Machine switching off for unknown reason

[manikm]

I have an Asus deluxe a87nx with 1 gig memory, and a Leadtek 5900 FX graphics card (which takes 2 ide power intakes)

_ttp://

http://www.alltests.de/hardware/reviews_03/leadtek_a360_lx/graka2.jpg

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http://www.alltests.de/hardware/reviews_03/leadtek_a360_lx/leadtek_a350_lx_1.php

When im doing encoding from XVid to DVD - my machine shuts down after a few minutes...

Sometimes it shutsdown a few mins from starting up - i am puzzled as to whats causing it...the temp is ok, so its not overheating...

I suspect the RAM, or the Graphics card.

Any other ideas guys!?

Thanks!

 

[manikm]

no problem whatsoever.

Would i benefit in anyway in a new PSU? upgrading from a dual fan 550watter to a 650watter with triple fans....

(my problem is fixed, but just wondered)

 

[electronicsfreak]

Not really. However heres something else you can pay attention to. On the 12 volt part pay attention to the amperage. I usually get a power supply where the amperage is at least 16 or higher instead of the average 15 or below. As ive been told this helps with stability which does make sense if you have a bunch of parts fighting over the power. Anyways a 550 should be fine unless your planning on running massive ammounts of hardware that will use all the connectors on it. If so then I would upgrade.

 

[garebo]

One thing to remember. Some cheap, (kind of like knock-off)
mfgrs will sell cheap, junk power supplies with ratings of 650, 680, 750 watts and so on. Dont be suckered in, they are still cheap junk, they just found a way to twist the way that wattage can be reported or something along those lines, thus giving the impression it is a great power supply at a low price, when, in fact, its a junk power supply at any price.

Not only that, i beg to differ about needing 450 watts. I have an enermax with a fairly newer mobo, cpu, etc, usually run anywhere from 4 to 8 usb h drives, 2 ide h drives, 2 optical drives, etc, etc, all on a 300 watt enermax. I have a friend with a new enermax, pretty sure its 350 or 360 watts, running a ton of stuff and newer vid card.
I have seen plenty of systems, higher end, with good quality power suppies of 300 to 360 watts and all is well.
Sure, its better to err on the side of caution and go a bit higher than what you need, but wattage is not the biggest point. The biggest point is the mfgr, plus the fact that today a lot of mobos take the 24 pin connector. Some power supplies come such that they will work on both 20 and 24 pin connectors, some dont, so that is something you have to make sure of.
Again, big wattage is fine, but the mfgr counts even more than that.
You can google a list of good quality power supplies.
Enermax and Antec are only 2 of many good mfgrs.





Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[manikm]

Thanks!

is QTEC a good make?

 

[garebo]

First off, electronics freak is on target all the way. I only disagree on the need for 450 watts, the rest i agree with. Not like i know it all when it comes to power supplies anyway.
But you can either google tutorials or try places like toms hardware for info on what kind of power should be on what rails and such.
I would have to check further into it to be certain, but i wouldnt be surprised if the power supply you have is more than adequate for your setup.
I think i made links to your power supply above.



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[garebo]

Oh ya, i forgot. One fairly sure way to check a power supply if you dont know the specs is by weight. A cheap unit weighs a surprising very little, like maybe a pound or less. A good one weighs a few pounds. I see your power supply weighs 1.57 kilos which is around 3 pounds. Add in the 2 fans with covers and that usually, all by itself, points to a pretty good power supply.
Now to find the specs on it.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

Unfortunately, and surprisingly, there doesnt seem to be the info needed to make a sound judgement on this power supply. All there is is brief info and statement of conformity in pdg format. This appears to be a British firm so maybe you are in Britain?
As electronics freak pointed out, amperage on certain rails is very important and that info doesnt seem to be there.
Still, i would bet you have a good quality power supply.
Another thing, in addition to having two fans, and them having screw-on covers instead of the cover being punched into the power supply, other things to look for are more than 4 ide connectors and a black sleeve or sheath covering some of the wiring as it leaves the power supply.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

Here is a good quick tutorial on power supplies:

http://www.directron.com/psu.html

And see what they have to say here:
"Based on the above criteria and our general experience in return rates, these are consistently high quality brands on the market: EnerMax, Delta, PC Power & Cooling, Enhance, Antec, CWT, and SPI. These brands are consistently associated with low-eight models: L&C, Deer, Skyhawk, Star, KME, KingStar, and LCT. Our experience shows that the return rates of a low-weight power supply could be as high as twice of those of high-quality ones. How does your power supply measure up?"




Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

Last post, here you go for some good reading:

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=quality+power+supply&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

Sorry, not my last post. but this is worth another post:

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98650

Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

Having read thru the above posting i did, i see they list Q-tec as not good power supplies, but then someone posts that they are good.
Just from what little i have seen, i would still say your power supply is probably at least fairly good to good.
If you can check the various rails (voltages on specific combination of wires) and find they are within range then i would say to stick with the power supply you have, long as its not causing any problems.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[manikm]

Thanks guys,

Strange thing happened yesterday.

Before i left for work, i set up some encoding which would last for 5 hours - so i ticked the box to shutdown after encoding.

when i got home, i expected the machine to be off, and so it was.

When i tried to switch on, my fans started for a second, then nothing....i had to pull the connector to the motherboard, and re-seat.

then it worked fine the entire night....so overheat prob is fixed...but had this other funny...

Any ideas>!

 

[garebo]

I imagine others will disagree but i feel that if you have to pull the power supply connector then your problem indeed would be related to your power supply.
I feel badly that all that info i got ends up contradicting itself. The power supply looks to be a pretty decent one. But i did point out that it bothered me that there were no real specs on it relating to wattage on the rails. Most good quality power supply mfgrs give out this info and the links are mostly direct to the power supply mfgr.
In the end, i suggest you try and get hold of another power supply that you could install just to make sure this is the problem. Then run your encoding again.
Another test you could do is to open the side of the pc and have a house fan blowing on the cpu and run your encoding, just to see if its a heat issue again or not.
Its not a cure for anything but if you have enough air blowing on the cpu and you can run that encoding for 5 hours without problem then it points to a heat related issue.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[KevinADC]

If pulling the connector and puting it back on helps, sounds to me like a possible bad connector. Could be as it heats up the conection is expanding and opening and loosing contact. If you continue like this you will probably eventually damage the computer as most connectors are not meant to be pulled off and put back on too many times.

I can't see how pulling the power connector and putting it back would reset the power supply and make the computer work, but maybe it's possible. This is what makes me suspect the mechanical connection(s). Visually check the connectors for wear or loose wires, cracked solder joints, whatever.

 

[garebo]

Have you ever done a bios re-set? Could clear matters up.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[manikm]

replaced cpu heatsink with bigger one, and new big fan.

reduced temp by 30 degrees nearly - and have since replaced PSU with a decent Thermaltake one.

now no problem, many thanks, and happy christmas to you all.

 

[paparazi]

manikm
I know this thread is effectively done and dusted now but just to comment on Q-tec

We sold this brand for about 3 years up until about a year ago (possibly 150/200 units with very low returns rates)
Their power supplies are cheap without being rubbish, we used hundreds without issues until the Twin and Triple fan series was introduced (450/550/650)
These seemed to have a overheat/reset device that is/was too sensitive and as a result we had many exchanged due to restarts like the one reported above.
Gamers using high powered graphics cards seem to suffer the most, their machines would just restart mid game.
Always cured when we swapped out to a differant brand.
We haven't sold Q-Tec for over a year now.
I'm not all together anti Q-Tec, I think they are generally good for the price, infact the machine I am typing on right now has a 500watt Big fan Q-Tec installed which has been running flawelessly for the last 10months (last of the stock)
Better than generic, they don't damage components if they fail and for evey day use they are fine, just these issues down to over sensitive circuitry and probably resolved now? on the latest units.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[manikm]

thanks mate, very interesting.

i think my problem was a combination of the ASUS motherboard protection feature when CPU hit a certain temp....but could have been the QTEC psu also..i run a high powered GFX card like you mention.

Merry xmas to everyone!!!