New case. PSU issues / surging?

I bought a new case to transfer my PC to, and need some help diagnosing a potential power problem.

I removed all the components from the old ATX case, and installed the motherboard and PSU in a new mATX case (cheap Casecom).
Running just the motherboard/CPU/case fan with no drives, all seemed to work ok.

I then started connecting a few more things, which is when i ran into problems. I installed a brand new SATA DVD/RW drive. All POST'd fine and detected in BIOS. I disconnected the drive and powered on again, and noticed after about 0.5 sec, the power went off.

After turning off the PSU and disconnecting the case fan, it all seemed to work ok again. I tried it with the fan back on, and it worked fine. On the next power cycle it did the same thing again and turned off.

The issue appears to be random, as it's happened with the fan / DVD drive connected / disconnected at random intervals.

To double check, I disconnected everything, and re-seated the PSU connector on the motherboard, and powered on with no CPU 4-pin power).

PSU powers on fine. Tested this 3 times, worked every time.

I then connected the 4-pin CPU power, and it turned off after 0.5 sec. After another power reset, it worked fine, 3 times in a row. I then connected the case fan - it turned off after 0.5 sec.

I can't seem to identify what is causing the issue as it seems random. One thing that is consistent (might need more testing), is the PSU runs fine on it's own, with nothing else connected (inc. CPU)

NOTE
I had noticed a couple of times when all was powered on and working, that the case power light would flicker/dim, and there would be a 'clicking' coming from the PSU in unison. I immediately powered it off when this happened.

It sounds like it might be a faulty PSU, but it's inconsistent, so don't know if it's motherboard / cpu related as well? Could the power surge have damaged the motherboard/CPU etc?

Hope you can help identify the problem.

Specs:

• PSU: Casecom ATX 500w
• Asus P5GD1-VM
• P4 Prescott 3.4GHz
• 2 GB RAM

It's pretty simple to track down a PSU issue, either it is holding its voltage rail levels within ATX spec or its not. It must be +-5% if i remember right. Once you go below 11.4v on the 12v+ rail it normally causes a power shutoff like you're describing

Thanks very much. Other than checking the voltages in the bios is there anything else I can do? Do you think the clicking I described points to the psu? I dont wanf to buy a replacement one only to find something else is causing the problem

I think the psu is at least 7 years old so might be on its way out?

aod said:

Thanks very much. Other than checking the voltages in the bios is there anything else I can do? Do you think the clicking I described points to the psu? I dont wanf to buy a replacement one only to find something else is causing the problem

I think the psu is at least 7 years old so might be on its way out?

Click to expand...

aod,

Checking voltage should be done with a multi-meter through one of your molex plugs (12V & 5V). BIOS readings are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable.

RollingThunder said:

aod,

Checking voltage should be done with a multi-meter through one of your molex plugs (12V & 5V). BIOS readings are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much - i wasn't sure if that was what Sentential meant, but as I don't have a multimeter, I'm can't try this.

Since I posted, I've tried a few more times and it's becomming worse - so I've ordered a new PSU. Hopefully that'll fix it.

The PSU issue is taht the PSU is junk.
Please tell me that you ordered a PSU that has been reviewed and is known to be good quality.
If it's another general junkpile, you're asking for disaster.

Bobnova said:

The PSU issue is taht the PSU is junk.
Please tell me that you ordered a PSU that has been reviewed and is known to be good quality.
If it's another general junkpile, you're asking for disaster.

Click to expand...

Cheers, I feel a little better about it more likely being a PSU issue - it's feel that way.

I know PSU's vary alot in quality, and you get what you pay for. However as the PC is not used that often, and only for web surfing, I didn't want to spend much on a PSU.

I've ordered this one, which seem ok for a cheap replacement. If it was my main PC, i would have spent more like £60-£100 on a good one, (which i did anyway when i built it), but like i say, this PC is just for occasional use so it's not the end of the world.

Should get it tomorrow, so we'll see!

Thanks for all the help

Your new PSU is crap too.
What you don't seem to understand is that no matter how much you use the PC, you still need enough PSU to run it, and enough quality to run it everytime without fail. Eventually, the PSU won't be the only thing that fails due to bad power. Sooo.....you can pay now or you can possibly pay MORE later. Russian roulette if you will. You will eventually land on a full chamber if you keep pulling the trigger.

Mr.Scott said:

Your new PSU is crap too.
What you don't seem to understand is that no matter how much you use the PC, you still need enough PSU to run it, and enough quality to run it everytime without fail. Eventually, the PSU won't be the only thing that fails due to bad power. Sooo.....you can pay now or you can possibly pay MORE later. Russian roulette if you will. You will eventually land on a full chamber if you keep pulling the trigger.

Click to expand...

I realise the one ive ordered is cheap but were talking about a 7 year old pc here, and it would be uneconomic to spend upwards of £50-100 on a psu that is worth much more than the pc itself, especially given its use. Its just to get it working in the new case with a few cheap upgrades.

It has a 1 year warranty, so if it does that, ill be happy. The pc will probably be replaced within a year anyway.

Thanks for the help.

I couldn't find any thorough reviews of the Casecom PSU, but one person said its +5V rail went out of specs at just 50% of full power. Also I didn't find a single Casecom with a safety approval from UL, CSA, or TUV, and that's always really bad.

Does it resemble any of these PSUs, inside our outside?

http://hardwareinsights.com/wp/the-2013-el-cheapo-power-supply-roundup/

http://hardwareinsights.com/wp/the-2012-el-cheapo-power-supply-roundup/

http://hardwareinsights.com/wp/the-el-cheapo-power-supply-round-up-2/