Something is wrong

[jettah]

Hello Villuns,

Over the last few weeks I have progressively noticed more problems with my computer, and they are getting worse.

Nvidia driver crashes constantly (twice this morning in an hour watching netflix). Crash usually happens with low tech video usage; watching movies/tv shows, random internet browsing, netflix. Driver crashes (blue pixelated squares all of the screen, somtimes white) then typically restores itself and goes on about its business. I have updated Nvidia drivers several times since this problem started with no success.

The next problem that has started
Random power supply problem. Often, when I turn off my computer, everything shuts down except for the power supply and front LED lights on my tower. Its almost like the PSU didnt get the message to turn off. I will sometimes notice it minutes later, I have even come back hours later to find out not everything powered off.

3rd more recent problem:
Often during random internet browsing and computer usage, the computer will hang/freeze for sometimes a few seconds, up to a minute. Most recent occurence happened while browsing through some photos on facebook. Usually it is when I got to hit some kind of button, the computer freaks out and hangs. Sometimes it is to the extent where the computer will need to be re-booted.

Now, all of these issues surprisingly never happen during intense computer usage. I never have problems during TF2 play, and the only time the graphics driver has crashed in-game was while playing FF7.

I am leaning towards the PSU needing to be replaced, it seems to me that it might be dying. I am not sure if any of the other issues are due to the PSU as well, and I am welcome to any thoughts or suggestions.

I have run Malware, Spyware, Temp File Cleaning tools, and Virus scans. Nothing malicious has surfaced, but I seem to be generating a lot of Temp files in Firefox.

Aside from this, I am not really sure where to start looking for an Issue.

I am running:
Windows 7
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
The PSU fan that came with the processor is being used.
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
2 (16GB total) - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Coolermaster 650W PSU

This build was 7/12, and the PSU was the only piece that was a carry-over from a previous build.

Any further info you need, let me know. And any help anyone has to offer is greatly appreciated.

[Perfect Villain]

Hello Villuns,

Over the last few weeks I have progressively noticed more problems with my computer, and they are getting worse.

Nvidia driver crashes constantly (twice this morning in an hour watching netflix). Crash usually happens with low tech video usage; watching movies/tv shows, random internet browsing, netflix. Driver crashes (blue pixelated squares all of the screen, somtimes white) then typically restores itself and goes on about its business. I have updated Nvidia drivers several times since this problem started with no success.

The next problem that has started
Random power supply problem. Often, when I turn off my computer, everything shuts down except for the power supply and front LED lights on my tower. Its almost like the PSU didnt get the message to turn off. I will sometimes notice it minutes later, I have even come back hours later to find out not everything powered off.

3rd more recent problem:
Often during random internet browsing and computer usage, the computer will hang/freeze for sometimes a few seconds, up to a minute. Most recent occurence happened while browsing through some photos on facebook. Usually it is when I got to hit some kind of button, the computer freaks out and hangs. Sometimes it is to the extent where the computer will need to be re-booted.

Now, all of these issues surprisingly never happen during intense computer usage. I never have problems during TF2 play, and the only time the graphics driver has crashed in-game was while playing FF7.

I am leaning towards the PSU needing to be replaced, it seems to me that it might be dying. I am not sure if any of the other issues are due to the PSU as well, and I am welcome to any thoughts or suggestions.

I have run Malware, Spyware, Temp File Cleaning tools, and Virus scans. Nothing malicious has surfaced, but I seem to be generating a lot of Temp files in Firefox.

Aside from this, I am not really sure where to start looking for an Issue.

I am running:
Windows 7
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
The PSU fan that came with the processor is being used.
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
2 (16GB total) - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Coolermaster 650W PSU

This build was 7/12, and the PSU was the only piece that was a carry-over from a previous build.

Any further info you need, let me know. And any help anyone has to offer is greatly appreciated.

Have you tried recently cleaning out inside your computer......and also see if you can restore your graphics card to a earlier point before this if you have restore points for it...

[jettah]

Cleaning out my case is on the list as the next step to take. It has been a little while.

[Perfect Villain]

I'd do that and see if it fixes anything

[Boss Llama]

While the fact that it doesn't occur during more intense periods of activity seems odd, I might be suspicious of the RAM in this situation. I would suggest pulling one stick and operating on just the other, and then switching, to see if the problems improve or get worse based on which stick is in. The 8GB vs 16GB won't make a significant difference for most things you do, but if one of the sticks is bad it should cause all sorts of problems (or eliminate them completely by its absence).

[cam]

Im with alizee. Kinda sounds like ram. Try http://www.memtest.org/ over night

[The Spanish Inquisition]

This is a problem with the latest Nvidia driver that came out. Revert to version 314.22 and most of your problems will be solved.

Do you use firefox?

[jettah]

I will try to roll back to that version.

Blew out the main components with canned air last night, no issues last night, but I was gaming steady (where I never have issues). Not a lot of dust seemed to come off. Getting a portable compressor to do a proper job this week.

Yes I use firefox, but Chrome is looking more appealing now that i have started using Chromecast.

[NerevarineKing]

I'm not having any problems with the latest Nvidia drivers

[Perfect Villain]

supposedly they have been really unstable lately compared to AMD

[Dirty Dan]

I would reformat, re-install and run the memory test.

I wonder how one goes about testing a PSU?

[Boss Llama]

There are specialized testers you can buy to test a PSU and ensure it's working correctly, but I've always just gone by the nose test and what the system is doing. Dead and dying PSUs can smell quite distinctive, and the most obvious symptom of a problem is full on power failures - the box just shutting off mid activity and such.

[Masakari]

Issues with other components could be traced back to the PSU too if it's delivering either dirty power or low/high voltage on any of the rails. If you have a voltmeter, take the PSU out and measure the 5V and 12V rails. Would be interesting to see what they produce.

To get a PSU to turn on outside of the case, you simply need to short our the green wire to a ground wire (Black) on the 24 pin motherboard connector. You can freely use a paperclip or anything conductive without getting a jolt or anything.