New PSU for Crashing System

[hamtest]

Hi guys

Here are my PC Stats

Processor - AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 810 Processor, 2600 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)

RAM - 2x Apacer 2gb unb pc3-10600 cl9, 2x elixir 4gb 2rx8 pc3-10700u-9-10-b0 1333 (Overkill for my rig but got it cheap as ***)

GPU - ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit

PSU - Coolmaster atx12v 550w

Mobo - ASUS M4A77TD

Running 64 Bit Windows 7

I wanted to post here asking if anyone can recommend a new PSU for my rig, as ive been experiencing a crashing issue with my PC while running various games and it was suggested to me by both an acquaintance of mine as well as some answers online from some Google searching.

To give you all an idea of the issue, my computer crashes completely after a somewhat brief period of time (sometimes 2 mins, sometimes an hour), with the screen going dark and the sound playing for another few seconds before a reboot to Windows Error Recovery.

Ive checked each RAM stick individually and cleaned out all the dust,updated drivers for everything to no avail

Nothing to report from event viewer and my GPU is running at around 80 C running games.

Feel free to add your own input if you think the PSU isnt the issue as i am not convinced myself but it seems to be the most common fault for this problem. And of course just let me know if you need any further info.

First post here so i apologise if ive broken any posting rules/posted in the wrong place etc

 

[antonice22]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182132

get this psu, 650w modular 80$

 

[unksol]

You do NOT need an $80 650W PSU. A good 500W is plenty. The problem is coolermasters low wattage PSUs don't deliver what they say or are out of spec and are all around bad

I don't know either of those ram brands but have you tested them with memtest 86+ together. Really id remove the 4GB set your system won't use over 8GB of memory anyway and some times ram conflicts and causes errors that don't show except in crashes

 

[Guest]

I had a Cooler Master 650W PSU that fired my motherboard and went down if magic smoke. Its voltages on the 12v went down to 11.3v under load and caused my computer go slower degrading other computer components. Go with a Seasonic unit like the SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119

It is a 550W 80 plus Gold efficiency which will lower your monthly electric bill compared to Bronze efficiency. Also this unit has tight voltages, so it should extend the life of your components by giving the correct voltages with little fluctuation.

As for ram, listen to unksol. Before testing it with Memtest 86+ for several hours, check to see in your BIOS if the memory timing settings are set to auto (best stability). Then test with Memtest 86+ with three simultaneous runs with 800 megabytes of ram each. Each test stress one core of your cpu. If it reports a single error or crashes into BSOD, then your memory might be faulty.

 

[hamtest]

You do NOT need an $80 650W PSU. A good 500W is plenty. The problem is coolermasters low wattage PSUs don't deliver what they say or are out of spec and are all around bad

I don't know either of those ram brands but have you tested them with memtest 86+ together. Really id remove the 4GB set your system won't use over 8GB of memory anyway and some times ram conflicts and causes errors that don't show except in crashes

Are coolmaster a brand to avoid? should i buy a similar psu from a more reliable brand then?

As for the RAM, i find it surprising you havnt heard of Apacer but admittedly the other one is cheap and probably shitty, i just had someone bring it back from a trip away and just threw it in there. Ill test with memtest now and see.

Thanks for your help!

 

[unksol]

Coolermaster has some bad series like extreme power plus. Their high end is ok. The thing is PSU Sellers don't usually make the PSU and may have 5 different companies making different models. or reuse a series name known to be bad for a new good line. It can be very confusing. And its VERY IMPORTANT. it can cause lots of problems or kill your system. You have to check professional reviews to sort it out usually.

Some brands are consistently good. Seasonic is top. Xfx, PC power and cooling, corsair, most antec and OCZ units. Here is a list but its a little older
www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

In general you can Google a PSU model + review and look for professional reviews with testing which ifs the best approach.

hardwaresecrets, Jonnyguru, techpowerup all do nice reviews. There are others.


Gold rated PSUs are nice, but usually expensive. Bronze is fine if you need to go cheaper. unless its on 24/7 gold is overrated but that's just my opinion.

 

[Guest]

Are coolmaster a brand to avoid? should i buy a similar psu from a more reliable brand then?

As for the RAM, i find it surprising you havnt heard of Apacer but admittedly the other one is cheap and probably shitty, i just had someone bring it back from a trip away and just threw it in there. Ill test with memtest now and see.

Thanks for your help!

Cooler Master's PSUs are mediocre at best. Their top of the line psus are sometimes more expensive than other top performing PSUs in the market, and sell gimicks like a 7v fan controller. Some of their cheap PSUs are questionable and are likely to take down your other computer components down the drain with a nice explosion and smoke. Not all, but my own CM psu did exploded on me when i was playing Far Cry 2 two years ago. I went with a seasonic x-760 after reading "jonnyguru's review on the Seasonic. I save around 40w of electricity compared to the CM 650w 80plus i had.

Corsair, Seasonic, XFX, FSP, Antec are well know and reliable brands to buy from.

You can learn more about PSUs and reviews of unit at JonnyGuru

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews

 

[hamtest]

Coolermaster has some bad series like extreme power plus. Their high end is ok. The thing is PSU Sellers don't usually make the PSU and may have 5 different companies making different models. or reuse a series name known to be bad for a new good line. It can be very confusing. And its VERY IMPORTANT. it can cause lots of problems or kill your system. You have to check professional reviews to sort it out usually.

Some brands are consistently good. Seasonic is top. Xfx, PC power and cooling, corsair, most antec and OCZ units. Here is a list but its a little older
www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

In general you can Google a PSU model + review and look for professional reviews with testing which ifs the best approach.

hardwaresecrets, Jonnyguru, techpowerup all do nice reviews. There are others.


Gold rated PSUs are nice, but usually expensive. Bronze is fine if you need to go cheaper. unless its on 24/7 gold is overrated but that's just my opinion.

i cant get memtest to boot from a usb right now but ive tested the RAM separately by brand and the error continues anyway, id do it via CD but my dvd drive is broken.

In regards to the PSU, thanks a bunch to you and to jupiter for the advice and more importantly places to learn myself! ill have a look see on prices in my country (sadly i cant use newegg), but before i do anything i want to make sure the PSU is the problem, or at least a justifiable purchase

 

[Guest]

i cant get memtest to boot from a usb right now but ive tested the RAM separately by brand and the error continues anyway, id do it via CD but my dvd drive is broken.

In regards to the PSU, thanks a bunch to you and to jupiter for the advice and more importantly places to learn myself! ill have a look see on prices in my country (sadly i cant use newegg), but before i do anything i want to make sure the PSU is the problem, or at least a justifiable purchase

I was wondering why you can't run it in your os, cause my memory test is able to run while i am doing other things in Windows. I looked in my folder and it is from another software company that gives memory testing in your operating system. I don't know how i came this one in the first place, since everyone claims Memtest86+. But anyway this gives you the option of running in windows 7 and setting the amount of ram you want to test. Here is the link:

http://hcidesign.com/memtest/download.html

Hope this helps your diagnose.

 

[hamtest]

I was wondering why you can't run it in your os, cause my memory test is able to run while i am doing other things in Windows. I looked in my folder and it is from another software company that gives memory testing in your operating system. I don't know how i came this one in the first place, since everyone claims Memtest86+. But anyway this gives you the option of running in windows 7 and setting the amount of ram you want to test. Here is the link:

http://hcidesign.com/memtest/download.html

Hope this helps your diagnose.

Great, Thanks for the link! I followed the instructions and did a test for around 2 hours and no errors were found, but i will do another later tonight while i sleep to be sure, but its looking less and less like RAM issue it would seem.

 

[Guest]

Great, Thanks for the link! I followed the instructions and did a test for around 2 hours and no errors were found, but i will do another later tonight while i sleep to be sure, but its looking less and less like RAM issue it would seem.

I remember now what happen before my CM PSU blew-up back in 2010. When i was running the computer after several summer months of video editing, the computer suddenly freezes. No blue screen of death or any heads up of what is going on, just frozen with no mouse movement. A few times i experienced a sudden reboot with no BSOD. I suspect that it was the PSU because it voltages fluctuated a lot under load. But i did not know, cause i accepted the fact that most PSU are like this. Took out my motherboard in the end. Afterwards i RMA on a 5 year warranty to Cooler Master, and they replaced it with a 650W GX PSU. I sold it on ebay and bought myself a Seasonic x760.

I tried to RMA the CM PSU 5 months before it actually blew, but somehow CM tech support wasn't very supported, and did not allow me to claim an RMA because of some bug on warranty. If you feel strongly that your PSU is the culprit try to RMA it first, buy a new dependable PSU from one of the respect psu brands, and sell the PSU that CM gives you in return.