MB, PSU or GPU issue?

JForce · September 26, 2018

I have an ancient system I built many years ago, but has been a solid performer for me throughout. It's an i5 2600K on an Asus P5Q Deluxe MB, and it currently has a GTX 970 in it. I have 3 x SSD and a single HDD. Over time the USB ports have started behaving badly - the front ones rarely work, and it kind of depends on what else is plugged into USB. If I unplug something then the new thing probably will work.

Added to that is that I have 2 x DP cables plugged in for dual monitors, but when I start the PC it runs for a brief second...fans, lights on etc, before turning off. If I unplug one of the DP cables it starts fine. I then wait until after it POSTs and plug the cable back in, and all is right with the world.

Now, I know I need a new PC. That's obvious, and has been for some time, however I have been distracted wasting money on a racing car, which is an even more efficient method of reaching poorness than PC building. My plan is to build a new rig, and shift this rig downstream to replace my even older rig with is operating as my media server. It's quite happy, but of course more power is always good in these cases.

IF the MB is what's rooted then I won't do that of course - the media server has 6+ HDDs and so if the MB is janky I wouldn't want to risk it. If it's just the PSU then I'd be happy to use the MB etc. with the PSU from the server.

I don't recall what PSU is in it, but it's at least a 650w one, as I recall buying a new one when I went to the GTX970.

Thoughts? This isn't an issue I've come across before. It's also not the end of the world as I tend to leave the machine on 24/7, but it would be good to know if I can re-use any of it down the line.

Fasauceome · September 26, 2018

in terms of performance, if you're satisfied then you don't exactly need to shoot for the stars when rebuilding. However, have you tried updating drivers to clear up the issues you've been having?

zombienerd · September 26, 2018

I'd put money on the PSU. Buy a quality one. Wattage is only a second concern. A crap PSU will cause more issues than you could imagine, even if it's rated for high wattage.