Possible Cause of System Stability Problem

[poochball]

Ahh, I thought that they would have been good.

 

Had I have found this site, perhaps I would not be having these problems now.

 

I am going to by the FSP Epsilon 700W PSU, hopefully I should be ok again!

[wevsspot]

You've made an excellent choice on the 700W Fortron unit. Your power supply issue will be solved and you'll have plenty to spare.

 

Expect huge improvements in all aspects of your system performance including stability.

 

Cheers.

[centy]

Ok,

 

I thought I had got somewhere but was wrong, still having some issues.

 

I decided to try with one memory stick and then the other, still had reboots galore!

 

I then set my Graphics card back to its locked bios so there was only 12 pipes running. Still rebooting at this point.

 

So, I then remove my Wireless Network card and Soundblaster Audigy 4 Sound Card. I also disconnected two fan exhausts, an akasa hdd cooler and the two 140mm fans and lcd front panel.

 

As if by magic the system was fine. No reboots - nothing. I have since reconnected two fans and the front LCD and HDD cooler.

 

I am beginning to suspect that there is a problem with the power.

 

I don't think my memory is at fault, I have found the correct timings of 2.5-3-3-8-1T

 

Gutted. I had only just bought my supply as well!

 

I don't think the sound is a problem as the reboots were happening before I installed the card.

 

Ah, you just said something that struck a chord.

 

I also disconnected two fan exhausts, an akasa hdd cooler and the two 140mm fans and lcd front panel.

It only takes 1 80mm fan in the wrong place for me to start experiencing issues. For example if I plug the 80mm into the same cable that is powering my dvd-rom I get issues. If I use the fan on a seperate line I don't have issues and can connect as many additional fans as I like.

[poochball]

Right it is confirmed. This is a power problem. My system has been running sweet since I removed the expansion cards and fans.

 

Magic!

[adreno]

That pretty much seals it, your PSU is at fault here. Kudos to you for sticking with it and methodically narrowing down exactly what the the problem is.

 

This has been a good thread, that I think I will need to bookmark for future reference. Once you get your new PSU enjoy your new system. My nF3 Ultra-D is about a year old and although I am handing it down to my oldest, I will miss it as it has been a great system.

 

Cheers!

[poochball]

Thanks for your Help Adreno

[fred99]

It only takes 1 80mm fan in the wrong place for me to start experiencing issues. For example if I plug the 80mm into the same cable that is powering my dvd-rom I get issues. If I use the fan on a seperate line I don't have issues and can connect as many additional fans as I like.

Wait! Are you serious? I had myself some issues with 120 fans, but I wasn't sure it was the problem. I have a brand new GameXstream 600w, so my power was not the cause. Maybe I should put all of them on a seperate line like you said. Very good tip, I'll try this.

[Fast Hot Rod]

Ah, you just said something that struck a chord.

 

I also disconnected two fan exhausts, an akasa hdd cooler and the two 140mm fans and lcd front panel.

It only takes 1 80mm fan in the wrong place for me to start experiencing issues. For example if I plug the 80mm into the same cable that is powering my dvd-rom I get issues. If I use the fan on a seperate line I don't have issues and can connect as many additional fans as I like.

 

Good point. Something else to consider:

 

His TT TR2-500 Watt PSU has two 12 VDC rails, good for 14 and 15 amps respectively. The loads will need to be 'balanced' across the 12 volt rails. He could effectively be feeding all 'high power' items from one rail, and have next to nothing on the other rail... and experience system instability due to overloading of the first rail.

 

What sucks about that is: TT does not identify which 12 VDC wires are fed from which rail. I wondered if TT had one rail feeding the MB, and the other rail feeding the remaining cables for the HD's, DVD/CD-ROM's, fans, video card, et-al... but I don't have an internal schematic for the PSU so I am at a loss. Maybe I need to tear mine apart to see how that sucker works?!?! :cool:

 

Does a load imbalance make the TT a bad PSU? I don't know. Maybe it's a design flaw. Maybe they use bad components when designing/building their PSU's vs. other companies like OCZ, Antec, etc...

 

So far the TT TR2-500 Watt PSU has been working fine for me. Then again, maybe I am just a lucky bastage? :confused:

 

Mark

[wevsspot]

I just finished a build for a customer (who also happens to be a friend now). Gigabyte Socket939 board with the ULi chipset. 2X256 OCZ performance RAM, ATi 9800 and AMD 3700 San Diego o/c'd to 2.86ghz. He has two DVD R/RW drives, two ATA hard drives and two 80mm fans.

 

I chose the "lowly" FSP AX400-PN power supply to power his rig and it is running flawlessly. Overhyped specs on marginal power supplies I believe are the biggest single factor in stability issues once you have your BIOS, voltage and RAM timings down pat. Now I'm not knocking TT on the whole, in fact have been really pleased with their cooling solutions etc. But I wouldn't ever use one of their power supplies. You're best bet is to choose a highly regarded - DFI Street Recommended - Power Supply, whether you're building an NF3 or NF4 DFI based rig. I've always followed the PSU recommendation guide and have NEVER had a PSU related problem.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

[poochball]

I wouldn't say TT PSU is a bad one, the build quality seems good but my experience has not been good. Perhaps I am just overloading it.

 

Considering the PSU I will be purchasing is nearly three times the price, I think that says it all.

 

I imagine that you are correct in that one rail goes to the board and the rest is left to fuel the fans led's etc.

 

By taking out expansion cards and fans I have made my system rock solid so the only conclusion I can draw is that the PSU doesn't supply enough Juice to my rig. Or that it does supply enough Juice but that this Juice isn't shared out in a way to quench the first of my thirsty rig. The result is rather like a game of Jenga, I do more things and push my Jenga Tower harder until the inevitable happens and it all falls to pieces.

 

I think that there are a lot of factors to take into consideration such as varying components, different designs of fan etc. Perhaps if I had the correct combination, this thread will not have existed.

 

If only I had seen this site before I bought my PSU! Well nevermind! Anyone reading this who is thinking of buying a new PSU, Please consult the guide on this site.

[wevsspot]

And for any future visitors to this thread there is a link to the 'NF4 Recommended Powersupplies' right in my sig. Feel free to use it.

 

Cheers.

[poochball]

Woo, I got my new RAM and PSU it's all good now.