MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

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mrabraa
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Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:37 am
Location: Galway, Ireland

MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by mrabraa » Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:08 pm

Hi guys,

Coming back after 5 years to ask for your help in upgrading PC again. I would like to keep it fairly cheap and only change what is necessary, my previous setup was this. Unfortunately today my something died, pressing power button only turns fans for a brief and then all is dead. I presume MB or CPU.
Can you please help me build something that will be a bit more modern, but on the budget? My game needs are not big, I play mostly ETS2, do some sketchup and otherwise it's mostly web browsing. No need for LED lighting on MB. I would like to keep PSU and GPU and that Scythe cooler as I like it's silent work. Best to stay below 300 euro as money are tight. I'm based in Ireland, but usually buy on computeruniverse.net. If someone knows better place I happily hear about it.

Much appreciation and thanks guys
Greg

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:12 am

If I were you, I would first check, what happened and if it's possible to repair and costs reasonable money. Then you would make the best decision, what to do. Because upgrading your CPU with keeping old GPU won't give you any performance boost in ETS2 and such games. So you would spend rather bigger money to get the same effect as repairing what you have.

mrabraa
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:37 am
Location: Galway, Ireland

Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by mrabraa » Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:55 am

That was my first try, but I looked at MBs and CPU prices and prices are out the roof. I don't like paying 250+ euro for MB for 6th gen i3 processor. As for GPU, I know it won't give me more with newer parts, but I am not looking for more, since I rarely used all its power in the first place. I like that it is so quiet most of the time (it won't spin fans unless it has too). Besides, it cost nearly half of the original setup.
As for checking what happened, I disconnected everything but RAM and CPU and problem persists. Computer was on in the morning, I believe it went to suspend but never woke up again. The LED on GPU is was on, but fans just spin shortly and stop, there is no reaction and I don't have that little speaker to connect to MB to look for codes. There is nothing visually obvious to be wrong on either PSU or MB, can't re-seat RAM as Scythe radiator is in the way. I would like some update options just to have some options, while working on this.

Thanks

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Thu Apr 01, 2021 3:42 am

If you are not able to check it, give it to specialists. Then you will be in the same place as you are now, but with knowing everything, so being able to calculate next move.

If you just want to buy new ones, fine - that's your thing. What's the model of your power supply?

EDIT: And storage. Just type everything you have in your computer or plan to have in nearest future.

CA_Steve
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:48 am

mrabraa wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:08 pm
I presume MB or CPU.
It could also be the PSU. You might check and see if the PSU connections to the motherboard are secure as well as the power cord to the PSU. After that, it's a fault isolation problem. It could be the PSU isn't providing proper power to the mobo. It could be the mobo has an issue. If it isn't even starting to POST, then it's unlikely to be the CPU.

mrabraa
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Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:37 am
Location: Galway, Ireland

Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by mrabraa » Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:13 am

I thought it's PSU, but why would it turn fans for a brief moment if it was gone? I found a MB speaker and connected it but get no codes at all. Here is a video of what happens:

https://youtu.be/EeRaP5BrnWY

As I said, I press start on case and fans turn on and immediately off. MB has only RAM and CPU nothing else. Connections detached and reattached. Tried with each RAM single inserted. Power button not working unless you turn off PSU switch or cable and replug again, then same thing happensif you press case button.

I thought it will give some code but alas it seems dead. Even reseting the cmos didn't work.

I put a link to original spec in first post, but anyway PSU is be quiet! Pure Power L8 500 Watt. I tried to turn it without MB connected but don't know how to provide power up signal. I don't have a spare PSU to test unfortunately.

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:03 am

I don't know, how to help you with solving your issue :(

I saw your link, but these are rather not all components, you have in your computer. I assume, that with new motherboard you want to plug everything to it. Boards differ with types and amount of connectors and you don't want to be surprised, when chosen one happen to not have enough storage or fan connectors ;) That's why I reccomend to share everything - every component, maybe you changed/added some fans to your case, maybe you have plans of adding something more etc.

mrabraa
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:37 am
Location: Galway, Ireland

Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by mrabraa » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:27 pm

I found a paper clip test on youtube and tried that with my PSU with everything disconnected, and results are same so I guess it is the PSU that gave up the ghost after 5 years. I guess I never expected that to happen since it had double the power I needed and was from decent company. Maybe 5 years is just too much for modern PSUs. I'll get a new one and report back if it fixed the problem.

Cheers for your help guys.

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:45 pm

If you are sure, that's faulty PSU - great.

Don't expect too much from budget model from any even reputable brand as Pure Power line is to be quiet!. PP L8 500W is completely fine in terms of performance, but reliablilty is something, which tests won't show. Generally I noticed a lot of complaints about bq!'s PSUs, from my own experience I know, that their advertised ,,german quality control" doesn't exist and I wouldn't buy their PSU from one simple reason - their prices are high, so almost often you can buy something better for the same money or the same for less.

CA_Steve
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:45 pm

Relatively normal prices at ComputerUniverse :)

Here's three suggestions in order of preference:
Corsair RMx550 (2018)
beQuiet! Straight Power 11 550
Seasonic Focus GX-550

Corsair has a hybrid fan that may or may not come on with your stress load of ~200W.

be Quiet (in case you want to jump back in with another) Straight Power is one step up in quality and performance from the Pure Power line. Fan is always on, but I think it's around 300rpm and you won't hear it for your loads.

Seasonic Focus is surprisingly good for the low price. It does have the most aggressive hybrid fan profile in terms of rpm, but I think you'd need to run the cpu and gpu at high loads for it to come on.

After the new PSU install, you'll want to reset CMOS again.

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:24 pm

And I forgot to mention one thing - you or somebody mounted your PSU upside down. That's the way, which is reccomended to mount some (not all) semi-passive PSUs in case of hot air not cumulating in the upper parts of the unit, when working passive and before escaping thru back grill. PSUs differ with placement of internal components, their quality, cooling solutions etc, so that's why it not some general rule and it wasn't reccomended with yours. You had five years of it sucking warmer and unfiltered air from the case.

Steve gave you great reccomendations, if you want something very good, but fair priced. Few points to them:

Corsair just revised RMx 2018 and it's possible to buy newer one (2021), which is not that quiet on higher loads. They changed fan and fan curve for more aggressive. Rather nothing noticeable with your config and load, but this PSU used to be quiet on any load and r.2021 isn't. But scale of it will be lower with 550W one. If no info about revision in preferable shop, you can check it with SKUs: older: SKU CP-9020177-AU, newer: SKU CP-9020197-AU

Seasonic GX 550W has surprisingly quiet fan curve for GX family - you will rather not hear it with any load. It's semi passive, but can be switched to active mode and then its maximum speed is even lower. Example of PSU with reccomendation of mounting it with fan on the top if semi-passive.

mrabraa
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:37 am
Location: Galway, Ireland

Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by mrabraa » Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:06 pm

Hi,
I went for be quiet! Pure Power 11 500W before I got your replies. I stayed with be quiet! as 5 years out of 3 year warranty seems fair. I have mounted the PSU this way since there is no grille to pull cold air from outside under it in Antec three hundred. I figured with regularly cleaned meshes on inlet parts of case, there shouldn't be much issue with dust. I guess live and learn.

Thanks for help again

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:29 pm

Pure Powers 11 are decent, quiet ones.

About mounting, I know that Three Hundred doesn't have bottom hole, but if I'm not wrong, you don't mount your PSU directly on the floor, but a little higher - it gives PSU room to breath. The thing is, hard to say, what would be better - from, let's say, unit preferences to airflow and dust accumulation. I don't favour any way and what I told was my suspicion about your PSU death. That's something that much specific rather only be quiet! techs could answer well. What I can tell you for sure, if you use your case with default fan cofiguration, it's rather dusty. More exhausting of air creates negative pressure - make lacking air going inside thru every hole and case probably has some unfiltered ones. Better hoover your PSU quite often - doing it thru back grill should be fine as I do for years. Btw you could have your computer lower maintenance and quieter with changing your case to some noise-insulated one. Three Hundred is typical airflow case, so opposite direction to silence focus and your low-power build doesn't need this airflow, so you get only bad side of it - noise and dust.

CA_Steve
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Re: MB died after 5 years need help upgrading PC

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:05 am

The new Pure Power has a 5 yr warranty :)

It's a decent PSU. If you can't hear the fan, then all is good.

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