Should I Be Worried About My Power Supply?

[kevdit]

Hey guys!

So I've been having a problem with my cpu fan (hyper evo 212) sporadically turning off / on and going to max rpm without warning, and subsequently dying. If the fan did die, the only way to make it work again would be to restart the computer. I've monitored the temperatures and it seems as if the cpu fan decides to do whatever it wants whenever it wants, regardless of the readings. I even RMA'd the motherboard but that did not solve anything. So, I was wondering if my PSU could be the problem. Its a Corsair CX 500w. Here are the rest of my components:

Motherboard: Biostar TA970
Cpu: AMD FX 6300
Gpu: Sapphire R9 280
Ram: RipJaws 8GB (2 X 4 GB)
Cpu Fan: Coolmaster Hyper Evo 212
HDD: Seagate Barricuda 1TB
PSU: Corsair CX 500W

Would 500W be enough for my current build? Also, every now and then, my computer would shut off without warning. This would happen anywhere from 0-3 times a day. This, combined with my CPU fan problem got me wondering if it was a power problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and here are my HW monitor readings for the PSU...they are REALLY off.

3.3.v = 2.84v
5v = 4.69v
12v = 4.75v (very off)
-12v = -4.75v
-5v = -4.51

This was my very first PC build and it pains me that its not working as it should be 🙁 Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you !!

 

[buzznut]

That's a budget PSU and I would be worried. Especially with the 12V rail. I'd replace with a solid unit with a 5 year warranty. 500W is fine for one card but you'll want more if you have any future plans of adding a card.

 

[clutchc]

A 500W Corsair is a bit on the weak side for 250W R9-280 and the 95W (before OC) FX-6300. And the CX line is known to have weak capacitors. So the PSU could be an issue.
I doubt those voltage readings you have were accurate. The PC couldn't run with some of those.

 

[ronintexas]

The CPU fan's RPM are controlled on the mobo (if it is plugged in there, which it should be). Since you are describing the fans inconsistent behavior, I would think the cooler could be a problem.

Things to check:
1) Does the fan(s) on the cooler spin freely (no binding).
2) Is there dust in the "fins" of the cooler? (remove it with canned air).
3) Did you apply thermal compound to the CPU? If so, how long ago was it? It may need to be reapplied.
4) Damage to the wiring, plug leading from the cooler - as well as any physical damage to the cooler.

Where are you getting the voltage readings? If your 12VDC rail is less than 5VDC, you would be experiencing big time problems.... Usually it is +/-10% are fine.

I try to buy tier 1 power supplies from this list: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

Tier 2 PSUs aren't bad....Tier 3 is a little bit of a gamble - anything below Tier 3 is a problem.

 

[nostall]

Hey guys!

So I've been having a problem with my cpu fan (hyper evo 212) sporadically turning off / on and going to max rpm without warning, and subsequently dying. If the fan did die, the only way to make it work again would be to restart the computer. I've monitored the temperatures and it seems as if the cpu fan decides to do whatever it wants whenever it wants, regardless of the readings. I even RMA'd the motherboard but that did not solve anything. So, I was wondering if my PSU could be the problem. Its a Corsair CX 500w. Here are the rest of my components:

Motherboard: Biostar TA970
Cpu: AMD FX 6300
Gpu: Sapphire R9 280
Ram: RipJaws 8GB (2 X 4 GB)
Cpu Fan: Coolmaster Hyper Evo 212
HDD: Seagate Barricuda 1TB
PSU: Corsair CX 500W

Would 500W be enough for my current build? Also, every now and then, my computer would shut off without warning. This would happen anywhere from 0-3 times a day. This, combined with my CPU fan problem got me wondering if it was a power problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and here are my HW monitor readings for the PSU...they are REALLY off.

3.3.v = 2.84v
5v = 4.69v
12v = 4.75v (very off)
-12v = -4.75v
-5v = -4.51

This was my very first PC build and it pains me that its not working as it should be 🙁 Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you !!

Try HWInfo64 for monitoring. I have found it works well with AMD components. The most accurate voltage information, though the PC won't be under any load, is to look at the Hardware Monitor reading in the BIOS/UEFI when you first boot the PC.
http://www.hwinfo.com/download.php
For a little peace-of-mind try that program and check bios to see the voltages. Repost them if you'd like.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

If those were real voltages it wouldn't be working.

 

[kevdit]

Hey guys thanks for your responses,

I downloaded HWinfo64 and these are the results. The very low cpu temperature is also a bit worrying. I'm trying to tie all the pieces together.
Cpu: 13.5 C
cpu package: 13.5 C
Cpu Power: 24.74 W
Vcore: 0.876V
vccp2: 1.548V
+3.3v: 2.844V
AVCC3: 5.59 V
+12V: 4.752V
VIN5: 1.188V
VIN6: 1.128V
3VSB: 3.312V
VBAT: 3.432V

 

[ronintexas]

Wow....if your 12VDC rail was at 4.752VDC, your computer shouldn't even be starting up.....

If you have access to another PSU - you can try replacing it.

My suggestion - try breadboarding the build (take everything out of the case, place it on a table top, connect the PSU, CPU, cooler, 1 stick of RAM only), and see if things work right. Observe the performance of the computer (note - since no drives are connected, system will not boot yet).

Add the hard drive in next, and boot the computer, again, observe the performance of the computer.

The last thing I would add in is the GPU.

The purpose of this is to eliminate the individual components as possible failure points. If you don't eliminate items, you can RMA items for quite a while before things work right.

 

[NightAntilli]

Look for your voltages in BIOS. This seems to be way off. It'll give you your voltages at idle. If those are low already (I doubt it though...) it might be an indication that your PSU is not strong enough.

 

[clutchc]

Software voltage readings are sometimes inaccurate. Yours are obviously so. If those were real, your PC wouldn't start.
But if you are having the issues you mention, you could have a failing PSU... or MB.