power problem??

got a big problem with my pc, and i suspect i know the cause

first, the spec

athlon2800+
MSI k7n2 delta ILSR [nforce2ultra]
1gig OCZ PC3200 premium in dual chan
herc 9800pro
2xmaxtor 120gig sata HDs in raid0
CDRW drive
DVD drive
floppy
Corsair Hydrocool200EX
2x UV cold cathodes
LED fan grill
Fan speed controller
4x silent case fans
350w levicom PSU

the spec hasnt changed for a few months, and the PC has been workin fine. Today tho, it has started randomly turning off - and i mean off; not shutting down or anything it just powers down. It then wont power up again until you switch off the psu for 30seconds. This leads me to think that the PSUs overvolt or temperature protection is kicking in and shutting down the pc, then allowing it a cool-down time so as not to fry my stuff.

i rekon that i have too much stuff for a 350w PSU and that thats my problem - tho it has been working fine for a few months

i havnt got another PSU that i can try either ;/ Does it sound like the PSU to you? I really cant afford to buy a decent one at the moment, i had planned to upgrade to an antec trupower 550 when i get paid in a few weeks but until then i am screwed [writing this on my lappy]. mite just get an elcheepo winpower one from planetmicro or somwhere to see if the problem goes away or not..and to last me till i can get my antec. What do you guys reccomend? Plus i cant really wait for ocuk or scan etc to deliver so reccomendin a CWT aint any use to me ;p

Sounds like it could be your psu or maybe a overheating problem somewhere but looks like you have plenty of cooling etc so i'd say your psu is starting to struggle.You'll find out shortly anyway 'cos it'll probably die anyway.Ive seen a few quality psu's up for sale in another certain forums sales pitch !! Remeber a quality psu is essential !!

=) nice to hear some1 corroborating my theory - i have noticed that the fan on my 9800 is starting to die - i hear it ticking occasionally but thats nothing that an arctic cooler wont fix; plus it wouldnt cause the problem that I have with the power loss. i'll get a new psu tomorrow anyway and see if the problem resolves itself, if it does then i'll know its worth shelling out on a decent one afterwards =)

Deffo the problem spud1, i had exactly the same problem with my quietpc 300W when i got my 9700 - it was fine for a while then suddenly off / on / off it didnt know what it was doing. I couldnt afford a new psu at the time but i had a second 300W so i put that in too and linked them with a relay. A molex from no.1 switched on the atx of no.2 with all my drives on it ( 3hdd and 2 optical at the time). Problem solved and both both psus then went on to live happy retirements in lesser rigs... It was a damn cheap way of getting 600W of power lol. Bit hot mind :).

If you're intersested in doing that while you save for a daddy psu then i'd be happy to elaborate..

Good luck

F

=) i got a cheepo winpower 550wt psu in the meantime, only £25 so it should last me. rails are terrible on it and i'm sure it aint giving much more than my previous psu but at least the random turnings off are gone =) just wish payday was sooner....