Pc freezes for 30sec-1 min. Is it the power supply?

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Oct 26, 2014
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Hi! first of all, this is my first thread.
My rig:
AMD Athlon X2 250(3 ghz)
Radeon HD 6670 1gb ddr5 graphic card
Kingston DDR 3 4 gb ram in 1 stick
Seagate 1 tb hdd
Circle 450W psu

So I have recently installed The Evil Within and the total gameplay has been around 1 hr.
I noticed that the game keeps freezing every 10 min (now its as soon as it starts) for around 30 seconds or 1 minute then everything turns normal again.

I dont know what may be causing this.I've updated all the neccessary drivers.
I've had this rig set up for about a year..about a month back I had a problem with my hdd..it kept getting corrupt,freezing(disk scans every time pc boots) .It was in warranty so I replaced it.But the problems returned with the new hdd. I replaced my psu too but my guy put in a 450W one again.
Also using core temp I saw that the normal cpu temp is about 30-32 which rises up to about 40-42 right after a freeze.
Can someone please tell me if the problems are because of the inadequate power supply ,(and the psu is about 1 yr old) overheating or what else?
And if that's the case then seeing my rig can you suggest me if a corsair vs550W would be better?

 
Seems that Circle PSU is about on par with, possibly even the same as, Zebronics, which is a really terrible off brand. Neither of them are even listed on the Who's who in power supplies or referenced at all on the PSU tier list. All info I can find on that unit, which isn't much, indicates it's probably a Tier 5 unit and should not be used in any system regardless of purpose. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't your problem.

What country are you in so I can recommend you a good replacement?
 
Hi darkbreeze! really sry for the late reply. I was replying the last time when it froze b4 I could post anything.
I can officially tell now that the hard disk is going corrupt again. Doesn't start most of the times. I've read the hdd goes corrupt because of bad psu.Can you confirm this?
BTW I can also relate to a specific condition now that I found on the forum. My cpu usgae which shows on the gadget in win 7 goes to 0% randomly and the pc freezes and sadly for good this time.
Also I checked the inside of my pc and found the heatsink of the cpu cooler completely clogged. So I removed and cleaned it but found that the thermal paste had dried off. Can that be the issue? (running it without thermal paste now) but cpu temp doesnt increase more than 38 deg.
 
I am really tired and dont know what I should do as it was working perfectly fine for the 1st 8 months.
I've finally decided to apply thermal paste and replace stock amd am3 cooler with Deepcool Gamma Archer as it has a 120mm fan(really tight on the budget) + add a deepcool icedisk cooler for my hdd and OF COURSE change my power supply.
I live in India. I think going for the Corsair VS550W might be a good idea. What do you think?
And please tell if these steps might solve the problem or is it related to something else entirely?
 
Also can you tell me how to see if a psu is good based on the volts and amps info. Mine says something like 10 amps on a 12V1 rail and 14 on 12V2 rail. Can you tell me how to calculate exact wattage based on this info? Please help. I'm really frustrated.
P.S : Does this in any way suggest that the processor or mobo has lived it's life??? :""(
Forgot to mention : psu is actually 2009 manufactured .
 
Disconnect all hard drives, you don't need them connected to access the BIOS, and see if you can post and access the BIOS menu. If you can, the CPU is hopefully ok. I would repaste the cpu and make sure the CPU fan and case fans are all working. You need, AT MINIMUM, one intake and one exhaust fan on the case or you will likely continue to replace components due to thermal failure. That PSU is terrible, and the specs you posted prove it even further. I'd replace that with a good unit, no matter what else you do.

You want at least a Tier 3 and preferably Tier 2B or higher unit as a replacement.:

PSU Tier list: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html
 
Umm. I'm not sure if I understand how I could find out if cpu is ok. Is it just by disconnecting the hdd and seeing if I can reach the Bios menu?
And yes I looked through the list.
See, my budget is a little tight.. Almost 3k-3.5k rs ($50-55)and the Corsair VS series I found in Tier 3..Is it ok if I go for it? Or would it also create problems?
Is there any other psu in tier 2 - b at least tht falls in my budget?
I am actually not thinking about serious cpu overclocking.. Just the gc tht too about 10-15%
So is the Corsair VS series 550w good enough?
 
Yeah, that PSU should be ok. Not the best, but not the worst either. Since your card is rather middle class and don't have a lot of choices, it should be ok.

And yes, if you disconnect the hard drives, and cannot POST and get into the BIOS, then we know the hard drive is not the problem. If you can, we'll take a hard look at whether it's the hard drive or the HD controller.
 
I'm really sorry but I'm not getting what you mean by ćif you can POST and get into BIOS". I'm kinda a noob in BIOS thingies. Can you explain the steps please?
And if Corsair vS is not a great option, I was thinking about the Seasonic S12II 520W which is mentioned in Tier 2-B. Would that be good? And I have another question regarding that. About a year or so later if I decide to upgrade from my athlon x2 dual core to a somewhat higher end quadcore proc and new mobo would it still be sufficient for the new rig? The Seasonic I mean..
 
Anything that uses DDR3 isn't THAT old. I see a lot of folks here using hardware that's still running on single or first generation dual core CPUs with DDR1 and DDR2 RAM. Of course, their not doing much with them aside from browsing and gaming on old titles, but they are out there.

To access the BIOS Setup program, press the <Delete> key during the POST when the power is turned on. To see more advanced BIOS Setup menu options, you can press <Ctrl> + <F1> in the main menu of the BIOS Setup program.

POST explained: http://www.poweronselftest.com/
 
I am ssly sorry for this, but can you give me some kind of assurance that getting this psu or changing to a good one altogether will solve the problem. The problem is, my dad is ssly angry and says what if there's no solution even after getting that? Can we rule out software issues at this stage? Please solve my problem darkbreeze!
 
And now it doesn't. And now you need another one, which is why you don't buy cheap PSUs. I can't give you any assurances, I can't even assure you that the sun will rise tomorrow. I can tell you that it's likely, but there is always the chance that what you think is not the reality so I guarantee nothing. I simply try to help you make that decision for yourself. What you decide is up to you.
 
Ok. Thanks for that.
You had told me to see if I can access the BIOS after removing the hdd. Well I did so and it does go to the BIOS settings screen.. But the thing is that it takes some time after I press "delete" to open BIOS screen like some 10-15 seconds. During this time the monitor flashes on and off like it's attempting to go to the BIOS but can't at the first attempt. What do you make of this?
 
That certainly doesn't seem normal to me. It absolutely seems like a power issue, but there can be more than one problem on an old rig. The real trouble here is that even when other hardware is to blame, it's very difficult to make any definitive diagnosis when you have a very dubious power supply to begin with.


Since a low quality or failing power supply can mimic almost any hardware failure, because all hardware will fail to perform correctly if it doesn't receive an adequate and clean source of power in very specific amounts, anything that seems like it's not working correctly may in fact be fine but just can't perform at it's normal level due to the PSU not holding up it's end of the agreement.


And since that PSU meets the criteria for "cheap", and there are clearly problems present even with minimal hardware connected, I'd replace it first and then go from there. Once there is a PSU installed that we know for a fact is good, it makes it much easier to diagnose any remaining issues, if there are even any remaining issues to diagnose. Understand however, that there MAY still be other issues.


One fact we like to address when recommending a quality PSU during a new build is the fact that a cheap PSU can most definitely cause hardware failures due to unstable voltages, voltage "noise" and voltage "ripple". You can Google those terms for a better explanation if you require one.


So even with all brand new hardware, including a "brand new" but "cheap" low tiered PSU, you could have irreparable damage to one or more components either immediately or in a much shorter life cycle than what would normally be expected.


You may replace the PSU just to find that there is in fact something else still wrong like one of the hard drives or a RAM module, that could in fact have just worn out, been faulty to some degree from the start, or was destroyed by the shortcomings of the power supply over time.
 
Ok dude.. Finally about to get a new psu.
That person is again trying to tell me to go for a cheaper 800w psu (some local brand again) for about the same price as the Seasonic s12ii 520 (5k). I've checked many power calculators and it shows the required power in the 250-400w range.
So I should definitely go for the Seasonic due to the quality right?
And will it be a problem if the power supplied is more than the power required?
P.S: I had asked this b4, since the psu offers 3yr warranty and is a quality one will it support my rig if I decide to upgrade the mobo and proc to maybe a quadcore one?
Thanks for your help again Darkbreeze.
 
Yes, the quality of the Seasonic is unquestionable. The fact that it's rated for more than your system actually calls for on paper is not an issue. You could use a 1000w PSU with no problems. In fact, it's often desireable to use a PSU that's overkill as it's unlikely to be run near it's max output and so will likely remain far cooler than a unit that barely meets the necessary voltage. And that PSU will support any motherboard or CPU currently made. Perhaps not some of the higher end graphics cards, but certainly most of them.
 
One last problem.
I live in Mumbai, Maharashtra in India.
Want to know the nearest service center, after sales customer service and how much time would it probably take for a replacement if you would have any idea.
The number for RMA enquiry is of Kolkata, West Bengal, a far off state so it's improbable that I'll have to send it that far right?
 
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