PC - Power Supply Dead?

Renault on 31/7/2017 at 03:04

Just got back from a week long vacation. Whenever I leave my house for more than a day, I always unplug my PC from the wall socket, in case of some kind of strange weather while I'm gone and possible power surges. But today when I returned and plugged everything back in, I get nothing. Totally dead.

How is this possible when the PC has been sitting idle for 9 days?

I tried a couple of different outlets, tried unplugging and replugging several times, and flipped the toggle switch on the back of the PS several times. Still nothing.

Any suggestions? I mean, I assume if I'm getting zero response, it has to be the PS, right? I do build my PCs from scratch, but I've been incredibly lucky in the past in that usually everything just seems to work in my initial build. Point being, I know enough to do the basics, but I'm not an expert in troubleshooting. What should I try? If the PS was working at all, I'd at least get a fan or beep or something, right?

Renzatic on 31/7/2017 at 08:51

I've see computers crap out randomly before, where it seems they're running fine until you reboot, then don't work at all for any number of reasons. As if the act of powering it down was all it took to push it over the fine line that divides functional from bursting into flame.

I'd say, more than likely, it is your PSU. I don't think I've ever seen a mobo get fried so thoroughly, it couldn't even power up the fans or any LEDs attached to the machine when you power it on. The only thing you can do to test it is to find another power supply, slap it into your case, and see how things go from there. Either that, or buy a (https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=power%20supply%20tester&Submit=ENE) PSU Tester to keep around for just such occasions.

ffox on 31/7/2017 at 09:17

I don't know how the mains connections work on your side of the Atlantic, but could there be a fuse involved?

Sulphur on 31/7/2017 at 09:35

It's the PSU the majority of a time, but first take a look at your mobo manual, and try shorting the power leads on the mobo to see if turns on. Sometimes the cabinet switch refuses to work. If that isn't the problem, and you've ruled out external factors like a problem with your power strip/outlet, it's best to check for PSU issues using the methods Renz said.

Renault on 31/7/2017 at 16:19

Thanks all, I'm going to pull the PS out tonight and do the (http://support.antec.com/support/solutions/articles/1000015319-is-my-power-supply-dead-the-paperclip-test) paperclip test to see if it's working. I checked my last Newegg invoice, and I see the PS is the only thing still under warranty (7 yrs) so I'm actually hoping that's what the issue is.

Renault on 1/8/2017 at 16:06

Nope, it was the motherboard. Drat.

Sulphur on 3/8/2017 at 04:49

Condolences. Never heard of a mobo dying like that, but the possibility exists.

We're about to enter good times to get a new mobo/CPU, what with AMD and Intel finally squaring off, but in the meantime you do what you gotta. Coffee Lake, I presume? If you need something right now, there's Kaby Lake's i5/i7 7xxx series, but your upgrade path's going to be massively limited.

Renault on 9/8/2017 at 15:19

I had Bikerdude help me with picking out a replacement. I'm just grabbing something a few years old as a stopgap right now to get me by until my next full PC build/purchase.

(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TXBP1NS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Sulphur on 9/8/2017 at 20:05

That's probably for the best. The immediate future is going to be an interesting time for the CPU market.