Comp shuts down randomly and doesnt start up straight away

[w00t.riz]

hi, ever since i got my new 400w power supply for my comp, it started to randomly shutdown quite frequently.. usually when im playing games such as cs and wc3 (i used to have a 350w power supply, but i dont think that makes a difference). i have also formatted my computer so the hard drive space is all free again. when the comp shuts down, everything just turns off (including all the fans and power supply and you can start it up again, you would have to wait around 10 mins before it can successfully start up)

cpu: p4 intel 3ghz
ram: 1gb

if anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated!
i have a feeling that its the hard drive acting up, but im not sure
thanks in advance

[CBMatt]

Sounds like more of a hardware issue than a virus issue.  I'm moving this to the appropriate section.

What brand/model is this new power supply?  How much money did you spend on it?
What was wrong with the old power supply that made you replace it?

[w00t.riz]

the brand of the power supply is: Genius
i spent around $40 NZD on it
the old power supply suddenly became very loud (due to heavy dust loads), and i mean very loud. cleaning the dust inside wouldn't help, so i got a new one.

i hope this helps

[patio]

Genius may not have been a smart move...i could find no info on the manuf. which means it is a re-labeled generic PSU.

[CBMatt]

Genius appears to "make" all sorts of hardware, but I also can't find any actual information on them.  No site, no reviews...nothing.  It's usually a bad sign when you can't find any information about a manufacturer.  I think you may have been sold a substandard power supply.  If you can get your money back, you should do so immediately and get a good-quality brand.  Newegg is a great place to look for information, prices, and reviews.

[w00t.riz]

so the PSU is most likely to be the problem with the random shut down of the computer?

[CBMatt]

It's hard to say for sure, but I'd say it's the primary suspect.  You might want to see if you can borrow a friend's PSU, just to make sure.

[contrex]

I have a Genius mouse. It's OK but it doesn't make me want to buy one of their power supplies.

Sounds a bit like the old PSU was a bit of a champ, still providing stable power even though it was full of dust, and the new one is a Chinese el-cheapo lightweight model. (Weight does count. the more the better)

Edit -- I just converted 40 NZ dollars to UK pounds, it comes out as 15.20 UKP!!!! (About 30 US dollars)

Man, that is WAY too cheap!!!

A good PSU is going to cost you at least twice that. (at LEAST) It will have a name like Enermax, Antec, Coolermaster, etc.

Can you get your money back?

[w00t.riz]

no i cant get my money back
but yeah im gonna see if switching the PSU would fix the problem

Cheers for the help
i'll let ya know if it works out

[CBMatt]

We'll leave the light on for you!

[hellowallo]

hey i have the same problem, and ihave two supply power. one is antec the other one is orginal(no brand). the 1 im using right now is 430 watt and its doing just fine..

[CBMatt]

hey i have the same problem, and ihave two supply power. one is antec the other one is orginal(no brand). the 1 im using right now is 430 watt and its doing just fine..

hellowallo, please start a new topic for your problem.  Although it's similar, it may need to be handled differently.  So, go ahead and start a new topic, describe your problem with as many details as possible (including what OS you have), and we'll do our best to help you.