RANDOM COMPUTER SHUTDOWN PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

[Guest]

My computer started to shut down randomly like for a month! I had to test
myself alot to figure out the problem! I knew it was not a software issue,
however; computer randomly shut down problem came after I put a new NVIDIA
6600 GT 128MB video card which has onboard power adapter. I am using 450Watt
power supply. I also read that someone who got the same video card works fine
with 350Watt power supply! I was completely lost for a few weeks. Then I put
a DVD in to my CD DVD RWRITER and the computer shut off itself also randomly
when I put that DVD in to CD DVD REWRITER. Then I plug the same CD DVD
REWRITER to my other machine which has 450Watt power supply but does not have
a good video card. So I realized that CD DVD REWRITER is working fine! Then I
look changed my old DVD ROM I had in my other computer to the computer that
having randomly shut off itself. When I put that DVD ROM and put a DVD. Then
computer never shut off itself. I looked at the voltage difference between
two CD DVD REWRITER and DVD ROM. I later realized that CD DVD REWRITER is
using 1.5 AMP instead of 1.0AMP which my older DVD ROM is using. I sucpected
that it must be a power issue and finally figure out it is since both drives
working fine when I put CD DVD REWRITER to my computer with no good video
card and the DVD ROM to the computer I have the good video cards.

I just wrote the whole story for the sake of people who may have problems
and they just simply blame the microsoft! I believe computers works fine most
of the time unless you try to make a difference to the computer! Well,
computers itself strange and it takes time to understand after confusing
days, weeks and even months, after looking on-line posts where one person's
having same problem as someonelse due to two different reasons although we
tend to think that both of them having same probelm!

 

[Gregg Hill]

Assuming the major power draw is on the 12v side of the CD/DVD drives,
probably to drive the motor, and knowing that Watts = Volts * Amps, then the
difference in power draw, measured in watts, is only 6 watts difference
between the two different DVD drives, one at 1.0amp (1 amp * 12 volts = 12
watts) and the other at 1.5amps (1.5 amps * 12 volts = 18 watts).

I highly doubt that 6 watts could be your problem. I have seen CD/DVD drives
cause crashing until the firmware or drivers are updated

Gregg Hill

 

[Guest]

Thank you so much of posting. I am not much in to electronics but I wish it
would greatly help if I knew what you stated in your reply! Yes Gregg Hill,
my new CD - DVDRW I bought is 1.5Amp so that make sense to shut off the
computer itself. Now when I put the old DVD ROM which is 1.0Amp works great.
So thanks again to the reply!

 

[Gregg Hill]

Chamila,

What I am saying that the difference in current draw is only .5 amps between
the old drive and the new drive, which amounts to 6 watts of power more. Six
watts probably will not make a difference, so you probably have something
else causing the problem.

Think of it this way: on a 350W power supply, 6 watts is lees than 2% of its
maximum output. That would be HIGHLY unlikely to cause your problem. If an
additional 6 watts is indeed the problem, your power supply is maxed out or
defective and should be replaced.

Gregg Hill