[SOLVED] Sudden Power Issues w/ Custom Build Not Sure How to Troubleshoot

[WitchersDozen]

So I built my PC around 6 months ago, and just this last week my PC started having strange power related issues that I’m not exactly sure how to troubleshoot or pinpoint.

Original Specs:

• OS: Windows 10
• CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K 3.7GHz 10-Core Processor
• CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Strix LC 360 80.95 CFM Liquid Cooler
• Motherboard: Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII HERO (Wi-fi) ATX LGA1200 Motherboard
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 64 GB (4x16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
• Storage: (2) Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (a 500GB one and a 2TB one)
• GPU: RTX 3090 24GB FE
• Case: Corsair Crystal 570X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case
• PSU: Corsair RMx 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX power supply:

(https://www.bestbuy.com/site/corsai...ar-power-supply-black/6073500.p?skuId=6073500)
Another thing that might be important to note is that I had the PC as well as some monitors plugged into one of these surge protectors: (https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Power-EXP-600-AV/dp/B00FAZWKCQ) Which I believe was 1800w 120VAC 15A 60Hz

I built this PC about 6 months ago and haven’t really had any major issues with it, until just this last week. A couple of days ago I heard a pop noise come from my PC while it was in sleep mode and what sounded like a fan dying. After this none of PC components would turn on, except some of the lights on the motherboard, which stopped working after a while too. I unplugged everything and tried using the paper clip test to test the PSU and see if that was the issue. The PSU fan seemingly didn’t turn on, meaning all signs pointed at the PSU being dead.

At this point I didn’t really have another PSU to check the rest of my components with so I bought another RMx 1000 (This one was a slightly different model I think) (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/corsai...tx-power-supply-black/6459246.p?skuId=6459246)

Yesterday I put in the new power supply to check the other components, and everything seemed to be fine when I first checked. Now here is where the issue became more confusing for me. Last night after roughly a half an hour of running my PC randomly restarted while downloading a game on steam (I’m not exactly sure if this was due to some kind of windows/background update or not, but I figured it was worth noting). Besides for that the PC was seemingly working fine.

Today I was playing a game on the computer to see if everything was working (I was playing Yakuza 5, which Isn’t a very PC strenuous game considering the build). Everything seemed to be working fine for like 6 hours. This is until I left the room to go use the bathroom. I came back to my room and the PC had seemingly shut down, and wouldn’t turn back on (except for the motherboard lights) in a very similar fashion what happened with the first power supply, however the new one wasn’t even a day old. I wasn’t in the room to hear if there was a pop noise or anything this time, but based on everything else I had assumed the same thing had happened to the new power supply, and that one of the other components was the issue.

So, again I couldn’t get anything to turn on, so I ended up just unplugged everything and left it for a while (trying to look up what the issue could be to no avail). At this point the build had seemingly killed 2 PSUs in under a week, and I’m not exactly sure where the issue lies. However, I thought of something to try before removing the second PSU. I’m not sure if this is relevant to anything but both times the PC did this, I had it plugged into the same surge protector (mentioned in the specs), possibly in the same slot. So I tried re plugging everything in to a second surge protector I had (same model as the first) and tried turning the PC on again. Lo and Behold, everything turned on again and I was able to log back into the PC. While I’m glad I got the PC to turn back on, this only adds to the list of potential power issues that I could be dealing with. I ended up shutting my PC down for right now, because I don’t really want to risk messing with it, which leads me to now.

I’m not exactly sure what I should do from here. I thought the PSU died again, but changing the surge protector seemed to fix the issue. However, I’m not sure it that was the root cause of the problem or not, so now I’m kinda cautious about using the computer. I tried to test the old surge protector by seeing if the outlets works with my phone charger and it seemed to work fine. So like I said, I’m not sure if the root cause of the issue is due to another computer component, or whether it had to due with the surge protectors, or even if it has to due with the wall outlet itself. And I’m not exactly sure how I could troubleshoot any of these problems.

So I was wondering if based on what explained if anyone has any insight on this.

I was told by my friend who helped me build the rig that I should bring it to a PC repair place or GeekSquad or something, but would they be able to pinpoint what the issue is if it wasn’t related to the power outlets/surge protectors?

A few things to note:

• On PC part picker the build was only calculated to use about 631 watts, so I would think a 1000 watt power supply would be fine (even with overclocking)
• I think the RAM on my PC is overclocked by 43%, however I don’t think this brings the builds power consumption to anything above what the PSU can handle
• When the first PSU died, and the second one feign died, there wasn’t any smoke smells or visible damage on any of the parts to indicate what the issue could be
• Both times the PC did this, the PC wasn’t exactly doing anything overly strenuous
• The PC had been working seemingly fine for 6 months, up until this point
• I’ve heard that surge protector can cause issue with PSUs and that you should plug a PC directly into a wall outlet, but I’ve also heard the opposite.
• A monitor and a drawing tablet are plugged into the same surge protector as the PC
• At the time of writing this post I’ve just left my PC off, and haven’t really tried to use it with the other surge protector, In fear of the issue occurring again.
• The first PSU seemed to fail paper clip test after the PC did this, but the second PSU seemed to start working fine again from just me changing surge protectors after the PC did this.

 

[WitchersDozen]

I tried asking Reddit but didn’t get a response

 

[punkncat]

I am on a device that I can't see the resultant chart from a search on "how many amps does a Corsair RMx 1000W pull?"
I think I saw it say 25A, but that would seem high for a consumer PSU on standard home electric.
My suspicion is that you have enough devices plugged into the circuit that you are running too many amps. The aspect on that which surprises me is that you wouldn't see the house circuit breaker tripping.
It could be something going on with the surge protector itself, as you mention the system works fine plugged into the wall ( If I understood correctly).

 

[WitchersDozen]

I am on a device that I can't see the resultant chart from a search on "how many amps does a Corsair RMx 1000W pull?"
I think I saw it say 25A, but that would seem high for a consumer PSU on standard home electric.
My suspicion is that you have enough devices plugged into the circuit that you are running too many amps. The aspect on that which surprises me is that you wouldn't see the house circuit breaker tripping.
It could be something going on with the surge protector itself, as you mention the system works fine plugged into the wall ( If I understood correctly).

I haven’t really tried plugging it directly into the wall. I just switched to a different surge protector (same model as the first)

 

[AlexTheFern]

I haven’t really tried plugging it directly into the wall. I just switched to a different surge protector (same model as the first)

how many devices do you have plugged into that surge protector?

 

[InvalidError]

Many power bars / surge protectors have cheaply made outlets that become loose over time, especially under heavy load or after some number of insert-remove cycles. I have taken my APC SurgeArrest bars apart at least once to re-tighten their outlets after a couple years of use when some of them started having trouble holding phone/tablet AC adapters or just having intermittent contact.

Many of these things are made as cheaply as humanly possible yet still meet applicable safety standards.

 

[WitchersDozen]

how many devices do you have plugged into that surge protector?

I have a drawing tablet and a monitor plugged into it also

 

[WitchersDozen]

Update: This morning we tried to boot the PC again and ran into some issues that might narrow things down. After previously shutting down the PC the other day, I tried turning the PC on again, and had issues getting it to turn on, regardless of what outlet/protector it was plugged into. Each time I tried turning on the power supply none of the components would turn on except for some of the lights on the motherboard (which would imply that some power was getting through). The case power button and the motherboard start button didn't seem to work in turning anything else on. What we ended up doing was unplugging the 24 Pin ATX Cable from the mother board and plugging it back in to see if that would do anything. After this the case power button worked again and everything else booted up as normal. I was wondering if this can be indicative of anything.

I'm not sure how one would completely diagnose a motherboard issue, but there isn't any visible physical damage on the motherboard that would indicate it being the source of the problem, and the system seems to be running and booting fine (outside of these power related issues). The PSU itself is brand new and even when the power issue occurred it seemed to still be turning on (since the motherboard lights were still working, which wasn't the case with the first dead PSU). There hasn't been any noticeable heat coming from the system when these power issues occur, so I don't think its due to overheating. It might be important to note that, I used the same cables and wire setup from the first PSU when I replaced it. This leads us the believe that the issue might lie within the 24 Pin ATX Cable itself, since this cable has been used throughout the entire ordeal, and unplugging it and re-plugging it seemed to fix the power issue (for now).

This would make some sense to me, but I'm not sure if that's how these kind of things work.