Power Supply Blew Now Computer Turns On But Not For Long

[Courtney_2]

Recently my power supply blew while I was playing an MMO. I bought a new power supply and installed it. The computer turned on like usual and ran for about 5 minutes then turned off. When I tried to turn it back on it tells me that my CPU is overheating. I did clean it and replaced the cooling paste. I checked the fans in it as well to make sure they were not damaged. It still does this after I did this. I am trying to figure out what might be wrong with the computer. The screen comes on and you can see my desktop but if you do anything on it the computer shuts down. If I just let it run it shuts down after 5 minutes. What else could I do to figure out what is going on with my computer?

[DaveAmour]

Buy a new one

[Courtney_2]

That would be the simple yet more expensive way. I currently don't have the spare money to buy a new one.

[DaveAmour]

Ok sorry I have had a bad day. So the CPU has a fan that sits over it right?

[Courtney_2]

Yes it does.

[DaveAmour]

I have sometimes replaced these - even if it is spinning a new one can breathe new life into it. They only work for so many million spins.

Try installing SpeedFan - useful for checking temperatures.

Also what about graphic cards - any of those with fans?

Finally get some compressed air and clean out all the dust - make sure you get proper compressed air thouhg - it has antistatic properties.

[Courtney_2]

I can try replacing the fan on the CPU. Right now I can't download anything on the computer because it stresses it to the point to just load the internet that it turns off. My graphics card does have a fan on it.

[mike_2000_17]

Are you sure you plugged in all the connections of the power supply?

Make sure that all the places where the old power supply connected to are also connected now. The reason I'm saying this is that usually the fans use separate power feeds from the electronic components (CPU, Mobo, etc..).

Are you sure that all the fans in your computer are running when you run the computer?

Also, fans typically have a variable speed control which requires a specific kind of connection through the power supply. If your new power supply is not correct or correctly connected, it's possible that the fan turns at a fixed speed instead of a variable one, which would explain the overheating under stressful conditions.

And, obviously, are you sure that your new power supply can deliver enough power? If you had a blow out with the previous power supply, it could be due to it being under-powered, so, make sure your new one is more powerful than the old one (e.g., if the old one was 500W, your new one should be, say, 650W, just to be safe).

[Courtney_2]

Yes all the fans are running. When I installed the new power supply I turned it on with the case open to make sure that all the fans were plugged in correctly. Also my old power supply I believe was a 450W and my new one is 500W. I have a friend of mine that builds computers and helped me pick out the correct power supply with enough power for my computer. Unfortunately I live 2 hours away from him and it is hard to get together plus, he is getting married soon and with the planning it is really hard to get together, so that way he can help me figure out what is wrong with the computer now. I did take it to him once and we ran the computer all day and it never shut down. Only thing is it wasn't stressed at the time because I had forgotten my cord for the monitor and his computer uses a different moniter cord than mine. We thought it might be alright but when I got home and plugged it back in to my moniter is when I found out it would only run for 5 minutes then shut down.

[rubberman]

If the CPU fan is working, you might want to check your memory sticks. There is a tool called lm_sensors that gives you access to the thermal detectors on the system - default available on Linux systems. I think there is something similar for Windows. It will tell you what is overheating. I had such a problem on my Linux system, and found that my RAM was overheating, due to insufficient airflow over the RAM sticks. I was able to re-configure them to get better airflow, and in the subsequent 7 years have not had a recurrence of the problem.

[Courtney_2]

I unfortunately do not have Linux. I do have Windows. I did have a problem shortly after I built the computer with the and overheating. I did take it to someone that time and they said it was my graphics card and added a fan on the side panel of my case to help cool it down. How do I do I get this tool so I can check? Is it something that is just on the computer? I tried checking BIOS for the temputers but I couldn't find where to look on the BIOS before my computer shut down.

[mike_2000_17]

The hmonitor tools are probably the closest thing you can get to lm-sensors for Windows.

[rubberman]

Thanks Mike for the link. I'll keep it in mind for my Windows clients. In many cases, video cards can suck up so much power that default power supplies cannot handle it. One possibility is to install a bigger power supply, such as one of 750 to 1000 watts capacity. Cooling it helps, but it may not be enough if the power demands of the card and other components exceed the supply's capabilities.

[Courtney_2]

How do I find out what the power requirements are for my graphics card? I don't have the box the anymore, does it say it on the card?

[Courtney_2]

Also I have a a mid size tower. Is it possible that when I got the bigger power supply that it is too much heat for the case? Would it help to buy a full size case?

[mreza]

I guess, if you uninstall every parts of your PC and reinstall those after cleanning, then it may solve your problem. May be RAM or any other hardware has got poor connection.