is my power supply dieing?

Wed Jul 15 14:51:46 MST 2020

I ran memtest and it reported no problems.
apt install nvtop
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package nvtop

I think it is the PSU as this one is 10 years old. But it may be the
video. Unfortunately I can not locate the card in lshw.I think what I
am looking at in lshw is the onboard video.

On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 5:23 PM Michael Butash via PLUG-discuss
<plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>
> There's really no way to tell from the software side if your psu is failing.  If the psu randomly stops, your mobo and os dies with it.  Your mobo may detect bad power as part of kernel dmesg's to the cpu, but likely not.
>
> Problem with PSU's are generally bad electrical components like a blown out capacitor(s), meaning you're not handing power burst demands from your motherboard and/or gpu.  Why it's so hard to tell if/when they really do go, they tend to only under certain loads or thresholds.  You more need a volt/ohm/capacitance meter to see this.
>
> Any old PSU you can replace it with from a working device in the past 15 years or so should tell you if it reboots in the same duration as current.  Beg/borrow/steal one for a week.  Most stores have a few week return policy, worst case buy one and return it later.  Craigslist, letgo, etc too.
>
> If not that, I'd suspect either memory, gpu (if separate), or mobo.  Your linux bootloader with grub should include memtest as a menu option by default, let that run and test patterns across your ram.  If an nvidia gpu, install nvtop and psensor to watch your gpu use and temps.  Your mobo, look for big cylinder components (google capacitor) on the board that have exploded or are leaking goo out of them.
>
> -mb
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 11:44 AM Michael via PLUG-discuss <plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>>
>> do any of the tools on http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ (scroll down to
>> see the tools) do any dIgnostics on the power supply?
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 12:13 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > the computer gal told me to run it until it dies and then get a new computer.
>> >
>> > On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 12:05 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > darn.... they couldn't find anything wrong with it... sort of. the
>> > > results were inconclusive. Is there an open source diagnostics tool I
>> > > could d/l ?
>> > >
>> > > On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 1:01 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > Thanks for the tip! YEAH.... I took the easy way out; I took it to a shop.
>> > > >
>> > > > On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 10:41 AM Donald Mac McCarthy <mac at oscontext.com> wrote:
>> > > > >
>> > > > > I can't confirm really if it would do - I was just pointing out that
>> > > > > inconsistent power manifests itself in a number of interesting ways. So
>> > > > > if you suspect the power supply is to blame, it is generally the
>> > > > > cheapest in the chain to fix. You could try replacing the CPU cooler
>> > > > > first. You can get those for $20-30 for a pretty nice one. If that
>> > > > > doesn't work, yeah - the PSU sounds like it might be your next best bet.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Mac
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Michael wrote on 7/13/20 9:14 PM:
>> > > > > > I just opened my box and the power supply fan is spinning as well as
>> > > > > > the CPU fan so I don't know what inxi is talking about
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 12:09 AM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > > > >> Thanks for the tip! I'd love to come get it but the distance makes it
>> > > > > >> prohibitive. I live in Florida But you think replacing the power
>> > > > > >> supply unit will do it?
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 12:00 AM Donald Mac McCarthy <mac at oscontext.com> wrote:
>> > > > > >>> Some boards have 2 fans for CPU - especially boards designed for
>> > > > > >>> overclocking. The face that you don't have any voltage/RPMs across the
>> > > > > >>> fan3 may not be a problem.
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> The only way you are going to be sure to tell it is a power supply is
>> > > > > >>> generally to replace it. You could replace CPU, memory, or board one at
>> > > > > >>> a time, but those are generally more expensive than a PSU.
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> I have had many times that the PSU was the issue when running a compute
>> > > > > >>> cluster years ago. In one case the PSW was not getting enough airflow
>> > > > > >>> due to the positional design of the chassis vs the fan location of a
>> > > > > >>> replacement CPU which had undergone a spec change, and therefore wouls
>> > > > > >>> reach thermal protection shutdown. In another, a thermal expansion in a
>> > > > > >>> PSU component when under load would cause a short, and the system would
>> > > > > >>> shutoff. In another case - dirty output due to a power limiting
>> > > > > >>> component that was failing cause all kinds of problems, eventually
>> > > > > >>> causing us to have to replace RAM, CPU, MB, and a RAID card because of
>> > > > > >>> "brown out" type situations. We were only to know what happened after
>> > > > > >>> the manufacturer did some testing on the RMAed PSU. When you have 850
>> > > > > >>> servers all built assembled from components (academic environment where
>> > > > > >>> the Professor got more systems for his grant money by buying components
>> > > > > >>> and using undergrad/graduate research assistants to assemble them), some
>> > > > > >>> interesting things happen, may of them were power supply related.
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> Good luck, but I think you may save more in time and effort to just
>> > > > > >>> replace it. I have a 400W ATX powersupply you can have if you want to
>> > > > > >>> come get it. I am not sure how much wattage you need, but if 400 will
>> > > > > >>> cut it - that one can be yours for the low low price of gas money.
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> Mac
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>> Michael via PLUG-discuss wrote on 7/13/20 8:41 PM:
>> > > > > >>>> inxi tells me this about my fans:
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>>> Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0 fan-1: 3139 fan-3: 0
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>>> So my cpu fan isn't working. I thought my computer would CRASH/FREEZE
>> > > > > >>>> more often if the cpu fan wasn't working.  What is: fan-1: 3139 fan-3:
>> > > > > >>>> 0
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>>> I'm not sure but I think my power supply fan is running slow. Is that a thing?
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 11:26 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > > > >>>>> hey....  I forgot to tell ya all that last night after I put the
>> > > > > >>>>> system under stress I got it to freeze.
>> > > > > >>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 9:29 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > > > >>>>>> when I'm just running memory test the temp is 46
>> > > > > >>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 8:06 PM Michael <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > > > >>>>>>> that was it under stress.
>> > > > > >>>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 4:55 PM Brian Cluff via PLUG-discuss
>> > > > > >>>>>>> <plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> If that's your idle temperature, that is terrible.  I'll bet if you run
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> stress while monitoring your temperature you'll see it shoot up even
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> higher than that.
>> > > > > >>>>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> (I cook chicken sous vide at 60C)
>> > > > > >>>>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> Brian Cluff
>> > > > > >>>>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> On 7/13/20 10:05 AM, Michael via PLUG-discuss wrote:
>> > > > > >>>>>>>>> Do 80 is bad? Mine was at 89 when I first started it
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> > > > > >>>>>>>> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org
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>> > > > > >>>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>>> --
>> > > > > >>>>>>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> > > > > >>>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>>> --
>> > > > > >>>>>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> > > > > >>>>>
>> > > > > >>>>> --
>> > > > > >>>>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> > > > > >>>>
>> > > > > >>> --
>> > > > > >>> Donald "Mac" McCarthy
>> > > > > >>> Director, Field Operations
>> > > > > >>> Open Source Context
>> > > > > >>> +1.602.584.4445
>> > > > > >>> mac at oscontext.com
>> > > > > >>> https://oscontext.com
>> > > > > >>>
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> --
>> > > > > >> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > --
>> > > > > Donald "Mac" McCarthy
>> > > > > Director, Field Operations
>> > > > > Open Source Context
>> > > > > +1.602.584.4445
>> > > > > mac at oscontext.com
>> > > > > https://oscontext.com
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > --
>> > > > :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > :-)~MIKE~(-:
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
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:-)~MIKE~(-: