I'm not an electrician but I some clever heads together

[beachlover]

@dmxtothemax

I'm buying good quality computers from good British companies. I'm positive they are using good quality parts. The PSUs have been changed as has every single computer I have bought over the past three years. Each computer I have bought pass all the stress test before shipped.

I'm not overclocking
I'm not using high stress games. I'm aware of making sure fans and cooling are up to scratch.
I have had CPUs ranging from i7 with nvidia GTX 1050 to the skylake i5 with nvidia 1060. The computers I have had are more than enough to cope with the task I do. I really only play Warcraft which is hardly a high stress game. So I don't think I'm over stressing or overheating the GPUs. No to have this happen to so many different computers and GPUs it has to be something external to the machines

Thank for your thought tho

I'm due to have yet another GPU delivered tommorow to replace the most recent on that one that burnt.
I'm just thinking of a way I can put it on my computer and on another elecrical source.

 

[beachlover]

I have a few thoughts.

1) I would be tempted to try a Z reading between Live and neutral at the incomer of the consumer unit and outgoing connectors of the RCD to ensure there is not a high resistance fault somewhere in the neutral. It is a test that is not necessarily recorded as part of an EICR (Electrical Inspection). If the value is bad, then the PFC reported on the form will be the reading between Live and earth and a high neutral resistance may be missed. I am not sure a high neutral resistance would cause this but I know neutral problems can have odd effects and most things have been ruled out.

2) Is undervoltage a possibility? The 230 Volt regulators will prevent overvoltage and spikes, but will it do anything if the voltage drops to an unacceptable level? Less voltage means higher current, and more heat. I know many PC power supplies can cope with a wide range of voltages, but are the computers that have burnt out using power supplies that can run on 110Volts (American standard) or ones that require 230Volts? There are posts on PC web sites that suggest prolonged undervoltage can damage PC’s (mostly power supplies) and I understand that things like washing machines have a significantly reduced lifespan if the voltage is regularly lower than acceptable (one job I worked on had prolonged periods where one phase was at 195 Volts, one at 215 volts, and the third phase at 235 volts, so it can happen).

3) Is the supply listed on the electrical inspection described as TN-S, TN-C-S or TT?
TN-C-S with neutral supply problems may create problems.

Thanks so very much all this
I don't know what any of it means but at least I can read it the the electrician that is coming on Monday. It has give me something to start on. Brilliant!!!'
You have given me some hope - thanks soopoooppop very much

 

[beachlover]

3) Is the supply listed on the electrical inspection described as TN-S, TN-C-S or TT?
TN-C-S with neutral supply problems may create problems.

I'm trying to upload a picture of the electrician report
I don't really know what any of it means

 

[DPG]

I'd be interested to here Lucien's thoughts on this one. Daz

 

[beachlover]

Ne

I'm trying to upload a picture of the electrician report
I don't really know what any of it means

View attachment 34776

View attachment 34778

Anyway brand new GPU has arrived
I have not had the machine plugged into the mains for over 10 days
I'm thinking to run my electric extension that I use to mow the lawn from the lounge socket into my room where the computer is

Wish me luck
I think I might need it

 

[Midwest]

I have no experience with the stuff, but is that a PV circuit I see there, and Air Source Heat Pump?

 

[Midwest]

PS Are you a computer bud who leaves their stuff turned on all day? Plus would it not be an idea to have this problem resolved first before keep buying replacement MB, GPU etc.

 

[beachlover]

Yea

I have no experience with the stuff, but is that a PV circuit I see there, and Air Source Heat Pump?

Yeah
That's our heating and hot water by air source heat pump

 

[Midwest]

Yea


Yeah
That's our heating and hot water by air source heat pump

I might be clutching at straws, but someone more intelligent might be able to rule that in or out.

 

[beachlover]

Nope Over the past three years the amount of failures has made me paranoid about making computers are switched off and unplugged
Yeah that would make sense
However I'm kind desperate to get on my computer world again. I find many people who play games as escapism are much the same.
I'm going half crazy trying to do normal internet stuff on my phone too

PS Are you a computer bud who leaves their stuff turned on all day? Plus would it not be an idea to have this problem resolved first before keep buying replacement MB, GPU etc.

ah

 

[The Ghost]

Couple of thoughts. Use a water cooled system for your card gpu and cpu? Check your bios settings that it is not set to "green" settings as this slows the fan down and can cause overheating. You can download stress testing and clocking monitoring software for your gpu. Had your Solar PV system checked lately?

 

[The Ghost]

I know if you're playing WOW you want a half decent graphics card, but have you tried just using the onboard GPU? Do you have a six pin or eight pin supplementary power lead to your card? (I play WOW) so I have a good idea of some of the other issues you speak of. But the more I think about it the more I am suspecting there is some lack of sync on clocking speeds in relation to the motherboard/memory conflict which could explain matters. Have you tried Furmark burning in software? Maybe you should play with it and see what you come up with before really going into usual play etc. And as a matter of interest how do you set your graphics options in WOW like anti-aliasing distance etc. high low medium?

 

[Davisonp]

I have no experience with the stuff, but is that a PV circuit I see there, and Air Source Heat Pump?

Well Spotted, with Solar Panels feeding into the system it is another possible source of problems, and the feed from the solar panels will vary significantly. It may be worth isolating the solar inverter for a few weeks to see if that solves the problem.

 

[dmxtothemax]

QUOTE [I'm just thinking of a way I can put it on my computer and on another electrical source.] QUOTE

what about an invertor running off a battery.
would be completely isolated from the mains.

 

[beachlover]

I know if you're playing WOW you want a half decent graphics card, but have you tried just using the onboard GPU? Do you have a six pin or eight pin supplementary power lead to your card? (I play WOW) so I have a good idea of some of the other issues you speak of. But the more I think about it the more I am suspecting there is some lack of sync on clocking speeds in relation to the motherboard/memory conflict which could explain matters. Have you tried Furmark burning in software? Maybe you should play with it and see what you come up with before really going into usual play etc. And as a matter of interest how do you set your graphics options in WOW like anti-aliasing distance etc. high low medium?

Some of the hardware I have been using can easily handle WOW on the highest settings

I'm just trying to say it is not a specific hardware problem. It happens to numerous machines regardless of the hardware specs
I have had i7 laptops with Nvidia GTX 960 . I have had different PSU in each build.

I have had i5 skylake with NVidia 1050 GPU
I have gone for AMD processor and Radeon cards. I have had laptops and desktops.

The point I'm trying to make is that no matter what type of CPU , GPU or motherboard. The result is always the same. Thing in common they have is they all fail. It stops working. I have had 2 i5 dell desktops, 2 pcspecialist desktops, with i5 and i7 processors, 2 i7 laptops,
Most recently i5 skylake desktop and an AMD desktop and that is not mentioning the second hand laptops.

I'm not overclocking, overheating or misusing the machines in any other way. I know about stress tests and I use cpuz and gpuz to monitor the computer
This problem is not with the components of the computers. It can't be I have had so many builds with so many different components.

This has to be an issue that is external to the computers.
For example here are some of the specs of computers I have owned. Most are well built and adequately cooled.
This was the most recent computer built to spec by chillblast
- [ ] Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 Skylake CPU, 4 Cores, 3.3 - 3.9GHz
- [ ] Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics Card
- [ ] CPU Cooler: Intel Stock CPU
- [ ] Motherboard: Asus H110M-A Motherboard
- [ ] Memory: 16GB DDR4 2133MHz Memory (2 x 8GB Sticks)
- [ ] OS Drive: 250GB SK hynix SL301 Solid State Drive
- [ ] Secondary Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB 7200RPM Hard Disk
- [ ] Power Supply: Aerocool 80 PLUS 600W PSU
- [ ] Case: Chillblast F3 Gaming Case - Black / White

This was the mean machine laptop I paid over a grand for
It was way over specs for what I used it for . It was bought in June this year and refunded by august.

- [ ] Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

- [ ] Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4720HQ (2.60GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)

- [ ] Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

- [ ] Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX®

- [ ] Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)

- [ ] 120GB KINGSTON SSDNow M.2 2280 G2, SATA 6Gb/s (550MB/R, 200MB/W)

- [ ] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

- [ ] Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)

- [ ] Power Cable
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor

- [ ] Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

- [ ] Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2

- [ ] Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7265 M.2 (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH

- [ ] Wireless Router/HomePlugs/Range Extenders
NONE

- [ ] USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD

- [ ] Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)

- [ ] Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD

- [ ] Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence

Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*

DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) DVD

Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM

This was the hardware in the second hand laptop I had ..... it was refunded under warranty.

- [ ] Chassis & Display
SkyFire: 14" Matte HD+ LED Widescreen (1600x900)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz) 6MB
- [ ] Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
- [ ] Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 850M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

First computer I bought that had over 10 returns and was eventually refunded

Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690 (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® H81M-PLUS: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ R9 270 - DVI, HDMI, DP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
1st Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RA

Memory Card Reader

CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD

 

[beachlover]

Well Spotted, with Solar Panels feeding into the system it is another possible source of problems, and the feed from the solar panels will vary significantly. It may be worth isolating the solar inverter for a few weeks to see if that solves the problem.

I will ask the electrician about this on Monday
I'm not sure but I did think the previous electrician said it was on a different circuit from the other household stuff.

 

[DPG]

I don't believe this is surge related at all. Surges do not identify gaming PCs and seek to destroy them! If it was surges on the mains supply then other things would have succumbed to them by now, especially TVs, audio equipment, etc. Have you never had any other (ie. non-computer) device damaged in this way? Daz

 

[beachlover]

I don't believe this is surge related at all. Surges do not identify gaming PCs and seek to destroy them! If it was surges on the mains supply then other things would have succumbed to them by now, especially TVs, audio equipment, etc. Have you never had any other (ie. non-computer) device damaged in this way? Daz

Yeah I have to admit it is really strange that some things blow and others don't

My telly has been fine. It is plugged into the same socket as the computers but with an extension lead. Also the roku device and monitor are in the same socket. We have two telly in the house and they have both been fine. We have all the usual kitchen stuff washing machine, microwave kettle ext and they have been fine.
.
However I had three sets of powerline adaptors stop working. I opened one of them and the inside was black and melted . These were plugged into the same socket as the computers and one in the hall next to the router.
Strange thing is that I have had countless BT routers that seem to stop working plugged into the hall socket but the tplink one keeps on working. I can hear bits inside the BT routers rattling. I'm assuming these are bits of the capacitors

 

[beachlover]

I don't believe this is surge related at all. Surges do not identify gaming PCs and seek to destroy them! If it was surges on the mains supply then other things would have succumbed to them by now, especially TVs, audio equipment, etc. Have you never had any other (ie. non-computer) device damaged in this way? Daz

And yes when I think about it how could it be related to a surge when it has happened to so many different computers even though I have used many different surge protectors

 

[The Ghost]

Well ok then I'm going back to my original idea;Power quality analysis. If your PV is doing strange things then it would be picked up. I can't really see where or how you can investigate further without such an approach. I think I agree with DavisonP, turn off your PV inverter and see what happens.

 

[beachlover]

Well ok then I'm going back to my original idea;Power quality analysis. If your PV is doing strange things then it would be picked up. I can't really see where or how you can investigate further without such an approach. I think I agree with DavisonP, turn off your PV inverter and see what happens.

Does PV mean asking the electrician to turn of the solar panels?
I'm making a list of everything everybody has said so when the electrician turns up Monday I can put forward your suggestions .

 

[beachlover]

Please bear with me
I'm not familiar with the electrician speak
So I'm trying to take notes to tell the electrician on Monday

You are all awesome and I'm very grateful you have all got your heads together to help me with this.
Perhaps you all should have your next electric convention at my house (joking)

I'm really very gradual I mean grateful
Damn iPhone spell check

 

[The Ghost]

Does PV mean asking the electrician to turn of the solar panels

Yes it does mean isolating the supply from your solar panels so that they are no longer feeding into your house system/grid. As you are getting cooked capacitors from what you describe I can only imagine that there is higher voltage going through them than they are rated for and the electrolytic medium is drying out way too fast. And clearly somehow your computers are operating beyond their rated voltages d.c. and current capacity. You have had SSE out and they confirm it is not coming from your a.c. supply so the only possible suspect is the PV being the villain of the scene. There should be a label on your PV equipment detailing who installed it. Maybe you should contact them for information. As has been alluded to has your PV been checked lately? Maybe time to do so, or the Landlord should? Clearly beaten to death the idea of computer setup possibilities there is nothing else to consider....

 

[Davisonp]

I have no experience with the stuff, but is that a PV circuit I see there, and Air Source Heat Pump?

Well Spotted, with Solar Panels feeding into the system it is another possible source of problems, and the feed from the solar panels will vary significantly. It may be worth isolating the solar inverter for a few weeks to see if that solves the problem.

I will ask the electrician about this on Monday
I'm not sure but I did think the previous electrician said it was on a different circuit from the other household stuff.

Different circuit but on the same consumer unit, so indirectly connected to the computer circuit.

 

[Davisonp]

Does PV mean asking the electrician to turn of the solar panels?
I'm making a list of everything everybody has said so when the electrician turns up Monday I can put forward your suggestions .

PV is electrician speak for solar panels

 

[HandySparks]

It may be worth isolating the solar inverter for a few weeks to see if that solves the problem.

I'd agree. Definitely worth a try, especially as they won't be generating as much at this time of year, so you won't loose out by much.

 

[Davisonp]

Yes it does mean isolating the supply from your solar panels so that they are no longer feeding into your house system/grid. As you are getting cooked capacitors from what you describe I can only imagine that there is higher voltage going through them than they are rated for and the electrolytic medium is drying out way too fast. And clearly somehow your computers are operating beyond their rated voltages d.c. and current capacity. You have had SSE out and they confirm it is not coming from your a.c. supply so the only possible suspect is the PV being the villain of the scene. There should be a label on your PV equipment detailing who installed it. Maybe you should contact them for information. As has been alluded to has your PV been checked lately? Maybe time to do so, or the Landlord should? Clearly beaten to death the idea of computer setup possibilities there is nothing else to consider....

The solar panels have something called and inverter, and if this is malfunctioning it could cause larger or smaller voltages in the consumer unit (in electricians speak, inverter not synchronising to the incoming supply phase exactly)

 

[beachlover]

I found a letter from the solar panel company
They say it is on a different circuit and I remember they seemed reluctant to come out to visit. I guess it was because they had to come from Somerset to iow. A bit expensive to pay a fellow a day's pay for just one house call

Anyway I will insist

Thanks so much everyone you all awesome

 

[HandySparks]

They say it is on a different circuit and I remember they seemed reluctant to come out to visit. I guess it was because they had to come from Somerset to iow. A bit expensive to pay a fellow a day's pay for just one house call

Anyway I will insist

No need to get the solar company to visit. Just turn it off. There should be a switch marked solar AC isolator or similar, or just switch off the relevant circuit breaker.

 

[beachlover]

No need to get the solar company to visit. Just turn it off. There should be a switch marked solar AC isolator or similar, or just switch off the relevant circuit breaker.

Ok I will have a look after work
Or I will ask the electrician on Monday to turn it off
Out of interest how often should those panels be serviced? The housing association has to do yearly checks on the heating and boiler system
Should their be a minimum term for solar panel checks?

 

[Kamikaze]

Who do I ask to check the master sockets
I guess that is openreach?
Phew I don't think I have the linguistic skill to explain all that to BT India

Ohhppss sorry

Since all these computers, routers and powerline adaptors etc have one thing in common, my 2nd port of call, since all the other stuff has been checked, would have been the telephone line. It wouldn’t be the 1st time that a master socket wasn’t fully functional or the line voltage too high. The previous occupier of the property might have had the gain cranked up? Your electrician should be able to check the line voltage with a multimeter, although I’m with Lucien Nunes on this one and think it’s circulating ground currents.

 

[HandySparks]

Slightly off the wall. If you turn of the circuit breaker marked 'Sockets', does this turn off the supply to the sockets supplying your computer(s)?

 

[beachlover]

Yes

Slightly off the wall. If you turn of the circuit breaker marked 'Sockets', does this turn off the supply to the sockets supplying your computer(s)?

Yes....When I look in the box it has a trip switch for each item in my house .
Sockets. Shower. Lights .. and cooker...each have a different switch to flip if it goes off.

I know the sockets are on the same circuit cos when it has tripped before all the sockets in the house go out and I get annoyed because I have to reset the timer on the microwave
The computer goes out too if it trips
Is it relevant??

 

[beachlover]

Since all these computers, routers and powerline adaptors etc have one thing in common, my 2nd port of call, since all the other stuff has been checked, would have been the telephone line. It wouldn’t be the 1st time that a master socket wasn’t fully functional or the line voltage too high. The previous occupier of the property might have had the gain cranked up? Your electrician should be able to check the line voltage with a multimeter, although I’m with Lucien Nunes on this one and think it’s circulating ground currents.

That's interesting
However I do not plug in my computers via Ethernet. Since the three sets of powerline Adam peters (hahhahahaha gotta love Iphone spell check) failed I gave up with a wired internet connection and I only connect them via wifi

I say interesting because I do get a lot of internet drops. However that might just be clouding the issue. BT have investigated my internet drops and the master socket, cable into the house and cable from my house to the telegraph pole have been changed. They have also done a lift and switch at the exchange and switched the DSLAM in the cabinet.

What is a ground current? If I put my computer on the floor rather than on the computer shelf will it be grounded?

 

[HandySparks]

Is it relevant??

Maybe not.

 

[Pat H]

Not sure if I've seen a response about using a UPS to feed the computer and monitor.
It occurs to me that one possible route into the computer maybe via the DVI/HDMI lead.
Could the monitor be at fault and be feeding back down the cable to the Graphics card?
Has the DVI/HDMI cable got ferrite beads on it?
Could you try a different monitor for a while.
When the GPU card is installed is there anything close to those burnt places in the computer?
Tring to establish if all the arcing is on the GPU card or is it between the GPU card and another part of the PC?

 

[beachlover]

Well ok then I'm going back to my original idea;Power quality analysis. If your PV is doing strange things then it would be picked up. I can't really see where or how you can investigate further without such an approach. I think I agree with DavisonP, turn off your PV inverter and see what happens.

I will turn off the solar panel
But to test that the solar panels are the cause of the computers blow outs I need another computer
I have to wait for the refund on the last computer to buy the next computer
It ok to test these theories if you have unlimited computers and unlimited money
I have neither ....
lol
Thank god for warranties
I'm going to run out of computer manufacturers at this rate
Just sayin

 

[beachlover]

I will turn off the solar panel
But to test that the solar panels are the cause of the computers blow outs I need another computer
I have to wait for the refund on the last computer to buy the next computer
It ok to test these theories if you have unlimited computers and unlimited money
I have neither ....
lol
Thank god for warranties
I'm going to run out of computer manufacturers at this rate
Just sayin

I will turn off the solar panel
But to test that the solar panels are the cause of the computers blow outs I need another computer
I have to wait for the refund on the last computer to buy the next computer
It ok to test these theories if you have unlimited computers and unlimited money
I have neither ....
lol
Thank god for warranties
I'm going to run out of computer manufacturers at this rate
Just sayin

I'm done in tonight
But in the morning I will try to get some pics of my box on the wall
And the set up of my computers
Would that help
Any?

 

[soms]

Unless the inverter has some obscure fault which escapes the inverters own protection mechanisms I very much doubt the solar PV is responsible. Will be interested to see what model of inverter is installed.

 

[beachlover]

Not sure if I've seen a response about using a UPS to feed the computer and monitor.
It occurs to me that one possible route into the computer maybe via the DVI/HDMI lead.
Could the monitor be at fault and be feeding back down the cable to the Graphics card?
Has the DVI/HDMI cable got ferrite beads on it?
Could you try a different monitor for a while.
When the GPU card is installed is there anything close to those burnt places in the computer?
Tring to establish if all the arcing is on the GPU card or is it between the GPU card and another part of the PC?

I have a UPS and used it for the computer only and plugged the monitor in the second socket on the double wall socket. Same result fried GPUs.

The modern motherboards I have had on the previous three machines have built in surge protection.

The previous one was Asus

Here

ASUS UK - https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/H110M-PLUS/

And gigabyte motherboard has a failsafe too. This makes the motherboard go into protection mode if it detects a power surge. This happened in both the recent cases of the fried GPUs
Both computers techs from two different companies have told me not to use surge protection as there is no need because the motherboards are so sensitive the can detect even a slight deviation in powrr and go into protection mode

In answer to your questions. I bought new HDMI cables. I don't think they have those little lumps on them. Ferrits? I bthought they were like emi filters?
I also ran the previous computer from my tv and did not use the monitor as I wanted to rule out a problem with the monitor. The same happened running the computer through the tv. GPU failed

I don't know what you mean by anything close to the GPU