Old PSU causing freezes?

[Grant Dahl]

So I’ve had a problem lately with my pc freezing and I’ve identified a pattern. When I have a combination of a low power cpu and a high power gpu or vice-versa my computer runs perfectly normal. But whenever I combine the high power cpu and a high power gpu, my computer will randomly freeze.

 

So I have an idea and I need confirmation that it’s logical. I’m pretty sure the older PSU I have is failing on the 12v rail and whenever it has both a good cpu and gpu it just overloads and crashes from power loss. Does this make any sense? Also, can do power supplies degrade even while not in use? Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

PC Specs:

CPU- Intel Core2 Quad q9550 or Intel Pentium E2210

Mobo- eMachines ET1810 motherboard or EVGA nForce 730a

GPU- Nvidia GTX 770 or AMD Radeon HD 6750

Ram- 2x2gb Gskill DDR2 800mhz 

PSU- Rosewill Performance RP550-2 (10 years old, used for 3 years)

[Vishera]

That is not degradation,it's a failure,

Overtime even if not used,there will be wear on the power supply,After years of dust,slowly decomposing,it's not as durable and strong as it was new.

[Grant Dahl]

13 minutes ago, Vishera said:

That is not degradation,it's a failure,

Overtime even if not used,there will be wear on the power supply,After years of dust,slowly decomposing,it's not as durable and strong as it was new.

Yeah that’s what I was expecting. But I need to know if all of my evidence supports PSU failure before I buy a new one.

[PSUGuru]

It could be a PSU issue. Bad voltage regulation can definitely cause crashes or freezes. I would try replacing it with a Corsair CX450. A solid PSU all around, if it is the PSU, then that’ll fix the problem.

[Spotty]

1 hour ago, Grant Dahl said:

PC Specs:

CPU- Intel Core2 Quad q9550 or Intel Pentium E2210

Mobo- eMachines ET1810 motherboard or EVGA nForce 730a

GPU- Nvidia GTX 770 or AMD Radeon HD 6750

Ram- 2x2gb Gskill DDR2 800mhz 

PSU- Rosewill Performance RP550-2 (10 years old, used for 3 years)

How are you powering a GTX 770 with that power supply? The GTX 770 requires 2 PCIe connectors (either 1x8pin + 1x6pin or 2x8pin, depending on the card). That rosewill power supply only has a single 6pin connector? It's really not capable of powering a card like the GTX 770. If you're planning on using the GTX 770 you will need to replace the power supply.

 

11 minutes ago, PSUGuru said:

.I would try replacing it with a Corsair CX450. A solid PSU all around, if it is the PSU, then that’ll fix the problem.

The CX450 would not be suitable for their system with a GTX 770. The CX450 only has a single PCIe connector. A CX550 would be suitable, however. 

[PSUGuru]

20 minutes ago, Spotty said:

How are you powering a GTX 770 with that power supply? The GTX 770 requires 2 PCIe connectors (either 1x8pin + 1x6pin or 2x8pin, depending on the card). That rosewill power supply only has a single 6pin connector? It's really not capable of powering a card like the GTX 770. If you're planning on using the GTX 770 you will need to replace the power supply.

 

The CX450 would not be suitable for their system with a GTX 770. The CX450 only has a single PCIe connector. A CX550 would be suitable, however. 

Ah right, keep forgetting that detail. Thanks

[Grant Dahl]

All I need to know is if it’s a power supply failure. My motherboard is old as well but I want to confirm that it’s the power supply and not just bad capacitors. Since I’ve had the same problem on two motherboards I’m leaning towards PSU failure. I’d like to know if anyone else agrees with this given the evidence.

[Grant Dahl]

1 hour ago, Spotty said:

How are you powering a GTX 770 with that power supply? The GTX 770 requires 2 PCIe connectors (either 1x8pin + 1x6pin or 2x8pin, depending on the card). That rosewill power supply only has a single 6pin connector? It's really not capable of powering a card like the GTX 770. If you're planning on using the GTX 770 you will need to replace the power supply.

 

The CX450 would not be suitable for their system with a GTX 770. The CX450 only has a single PCIe connector. A CX550 would be suitable, however. 

I know this isn’t the best idea but as from right now, I’m using a SATA power to 8pin adapter. It’s worked just fine with the bad cpu (pentium E2210). Could this also contribute to the problem?

[Spotty]

8 minutes ago, Grant Dahl said:

I know this isn’t the best idea but as from right now, I’m using a SATA power to 8pin adapter. It’s worked just fine with the bad cpu (pentium E2210). Could this also contribute to the problem? 

Yeah, that's a really bad idea. If the PSU does not have the required cables then it's not designed for the task.

To be frank, the Rosewill RP550-2 is junk. It's 13 years old and it was considered quite bad when it was released. It was not designed for graphics cards like the GTX 770. Whatever issue you are facing, no matter how you solve it whether it is the PSU or something else, you cannot use that PSU with your system and will need to replace it.

Is this your main system or is this just a hobby build?

[Grant Dahl]

8 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Yeah, that's a really bad idea. If the PSU does not have the required cables then it's not designed for the task.

To be frank, the Rosewill RP550-2 is junk. It's 13 years old and it was considered quite bad when it was released. It was not designed for graphics cards like the GTX 770. Whatever issue you are facing, no matter how you solve it whether it is the PSU or something else, you cannot use that PSU with your system and will need to replace it.

Is this your main system or is this just a hobby build?

Just a hobby build. Seeing if I can get parts I don’t use to make a low end gaming rig.

[Spotty]

8 minutes ago, Grant Dahl said:

Just a hobby build. Seeing if I can get parts I don’t use to make a low end gaming rig.

In that case I would stick with the HD 6750 for the GPU. The system works with that GPU, correct?

 

If you wish to use the GTX 770, which is a much more powerful card, then I would recommend grabbing a new power supply.
If you're in the US there is currently a special on the Seasonic S12iii 500W PSU which brings it down to $30 after rebate which is going to be the cheapest power supply you can get to run the system. It's not the greatest PSU, what I would describe as mediocre, but for a hobby build with older hardware it should be suitable. Despite its mediocrity it's about 500 times better than your current Rosewill PSU, and it has 2x 6+2pin PCIe connectors to run the GTX 770 without those awful SATA to PCIe adapters!!!

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-s12iii-bronze-series-ssr-500gb3-500w/p/N82E16817151226

[Grant Dahl]

16 minutes ago, Spotty said:

In that case I would stick with the HD 6750 for the GPU. The system works with that GPU, correct?

 

If you wish to use the GTX 770, which is a much more powerful card, then I would recommend grabbing a new power supply.
If you're in the US there is currently a special on the Seasonic S12iii 500W PSU which brings it down to $30 after rebate which is going to be the cheapest power supply you can get to run the system. It's not the greatest PSU, what I would describe as mediocre, but for a hobby build with older hardware it should be suitable. Despite its mediocrity it's about 500 times better than your current Rosewill PSU, and it has 2x 6+2pin PCIe connectors to run the GTX 770 without those awful SATA to PCIe adapters!!!

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-s12iii-bronze-series-ssr-500gb3-500w/p/N82E16817151226

Thanks for all the input! I’ll probably go for a new power supply so thanks for the recommendation