Windows 7 Motherboard USB ports problem

[jHollaby]

Hello


My desktop computers USB keep failing. By this I mean all USB devices plugged in stop working simultaneously (all except the keyboard). This happens 2 - 3 times a day. The Computer is about a year old now. It has only started doing this the last few weeks.


Most of the time it happens, I am not stressing the computer. It can happen when I am just browsing the internet or writing a word document with no other programs open.


I have a mouse, Keyboard, webcam and a USB (powered) Focusrite Saffire 6 audio device plugged in via USB. The mouse is plugged into the front case port and all the other devices are plugged into the back USB ports. I am only using the USB-2 ports. My motherboard has two USB-3 ports on the back but I don’t use them since all the devices are USB 1 or 2.


When it happens The Keyboard continues to work but all other devices stop working. I have to use the keyboard to restart the computer to get it back working again.


Windows 7 64bit
Gigabyte X79-UD3
Intel Core i7-3930K
16 GB memory
256 GB SSD
4 x 1 TB HHD
NVIDIA GTX 570
Corsair 550w modular power supply


Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.


Kind regards
[FONT=&amp]JHollamby [/FONT]

 

[Saltgrass]

I think I would look into the power supply. Those Nvidia cards can request a fairly large power supply as a minimum standard. Having the memory and 4 large hard drives, might be taxing the system.

Have you tried removing specific USB devices to see if it helps?

 

[jHollaby]

Thanks for the reply.

I had a feeling it might be the power supply. I do wonder how much power the USB (powered) Focusrite Saffire 6 audio interface draws as well?

"Have you tried removing specific USB devices to see if it helps?"

I will try this tomorrow with only what I need (just keyboard and mouse), see if it makes a difference.

Time to upgrade the power supply I think.

 

[Jimbo22]

As saltgrass pointed out, your usb bus is powered by the PSU and all devices plug in to those ports draw power, and with all that hardware, I agree with saltgrass. You could use one of those free online PSU calculators that will give you a generalized idea of what wattage you need.

Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator

 

[Jimbo22]

Just using your listed hardware and guessing on some other basics you're over drawn on your PSU. It's at 558 watts.

Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator

 

[jHollaby]

Thanks for the replies.

I was thinking about the power as I was writing the specs down. I upgraded bit by bit so I was not thinking about the power requirements. Very silly of me.

I will be investing in a new power supply.

I am guessing it would be a good idea to get something future proof. 750W? I am not likely to add much to the computer for quite a while.

 

[jHollaby]

Sorry to make such a stupid mistake! I have just opened the case to find the power supply is a Corsair HX650w! Not 550w.

I don't know what to think now. Is it possible there is still a need for more power headroom, as it were?