Power Supply And Bad Memory - Two Of The Most Common Hardware Problems
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Over the years I have repaired a lot of computer systems, and for the most part, computer hardware is fairly reliable. Though it does happen, it is somewhat rare to see a motherboard or cpu fail, unless the system is just plain old. In computer land a system is considered old when it reaches the age of 5 years old. Who decided that a 5 year old system was ancient? No one in particular. But in general if you get 5 years of good service life out of a computer system, consider yourself fortunate.
Over the years I have noticed, and so have others, that the two hardware parts of a computer that may be problematic are the power supply units and memory. Other failing parts such as sound, modems, network, etc., may limit the use of the computer, but normally the system will continue to function properly until the offending part is replaced.
Power Supplies - a power supplies main purpose is to convert standard household voltage and to break it down into smaller increments usually 5v or 12v to run the hardware in your system. Your first hint that something is wrong is when you hit the power button and you smell something electrical burning, a puff of smoke exits the rear, and the computer shutdowns and refuses to start. This is the best case scenario because now you can be 99.9% sure that the PS needs to be replaced. But a PS can also play with your mind before it totally ceases to function. In the case of a weak or failing PS, you may experience one or more of the following systems:
- Random rebooting of the system.
- Unexplained lockups or system freezes.
- Corrupted display in which the picture is distorted, fuzzy, or the colors are off.
- Drives or other devices that just stop working.
If you look at the above list of problems, one might conclude that it is a software issue or bad driver. Users have spent countless hours scanning their systems for viruses, spyware, updated drivers, uninstalling and reinstalling hardware or software to no avail. To add to our misery I have had power supply testers that gave everything a green light indicating all was well, only to find it was in fact a bad PS causing the problem.
To make things even more enjoyable some OEM’s put in the absolute minimal PS they can get away with to save a few bucks. Joe user installs a new video card which totally screws up the system so Joe blames the video card manufacturer for the problem. Only to discover that no matter which card Joe uses, the problem is always the same because his PS doesn’t have enough ‘poop’ to power the new card.
Bad memory - not only can it mimic the systems of a bad PS but will normally cause a total system lockup forcing the user in some cases to unplug the system to get it to reboot. There are many free software programs that you can to test the memory such as the free one from Microsoft here. I have used these softwares on systems, including my own personal computer, only to have them report that all was well. I later determined that the memory was in fact bad. If you have two or more memory modules, try booting the system with one and then the other one. If the problem disappears, then you can surmise that bad RAM is to be blamed. If you have a single stick of RAM, try using a stick of equal speed from another system or you may need to buy a stick for testing purposes.
Hope this helps.
[tags]power supply, memory, bad, [/tags]
12 Comments
marc klink
April 27th, 2007
at 4:26pm
I think more hours of my time have been wasted on bad memory than anything else. Not because I did not know it was bad, but because I was buying RAM from a computer show vendor who would test the ‘bad’ RAM with a lightup tester, and since the tester said it was good, the vendor informed me that it was my problem, since the memory tester showed it to be good. Well, at least the first part of his statement was correct …the problem was mine. Shame on me for buying RAM from a disreputable dealer. Most difficult to trace is RAM that shows good when tested after first booting, then a few hours later it shows bad. I know that OS/2 would have been a lot more popular if it wasn’t so hard on memory [needing quality memory to work right].
One thing you didn’t mention is how the files on your disk can be totally shredded when using bad RAM. I always buy 1st tier RAM and have never been disappointed [another benefit is if it goes bad, they usually replace it without any paperwork chase on your part, I know that Kingston and Viking work this way… no fuss, no bother.
Ron Schenone
April 27th, 2007
at 6:32pm
Heh Marc,
I hear you. Good RAM is worth every penny.
Have a good weekend, Ron
jason
April 28th, 2007
at 7:57am
Great blog, It is amazing how many people dont realize the importance of a PSU. Just because it turnes on doesnt mean its sufficient. It is unfortunate when people buy new PC’s, be it a Dell or HP, or whatever..the PSU’s in those boxes are almost always bare minimum..Say 250 Watts. Everyone should have at least a 500W PSU, Dual rail even nicer.
Yes A slow PC that shouldnt be is RAM unhung! Dont cheap out people..you get what you pay for!! I have started using Ultra RAM, excellent, rates up there with Kingston. I cant rate Viking as I have never used it, but at least we have heard of it:)
Ron Schenone
April 28th, 2007
at 8:06am
Hello Jason,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Your comments are appreciated.
Ron
Graeme
May 11th, 2007
at 10:31am
Hi Ron,
vaguely on topic here but is it possible to run two power supplies on one pc. I have recently bought some parts and am now out of cash and still need a bigger power supply.
I bought the msi p965 platinum which recommends a 450W psu, and the xfx 8600gts. Is it a foolish thing to consider or could it work safely.
Ron Schenone
May 11th, 2007
at 11:09am
Hello Graeme,
I found this article which explains how to make a jumper to start the PS. Whether this can be done safely or not I am not positive about. But if you do try this trick, let us know if it works or not for you.
http://www.overclock.net/faqs/15751-info-can-i-use-two-power.html
If you have a spare PS it may be worth it. However, PS in the 450 watt category are about $25 to $40. Here is a 500 watter for FREE!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817163032
Good luck, Ron
Graeme
May 30th, 2007
at 4:47am
Hey Ron,
so my brother tried to jimmy a spare power supply as per the article, unfortunately after half a bottle of wine and a bread knife as a screwdriver.
There was a crack and a puff of smoke but no genie…
He’s definitely more software than hardware so not sure where the problem was. Was a lot of fun but I ended up spending all my cash on an Antec 450W.
Thanks anyway
G
Ron Schenone
May 30th, 2007
at 5:10am
Hi Graeme,
Thanks for the follow up.
Ron
Bob
June 25th, 2007
at 3:18am
Greame, I’m running dual PSU’s according to the following layout:
http://www.pc-mod.com/articles/atx/atx5.jpg
It works without problems.
Bob
Bob
June 25th, 2007
at 3:24am
Oh, some other tips:
1. Always give both PSU’s a load. So if 1 PSU does mainboard etc, give at least a floppy or DVD or disk to the other.
2. Don’t mix PSU connections on the mainboard, as the voltage regulators will conflict, so use the master PSU for the mainboard and the slave PSU for disks and other peripherals.
Bob
Ron Schenone
June 25th, 2007
at 4:17am
Hi Bob,
Thanks for sharing this information with us. Also thanks for the link as well.
Ron
suziequzie
October 27th, 2007
at 3:07pm
My computer, for the past week or two, had been locking up frequently, acting weird, crashing applications and slowing down. I thought it might be the new Kubuntu OS I installed was buggy, so I reinstalled it. Still, it was klunky. This morning, I tried to turn the computer on, and the power would start, and then about 5-10 seconds later it would shut off. There wasn’t even enough power to open the DVD-Rom tray (it would start to open, then close). I went out and picked up a new power supply, hoping that it was that (and not the motherboard) that was failing. It was the power supply. All seems good now.