Warning LEDs suddenly on and instant power offs

[jimc8p]

I've had this system for 3+ years and has worked fine until now.

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
Intel Core i7 930 2.80GHz overclocked= 4.00GHz
Akasa Venom CPU Cooler
Corsair XMS3 (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel
(Prebuilt)

Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU
Leadtek GeForce 8400 GS 256MB DDR2
M-Audio Delta AP192
Windows 7

Recently it's been overheating and powering off randomly during strenuous tasks. Almost all of the warning LEDs have switched on over the last couple of days.

There are warning LED indicators in 5 positions:

Left of RAM (labelled as both overvoltage and temperature indicator) = 0, amber, green, 0, 0

Right of RAM (labelled as both overclock and phase) = blue, blue, blue, blue, blue

Bottom right of RAM (labelled as overvoltage, NB phase and DDR phase) = 0, 0, green, 0, 0, 0, 0

Left of CPU (labelled as both overvoltage and temperature indicator) not visible but can see intermittent flashing red and constant amber

Under RAM (no lights)

http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-x58a-ud3r_v2.0_e.pdf
Page 22

TBH I'm just a consumer with limited knowledge/skills and have no idea what has caused this or the best way to fix it!

Any advice on causes/solutions greatly appreciated. Cheers

 

[Danbuscus25]

i would guess the psu is dead. what brand and wattage is it?

 

[wolverine96]

Could the CPU be overheating? Is there a lot of dust crammed in the heatsink?

 

[jimc8p]

Thanks for quick responses. The PSU is pretty old (Corsair 450W). The system is moderately dusty, but doesn't seem like it's crammed.

 

[Danbuscus25]

do you have any other computers? if so, put your psu in another pc and see if it boots up, if not, the psu is dead.

 

[jimc8p]

I don't have another computer, but I have been thinking of upgrading my graphics card and PSU...

The system is very hot, especially around the Intel X58 where the red light is flashing (80+ degrees apparently)...would that be consistent with a bad PSU?

 

[Danbuscus25]

well, no. do you know all the temps, or just the cpu?

 

[jimc8p]

I have Core Temp which shows the CPU going up to high 70s. The red light is now on without blinking- instructions say that means 80+ degrees or overvoltage (not clear which is which)..

 

[Danbuscus25]

how long have you been running it that hot?

 

[jimc8p]

Probably for days - I don't generally monitor my temperatures and I only noticed the lights once it had shut down on me a few times.

 

[jimc8p]

Resting temperature is in the 50s, but when I'm working, the temperature creeps up to 70ish. I use it for graphic design and videography, so it's only occasionally that I really push it and it loses power completely..

 

[Danbuscus25]

well, the cpu is probably fine. i would try a new psu.

 

[wolverine96]

well, the cpu is probably fine. i would try a new psu.

I agree.

I must add that the CPU heatsink can get a lot of dust in it. This is not your problem, but it might just be another thing to check. If there is dust, don't use your breath or a vacuum to blow it out.

 

[jimc8p]

Thanks for the advice. I will get a new PSU and have a look at removing the dust.

I was thinking of getting a NVIDIA Quadro 2000 graphics card...any recommendations for a PSU wattage?

 

[Danbuscus25]

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9

 

[jimc8p]

Thanks all, I cleared the dust and seems to have made a big improvement. I am upgrading a few components too.

 

[Danbuscus25]

sounds good 😀

 

[wolverine96]

Great! Now I just have to clean the dust out of the heatsink in my parents' computer...