Blew two PSU's in 1 hour.... i need serious help

[Dana Mirrow]

guys i raised my Voltage up to 1.80, then the computer runs fine, and i am running the FSB at 143. For some reason, my PSU keeps blowing when i am running a game, or something cpu intensive.. out of nowhere the computer just shuts off,. then i try to turn it back on and i see 1 of my led fans light up for like half a second.. then i smell the fan from the back and it smells like the same when my monitor blew... i put in a new 400watt one and i turned the voltage down but left the FSB at the same speed. IT HAPPENS AGAIN When im playing need for speed 2. now im on another computer because i have no more power supplies.. i need real help... thanks

[CiKoTiC]

Are you sure it's the PSU that's shutting down the system? Some BIOS's have a shut down feature for high temps and or fan failure. If you can, check your BIOS settings.

[Dana Mirrow]

none of the fans ever failed... i could hear my volcano 7+ ( you know how loud those things are). even so my temp scanner was detecting temps of 32C - 38C 38 being when it was encoding vcds and other cpu intensive programs. that was when i was on 1.80 vcore voltage. and why would the computer not work when i attempted to turn it on again. also when i try turning it on again i see a little light from my blue led fan go on for like a second. i think it is the PSU but i dont understand why it would do this..

[CiKoTiC]

But did you check the bios settings??? It don't matter what temp your running at, if it's set too low in the BIOS is will still shut down.

In addition to fan failure and high CPU temps, there are other settings in the BIOS that can shut it down. For example, my system will shut down if the temp goes too high (set in bios), the cpu fan fails (set in bios), or the case fan fails (set in bios). In the event one of these settings is set and a fan has been disconnected, you will get a shut down...

Check all these settings in the BIOS to make sure one of them is not shutting it down.

:rolleyes:

[Dana Mirrow]

i have done NO changes in my system to cause any of this. also, how do i check a bios if my computer cant turn on?

and it is the power supply i have a pretty good feeling considering it wont turn on at all i cant get the computer to physically turn on

[BobyJo]

If for some reason the bios dump jumper is set to dump the cmos, and you turn on the power. That alone can dump the powersupply. Some systems are more sensative than others on the time it will take to dump the powersupply. Just a thought!

[Dana Mirrow]

why would it do it all of a sudden.. i havent tweaked with any bios settings aside from overclocking. and if so what does the bios dump jumper look like because ive never touched it and why would it fry power supplies?

[CiKoTiC]

Look in the mobo manual for the clear CMOS jumper. Unplug your PSU and move the jumper to the clear position for about 5 seconds and then put it back in the original position. Then try to power up the system.

[Dana Mirrow]

k but first i did a experiment.. tested the 1st blown PSU on another system. same thing. i think it is blown. but it didnt blow like my 1st ever did.. my 1st ever accutally start smoking due to too many watts for the power supply and i guess the capacitors blew. anyway, im thinking it may be a blown fuse but i cant tell.. how should i be able to tell what really blew up? i dont know crap abolut PSU's..

[CiKoTiC]

Most of the time, if something is fried, you will know it but not always. If there is a fuse in the PSU, take it out and hold it up so that you can see if good. Check to see if the filament is broken or if it's there at all. If not, look at the end caps and note the ratings. Replace it with a similar fuse.

IF the PSU has been fried, then something caused it. More than likely something on the mobo has been shorted because it's happened with 2 PSU's. I would start with taking EVERYTHING out of the case and looking for something that has come into contact with ground. Examine the mobo very carefully, look for anything that has been cooked or has burn marks on it. If you don't find anything, then I would guess that when you upped the voltage to 1.8, an IC or voltage regulator on the mobo fried and shorted out thus taking out the PSU with it.

[Dana Mirrow]

fuck your kidding? so what am i to do? and also, my case is Acrylic... even if the mobo touched the acrylic why would that affect it?

[Dana Mirrow]

i just checked and i see NO burn spots at all. i looked around and nothing seems to be touching ground espically considering i moved alot of the wires around putting in the 2nd power supply.

[CiKoTiC]

Your only option is to isolate each piece of equipment to find what is causing the problem. Remove everything. Only install the mobo, vid card and memory. If you have another vid card and memory, use that. If if it boots. Replace the vid card and boot again. If it boots, replace the memory. Keep going until you find the bad part.

I you are able to replace the vid card and memory and you still can't boot, then your mobo or PSU is bad. Try to switch out the PSU. If you can't boot or it burns it up, then you know the mobo is bad.

You just have to use the process of elimination to figure it out.

[Dana Mirrow]

lol it permenantly ruins the PSU each time it shuts down. ive lost two of them and now have to buy two more for my other computers. i have no computers operational right now.. i cant afford to do the elimination thing.... im pretty sure it is the motherboard though, but i cant be sure... do you know any experts who can tell me what is probably going on or somthin

[Dana Mirrow]

also.. could it be the CPU? if not, why wouldnt it be?

[Dana Mirrow]

question: i talked to my friend.. he said that PSU's trip and blow fuses when theres a surge... do i have to wait till my PSU does a full discharge and then it will work? thats what he says.