problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Unless the A.C. power cord worked its way loose, it sounds like your power supply is done & gone.
Look on the bright side, at least your system didn't go up in flames or smoking glory.
It should have a five year warranty. If it's still under warranty, maybe they will let you "trade-in" your current psu towards a higher-end model. Or you could buy a new psu and send in your current psu under warranty and then keep it as a spare or sell the replacement psu they return to you. I think that I've seen a couple of cases where Corsair sent new power supplies to replace faulty units. By law I think that any manufacturer can send you a refurbished replacement, even if the failed unit is virtually brand new. Why? Because technically you are sending them a failed "used" unit.
Let us know how you make out.
Glad to help out.

ps: I just noticed your play on words in post #13, you're obviously a very punny guy.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Thanks Profjim, too funny---"punny"
yep this has been a week of tests--, my wifes car ( blinking D light--- what ??, got it fixed--3rd gear pressure switch ( never heard of this,but got it fixed, split the end of my finger but saved me some dollars--ha !! , bathroom sink (plumbing problem--thanks kids, fixed---ha), ( my parents kitchen light ----fixed !!! ) , between juggling work and this stuff and then this--- you gotta laugh !!!! I feel like I'm in a sort of " The Seven Voyages of Sinbad " or better yet with you all at my side (Jason and the Argonauts )---ha !!!! ( Don't want to even guess what the other voyages are going to be ---ha !!!! )
Yep, I think I may just get a new power supply and just return this one and keep the return unit as a backup. If it is a good chunk cheaper I may downgrade to a 750 power supply, the 850 is a little overkill, I don't forsee going sli for quite a while, if I ever do. I went to HardOCP and read some great reviews of the power supplies I am interested in. Trying to find a XFX black edition 750 or 850 or Seasonic. I'll certainly keep you afloat of the continuation of this saga !!!
take care and enjoy the rest of this weekend--------rclark

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

too funny---"punny"

You're a poet and you didn't know it.

If it weren't for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all.
Check out eXtreme Power Supply Calculator
It takes a while to fill in all the details, but it will give you an accurate recommendation for what size psu to buy. Chances are with a single gpu setup, a 650 or 750 watt psu should be more than adequate for your present and future needs. I have an Antec TP-750 psu for my SLI system. I don't game on my pc so SLI was something I never thought I'd need. When I upgraded from my 7600GT to the GTX 460, I found that I enjoyed gpu overclocking and less than a year later Newegg had a great price on a somewhat better GTX 460 so I decided to find out first hand how much better SLI could be.

When I ran intensive graphics stress tests and benchmarks on my P35 system with a highly overclocked GTX 460 video card, the maximum power draw of my system was ~ 312 watts A.C. from the wall plug and my 90% average efficiency Seasonic X-650 watt 80+ gold rated power supply needed 312 watts A.C. from the wall plug to deliver 281 watts D.C. to my system; (312 x 0.90) where 0.90 = 90% average efficiency at 50% power output. A silver rated psu would be about 2% less efficient than gold and a bronze rated psu would be about 3% less efficient that the silver rated unit. My preference is to go with a gold or silver rated power supply.

Check out Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong
It might help put things in their proper perspective. This book is my bible.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

I am going to read some of these Profjim. Thanks for sharing this, I am indeed interested in philosophy,especially in matters as in this---ha !!! Well, philosophy is applicable to all whether some want to accept it or not and some of it is quite cool and can really take the stress off of ones existence, however it can also mess you up forever if you dwell on certain things too long---ha !!!! Such as looking for the "perfect" power supply---ha !!!!! I thought I found it, XFX 750 Core Pro ( Bronze ) Edition. Note the word "Bronze" --doinkies---It is offered at Newegg for $85 less the 25 dollar rebate and has a excellent review at HardOCP . The hunt continues, .........., silver and gold
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Silver and Gold . - YouTube ------- couldn't resist this--sorry !
take care--rclark

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Here's a quick list using Newegg's Power Search feature for selected brands of 80 plus silver, gold, and platinum rated power supplies from 620 watts to 950 watts. You can select your own criteria using the Power Search feature. Some other brands have some highly rated models, such as PC Power & Cooling, Silverstone (only a 3 year warranty), CoolerMaster (only a few models), etc. Surprisingly, some of the Rosewill Capstone and Fortress models got very high ratings.
Note: Some models in this list have not been reviewed or their ratings might not be that great.

Newegg Power Supplies- Antec, Kingwin, LEPA, XFX, Corsair, Rosewill, Enermax, SeaSonic USA, ... 620 - 950 watts, 80Plus Silver, Gold & Platinum

Many models from OCZ, Thermaltake and others are usually mediocre, but have a few models that are pretty good. Some "name brand" are downright poor. Generally you get what you pay for but at this time of year there will be some excellent sale prices.

Topic for another day: UPS, Uninterruptible Power Supply to better protect your computer hardware, $100 - $250.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Well, as long as I have used Newegg I really never have used the power search to this degree---thanks for bringing this to my attention Projim. I saw the Rosewell and the only thing I am concerned about is it is on a split 12v rail. I have read that it is best to stay with single rail , ( I would think as long as each rail meets the reguired wattage what difference it makes,) I really have not researched this too much but will now !!! Got to go change serpentine belt and plugs in wifes car---fun-fun. No rest for the weary.---ha !!! Tweaktowns is going to ban me for not staying on subject matter---ha !!!
Oh, man why did you have to bring up those power protecters-----ha !!!!!
hope you have a great day,talk with you soon for sure, thanks again-----rclark

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2


This looks like a decent deal I wish I had grabbed it earlier for @ 90 dollars-- oh well !! The write up at JohnnyGuru was very positive , I believe I may get it. Never have used Rosewell before so this will be
interesting. I was wrong about the single rail ---this one has it--
Oh I used the extreme power calculator, it estimates a @618 watt unit for my set up. Even 750 may be overkill, thats ok though.
cheers--- rclark

[wazza300]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

anygood? 650w should be plenty imo,they are very quiet psu's

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Thanks Wazza, yep I was thinking about these as well, I'm going insane---- ha !!!!! Seriously, it may be worth a tad more to go up to a gold certified model for me just because of the issues I evidently have been having with this rather basic model power supply. I am thinking I have been having power hickups all along that have caused issues from the very beginning. Really drives the point home how important a top notch power supply is for a build. ( I am not faulting the company for the original supply boinking out---it happens to the best of them ) XFX and Rosewell are both really well regarded in the reviews I read from Profjim's link ( JohnnyGuru, HardOCP ). Thanks so much for the recommendation,
take care---rclark

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Using a good quality, 80Plus bronze rated psu should be OK in most circumstances. A more efficient silver or gold rated psu, will have somewhat higher quality components, and voltage regulation should be somewhat better. I look at the psu as the foundation of my system and I don't want to cut corners here. If the electrical service to your home isn't clean and dependable, even the best psu will have "issues". This is where the line conditioning and AVR (automatic voltage regulation) of a mid priced UPS can help tremendously. An added benefit is the built in surge protection for your computer equipment. I often wonder how many random computer problems are related to a cheapy power supply or sub-standard electrical service.

Make sure that you are OK with a psu that doesn't have a full modular or semi-modular cable setup. Cable management is a royal PITA with unneeded power cables permanently attached to the power supply.

The Rosewill Capstone psu is made by Superflower and has excellent build quality and ratings. I first became aware of Superflower about two years ago and every psu based on their products has been top tier! I believe that current Kingwin power supplies are made by Superflower. My preference is for Seasonic or made by Seasonic power supplies. My Antec TP-750 psu is made by Seasonic and has four 12-volt rails. The review sites that I listed provide a breakdown on how the cables are connected to which rail and if the setup is good or bad. I think that the over current protection (OCP) is set to 40 amps for each 12 volt rail and the TP-750 has no problem with "trapped" electrical power.

In the past month, Newegg was briefly selling the Seasonic x-750 for $100 and the x-650 for $90. I bought my TP-750 for $70 during the holiday sales season two years ago. Good things come to those who wait.

PSUs Reviews | TechPowerUp Review Database is a good source for quickly finding power supply reviews from around the web.

If there is only a $10 - $20 price difference between similar 650 and 750 watt power supplies, I would go with the 750 watt psu. A psu is usually most efficient when it is delivering ~ 40% - 60% of it's rated capacity. Your psu should have a long and happy life as long as you don't run it above 80% of its capacity for extended periods, such as when gaming or folding.

The XFX 650 and 750 psu's look good, if you can wait a bit, you should be able to buy an even better psu for about the same price.

BTW, there can be a major gotcha when your UPS has a modified-step sine wave output with some or many active PFC power supplies.
Both of my Seasonic made power supplies have no trouble with either of my ~ $80 UPS units when there is a power interruption.
More on this later.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Thanks Profjim, man this is such great info. I am definitely going with a 750, I am going to keep looking/waiting --the Rosewell really shines at JohnnyGuru, hmmmm .... Very interesting info on power supplies and how they can be affected by sine waves. I was affected by sine and cosine waves ( as well ) in math---ha !!!
many thanks !!! rclark
EDIT--- just saw this one on sale----Amazon.com: Rosewill CAPSTONE Series 750W 80 Plus Gold Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply CAPSTONE-750: Electronics getting an itchy finger,

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

There is also a Rosewill Capstone 750-M fully modular version.
Rosewill Capstone Modular 750 W Review | techPowerUp
Decisions, decisions, decisions
Hey, it's only money.

**edit**
Here's a list of Newegg 650w - 750w 80Plus gold rated power supplies:
Newegg Power Supplies -- 80 PLUS GOLD Certified, 650W - 750W
Any price changes will be shown each time you use the link.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Good grief this has been amazing learning experience. I really do appreciate so much great information on all this Profjim. I found the Rosewell Capstone 750 Gold (** MODULAR**) for $103 at Amazon. One was left, I grabbed it. I was very close to getting the Seasonic X750 modular for 25 dollars more,however we are really on a tight budget as you can tell from all my fixit (chores,ie--wish I could afford to take our car in for maintenance )---ha !!! Again, the "you get what you pay for" thing,is definitely haunting me. Well I guess we will see how things go in about a week. Corsair was very prompt in initiating the RMA for my old unit,that was nice !!
take care and thanks for all those links, Santa will be noting all these nice things I am sure ---rclark---

[profJim]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

$103 for the modular Capstone is excellent.
From the reviews at JonnyGuru and TechPowerUp, the Rosewill Capstone 750-M (made by Superflower) is the equal of the Seasonic X750.

The first thing I do with a brand new psu is to do the paperclip test and let the power supply run for 10 minutes before I connect the psu to my system.
To perform this test, you use the paperclip to connect the light green wire (Power Good) with a black wire (Com or Ground) on the 24-pin main psu power cable.
A web search using: power supply paperclip test will provide additional information and information links.
If you want, you can connect several fans using a 4-pin molex adaptor to put a small electrical load on the power supply.
Glad to hear that setting up the RMA with Corsair was easy.

BTW, the learning never ends.

[rclark]

Re: problem with cold start Gigabyte UD3R V2

Thanks Profjim, The old paper clip test---very familiar with this. Matter of fact, still sort of apprehensive with the purchase in that after taking out the Corsair unit, I did the paper clip test to it with 1 (120mm ) fan hooked up and it ran flawlessly for a power supply with only one fan hooked up to it (that is ). Isn't it going to be fun if the pc still does the same after this---- my wife will "KILL ME"--ha !!!! I will stand optimistic though, you know how things will creep into your conciousness in dealing with this stuff. I mean there is still a chance it could be some weird short with the motherboard, but at least we will know it is not the power supply. That is a great idea to test the new power supply before installing, makes good sense, will definitely do this. Great pictures showing the detail of these plugs and their voltages for each. More learning---No !!!! ---ha !!!!
take care and thanks again !!!! ---rclark----