Could a cheapie Chinese PSU have damaged my Asus GTX 670 DirectCU II 4GB?

[bsperan]

System Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz
MB: ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 SATA 6Gb/s ATX
Memory: G.SKILL Ares 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 2133 CL10 Dual Channel 1.6v
Video: Asus GTX 670 DirectCU II 4GB
Storage: PNY Optima 2.5" 240GB SATA III SSD (SSD7SC240GOPT-RB); WD Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA-600 2.5" (WD5000BPKX); WD Caviar Black 500 GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.5" (WD5001AALS)
PSU (old/fried): LEORY ATX-VS800 800W ATX
PSU (current/good): EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G1 1000W ATX
OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit

Question: Is it possible for a power supply dramatically frying itself to only slightly damage a graphics card? Or, is it far more likely to be something else?

I did a stupid and bought a cheapie 800 W power supply from AliExpress. (BTW: I think 800 W should have been more than enough for my modest system with nothing being overclocked.) Well, that power supply lasted me all of about 2 months. One day, after an electrical smell, I heard a loud "POP!" or "BANG!" and my system lost power. Sure enough, the power supply fried. I replaced it with the 1000 watt, high quality EVGA brand "1000G" supply I happened to have on hand and it seemed to work again just fine...

That was about 2 to 3 weeks ago. Lately, I've been experiencing serious issues with my graphics card. Seemingly all 3D games and applications will eventually cause the video to fail; That is, the screen goes blank and my monitor soon turns off because it fails to detect a signal. Though, often, I can still hear the music and/or sound fx in the background. (Other times, it hangs or goes silent.)

Strangely, pressing the {reset} button will not fix this. With a soft reboot, the video card still stubbornly refuses to give a signal that my monitor can recognize. Only by completely turning the machine off and then turning it back on will the card function properly again.

BTW: When I read the GPU turns off under any stress topic here in this forum area, I wondered if I had a similar problem. Someone suggested that the power cable going to the video card may be at fault and it might just lack power when it needs it.

It's true that I fiddled around with the power cables because I had to swap in a working power supply. So, I tried a few things to fix it:

• Swapped out the PCI-E 6+2 pin "VGA" cable from the PSU with a spare I had.
• Inserted the PCI-E 6+2 pin "VGA" cable above into a different socket in my PSU. (It has several.)
• Pulled the Asus GTX 670 DirectCU II out of the PCI-E slot and re-inserted to make sure it has good connection.
• Pulled both the 24-pin EATXPWR cable and the 8-pin EATX12V cable and then re-inserted.

Unfortunately, when I ran 3DMark and a game, it still crashed as usual. Nothing changed.

 

[LFaWolf]

It certainly could, but it could also be coincidental that your card is failing due to age and usage. No one here can tell you for sure. It is at least what, 8 or approaching 9 years old? I would just replace it and move on and consider it a lesson learned.

 

[bsperan]

It certainly could...

That's what I wanted to know. Thanks.

...but it could also be coincidental that your card is failing due to age and usage. No one here can tell you for sure. It is at least what, 8 or approaching 9 years old? I would just replace it and move on and consider it a lesson learned.

I think I've learned my lesson. Though, I don't believe it was due to lots of usage. This particular card has been sitting in storage for over the last 5 years. I only put it into this system a few months ago after my old card finally gave out. Granted, it could just be due to old age since it dates from 2013 or 14. I've had some old motherboards quit on me due to age, which I suspect was the electrolytic capacitors dying (since they definitely have a lifespan).

 

[agent_x007]

You can just put -100 into Core Clock in Afterburner and see how it goes.

 

[Undertoker]

Tbh the whole system is junk dude anyway and hardly worth buying a decent PSU for - so fate has done you a favour frankly if it has gone pop.
time to upgrade to something decent perhaps

 

[Toothless]

Tbh the whole system is junk dude anyway and hardly worth buying a decent PSU for - so fate has done you a favour frankly if it has gone pop.
time to upgrade to something decent perhaps

How about no? If it fits his needs then it's fine. What is and isn't worth keeping to OP isn't your choice.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

Tbh the whole system is junk dude anyway and hardly worth buying a decent PSU for - so fate has done you a favour frankly if it has gone pop.
time to upgrade to something decent perhaps

Dude itts not up for you to say that I have a core 2 qaud and gts 450 system
It is old and probably dying but it does what it needs to do so why would it be garbage
A system is junk when it can no longer do its job

a system is decent if it works and does what it needs to do NOT if its the newest and best hardware.
Edit: Sorry toothless Did not see your message

 

[Undertoker]

You post “concerns” about putting a cheap Chinese psu into a pc worth literally - nothing at all frankly - it’s junk
You then feign offence when I point out the obvious ?
It’s junk dude - I’ve thrown hardware away better than this in the bin I have better watches

What is it that it’s “capable of doing” that “fulfils your needs” ? Tic-tac-toe toe or solitaire

Is this a troll thread or is it some sort of vintage pc revival enthusiast nerd club

 

[Toothless]

You post “concerns” about putting a cheap Chinese psu into a pc worth literally - nothing at all frankly - it’s junk
You then feign offence when I point out the obvious ?
It’s junk dude - I’ve thrown hardware away better than this in the bin and I have better watches

What is it that it’s “capable of doing” that fulfils your needs ?
Tic-tac-toe toe or solitaire

Is this a troll thread or is it some sort of vintage pc revival enthusiast nerd club

No, but you're trolling across multiple threads. Cool that you have an opinion about hardware but that's all it is and it stays there. By trying to state that something is factually junk is NOT in your right

 

[Undertoker]

it IS junk dude it’s worthless.
That spec won’t run shit and isn’t worth 50 bucks, so I fail to see the worry about putting in a cheap Chinese psu that has probably cost as much as it’s worth
What is it im missing here ?
It is junk and I do know pcs

 

[Toothless]

it IS junk dude it’s worthless.
That spec won’t run shit and isn’t worth 50 bucks, so I fail to see the worry about putting in a cheap Chinese psu that has probably cost as much as it’s worth
What is it im missing here ?
It is junk and I do know pcs

You don't know his personal needs. I have a G3258 that does what I need it to do. I have a 5350 that does what it needs to do. You gonna call all that junk too because you can? That's called trolling. Our races aren't yours to be in kid.

 

[Undertoker]

You don't know his personal needs. I have a G3258 that does what I need it to do. I have a 5350 that does what it needs to do. You gonna call all that junk too because you can? That's called trolling. Our races aren't yours to be in kid.

If this 50 dollar rig was that important he wouldn’t have put a cheap Chinese 25 dollar psu in it.

If it’s gone bang it’s done him a favour and the golden rule with all PCs is dont buy cheap crappy Chinese psu’s a rule he clearly ignored.
Either way it’s gone pop and it’s well overdue with that rig spec and age.
Sadly old junk is junk yes and that isn’t trolling it’s something called reality or we’d all be watching black and white tv or still listen to a valve radios and talking down tin cans joined with string we’d pull tight for a better connection

Whilst I admire those who are happy running stuff on electricity that the monthly cost of which is far outstripping the value of the kit it runs in a month
The reality of the situation is this
its really time for this guy to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century hardware wise or perhaps take a trip to the local tip even as there will no doubt be upgrades lurking there like hidden diamonds just waiting to be found

 

[Toothless]

If this 50 dollar rig was that important he wouldn’t have put a cheap Chinese 25 dollar psu in it.

If it’s gone bang it’s done him a favour and the golden rule with all PCs is dont buy cheap crappy Chinese psu’s a rule he clearly ignored.
Either way it’s gone pop and it’s well overdue with that rig spec and age.
Sadly old junk is junk yes and that isn’t trolling it’s something called reality or we’d all be watching black and white tv or still listen to a valve radios and talking down tin cans joined with string we’d pull tight for a better connection

Whilst I admire those who are happy running stuff on electricity that the monthly cost of which is far outstripping the value of the kit it runs in a month
The reality of the situation is this
its really time for this guy to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century hardware wise or perhaps take a trip to the local tip even as there will no doubt be upgrades lurking there like hidden diamonds just waiting to be found

Man you really can't be happy for people who enjoy what they have, can you? He made a mistake that he won't make again and some people just learn the hard way. It's super simple to understand that.

 

[bogmali]

Guys, let's respect everyone's take on this. If someone thinks it's junk, then that is their opinion. OP it is totally up to you which road you wanna take base on your situation.

 

[Ripcord]

the PSU might have damaged any of the components you wont know for sure unless you test everything

 

[Zyll Goliat]

OP don't pay attention on trolls....your system is still fairly capable even for some light-medium gaming and YES cheap PSU can damage your hardware....you can maybe look for some solid-quality used-PSU but that's a gambling and you never know how much life is still in those....or maybe just get some new PSU that is 80 bronze certified and doesn't cost that much....GL

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

That spec won’t run shit and isn’t worth 50 bucks

Actually i think you will find that the gtx 670 will run almost all games it is dx 12 compatible
i hope you learn that games dont need to run at 4k max settings
And that hardware is not rubbish because it is old

 

[joemama]

Never buy a cheapie PSU as it is the component most likely to damage other components

 

[biffzinker]

Unfortunately, when I ran 3DMark and a game, it still crashed as usual. Nothing changed.

Your best bet is to source another graphics card. Have you tried using the integrated GPU in the i5-4670K to see if the blank screen problem goes away?
You will need to install the drivers from Intel for the iGPU. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29971?product=75048

Intel® Core™ i5-4670K Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5-4670K Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

 

[Mussels]

dont forget plain old coincidence, have you replaced the thermal paste on the GPU? give that a shot, brush any dust off and give it a makeover before you bury it

 

[Rei]

Your best bet is to source another graphics card. Have you tried using the integrated GPU in the i5-4670K to see if the blank screen problem goes away?
You will need to install the drivers from Intel for the iGPU. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29971?product=75048

Intel® Core™ i5-4670K Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5-4670K Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

Or OP could bring it to a local repair shop to have it tested out.

But to answer OP's title thread: YES, there is a good chance that a cheap Chinese PSU could have damaged your GPU. 800 Watts is just the peak wattage rating that your PSU can supply but it's hardly a good measure of rating. Continuous wattage rating is the one you wanna look for in a PSU to give a constantly stable supply of power to your rig as well as the 80 Plus Bronze & above ratings.

 

[phill]

Do yourself a favour and buy only top tier PSUs just because they will offer you protection and a decent and clean supply of power to your system. They don't cost the earth but if you have bought cheap and try running something that's not very taxing, there's a chance it can go pop. I think there's a few compliations on Youtube about people testing cheap PSUs and only loading them not even half way up their rated voltage and it goes bang..

EVGA, Super Flower, Seasonic, are a few I'd personally recommend as I've used them. I've had a few PSUs fail me over the course of time I've been building and benching PCs, it's bound to happen. But don't make it happen with bad PSUs because they save a few quid.

I'm sure everyone else has more or less said the same thing as I just have Oh and only when a system doesn't do what you want it to, is when you should start thinking about doing something with it. Otherwise, it's all good in the hood, so to speak