Trouble with my S4 Mini GTX 1080 build

witu

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Dec 13, 2017
15
10
I just finished an S4 Mini build with the HDPLEX 400 - both very cool pieces of hardware. Unfortunately, I'm having a problem and hoping someone can provide some pointers.

Everything runs fine until I start a benchmark (Heaven 4.0) or a game, even at medium/low settings. Then it immediately powers off - no blue screen or error message, just straight to reboot. I'm not overclocking anything and would think the power should be okay based on other tests I've seen with the HDPLEX and Dell 330W brick.

My specs are:
Windows 10 64bit
ASUS Strix z270i motherboard
Intel 7700
Zotac GTX 1080 mini
16 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM at 2133 mhz
Samsung 960 pro 1TB m.2 SSD
HDPLEX 400
Dell 330w power supply

Again, everything is at stock settings. It runs fine until I run a benchmark or game, then it reboots. I've updated all drivers and bios, but no luck.

Has anyone experienced this with a similar setup, or have any suggestions?

Thanks!
 

Nightblade

Airflow Optimizer
Nov 29, 2017
292
241
My suggestion is I would (disconnect the dc atx psu) connect a more powerful power supply (preferably one you have lying around) and connect it to a wattage meter such as the P3 Kill A Watt Meter then run your benchmarks. if the meter shows you are exceeding your original 330 w load then that would be your problem. If it still shuts off however, I would try resetting the parts to make sure they are fully connected and socketed. You should also see what your current temperatures are before you start the benchmark.
 
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witu

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Dec 13, 2017
15
10
I do have a spare PSU and will give it a try. I also had a power meter but I can't seem to find it, so that may take a day or two to test. I guess if the spare PSU runs okay, it's only a question of whether I'm drawing too much power (likely), or I have a bad power supply.
 

witu

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Dec 13, 2017
15
10
Seems I might have a bad Dell 330w power supply. The bad one seemed to crash at around ~240w load. I swapped that brick out for an identical one (also from Amazon) and it seems to be more stable, at least up to a modest overclock. Unfortunately, I had already swapped out the GTX 1080 for a 1070, so I can't test much beyond 250w without rebuilding the system yet again.

Just for others' interest, I'm running the 7700 at stock 3.6 GHz (boost to 4.2 GHz) and the GTX 1070 overclocked to 1581 MHz. The whole system draws about 40w at idle and ~240w max in Heaven and games running at 1440p ultra settings. Temps were max 80 C on the CPU and 76 C on the GPU. Runs very quiet at those settings with the MSI GTX 1070 mini.

I don't trust the Dell bricks I bought on Amazon anymore. I plan to return them and buy a new one directly from Dell. In the meantime I'll probably run some more tests and maybe go back to the 1080 since it seems like 330w should cover it. I lost count of how many times I've rebuilt the system at this point... :)

Thanks again for the feedback.
 

BryceK

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Dec 25, 2017
143
86
@witu, did you manage to get you 1080 working on the new brick from dell itself?

I almost got the same build as you, only then with a 8700 cpu and a z370i mobo, and I'm experiencing the same issues with a amazon dell brick.
 

doP

Chassis Packer
Jan 28, 2018
15
10
same here..i bought a hdplex ac dc 300w after a buy a dell 330w brick from ebay... same specs 8700 + 1080 .
 

K888D

SFF Guru
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
1,483
2,970
www.lazer3d.com
There are quite a few fake Dell bricks on the market, especially on places like eBay. The fake units usually do not perform as well the official Dell models.

An Intel 7700 and GTX 1080 should be just within the capability of the Dell 330W, but as you are seeing an immediate power off when you fire up a game I would suspect you either have a bad Dell brick, or a fake. The HDPLEX 400w should ahndle these components no problem.
 

matogl0396

Chassis Packer
Feb 13, 2018
19
16
www.facebook.com
There are like 4 people within a couple threads on front page reporting power problems with recently purchased Dell bricks from Amazon. Seems like that particular seller that Josh links has been in the business for a while and has been reliable enough in the past. Maybe they got some bad stock recently?

I agree with witu, may be worth paying the premium to get it straight from Dell.
 

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
I think the forums need some sort of PSA on this over in Hardware or something for us to refer them to. I understand saving a buck, but these things are awful.