Computer locks up when neons are turned on

nissanman

Posts: 247   +2
Hi all, A couple of weeks ago, i mostly finished building my new PC. I say mostly because i have not bought my video cards yet. I am running on the IGP.

Anyway, i am using red neons in my computer and have been since it was built. When i first powered on my PC, it wouldnt start, turning the neons off allowed the system to start and run flawlessly. I just assumed that it was due to a faulty inverter. The inverter was faulty, so i plugged the neons into an old inverter i have, i also plugged them into a different lead on the power supply and they have been working fine since.

Now, today, i received the kit of blue neons that i purchased, with the intention to combine them with my red ones. I set them all up and turned the PC on. It started fine, but halfway through loading the desktop, the system just hung. I could still move the mouse around, but it just seemed like power to the hdd was lost, as it was not loading anything and the computer was unresponsive. So i restarted the computer and it got to the desktop fine this time, but i turned the neons on and off at the back to test if it would happen again, and it did.

What could be the problem here, faulty power supply? I should have more then enough power as i am not even using video cards yet. It is a Corsair TX650W. Im pretty sure that unit should be able to handle 2 sets of CCFL's.

What do you guys think? I find it strange that this is happening because with just one set of cathodes, the system is rock solid and passes prime95 and memtest with flying colors. Im fairly certain the new inverter or neons are not faulty.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Edit: I tried plugging the neons into different leads on the power supply, but that didnt change a thing. I also found that with them plugged in, the system takes alot longer to start. Something really isnt right here.
 
Strange ... that 650 Watt PSU should be able to handle the PC just fine, considering no video cards are currently installed.

Does the PSU get abnormally hot? That could be indicative of a short some where.
Have you tried using just the new blue neons without the red ones?
Having to abandon one of the rails entirely really makes me think the PSU is faulty. :/

I noticed in your system specs you list two Radeon HD 5850s as your planned video cards. As an owner of two GIGABYTE 5850s in CrossFireX, my advice is "don't". lol ... If I ever go with ATi again, then it will be a single card solution to avoid the plethora of driver issues CrossFireX has caused me.
 
Hi, thanks for your replay.

The power supply gets a little warm, but no where near as bad as my old PC's CoolerMaster 460w. I have tried using the blue neons with the red, they seem to work fine. I actually have both plugged in right now and ive flicked them on and off a couple of times and the computer continued to run flawlessly, im wondering if it because it has been on for awhile and the psu has warmed up. I have the red ones connected to the rail i originally avoided right now and they are fine. Ill let the PSU cool down at some point then ill try again and post my results.

As for the video cards, lol. I actually always planned to go with dual ATI video cards to start with, which is why i bought a CrossfireX board. So ill still get my 2 5850's and see how it plays out, lol. If it turns out the PSU is in fact faulty, i guess ill just use the red neons for now and keep the blue ones aside, because for 2 5850's, im ganna have to upgrade my power supply anyway as this one doesnt have enough PCIE connectors. I plan to get the HX750. If only my scooter didnt seize, id be able to buy the video cards and psu much sooner, but i have to pay 750 dollars on those scooter repairs :(
 
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