[SOLVED] My PC powered off automatically and sparked. When i tried to turn it on, it sparked again...

[em_bacon]

My PC powered off automatically and as it was shutting down I noticed a spark. I then pressed the power button once and it didn't start. I pressed it again and it turned on and when I did I seen another spark. I shut down the computer and waited about 10 min and turned it on and everything seemed okay. This never has happened to me before and I am a "newb" when it comes to computers and still learning.

My question is, what could have caused this? Should I be in panic mode? I had my computer on for about 4-5 hours and was playing FFXIV with chrome up with a few tabs on when it happened. After I shut down my PC I didn't smell anything that resembled burning nor see anything. However my graphics card felt very hot. I downloaded the EVGA Precision X OC and noticed that the temp was going from 55-68ish Celsius. I don't know what the temp was when it powered off automatically.

This is my PC set up https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mgpQgL

About a year ago I upgraded my graphics card to a EVGA GeForce 1070

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Please get rid of that very poor power supply.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Great deal on a top of the line PSU.

7 Year Standard Limited Warranty Product Suffixes: -Y0, -Y1 , -Y2, -Y3, -Y4, -Y5, -Y6, -Y7, -Y8, -Y9

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $59.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-15 22:40 EST-0500

EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G3 PSU Key Features:

• 650W Continuous DC output at up to 50°C
• 7-Year warranty with unparalleled EVGA Customer Support
• 80 PLUS Gold certified, with up to 90%/92% efficiency (115VAC/240VAC)
• Highest quality Japanese brand capacitors ensure long-term reliability
• Fully modular cables to reduce clutter and improve airflow
• Quiet 128mm hydraulic dynamic bearing fan for long life
• ECO Intelligent Thermal Control allows silent, fan-less operation at low power
• NVIDIA SLI & AMD Crossfire Ready
• Active Power Factor correction (0.99) with Universal AC input
• Heavy-duty protections: OVP, UVP, OCP, OPP, SCP, and OTP

EVGA.COM

 

[jonaharkiay]

It's likely the power supply. This is a very poor quality power supply designed for casual use. You need a more powerful supply. Check your parts for damage after you get a new power supply as the sparks could have either shortened their life or killed them completely. The best power supply IMO is the RM750x by corsair. It'll cost you around $100, but you can find it on sale at most times. It comes with a 10 YEAR WARRANTY and is rock solid, even for 2 gpus at once. It will likely never break until you can't remember what year you bought it
Also, check this list out if you want to find other great PSUs

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

Pick a psu with at least 100 watts more power than the sum of your components max TDP (max power draw listed by manufacturer) and any components you would want to buy later. As for your parts, you may be able to get warranty. Some parts may work fine but lifespan shortened. You may want to panic - just a little.

EDIT: P.S. The G3 power supply listed in the above response is ok, but not if you plan to have more than 1 gpu or use close to the max wattage. The rmx are better and come with longer warranties. They are used in computer reviewers benches and are much quieter.

 

[em_bacon]

Thanks for the info! Is it safe for me to still use my PC until I upgrade?

 

[Gam3r01]

I would go with a solid no on that one. Its generally not a good idea to use a system that could short out at any time.

 

[Karadjgne]

Whole system peak is @350w. An RMx 750 is so far overkill its actually detrimental to op's electric bill as most times it'll be running at closer to 200-250w, or at @35% loads, below optimal efficiency. A decent 550w like Evga G2/G3, TMx 550, Seasonic Focus etc will be plenty.

Psu noise is not a factor, ever. By the time you've ramped up a psu fan to be audible, it's so far lost up against the cpu, gpu, case fans noise that it's seriously not even heard. With a decent 550w and the draw from the pc not being but @60% at best it'll not get hot enough to warrant extreme fan rpm anyways.

I7-3770K @4.6GHz, Asus gtx970 @124% OC on Evga G2 550w and I couldn't hear it running if I tried.

 

[jonaharkiay]

Whole system peak is @350w. An RMx 750 is so far overkill its actually detrimental to op's electric bill as most times it'll be running at closer to 200-250w, or at @35% loads, below optimal efficiency. A decent 550w like Evga G2/G3, TMx 550, Seasonic Focus etc will be plenty.

Psu noise is not a factor, ever. By the time you've ramped up a psu fan to be audible, it's so far lost up against the cpu, gpu, case fans noise that it's seriously not even heard. With a decent 550w and the draw from the pc not being but @60% at best it'll not get hot enough to warrant extreme fan rpm anyways.

I7-3770K @4.6GHz, Asus gtx970 @124% OC on Evga G2 550w and I couldn't hear it running if I tried.

Use the G2's though. The G3's are not considered one of EVGA's best

 

[Karadjgne]

G3's not Evga best? Huh what? It's the same Leadex II platform as the G2, has a better fan. JG scored it a 9.8 with mythic and better than excellent everything. What's not to like?

 

[jonaharkiay]

The g3s fail one of the protection tests. It's not a bad fail, but the g2s get a perfect score. The g3s are really good but the g2s are a little bit better in terms of protections/reliability but I agree they are louder. I recommended the Rmx series because they get perfect scores AND are even quieter than the G3s (by 15db in some cases). If you look at the list of power supplies I provided, you'll see the g2s are on tier 1, while the G3s are on tier 2

 

[Karadjgne]

Depends. The G2 550w also fails hold-up times, tested units coming in @12ms, ATX says should be at least 16ms.

And yes, a while back there were issues with the G3 and OTP and OPP. Although honestly, if you are pushing a psu up around 130°C, your pc is already on fire, and pushing beyond rated capacity is pure stupidity to begin with, considering most ppl buying units like these are not looking for stock replacements and almost always factor in 100-300w extra just for OC and 200-300w extra for sli/cf