Ok, so lately on the computer I built 2 years ago whenever I turn the on switch to the power supply to off or the power goes out, the computer will not boot again unless I spend about 20 minutes playing with the power supply and all of the connections to the motherboard. This is starting to get annoying. It will always turn on and off fine until the power is cut or the switch to the power supply is cut off. How can I identify whether it's the power supply or the motherboard or the cpu? Sometimes I will flip the switch from off for a few seconds on the power supply then to on, and trying to turn on the motherboard using a screwdriver to the 2 power up prongs on the motherboard it won't do anything. Sometimes it will power up but the LEDs on the motherboard don't light up and the fan on the graphics card won't turn on. Both LEDs off on the motherboard means cpu error / processor error according to the manual. I believe it may be a power supply error or motherboard error but I don't know how to identify between the 2. I have put the power supply in another computer and it booted up fine each time, but that computer has probably 1/2 the power requirements of this build. It seems like the power supply might have to '"charge" up sometimes after flipping the on/off switch on it. I'm not sure though. It pisses me off having to always reconnect every wire and play with it for about 30 minutes after a power outage or unplugging the power cord to the power supply. Basically, what will happen is 1 of 4 things when trying to power on the motherboard using a screwdriver to the power on prongs. 1. Nothing happens. 2. Power flips on for a split second and then goes off. 3. Power comes on but LEDs on motherboard are off and graphics card fan is off (the graphics card fan is directly hooked to the motherboard). 4. LEDs come on and all is good until the next power interruption. The power supply I have is a 600 watt Ultra Connect X VS power supply which is still under warranty, motherboard is Biostar TA770 A2+, CPU is AMD Athlon 6400 x2, Graphics Card ATI Sapphire Radeon 3870 512 mb. I have nothing else connected which would require a significant power draw. I have overclocked the cpu and graphics card before but both are not clocked lately. How can I cheaply identify whether or not I need to get a new power supply or motherboard, possibly a new cpu but I doubt that's the cause? Please help.
Hi Sorry about your problem - I've a couple of thoughts that may help. Your power rating of 600W is ample for your build. I've got a 650W that can power a GTX 285 no problem which is far thirstier than your 3870 - it is graphics cards that use most power. I don't know the make of your PSU though and cheap models can be notoriously unreliable. You say you can use your PSU on another system - if that runs fine and uses the same connection leads that would seem to rule out the PSU. That means the motherboard is the most likely culprit. Is it possible to borrow another PSU and try that as if that has the same symptoms it suggests your motherboard could be faulty. Another thing could be some form of heat issue that stops the rig firing up after a period of use when some components have got too hot. Your fiddling with connections could be irrelevant - it might simply be giving time for the heat to dissipate. Check your case fans are providing sufficient airflow and the case is not clogged with dust. You could even try running the rig out of the case - I've done this a few times when troubleshooting. You literally take all the components out of the case and reassemble on a desk then fire up. Put your motherboard on a box with the anti-static bag it came in underneath for protection. Be careful you don't electrocute yourself! Hope you find the answer to your problem soon. Regards Mag
