mccComputer just switched off at random, for the second time today. This time, it happened simultaneous with a power flux event (the air conditioner halting).
Maybe I need a UPS. :(
Ha ha heehhhh after several days of no problems my computer just shut off at random while I was sitting at it using it, and then less than five minutes later, did it again. Is there a way to get Windows to tell me, after a restart, why the hell it just restarted
Like I understand it might not know why it shuts down but surely if it restarts there's somewhere a record of why
It's happening now at times it wasn't happening before
I eventually learned to get the data from the "real" event viewer instead of the fisher price baby and this is all it says.
Two references to "Power". I don't know if that means the problem is with the power, or if that's Windows' way of saying "I don't know?".
I did get a core temp log when the computer died last night. The CPU temperature was not high at all at the moment of the reset.
I am terrified of a near future where I spend hundreds of dollars on a UPS, it takes up a bunch of space under my desk, and it turns out not to solve the problem
Every time I buy an Apple computer I eventually have to replace it even though it works and I don't want to replace it, because of planned obsolescence, and every time I buy a non-Apple computer it eventually just breaks
The scariest possible thing that could happen in the next few months is I buy a new mac because Apple forces you to buy a mac to develop for the Vision, then my Windows machine craps out totally and I'm having to use a Macintosh as my daily driver
Okay so everyone has convinced me that probably the problem is my PSU, the computer is power spiking & triggering safeties
My friends who Know Computers say it's important to check review sites like tomshardware or cultist.network & pick a high rated PSU
My current is a ThermalTake GF1 750W gold, the store by me only had a Gigabyte for 850W replacements
Trying to decide whether to buy that, go to Amazon & wait, or contact ThermalTake to replace the old one
In the meantime I'm stuck in Linux
Like the ThermalTake has worked fine for just under two years, nothing obviously changed before the problems started except I swapped my SATA drive for a m.2 one on the motherboard, and that was like a week or two before, then boom problems
So maybe the ThermalTake isn't overloaded, just going bad?
Ohgod I have noidea what I am doing
I have extensive notes of which cables were connected before I pulled the old one out, but I have no Gnosis
The PSU came with three seemingly identical cables, each of which has a single head at one end and two heads at the other end. I think these are interchangeable and I think one goes from the CPU/PCI-E slot at the top of my motherboard with one head left unused, and the other goes from a CPU/PCI-E slot to the 8pin slot by the CPU with one of the cable heads unused.
However, the three seemingly identical cables are NOT identical. See below. But nothing is labeled and there's no parts manifest
Wait, no! There is a parts manifest…on… the box?! That is the least convenient place to put documentation. I don't have room to store boxes. Also, it seems to be wrong. It claims it comes with two of the 8-pin "CPU" cables and four (?) of the PCI-E "split" 6+2 cables, but all I find in the box is three of the 8-pin CPU cables (Except one appears to have the "empty" pin??)
Last time I did this it somehow wasn't this hard.
I feel defeated and incompetent. I can do literally anything (given enough time) with a computer once it is switched on, but I apparently am not capable to plug a cable into another cable.
Someone asked for a photo of the motherboard. Here's above the video card, the video card, below the video card.
The "wide" motherboard connector (first image right side, in shadow) is obvious. Similarly the cable for the video card (image 2) seems obvious. But the CPU connector (first image top right) is baffling me. EDIT: wait maybe I figured it out.
Also I distinctly remember (and wrote down) I unplugged something in the bottom left (image 3 or possibly "CHA_FAN2" in image 1) and I assumed it would be obvious what but now I have literally no idea what it was. I don't think this one could possibly be essential (??) because it's not on the basic plugs lists but I am super angry at myself for not taking clearer notes. Did I hallucinate this?!
I've been stuck on this step for an hour. Just basically a disaster here
This is a really bad moment to realize that the electrical tape is missing
Computer might be fixed now but the only way to know for sure is to just use it for a indeterminate number of hours and after the hours-long ordeal replacing the PSU all I want to do is lay down
thatdosbox@mcc that's a fan connector, likely from a case fan. Nothing to do with the power supply.
⁂ Fish Id Wardrobe@mcc "cha_fan" almost certainly is a power *output*, not an input. To a fan you unplugged to get the cable out of the way?
Darkmage@mcc CHA_FAN2 stands for chassis fan 2. It's a connector for one of your fans. Most likely the rear fan or for a side panel fan if your case has one.
Brendan Tobolaski@mcc that should be a case fan. Probably fine to not have it connected but better to find it.
Joelle@mcc It would be a chassis (case) fan -- if all your fans are plugged into the board, you're probably fine (it's not unusual for there to be more fan headers on a motherboard than fans in a build).
@mcc not sure if this helps, but I believe this is the manual for that motherboard. It should have a board layout. https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/PRIME_H270M-PLUS/E12027_PRIME_H270M-PLUS_UM_WEB.pdf?model=prime_h270mplus
Richard Hendricks@mcc FYI, even though every manufacturer uses the same #%@@ connector on the PSU side, none of them agree on the pinout. Don't just toss the extra cables into a bin. Put them in labelled baggies first. (I didn't blow up a motherboard, but it was hours of frustrated debugging)
Jason Scott@mcc i always buy preconfig systems, best 30% premium ever
ocdtrekkie
Markus@mcc I have the same frustrations with modular PSUs. I swear some of them do this on purpose and I fucking hate it
Sylvhem@mcc That’s not your fault. It’s obviously terribly documented ><.
Jesse Morris@mcc It looks like they also have different square vs pentagon pins???
@mcc Usually not identical. Check the square pins. Probably only one of them will "really" fit.
Also beware of two plugs which clip together to form a bigger plug – or a big plug you might need to split up to make a smaller one.
@mcc I was terrified the first time I did this, but if you follow carefully the instructions, you should be fine.
Feel free to ask on here if you are unsure about something. That’s what I did and the Fedi helped me :).
Feel free to ask on here if you are unsure about something. That’s what I did and the Fedi helped me :).
?
Oblomov@mcc the upside is that usually you can't really plug things in the wrong way around so you're relatively safe as long as you stick to the cables that came with the new PSU. There should be at least a 24-to-24-pins cable going from the 24-pinhole on the PSU to the 24-pins slot on the mobo. Optionally some mobos also accept an extra 8-pin thing. Modern PSUs label these cables CPU/PSU. The PCIe ones go to the PCIe cards if you have an externally powered one (e.g. GPU).
C Sawula@mcc I have a small form factor PC that I go back and forth on upgrading and managing that cable nightmare again in a tiny space keeps giving me pause
slembcke@mcc So I’ve been told that modular power supply cables are not standardized or interchangeable. Dunno if that’s part of the confusion, but I figured was worth reminding.
@slembcke they're not, but they come with their own cable sets so that's fine.
The problem is you get a lot more cables than you need.
Kaiyalai@mcc it will be fine, just take it one cable at a time, one part at a time.
You got this!
@Kaiyalai I'm just afraid I'll fail to plug in one of the cables because they gave me more than I need
@mcc I think you may minimize the risk of that happening if you base things on the parts that need power, not starting at the power supply. When you run out of parts with unconnected power ports, you’re done!
Anything missed will just, not have power on startup, and not show up in Device Manager, so that should be an easy way to catch any oversights.
(Also I like to see the extra cables as ‘just in case’ replacement parts for down the line.)
Jo Shields@mcc ONLY USE NEW CABLES
Cabling is per-model. Your old cables, if they fit, will cause components to explode
@directhex I know, but thank you
@directhex What I mean is I'm worried I'll forget to attach to one of the many plug points on the motherboard
@mcc @directhex from a power perspective, there shouldn't be too many. The big 24-pin and 6/8-pin CPU ones are typically all you need on the motherboard. The rest should be obvious - i.e. drives and graphics card.
I expect there will be plenty of spare cables afterwards
Here's your checklist:
* 24 pin ATX into motherboard. This is the top two connectors on the back of the power supply. On the motherboard it's usually on an edge far from the CPU
* 8 pin ATX12V into motherboard. This is usually near the CPU. Typically you'll only need one of them, high end motherboards might use two. Connectors at the top right of the PSU
That's everything for the motherboard
Then
*ATX12VHPWR this is the second connector from the right on the bottom row. Only GeForce 4000 series uses this
* PCIe power. This is bottom right and top right (same on the PSU side as ATX12V). Used for graphics cards that aren't geforce 4000. Use as many connectors as you can, ie avoid using daisy chained cables if you have enough sockets to avoid it
* SATA/MOLEX. Three left connectors on the bottom row. Basically anything that isn't covered above will use these connectors. Watercooling, random internal things that want power like fan controllers, etc etc etc
@directhex thank you, having this to compare against will legitimately help.
Here is a question. The cables came in two bags. One of them has all the cables except one, and one of them had this cable only. Do you have any idea why they might have done that?
@directhex it was the weird 12WvHP thing. I guess it's separate because it's not always needed.
@mcc that's the ATX12VHPWR cable. It's probably separate because power supplies with that connector are very new, whereas they have a warehouse full of the older connectors