PSU keeps blowing

[Anthony Harris]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can give me some advice. I built the following spec
PC for a friend:

XP2400+
512 DDR Ram
Asus Motherboard
Galaxy Zeus FX 5200
350W Power Supply case
40 GB and 10 GB hard drives
DVD Writer and CD Re-writer

The problem is as follows, when he run the system in windows and do normal
stuff in the windows enviroment like surf the net, burn cds and whatever the
machine ran fine for the 3 days it was on. Then we tried to play a game of
Tiger Woods 2004, and after about 10-15 mins the power supply blew.

Cause I had a problem with the case and it is only a week old, I took it
back and changed the case as I said it was most likely a faulty PSU and put
it back together and brilliant the system worked for him tonight. Did
normal stuff for 2 hours, working fine. Then we tried tiger woods again and
after 10 minutes the system blew another power supply.

What I am after is some diagnostic help as I think it is the FX card blowing
the system as it only seems to happen when he plays games that uses 3D
effects of the card. The card is not overclock nor the system ain't, it is
the original settings. Does this sounds reasonable?? could it be that the
PSU is over loaded with the stuff that is in it, or some other reason the
PSU is blowing every time we try a game. Having built many systems before
including a older system for him and I have never had any problems, i'm at a
loss. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Anthony

 

[\(\) |V| 3 G A]

what wattage PSU, and brand are you using?

i`m thinking cheap genericPSU with too little wattage - thus permanetly
overloaded

tim

 

[Anthony Harris]

Not Sure what brand as it come in a case. The case is an Xboy attache case
which is like silvery grey and got a round blue LED on the front. The case
is here:

http://www.xcase.co.uk/att.htm

Thanks for your help, any more is appreciated. Thanks.

Anthony

 

[user]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can give me some advice. I built the following spec
PC for a friend:

XP2400+
512 DDR Ram
Asus Motherboard
Galaxy Zeus FX 5200
350W Power Supply case
40 GB and 10 GB hard drives
DVD Writer and CD Re-writer

The problem is as follows, when he run the system in windows and do normal
stuff in the windows enviroment like surf the net, burn cds and whatever the
machine ran fine for the 3 days it was on. Then we tried to play a game of
Tiger Woods 2004, and after about 10-15 mins the power supply blew.

Cause I had a problem with the case and it is only a week old, I took it
back and changed the case as I said it was most likely a faulty PSU and put
it back together and brilliant the system worked for him tonight. Did
normal stuff for 2 hours, working fine. Then we tried tiger woods again and
after 10 minutes the system blew another power supply.

What I am after is some diagnostic help as I think it is the FX card blowing
the system as it only seems to happen when he plays games that uses 3D
effects of the card. The card is not overclock nor the system ain't, it is
the original settings. Does this sounds reasonable?? could it be that the
PSU is over loaded with the stuff that is in it, or some other reason the
PSU is blowing every time we try a game. Having built many systems before
including a older system for him and I have never had any problems, i'm at a
loss. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Anthony

Are you saying that once the PS fails, that it NEVER works again? Or is
it possible that the PS is going into an overload condition (possibly
due to heat) and once cool will again start? If it fails permanently I
would suggest you acquire a different brand of PS, as although I do not
have your exact hardware, I would think a good 350 W PS should be able
to handle your hardware. A decent PS should detect a over current
condition and shut down to protect itself.

Ken

 

[\(\) |V| 3 G A]

anthony - just to backup ken's statement, he is correct. get a good 350w
minimum PSU (antec, Qtec, enermax, etc) as there is a difference between a
cheap 350w and a decent 350w. get the best your budget allows for future
upgradability.

if you look at the spec's on the side of the PSU, you`ll see a voltage and
amperage chart.
physical weight is a good indication of a good quality PSU too - cheaper is
lighter due to cheaper/cost cutting on components
also you`ll have cleaner voltage lines - this leads to less crashes.

tim

 

[spodosaurus]

what ... brand are you using?

Lewinski brand...