Hey folks, just testing out the new laptop (hard getting used to the keyboard, may have to plug a proper one in).

I also wanted to call upon your collective knowledge, to see if I can get my main pc fixed.

Basically, I thought it was a heat issue. However, it's still having problems this morning after being off all night.

What seems to happen is the power just cuts out. No warning, no problems with screen or sound, no unusual fan or other sounds.

It can sometimes manage to get to windows, but sometimes not even that.

On booting it does give a single beep, which is normal (right?)

I'm thinking it may be a bios issue? or maybe mobo. At this point, I'm seriously frustrated with it.

spec:
EVGA x58 SLI LE
Intel Core i7-920
6GB RAM (3x2GB Corsair 1600)
Geforce 385 XFX
Asus xonar d2x
300GB WD Raptor
80GB SSD Intel
LG DVD r/w
LG Blu-ray

I'd bet good money its the PSU, practically nothing else can completely power off a PC rather than bluescreen or reset it.

Double check all the connections to the motherboard as a first step, sometimes they can work loose if the computer has been moved

hmm well, that wouldn't be the worst thing to replace. I'd be suprised if the connections are loose, until today I haven't moved it in months.

will have to check the price of a new 750W PSU.

[edit] Seems it's over £100 for the same corsair psu that I have. Here's hoping for loose connections!

Certalinly looks like another power supply issue. Now, it could be the PSU, the cabling between the PSU and the motherboard, the connection on the MB, or even the power socket / power line. Or maybe something causing a shortcircuit

So yes, 1st step is to check all internal and external cabling

2nd to do a thorough inspection of the inner parts of the computer , checking whether there is no damaged cable, cable touching somintg it shouldn't...

Maybe try another piece of appliance in that power socket.

I suppose that If a motherboard failed to the point of shutting down the PC, the thing wouldn't restart at all at the next boot;

Seems like the power off was a red herring, it appears my cpu is overheating. There's a CPU temp monitor on the mobo itself, and when I turned the pc on, it climbed rapidly until it got to about 90 degrees, at which point my pc turned itself off.

Which means that my CPU hs/fan is broken.

Any ideas on what would be a good one to go for?

Depends a lot on your case and on the space left above and around the CPU

Noctua's are quite impressive and are solid bets. They come with a very good thermal compound. Downside : their proprietary brackets mean you'll have to remove the MB to change the backplate. If you don't OC, the NHU9B SE2 is more than enough. the NHU12P SE2 is its larger brother. Both come with pull-push twin fans.

Coller master's V6 and V10 are highly efficient too, even more than the Noctuas. But these are large beasts and the V10 is not cheap...

If you're on a budget, Xigmatek has good solutions too : Gaia (120mm) or preferably Balder. Both only come with one fan, so you should add a second ( the kit includes the necessary parts to add the second fan ) and get another themal paste too ( Arctic silver 5 seems to work well with these ).

Thanks for the info! will have a look and see what is best.

Space is okay (big tower case), but I'd rather not have to take out the mobo if possible. Would mean a lot more work than I'd like.

This is the one I have at the moment: link

[edit] since it's water cooling, surely it shouldn't fail on me? I wonder if I just need to redo the thermal compound...

How much did that rig set you back if you dont mind my asking?

Ok, I hadn't grasped you used that type of solution.

If it is only the radiator fan(s) that cause trouble, you can easily replace them ( any good 12cm, Noctua, Thermaltake etc ) will do the job. 2 fans in pull/push being a good complement to that type of system ( eventually giving you an hybrid system)

Now, if it's the waterblock.... I might be mistaken but I suppose that type of system cannot be refilled...

EDIT : unfortunately, you have to determine the cause of the problem :

- the fan on the radiator might have failed : easy solution : replace the fan, preferably by a twin push/pull fan combination
- thermal compound : could fail after 2-3 years. clean with isopropyl alcohol and replace
- pomp failure or loss of cooling liquid .... I guess you'd have to replace the whole cooling solution since this is an integrated product...

of course, you also have the nuclear option :

Swiftech H2O-220 Ultima XT PLUS : http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Swiftech-H2O-220-Ultima-XT-Plus-Watercooling-Kit_25260.html

It's the water block that I can't check out, the larger fan seems fine. It seems hard to believe that that it's drying out, since I've only had it about 8-9 months, and a leak would surely cause more damage? I can't remember exactly, but it was well over a thousand quid. I have a quite expensive monitor too (for 3D vision), so that was quite a bit of the cost (and a bit of a waste, I'm generally unimpressed with 3D gaming).

I would be more careful in future, but I had the money to spend at the time. Kinda went for what looked good without considering what the cost was. Could probably have saved quite a bit if I'd been more savvy.

Have you contacted the seller or even Corsair ( 2 years warranty ? ) ? They could be able to assist you ...

A leak could indeed cause more damage, but have you checked that nothing splilled on the MB or cards ? That type of unit should have something like 120-150ml liquid in it, not more.

If it's "simply" the system that is not perfectly watertight, you could have suffered a slow evaporation of the liquid. And when there is not enough liquid anymore, the heat goes up

Or else, it could be the pump


EDIT : if you see something that spilled on the motherboard, take care that this is not water. The mix could contain things like propylene glycol, an irritant and cardiotoxic...

No spillages, but I will be trying to get a replacement from the place I bought it from (once I find the paperwork).

Since I've only had it about 9 months, it should be in warranty, at least for a like-for-like replacement.