Fans come on but pc only boots intermittently?

ManiacMatt

ManiacMatt

ManiacMatt

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Joined
13 Oct 2008
Posts
24
Location
Solihull
Hi guys,

Your advice would be much appreciated before I start spending money etc. on this. I bought 2 "Ultima OC 8800GTS" systems pre-overclocked from overclockers back in September 2007 (Q6600 2.4ghz @ 3.2ghz). I have upgraded them since purchasing (New DVD writers, graphics card and 3 x hard drives) and I can give a full spec if required.

When pressing power the fans come on but there is no actual boot screen and no activity happens on the monitor. I'm assuming this to mean that my PSU is on the way out, could I have some advice please? If I keep pressing reset the computer eventually boots normally - This has been happening for a few weeks now.

I'm assuming the PSU is at fault as on the second system I bought the PSU burned out back in February (Computer wouldn't boot at all, horrible smell etc.) so I'm assuming that I'm seeing the first signs of PSU failure now with my other PC? I changed the PSU on this one and it has worked since (Apart from a RAM module also biting the dust).

If you guys are also thinking it's the PSU I was looking at buying either of the following:
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply [OCZ700MXSP-UK]
Antec TruePower New Modular 650W Power Supply [76134]

I'm unsure how much longer these systems are going to last us so as long as they are still running I'm planning on replacing these at the middle of next year. Thing is as I have upgraded the graphics cards a couple of times they easily play all the latest games so we don't need to upgrade for more power. Is anyone else still using a similar setup without having problems? How long are these sort of systems meant to last?

Thanks for all your help, it is much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Matt
 
I agree that it is probably a power problem as it runs successfully when it does boot. Either of your proposed replacements will be suitable, I would tend to the Antec. Three years is probably not too unusual for a failure for an unbranded cheap PSU, but really they should be designed to last longer.

andy
 
It does certainly sound like it's a PSU problem, which is a pain really, because PSU's really should last longer than 3 years....

As for your replacements, both should be more than suitable for your needs!

kd
 
Any thoughts on the voltage readings? I assume from the comments I'm pretty safe to buy a new psu to get this sorted?

Help is much appreciated guys
 
i've been told using software to monitor voltages can be a bit hit and miss and not necessarily exact. eg when i use HWmonitor it shows the +12v rail on my psu @ 0.02v or something similar!

you can get your hands on a multimeter for just a few quid, not a bad investment and can always be useful. i'd strongly advise getting hold of one and then you can defo rule in or out the psu being at fault
 
The doesn't really help much tbh. The screenshoot only shows motherboard and GPU voltages. You need to check 12v rails directly. As Thekwango says, a mutlimeter can be bought for a few quid and a worthy investment. My guide above walks you through the process.
 
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