Question Possible Overheating or Failure With Power Supply

Sep 16, 2019
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I've been having complete PC crashes with no reboot while gaming after 5-10 minutes of gaming on my rig. Surfing the web and streaming video is fine and there aren't any hiccups there.

It first happened shortly after I smelled a burning smell which I thought was coming from the oven (I was cooking at the time) but later found out it was coming from my PC. I did some research and it seems most likely the PSU is failing or failed and is overheating.

I've run a few tests while underclocking the gpu and cpu in MSI Afterburner and BIOS respectively.
With FurMark it crashed in less than 5 minutes at around 80-85 degrees Celsius.

Most of my rig is pretty old except the gpu.
i5 3570k 3.4 GHz
Hyper 212 EVO Cooler
Gigabyte GA Z77X UD3H
8 GB 1333 MHz Corsair DDR3
EVGA SC 1060 6GB
Corsair CX 600 Watt Power Supply

Before I shell out some money for a new part I'd like to confirm whether it is actually the PSU or maybe the graphics card.
 

BrunoCzar

Reputable
Feb 18, 2019
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I was having this same problem playing Witcher 3 some years ago. I had a 700w Bronze PSU that should be more than enought to power my system at the time:
I5 4690k
Hyper 212x
GTX 970
MSI z97 Gamming
16 DDR3 Corsair Vengeance Pro.

I tested every monitoring tool that I could, HWMonitor, HW64, disabled fans, followed dozens of tutorials. The only thing that worked was replace the PSU for a 850w model, never had the problem again
 
Sep 16, 2019
11
0
15
I was having this same problem playing Witcher 3 some years ago. I had a 700w Bronze PSU that should be more than enought to power my system at the time:
I5 4690k
Hyper 212x
GTX 970
MSI z97 Gamming
16 DDR3 Corsair Vengeance Pro.

I tested every monitoring tool that I could, HWMonitor, HW64, disabled fans, followed dozens of tutorials. The only thing that worked was replace the PSU for a 850w model, never had the problem again

Was it the bump in Wattage that fixed it or was your power supply failing?

Edit: Do you have any PSU recommendations?
 
The CX600 models are rather dated and not reccomended due to their old design and cheap quality. I believe this psu is showing warning signs of complete failure.

600w is more than enough for your system and not the issue. The issue is that your psu is failing.

The 85c is a little toasty, but i think the psu issie is more likely.
 

BrunoCzar

Reputable
Feb 18, 2019
12
1
4,515
Was it the bump in Wattage that fixed it or was your power supply failing?

Edit: Do you have any PSU recommendations?
I believe that the PSU was getting unstable getting close to the limit, it was a bad product. I would recommend corsair cx750 that usually is the cheaper one. I used a lot of them assembling mining rigs.
 
Sounds like a psu fault.

I would concider a replacement.

What i would reccomend depends on your budget. So how much do you want to spend?

The newer corsair CX grey lineup is much more robust than the old ones. Just an fyi.
Also, even a solid 450w is sufficient for your realistic setup. Nvidia reccomends a 400w minimum psu for a full system with a gtx 1060.
 
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The entire rig shuts down abruptly and won't start up again for 5-10 minutes. I found out I could speed up the process by resetting the Bios switch but even that doesn't work for the first few minutes after crashing.

Agree with @NightHawkRMX . That sounds like a protection fault.

But since you can't restart until waiting for 5+ minutes, it sounds more specifically like a thermal protection fault.

Is the fan working on the PSU? Is it clogged up with a bunch of dust?
 
But since you can't restart until waiting for 5+ minutes, it sounds more specifically like a thermal protection fault
I was thinking this aswell, but i came to the conclusion even a working cx600 probably isnt a good pairing with a 1060.

As for a replacement, a $59 Corsair CX550 (2017) would be a good choice if cheaper is better.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Fd...onze-certified-atx-power-supply-cp-9020121-na

Also, a $55 EVGA GD 500w would also work.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vH...old-certified-atx-power-supply-100-gd-0500-v1

Im kind of curious what Jon thinks of the gd. From what i see, they are pretty dang good for the money, but definitely do have cost saving features like being non modular.
 
Sep 16, 2019
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Is the fan working on the PSU? Is it clogged up with a bunch of dust?

Just checked and no it is not working. Unless it doesn't spin when you just boot. Also there was a lot of dust when I first got the smell of burning plastic. But I cleaned the filter and hoped that would fix it.

I think this is a case of neglect on my part. I didn't clean the filter often enough and it's coming back to bite me in the butt.
 
Just checked and no it is not working. Unless it doesn't spin when you just boot. Also there was a lot of dust when I first got the smell of burning plastic. But I cleaned the filter and hoped that would fix it.

I think this is a case of neglect on my part. I didn't clean the filter often enough and it's coming back to bite me in the butt.

The CX fan should spin all the time, so that is your problem. The PSU is overheating.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
That psu is well out of warranty, so what you do with it is entirely up to you. You have options. I had a fan die in an old CoolerMaster, but didn't have the fundage for a new psu. $4 for a cheapo Thermaltake fan from Radio Shack (yes it was that long ago) and I was back in business. It was actually quieter than the original.

You could use an old, junky case fan just as well. It'll work until you can afford/decide on which replacement psu you want, without having to settle for 2nd best.

Plus with the cover off the psu, you could give it a good clean.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Couple of screws on the outside. Might even find one buried underneath a 'Warranty void if removed' sticker. The fan is attached by some screws usually to the lid. It'll have a 2wire (black/red) with a small connector. I cut that wire next to the fan. The replacement case fan just bolts back up, but it'll have a larger 3 pin connector. I cut that off next to the connector. The third wire is a tach, so useless in a psu. That leaves the hot and ground. Different fans use different color codes but black is ground always. Solder and tape, wire-nuts, upto you. Put it back together. Just make sure when you do the wire isn't on a heatsink or able to flip/flop into the fan blades.

It's really no more difficult than replacing any fan in your case, and easier than some I've seen. You are just rewiring to keep the right size connector.

At this point, the psu is useless. You can't use it without a working fan, it's out of warranty it's time to fix it or junk it. Fortunately it's an easy repair to an otherwise functional psu, so a fix will keep you gaming temporarily at least. You have nothing to loose but a spare case fan and some time. Even if you totally blow it and break something, you've lost nothing.
 
Sep 16, 2019
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Sorry I meant case fan.

I have heard that opening up a power supply is dangerous even after it's off and unplugged.

OK I'm willing to try it but I've never soldered anything before and don't have a kit.

What I'm thinking might work in the mean time is just taping a case fan to the underside of the pc and tilting or flipping it horizontally.

I guess I'll just end up buying a new PSU though.
 
Sorry I meant case fan.

I have heard that opening up a power supply is dangerous even after it's off and unplugged.

OK I'm willing to try it but I've never soldered anything before and don't have a kit.

What I'm thinking might work in the mean time is just taping a case fan to the underside of the pc and tilting or flipping it horizontally.

I guess I'll just end up buying a new PSU though.

Yeah. You can just splice and tape the wires for the time being. This is just a temporary fix.

And as long as you don't pull the PCB and touch the bulk cap's traces, you won't get shocked. With what you're doing, you shouldn't be touching the main PCB at all.
 
Sep 16, 2019
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Yeah. You can just splice and tape the wires for the time being. This is just a temporary fix.

And as long as you don't pull the PCB and touch the bulk cap's traces, you won't get shocked. With what you're doing, you shouldn't be touching the main PCB at all.

I actually checked on youtube and apparently my PSU has a 2pin fan header and a 120mm fan. So I was thinking maybe I could just use a 120 mm 2 pin case fan as a replacement. Would that work?

Edit: Actually someone commented on youtube saying that isn't a standard 2pin. Bummer.
 
Even if it has more than 2 wires, i suspect you could just connect the red and black to the fan.

I have heard that opening up a power supply is dangerous even after it's off and unplugged.
The big capacitors can carry a lethal shock even when off and unplugged, but they do discharge over time. I was paranoid opening a psu the first time. Now i have learnt there nothing to be afraid of if you are carefull. Leaving the psu unplugged 15 min before opeming and using a set of gloves may help to lower risk aswell.

OK I'm willing to try it but I've never soldered anything before and don't have a kit.
You could grab any cheap soldering iron and solder to do this. You would also need electrical tape and wire cutters or even scissors. This cost isnt really worth it so id look for a temporary fix.

You could twist and tape as a quick fix, but it may not hold together over time or You could tape a fan to the outside and it should help.