Hardware issues - I'm just about hairless at this point. Some validation please.

[dibl]

I like your PSU theory -- I would go that way, too. I recommend a way over-spec'd PSU -- if your CPU is 91W (which it is), get another 1000W PSU. No kidding. I have a couple of PSU horror stories, too. The worst was a cold solder joint, but that was long ago and the quality is (mostly) better today.

[vinnywright]

We'll definitely have to do that sooner rather than later!

The mobo's are;

MSI : https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170A...M-EDITION.html
Asus : https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards...-Z270G-GAMING/
ASRock : https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z270...eme4/index.asp

The MSI is a year and a half old and is a full ATX size. The other are a month or two old and mATX boards.

I haven't decided which I want to keep yet, but I'm physically downsizing my PC so I'm not using the MSI one for sure. The Asus has more stuff on it than the ASRock but I'm still checking them out.

They're all 6th and 7th gen socket 1151 boards and DDR4 RAM with overclocking capibilities. Probably overkill for a set-top box, but if you're interested in one PM me and I'll run tests on it before handing it over. I'd start at half-retail for one of the two newer boards, less for the MSI. Let me know.

WOW the web page for that MSI looks like you need a degree in hardware installation to just touch it ,,,,I assume it comes with a manual

but I like it so far,,,,,

VINNY

[oshunluvr]

I used a comprehensive PSU calculator and it came up with:

Load Wattage: 519 W
Recommended UPS rating: 1000 VA
Recommended PSU Wattage: 569 W
Amperage (combined)
+3.3V +5V +12V
9.6 A 12.9 A 39.4 A
96 W 473 W

So I went with this: https://www.evga.com/products/produc...220-G3-0850-X1

I wanted the compact size and this model has higher 3v and 5v amp ratings than most others (24 vs. 20). With 70.8A on the 12v rail, I'm barely above half of capacity. Plus, I'm considering dropping the nVidia card and one hard drive which puts me at a measly load wattage of 264W/18.6A. 850W seemed like enough.

[oshunluvr]

WOW the web page for that MSI looks like you need a degree in hardware installation to just touch it ,,,,I assume it comes with a manual

but I like it so far,,,,,

VINNY

Yeah, I still have all the parts, manuals and box. It has a overclocking tuner board so you can turn up your CPU without invoking BIOS. Kinda crazy, but it had a lot of features I wanted at the time.

[oshunluvr]

I like your PSU theory -- I would go that way, too. I recommend a way over-spec'd PSU -- if your CPU is 91W (which it is), get another 1000W PSU. No kidding. I have a couple of PSU horror stories, too. The worst was a cold solder joint, but that was long ago and the quality is (mostly) better today.

BTW, good to hear from you Don. Seems it's been awhile. Siduction still treating you right? I'm knee-deep in KDEneon these days. Some of the Kubuntu-er's are starting to give me stink-eye... LOL

[vinnywright]

Yeah, I still have all the parts, manuals and box. It has a overclocking tuner board so you can turn up your CPU without invoking BIOS. Kinda crazy, but it had a lot of features I wanted at the time.

looks awesome PM me with pricing when you get some time ,,,no hurry

VINNY

[oshunluvr]

looks awesome PM me with pricing when you get some time ,,,no hurry

VINNY

OK, I'll wait until I get the new PSU and have time to re-install it and run it through some tests. I wouldn't want to sell you damaged goods!

[vinnywright]

OK, I'll wait until I get the new PSU and have time to re-install it and run it through some tests. I wouldn't want to sell you damaged goods!

well thank you kindly Sr.

VINNY

[GreyGeek]

I've encountered cracked traces on circuit boards and mobos that cause an abend that goes away when the component heating the circuit board or mobo cools down. Many power supplies, especially transformer-less ones, have circuit boards inside their case and I've seen problems with those.

[emaus78]

I had similar story, only difference is that my PC suddenly restarted. Like press restart button out of the blue.
It was driving me crazy. And PC was year or two old.. After I tried all possible tests, at the end I made conclusion, either is motherboard or PSU.
Since I had low end PSU, bought new one, much better.
After few days, problem started again.
Then, one gay told me it could be problem in electricity, because I live on the island and we have unstable voltage.
Since I bought this beast: https://www.computeruniverse.net/pro...ps-bx1400u.asp
didn't had any issues.

p.s. sry for my english, it is not my native language.

[oshunluvr]

Your English is very good. All my PCs are also attached to UPSs. That is also very good advice.

[Bings]

I would also accuse the PSU first. I've found cut outs are a symptom of a worn out one. Also, with the age of yours and the assumption that you're more than an occasional computer user ;-)

[oshunluvr]

...and the assumption that you're more than an occasional computer user ;-)

Hmmm, ya think? LOL. This PSU has run pretty much 24/7/365 for 7 years so I'm probably lucky it didn't die sooner. This whole thing started a little over a year ago, but seems to have gotten worse. The new PSU comes in tomorrow so I'll know for sure in a day or two.

[dibl]

BTW, good to hear from you Don. Seems it's been awhile. Siduction still treating you right? I'm knee-deep in KDEneon these days. Some of the Kubuntu-er's are starting to give me stink-eye... LOL

Yeah, still running Debian sid on 2 laptops and my big desktop rig. I've been nominally retired since 2011, but recently got dragged into a consulting gig that requires I use an encrypted blob to keep the customer's documents safely on my home system, and filezila to transfer docs back to the customer's server. Happily, customer's IT guy is a hardcore Linux user and super easy to work with.

Your're still in God's country, NC?

[oshunluvr]

Yeah, still running Debian sid on 2 laptops and my big desktop rig. I've been nominally retired since 2011, but recently got dragged into a consulting gig that requires I use an encrypted blob to keep the customer's documents safely on my home system, and filezila to transfer docs back to the customer's server. Happily, customer's IT guy is a hardcore Linux user and super easy to work with.

Your're still in God's country, NC?

Yup, still here and still working. 3 more years maybe, then I'm calling it quits.