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TIL a PSU swap fixed a weird network dropout issue I chased for 3 weeks
Honestly, I spent forever troubleshooting a client's office in downtown Austin where their desktops would lose connection randomly every 30 to 40 minutes. I swapped cables, tested the switch, even replaced the router from Spectrum. Turned out the old Corsair PSU in the main server was sending dirty power to the network gear. Has anyone else run into a power supply causing intermittent network problems like that?
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dylan_brown301mo ago
and yeah @west.casey nailed it about drives too. I've seen a bad PSU make hard drives throw SMART errors that magically disappeared after swapping it out. For network gear, the main thing to look for is random packet loss that doesn't match any pattern. Check the 12v rail with a multimeter during a heavy load, if it dips below 11.4 volts that's your smoking gun. Also keep an ear out for that distinct coil whine old Corsair units get right before they start messing with your equipment.
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caseythompson1mo ago
I hear you on the SMART errors thing, that's a pretty wild one. But how often does your average home user actually run into that level of problem? Most people would probably replace the hard drive and move on before they ever thought to check the power supply. And measuring the 12v rail with a multimeter under full load, that's a pretty specific skill for someone who just wants their router to stop dropping signal. Feels like we're diagnosing a rare symptom for a problem most folks won't ever see.
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