PSU, board or CPU problems?

Seggons · 13 May 2011 at 14:36

The new setup:

ASUS P8P67 Pro
Intel Core i7-2600k
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
ASUS 8800GTS
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty
A PCI TV Card
1x Samsung 1TB Hard Drive
1x OCZ 60GB Solid State Drive.
OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU

I recently brought a series of products from overclockers to upgrade my system. Before hand I had an Intel C2D E6600 processor, 4GB of RAM, 3 Hard drives with a total of 1TB and a ASUS P5N32-E SLI motherboard in it.

Since I removed the old parts and installed the new parts I cannot even get the computer to boot. At this stage I'm not currently blaming the new parts, I'm interested to know if this issue has happened before and what was the resolution.

As soon as I push the power button on the computer all the fan lights and everything flickers almost like it's struggling for power. Yet the PSU was ok in the previous setup and I've gone from 3 hard drives to 1 hard drive and 1 solid state drive so I should surely be saving power?

To save me boring you to death I've made a little video to show what happens. The link is as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ark5U7Is1n4

Both CPU plugs are plugged in and both parts of the main power lead are plugged into the motherboard. I did have a Akasa after market CPU cooler on there but changed it and checked the CPU to the standard cooler but that made no difference. I've tried pressing and holding the MemOK button and that didn't work. I've also taken 1 stick of RAM out to see if the same problem happens and it does.

All that is plugged in when trying to boot the system is the power lead and that is it.

Could it be that my 4 year old PSU is toast if it is could someone recommend a low cost/good PSU for my system please. I had a budget of £700, I was already over that to start with then I had to buy a new DVD-ROM because IDE leads are so last year it seems. Now with a potential new PSU this is getting painful.

Thanks to those who reply.

Plec · 13 May 2011 at 14:46

Welcome to the forums.

I'm guessing you've already tried resetting the CMOS?

Seggons · 13 May 2011 at 14:59

Plec said:
Welcome to the forums.

I'm guessing you've already tried resetting the CMOS?

If that's the thing where you move the jumper from pins 1-2 to 3-4 for 10 seconds then yes tried that. Didn't seem to make any difference. I just tried swapping out the 8800GTS for a 7800GT that I have. I also disconnected all of the case fans, there seemed to be a fraction more power but nothing more then that. Everything still flickered.

DazQ87 · 13 May 2011 at 15:18

Never encountered a problem like that before, very strange how all the case fan LEDs are flickering on and off. My first thaught is the PSU and would try with a spare if you can get your hand on one. The PSU you have should have no problems powering that rig.

olivier renault · 13 May 2011 at 15:32

You should have some standby led on the mobo, and some diagnostic LEDs / LCD. Should also beep if you have plugged in the system speaker correctly.

It's also possible you wired the reset button in place of the on-off button and vice versa, or the on-off is not sticking. You wouldn't be the first to have done that

Seggons · 13 May 2011 at 15:45

When I plug in the power connector and turn on the switch at the back of the PSU I get a green light on the motherboard. When I switch the computer on the CPU LED flickers on and off. But I have a feeling that's because the CPU isn't getting the required power hence why it's flickering.

I've got a Hiper 480W PSU that I'm now going to try. See if it can power up the motherboard on it's own first.

Seggons · 13 May 2011 at 17:04

Whoever said or thought it could be the PSU give yourself a pat on the back. I've managed to fill every connector on the hyper and it's just about giving me enough juice with the 7800GT in. As soon as I plug the 2nd monitor in she dies on me. Going to see if I can get through the Windows 7 install now. So what sort of PSU should I look at getting to replace the OCZ that I had?

Thanks.

olivier renault · 13 May 2011 at 17:58

Depends how much money you want to throw at it, and if you are planning on putting a decent graphics card in it.

for £40, a BeQuiet L7 530W. 380W@12V (bit short with any demanding GFX and a pumped up i7).

for £50 XFX Core 550W. Bit more power on 12V but still limiting your GFX if overclocking the i7. The OCZ StealthXStream also a good choice but you may be put off by OCZ.

for £65 the XFX Core 650W.

for £75 the XFX XXX 650W modular, or the Corsair TX650W (not modular).

Personally, I'd go XFX 650W (modular or not), or the Corsair TX650 / HX650 (the posh modular unit from Corsair).

If you want more power, the XFX are good (Seasonic units), and of course the Corsairs.

Seggons · 13 May 2011 at 18:45

Thanks for that post Oliver. I'm after a PSU that will power a 8800GTS and the i7 comfortably, so if that means spending an extra few quid for comfort then so be-it. What's the difference between modular and non-modular?

DazQ87 · 13 May 2011 at 18:50

with a modular PSU you can disconnect and remove a lot of the unnecessary cables from the PSU, allowing you more space in your case for more airflow and neater look.

+1 for the Corsair as well, very well built and reliable PSUs.