hero Mobo
8gb RAM
2 x GTX 780 in Dual SLI
1TB SSD OS drive
2TB HDD Data drive
1 Blu Ray drive
1 wifi Keyboard mouse combo

The issue is after installing it I am getting random restarts which are really annoying. Have re-installed windows from scratch so don't think it is a software error - but I could be wrong. Windows Event manager just states Error Event ID 41 The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

The reboots are random, and can happen when the system is idle, or when I am playing games - usually a good few hours in. It could happen once it 24 hours or not for a couple of days (normally at least once a day though).

One time it rebooted it would not start, and got stuck in an endless reboot loop and I had to reinstall everything.

The temps are fine (CPU cores never gets above 45C, GPU's don't get above 80c). It has 4 x 120mm fans, and 2 x 80mm fans in it keeping it cool and quiet so really do not think it is cooling related.

Have changed the power cable and socket. Have re-seated everything to make sure there are no issues there, everything has the latest drivers, and firmware.

Any idea what could be causing it or what to trouble shoot first? If it was a PSU problem then surely it would happen every time I play a demanding game? And not have an issue when the PC is IDLE?

I guess my questions are:-

1) Is the PSU up to the above build? I did research before purchasing and the consensus appeared to say it was.

2) Is it worth using OCCT tools to test the PSU - I understand this software could damage the PSU?

3) What else could be causing the reboots if not PSU?

Would you recommend a PC repairer to investigate it?

Anything else I have forgotten to mention that will help in troubleshooting the above?

Thanks,


Jason.

 

[toyftw]

Hi,

I have built a PC but have a problem with random reboots, the specs are as follows:-

Corsair AX860 Platinum PSU
4770k processor
z97 Asus Vii Hero Mobo
8gb RAM
2 x GTX 780 in Dual SLI
1TB SSD OS drive
2TB HDD Data drive
1 Blu Ray drive
1 wifi Keyboard mouse combo

The issue is after installing it I am getting random restarts which are really annoying. Have re-installed windows from scratch so don't think it is a software error - but I could be wrong. Windows Event manager just states Error Event ID 41 The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

The reboots are random, and can happen when the system is idle, or when I am playing games - usually a good few hours in. It could happen once it 24 hours or not for a couple of days (normally at least once a day though).

One time it rebooted it would not start, and got stuck in an endless reboot loop and I had to reinstall everything.

The temps are fine (CPU cores never gets above 45C, GPU's don't get above 80c). It has 4 x 120mm fans, and 2 x 80mm fans in it keeping it cool and quiet so really do not think it is cooling related.

Have changed the power cable and socket. Have re-seated everything to make sure there are no issues there, everything has the latest drivers, and firmware.

Any idea what could be causing it or what to trouble shoot first? If it was a PSU problem then surely it would happen every time I play a demanding game? And not have an issue when the PC is IDLE?

I guess my questions are:-

1) Is the PSU up to the above build? I did research before purchasing and the consensus appeared to say it was.

2) Is it worth using OCCT tools to test the PSU - I understand this software could damage the PSU?

3) What else could be causing the reboots if not PSU?

Would you recommend a PC repairer to investigate it?

Anything else I have forgotten to mention that will help in troubleshooting the above?

Thanks,


Jason.

Hi - The AX860 is fine for that build. It could however be a rare defective unit. I doubt it tho. Do you have
access to another PSU you could borrow, if the same problems occur with another PSU, then it points to
another cause.

Have you run memtest on the ram sticks? If not, you need to (even if in another computer), a bad ram stick
can cause the problems you are experiencing.

Another possible culprit is the motherboard, it could be defective. And, one of your 780's might be bad.
Try using one at a time & see what happens.

There are other potential causes as well, OS needs reinstall (unlikely since you did that), GPU drivers might need to be roll backed, your OS drive could be bad.

 

[jcsammut]

Hi - The AX860 is fine for that build. It could however be a rare defective unit. I doubt it tho. Do you have
access to another PSU you could borrow, if the same problems occur with another PSU, then it points to
another cause.

Have you run memtest on the ram sticks? If not, you need to (even if in another computer), a bad ram stick
can cause the problems you are experiencing.

Another possible culprit is the motherboard, it could be defective. And, one of your 780's might be bad.
Try using one at a time & see what happens.

There are other potential causes as well, OS needs reinstall (unlikely since you did that), GPU drivers might need to be roll backed, your OS drive could be bad.

Thanks so much for the detailed response it is really appreciated!

Unfortunately I do not have access to another PSU of this power (only a 620w which will be inadequate).

I'll test the items you suggest in the following order: RAM via memtest, and then isolating the two 780's one at a time.

I assume there are no tests I can perform for the motherboard? I have run the ASUS diags but this returned no issues. I have also run the Intel processor test and this too returned no issues either.

I am thinking of just buying another set of RAM from a different manufacturer to see if this helps as I can have it delivered tomorrow - can always return it if the memtest shows no issues overnight.

Agreed that the OS should not need reinstalling a 3rd time, and with regards to the GPU the issue has been present on all 3 versions of the drivers I have tried.

I'll look to see if there are any SSD test suites too.

I'll report back once this has all been tested - thanks again!

 

[jcsammut]

In fact, I just spotted something when I ran the Intel CPU test. The results state:-

--- Reading CPU Frequency ---
Expected CPU Frequency is --> 3.50
Detected CPU Frequency is --> 3.90001

CPU Frequency Test Passed with Warning!!!

The processor frequency could be affected by power management features. In order
to ensure the processor frequency is not affected by a power management setting,
enter BIOS, load defaults, and disable any 'Over-Clocking' or power
management features that may affect processor frequency. Also, set any
software applications which control power management features to default.

Is this saying that the system is Overclocked to 3.9ghz? As if it is I have not done that knowingly.

The memory I bought is 1866mhz, but when I installed it it came up as 1600mhz, so I changed the frequency in the BIOS to be 1866mhz - has this overclocked the system to 3.9ghz? Have I changed the frequency in the wrong place or is it impossible to change the RAM Frequency without changing the CPU frequency?

Thanks,


Jason.

 

[toyftw]

In fact, I just spotted something when I ran the Intel CPU test. The results state:-

--- Reading CPU Frequency ---
Expected CPU Frequency is --> 3.50
Detected CPU Frequency is --> 3.90001

CPU Frequency Test Passed with Warning!!!

The processor frequency could be affected by power management features. In order
to ensure the processor frequency is not affected by a power management setting,
enter BIOS, load defaults, and disable any 'Over-Clocking' or power
management features that may affect processor frequency. Also, set any
software applications which control power management features to default.

Is this saying that the system is Overclocked to 3.9ghz? As if it is I have not done that knowingly.

The memory I bought is 1866mhz, but when I installed it it came up as 1600mhz, so I changed the frequency in the BIOS to be 1866mhz - has this overclocked the system to 3.9ghz? Have I changed the frequency in the wrong place or is it impossible to change the RAM Frequency without changing the CPU frequency?

Thanks,


Jason.

Hi again - I'm not sure if you changed the freq in the wrong place, ask on the CPU/Overclocking forum,
I game only rarely and use the MB OC utility for that session.

That CPU is intended to OC, so I still think it is unlikely the PSU is the culprit.

You can still use the 620w PSU, just test the 780's one at a time, which you are going to need to do
anyway.

Looks like you eliminated GPU drivers and the OS as causes.

Now, run memtest & run separately on each stick. It needs to run quite a while too.

If it turns out to be a bad PSU, Corsair will prob replace very quickly. They don't mfg them, so when there's
a bad one they replace it rather than repair & return.

I do think it will prob be a bad Ram stick or bad GPU rather than the PSU. But, just my hunch from here.
Less likely, but possible are a bad motherboard, or a bad hdd.

 

[jcsammut]

Hi again - I'm not sure if you changed the freq in the wrong place, ask on the CPU/Overclocking forum,
I game only rarely and use the MB OC utility for that session.

That CPU is intended to OC, so I still think it is unlikely the PSU is the culprit.

You can still use the 620w PSU, just test the 780's one at a time, which you are going to need to do
anyway.

Looks like you eliminated GPU drivers and the OS as causes.

Now, run memtest & run separately on each stick. It needs to run quite a while too.

If it turns out to be a bad PSU, Corsair will prob replace very quickly. They don't mfg them, so when there's
a bad one they replace it rather than repair & return.

I do think it will prob be a bad Ram stick or bad GPU rather than the PSU. But, just my hunch from here.
Less likely, but possible are a bad motherboard, or a bad hdd.

Thanks again for your help! The update is as follows:-

• 
  I ran memtest for around 6 hours, it completed 4 passes with no issues found
  I also updated the memory frequency using the XMP profile (as opposed to manually changing it)
  I had previously followed an SSD optimisation guide and had reduced the size of the hybernation file, I read this 'may' have had an issue for certain people so I disabled it entirely

Since making all these changes things seem to be ok so far (touch wood). I was able to use it for around 3 hours last night. The machine has now been running for around 18 hours without any issues so I will keep an eye on it.

If it fails again I now have a detailed plan of what to check, and in what order - so thanks very much for your help!

Best regards,


Jason.

 

[jcsammut]

And as if by magic, the simple task of me saying it is fine causes it to reboot 19 minutes after I post the above message while the machine was completely idle!

More troubleshooting required I think.

Thanks,


Jason.

 

[toyftw]

And as if by magic, the simple task of me saying it is fine causes it to reboot 19 minutes after I post the above message while the machine was completely idle!

More troubleshooting required I think.

Thanks,


Jason.

Aw - thot you had it. Well at least you now know it's not the RAM, OS, CPU, SSD.

One other thing, Does your motherboard have the Asus PSU anti-surge feature? If so, it has been known
to cause the problem you are experiencing (too sensitive). If your mobo does have this feature, and you now have
eliminated most other causes (PSU or a GPU still possible), you should disable that in BIOS.
In fact, Asus techs have recommended the same thing on occasion.

 

[jcsammut]

Aw - thot you had it. Well at least you now know it's not the RAM, OS, CPU, SSD.

One other thing, Does your motherboard have the Asus PSU anti-surge feature? If so, it has been known
to cause the problem you are experiencing (too sensitive). If your mobo does have this feature, and you now have
eliminated most other causes (PSU or a GPU still possible), you should disable that in BIOS.
In fact, Asus techs have recommended the same thing on occasion.

OK, I think I am getting somewhere now.

I removed the second GPU as the last event 41 error I got gave me a bugcheck data of 278 which according to google relates to a GPU issue.

With a single GPU the PC performed flawlessly for 3 days without a single Event 41 issue.

This led me to believe the second GPU was at fault. To prove this theory I placed the 1st GPU in the slot that previously held the 2nd GPU. I still maintained a single GPU and kept the same power cables as previously to effectively troubleshoot the issue.

When I rebooted and checked the event viewer I saw an Error 41 in the event log. To ensure this was not a fluke I shutdown and rebooted and the same thing happened. I can recreate the Event 41 every time by shutting down and restarting.

I am going to leave the PC in this configuration and monitor to see if there are any random reboots. If there are, is it safe to assume the motherboard is the issue as I have ruled everything else out (or have I)?

I guess the next stage will be to check the second GPU on it's own in slot 1 to see if it reports any errors - I'll leave that until after I have run things in its current configuration for a few days.

It would be good to get your thoughts on this.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Jason.

 

[toyftw]

Aw - thot you had it. Well at least you now know it's not the RAM, OS, CPU, SSD.

One other thing, Does your motherboard have the Asus PSU anti-surge feature? If so, it has been known
to cause the problem you are experiencing (too sensitive). If your mobo does have this feature, and you now have
eliminated most other causes (PSU or a GPU still possible), you should disable that in BIOS.
In fact, Asus techs have recommended the same thing on occasion.

OK, I think I am getting somewhere now.

I removed the second GPU as the last event 41 error I got gave me a bugcheck data of 278 which according to google relates to a GPU issue.

With a single GPU the PC performed flawlessly for 3 days without a single Event 41 issue.

This led me to believe the second GPU was at fault. To prove this theory I placed the 1st GPU in the slot that previously held the 2nd GPU. I still maintained a single GPU and kept the same power cables as previously to effectively troubleshoot the issue.

When I rebooted and checked the event viewer I saw an Error 41 in the event log. To ensure this was not a fluke I shutdown and rebooted and the same thing happened. I can recreate the Event 41 every time by shutting down and restarting.

I am going to leave the PC in this configuration and monitor to see if there are any random reboots. If there are, is it safe to assume the motherboard is the issue as I have ruled everything else out (or have I)?

I guess the next stage will be to check the second GPU on it's own in slot 1 to see if it reports any errors - I'll leave that until after I have run things in its current configuration for a few days.

It would be good to get your thoughts on this.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Jason.

Hi - Looks like you isolated it, and the fact you have done it the way you have should make for an easy
RMA with the supplier of the gtx780. As soon as you check it by itself, you'll know for sure.

Even if it is bad, your mobo could still cause reboots if it has the anti-surge feature (I don't know if it does, I
looked at the features on New Egg's listing for it & didn't see, you prob know as they most likely mentioned it
in the literature).

One other thing you should look at; I looked at the customer review comments for that mobo on New Egg
and the very 1st one had this:
Cons: LAN on the motherboard can cause your router or cable modem to crash after about 20 minutes of game play, it comes back up immediately can log right back in and crashes it again in 5 minutes, then again in 3 minutes, etc.

and this from another:
Cons: The slot 2 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8 always detect the GPU, but not on slot 1 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8.

So, it looks like a bad GPU, but keep in mind these comments on the mobo.

 

[jcsammut]

Hi - Looks like you isolated it, and the fact you have done it the way you have should make for an easy
RMA with the supplier of the gtx780. As soon as you check it by itself, you'll know for sure.

Even if it is bad, your mobo could still cause reboots if it has the anti-surge feature (I don't know if it does, I
looked at the features on New Egg's listing for it & didn't see, you prob know as they most likely mentioned it
in the literature).

One other thing you should look at; I looked at the customer review comments for that mobo on New Egg
and the very 1st one had this:
Cons: LAN on the motherboard can cause your router or cable modem to crash after about 20 minutes of game play, it comes back up immediately can log right back in and crashes it again in 5 minutes, then again in 3 minutes, etc.

and this from another:
Cons: The slot 2 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8 always detect the GPU, but not on slot 1 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8.

So, it looks like a bad GPU, but keep in mind these comments on the mobo.

Bizarrely I am still running with the 1st card in slot 2, and this has now been running for 24 hours without rebooting. So I don't think it is the motherboard. I will give it another day or so and will then try the other card isolation and see what happens.

I have disabled the anti-surge. Thanks for the info on the mobo reviews - I will keep this in mind. In the meantime I am going to post in the OC forum as advised earlier.

Thanks again for all your help. Will post an update when I finally get to the bottom of it.

 

[toyftw]

Hi - Looks like you isolated it, and the fact you have done it the way you have should make for an easy
RMA with the supplier of the gtx780. As soon as you check it by itself, you'll know for sure.

Even if it is bad, your mobo could still cause reboots if it has the anti-surge feature (I don't know if it does, I
looked at the features on New Egg's listing for it & didn't see, you prob know as they most likely mentioned it
in the literature).

One other thing you should look at; I looked at the customer review comments for that mobo on New Egg
and the very 1st one had this:
Cons: LAN on the motherboard can cause your router or cable modem to crash after about 20 minutes of game play, it comes back up immediately can log right back in and crashes it again in 5 minutes, then again in 3 minutes, etc.

and this from another:
Cons: The slot 2 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8 always detect the GPU, but not on slot 1 of PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16/x8.

So, it looks like a bad GPU, but keep in mind these comments on the mobo.

Bizarrely I am still running with the 1st card in slot 2, and this has now been running for 24 hours without rebooting. So I don't think it is the motherboard. I will give it another day or so and will then try the other card isolation and see what happens.

I have disabled the anti-surge. Thanks for the info on the mobo reviews - I will keep this in mind. In the meantime I am going to post in the OC forum as advised earlier.

Thanks again for all your help. Will post an update when I finally get to the bottom of it.

OK!