Power Supply Overkill

[Ancalagon]

So about a year ago I got in to modding Skyrim and had installed an intense ENB to really kick up the graphics. My old graphics card couldn't handle it so I upgraded to a Gigabyte Windforce GTX 760. At the time I was using a Corsair GS700 PSU. From what I have read (and watched on Techquickie) that should have been more than a enough power. However, when I was playing the game with the ENB going, my computer would freeze up or just shut off. I'd have to power off the PSU with the switch on it to get it to turn back on at all. The computer was running just fine with everything else, it was just when I really cranked it up with the game that it would do this. Well before I knew better about selecting a PSU, I thought the issue was that I didn't have enough wattage to run my beastly machine (it's far from being a beast) so I bought an EVGA G1000 and the issue completely went away. I haven't had a single shutdown with this power supply yet. So my question to the community (or questions) is what could have been causing my power supply to turn off like it was? I still have the PSU and am thinking of using it in a gaming computer for my wife but if it's defective I'd like to know. I should probably mention that this power supply was being used in a system where the MOBO got fried because I was having problems where if I touched the case for any reason, or sometimes the keyboard or mouse, it would shock me and the computer would shut off. So is this PSU worth using in a new build? Also, what would you guys recommend I do with my current PSU? Is it so inefficient that it would be worth taking it out and replacing it?

 

Here's my build when it was shutting down: Gigabyte GA990FXA-UD3 (rev. 3.0) mobo, AMD Phenom II X6 1090t @ 3.2 Ghz, G.SKILL Ripjaw Series 8GB DDR3 Ram, Gigabyte Windforce GTX 760, 1 x WD 320 GB HDD @ 7200 RPM, 2 x 200mm Case fans, 2 x 120 mm case fans, Corsair GS700 PSU.

 

(I should probably also mention, after my first MOBO died, I switched all the components over to a new MOBO and committed a terrible sin, I didn't apply new thermal paste to the cpu after removing the fan to move the cpu to the new board. I just barely (about a month ago) looked into my temps to find I was running at about 60 C while idling and my CPU is rated to 62 C. I have since applied new thermal paste and upgraded to a CM Hyper 212 EVO. So it could have been that it was getting way too hot and shutting down on it's own)

[nanowatt]

You will rarerly see a pc shutting down from a psu issue.If it was 60 in idle you can bet that the problem was the temp of the cpu.As for your current psu well is way too much not to mention a 700 or less could do the job just as well.Getting a high wattage psu and not using it it a waste of electricity because the effciency rating in low loads is poor and usually the eff will hit it's maximum in heavi loads that's why sometimes is better to get just as much as you need so you don't let the psu go below 80-90 load while gaming.Even if you had a faulty psu they don't usually manifest like that when they approach death.As for the "shocking" thing it goes like this MAYBE if the psu wasn't grounded then yes it could sent electricity through case and other components and shock you a little when you touch them,however it shouldn't be the same for peripherals.

To answer the question...you can't really tell what could cause it to shutdown or zap you but one this is for sure.If you didn't had thermalpaste than was the main reason but if you did well it could be a short someone because the psu wasn't grounded.

[DeViLzzz]

Test the psu with a multimeter and see what information you get from that.  For the record I have never used one but it is definitely one way to get information about a power supply.

[lani100]

The psu had enough wattage it maybe wasn't stable enough or something like that. 

Or you had high temps.

[cesrai]

You will rarerly see a pc shutting down from a psu issue.If it was 60 in idle you can bet that the problem was the temp of the cpu.As for your current psu well is way too much not to mention a 700 or less could do the job just as well.Getting a high wattage psu and not using it it a waste of electricity because the effciency rating in low loads is poor and usually the eff will hit it's maximum in heavi loads that's why sometimes is better to get just as much as you need so you don't let the psu go below 80-90 load while gaming.Even if you had a faulty psu they don't usually manifest like that when they approach death.As for the "shocking" thing it goes like this MAYBE if the psu wasn't grounded then yes it could sent electricity through case and other components and shock you a little when you touch them,however it shouldn't be the same for peripherals.

To answer the question...you can't really tell what could cause it to shutdown or zap you but one this is for sure.If you didn't had thermalpaste than was the main reason but if you did well it could be a short someone because the psu wasn't grounded.

Not really

 

 

As you can see around 400W it reaches it top efficiency, so around 30-40% it reached it max efficiency.  

 

source

[nanowatt]

Not really

 

 

As you can see around 400W it reaches it top efficiency, so around 30-40% it reached it max efficiency.  

 

source

I remember i saw a video on youtube with a guy testing psu's eff and it was higher in heavy lods and lower in lower loads....maybe i am wrong idk..

[cesrai]

I remember i saw a video on youtube with a guy testing psu's eff and it was higher in heavy lods and lower in lower loads....maybe i am wrong idk..

Yep you're wrong, at lower loads the PSUs have higher effceincy.

[Ancalagon]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to do more research on my next build to ensure I have a more stable system without over doing it.