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DrCR
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Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:26 pm

My primary personal system is getting quite long in the tooth now -- about a decade. But it still does the job quite well for what I do the vast majority of the time... except it's started locking up on me occasionally. So my thought is to replace the PSU, and if the issue persists, proceed with a general system upgrade if need be (though I'd like to hold out for Zen 3, DDR5 if possible).

I'm leaning towards a be quiet! Pure Power 11 500W ($69 on Newegg). Any other thoughts?
Newegg does have a CX450 for $39, which is tempting, but that could be $39 wasted when I eventually do at some point build a new computer since I'm willing to spend more for a better PSU for a new build. So I guess the real question is whether there are better sub-$100 PSUs I should be considering.

Specs: Seasonic 550W, Asus P35, C2D @3.0GHz, 16GB DDR2 iirc, SSD, HDD, GeForce 770 (formerly of chuckula fame), glorious boringly reliable Slackware, et al.
If I upgrade immediately, probably B450, Ryzen 2600, though it would be kind of cool to go from an E8400 to an i5-8400.
 
synthtel2
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:34 pm

Prime95 and Memtest would probably be a better place to start than throwing hardware at it. If neither of those turn up anything, a new PSU could be a good next step.

My vote on the PSU would be for a Seasonic Focus Plus 550W, but it is $90. It should still be good for a Zen 3 build if it fixes the problem for now and you want to carry it over later.
 
CScottG
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:17 am

PS pricing is often a matter of finding the right value at the right time. Seasonic being a favorite brand. Platinum or Gold eff. and FULL modular for a search on partpicker..

Note the price with rebate:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6817151192
 
HERETIC
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:54 am

I recommend any gold rated Seasonic, or EVGA G2 or G3 series.
Avoid that corsair like the plague..............................
 
K-L-Waster
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 5:50 am

Another possible culprit is the BIOS battery may be on its last legs.

If you do go the new PSU route, make sure you plan ahead and calculate what size you think your proposed next system will need. I.E. if your current system could run on a 500 W unit but you have some high-power CPU and GPUs in mind for the future system, get one that could power the future system even if it would be sheer overkill for the current one.
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:43 am

K-L-Waster wrote:
Another possible culprit is the BIOS battery may be on its last legs.

If the BIOS battery dies, the BIOS settings typically will reset to defaults. So unless the system is unstable at stock settings I doubt the battery is the culprit.

That said, 10 years is a long time for a BIOS battery. It is probably in need of replacement regardless.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
roncat
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:17 am

Better = Anything Seasonic, rated Gold or above.
 
ColeLT1
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:43 am

If going with a Corsair PSU (I run them), I recommend any corsair PSU that doesn't start with a C (CS, CSM, etc, I have no experience with the VS). They are the only ones I have had fail, every one, about 4x of them failed 1-2yrs in. I have some first gen TXs still going, tons of RM, AX, and HX in desktops and Dual Socket E5 servers.
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:55 am

just brew it! wrote:
K-L-Waster wrote:
Another possible culprit is the BIOS battery may be on its last legs.

If the BIOS battery dies, the BIOS settings typically will reset to defaults. So unless the system is unstable at stock settings I doubt the battery is the culprit.

That said, 10 years is a long time for a BIOS battery. It is probably in need of replacement regardless.


It's also a *really* cheap fix. A few bucks and a trip to a pharmacy later, and you can see whether it makes a difference.
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Wirko
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:50 pm

Try underclocking your system, if only a couple percent. Various capacitors on the motherboard may have started showing their age. So power delivery to CPU/RAM/everything else may be unstable at stock speed but would be sufficient at a lower frequency as the current draw would be lower.
 
DrCR
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:54 pm

Yeah, you're probably right that I should stress test it first. Good point too on perhaps the mobo being a potential factor. The only old motherboards I've had die one me are ones I've killed e.g. playing with vmods or some such after deeming them old enough to be worth the risk. Just underclock, not undervolting as well?

I've worked with a quite number of dead CMOS battery computers, and all they've required is a bit of BIOS configuration upon bootup. But I could certainly give a new battery a go as I happen to have one hand.

I've bought a multiplicity of Seasonic PSUs, and while I'm still generally a fan, there are some GPU compatibility issues with the Focus line to my knowledge. iirc I picked that up at johnnyguru. So that and considering the bit of a premium they are asking for them, I'm considering other options. Why I did not dismiss a be quiet Pure Power recommendation when lurking earlier: johnnyguru

True that ideally I could just lurk for a sale, but I'm unsure when the next good buy will occur. iirc the EVGA ~500W G2 was as cheap as $40 on one sale. Re MIRs, I tend to ignore them. If they work out, then I consider it a bonus rather than something to count on.
 
synthtel2
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:41 pm

DrCR wrote:
Just underclock, not undervolting as well?

Undervolting reduces heat and long-term wear, but also moves it closer to instability. Overvolting at the same clock or underclocking at the same voltage are the things that might make a not-quite-stable system stable, and underclocking at the same voltage is safer and probably easier.
 
HERETIC
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:06 pm

ColeLT1 wrote:
If going with a Corsair PSU (I run them), I recommend any corsair PSU that doesn't start with a C (CS, CSM, etc, I have no experience with the VS). They are the only ones I have had fail, every one, about 4x of them failed 1-2yrs in. I have some first gen TXs still going, tons of RM, AX, and HX in desktops and Dual Socket E5 servers.


The reason TX, AX, and HX last is- They are Seasonics with a corsair label, well the early ones..............................................

HISTORY
Corsair built up a great reputation, as the place to buy a PSU by initially only selling Seasonic supplies.
CWT then crept in slowly, their supplies were almost as good.
Since then Corsair has decided-there's a market for everything from cheap rubbish up to excellent PSU's.

I think your line in the sand is about spot on.................................................
 
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Sat Jan 26, 2019 7:46 am

TBH I've had good luck with the C-series stuff too. But I tend to load them to only 50% or so of their rated capacity, which I'm sure helps keep me out of trouble.
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Wirko
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Sat Jan 26, 2019 7:55 am

synthtel2 wrote:
DrCR wrote:
Just underclock, not undervolting as well?

Undervolting reduces heat and long-term wear, but also moves it closer to instability. Overvolting at the same clock or underclocking at the same voltage are the things that might make a not-quite-stable system stable, and underclocking at the same voltage is safer and probably easier.


Exactly. It's easier said than done, though. Setting the frequency manually will probably disable automatic frequency and voltage scaling. You'll have to set a fixed voltage manually too, so you need to know what is the exact voltage under load now. If you can't get that info in the BIOS then you need some utility like SpeedFan for that.
 
anotherengineer
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:06 am

I think http://www.jonnyguru.com/
still does PSU reviews, used to be some of the best back in the day. I haven't read them in awhile, mainly due that I have a decent working psu, but if I was shopping for one, I would definitely give them a read.
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HERETIC
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:53 pm

anotherengineer wrote:
I think http://www.jonnyguru.com/
still does PSU reviews, used to be some of the best back in the day. I haven't read them in awhile, mainly due that I have a decent working psu, but if I was shopping for one, I would definitely give them a read.

Site seems to have gone quiet.He usually does one a week. Nothing since November...............................

Are you sitting down?
Aris over at Toms does really good PSU reviews as well...............................................
 
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Re: Aged system crashing. Getting new PSU as first step...

Tue Feb 05, 2019 6:15 am

just brew it! wrote:
TBH I've had good luck with the C-series stuff too. But I tend to load them to only 50% or so of their rated capacity, which I'm sure helps keep me out of trouble.


I think the only problem I've had with any of the CX series (and I must have used 20+) is a fan failing on one.

OTOH the VS ones feel like cheap crap although I've only ever used 1 or 2 of them so I've no idea if that cheap and nasty feeling translates into crap reliability.
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