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Computer finally died but not sure which part


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#1
Rusbel

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Hello, I am hoping someone can help me identify what broke in my desktop computer.

So what happened is I started a video game and walked out of the room to get a cookie and when I came back the power was out in my room. I flipped the breaker to get the power back on and found that my computer was no longer breathing (no lights, no sounds, it used to at least show some life when the I hit the power switch on the PS such as the fans spinning momentarily and the bios light coming on.) It seems the power supply failed and caused the breaker to flip but I am not positive that wasn't the MB that did the deed.

See about a year ago I was adding a fan to my computer and I noticed that the ATX cable that was plugged into the MB only had the main part plugged in and the extension (not sure what it is called) was just hanging there so I went ahead and plugged that in. I booted the computer and bam something on the board flied and caused black smoke to emanate from a spot on the MB. I was sure the board was toast surprisingly when I took off the extension the computer booted up fine. I realize now that I probably should have reset my bios before making that change but hey you live and learn.

Anyways my computer has always acted strangely since that day and lately has been a wreck, in fact I have a brand new board and chip arriving in the mail tomorrow so this was pretty fortunate timing. The problem is I am not sure that these things weren't my PS's fault, or how to test to find out what actually happened. I sure as heck don't want to plug it into my new $500 investment if there is any chance it is going to claim another victim. Any suggestions? I will just replace the PS if there is no way that I can test that it is functioning properly, but I am also worried that the video card could be involved since this happened when I loaded a game.
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#2
phillpower2

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:welcome: Rusbel
Replace the PSU before even contemplating attaching it to your new MB, there are no user serviceable parts inside a PSU so if they become suspect cut off the cables to prevent any further use and then toss it into the trash or recycler, thoroughly inspect your video card until you are happy that it is good or bad.
To make sure you get the correct output PSU for your system use a calculator such as the one @ http://www2.corsair.com/psufinder/ (example only) and for PSU brands to trust and avoid see http://www.10stripe....d/psu/brand.php

Test your new components outside of the case first, often referred to as a barebones set-up, see below;

To do a barebones set-up on a piece of cardboard (make sure it is larger than the MB) only connect the PSU, the GFX card, 1 stick of Ram and the keyboard, check to see if your MB has a power switch - if not you will then need to short out the 2 power on pins on the MB header to get the PSU to activate, you can use a small flat bladed screwdriver or a paper clip bent into a U shape, this is perfectly safe if you do not touch anything else.

Once all components are confirmed as working before fitting the MB, if stand offs are used make sure that they correspond with the MB to avoid shorting out the MB.

Read the tutorials provided courtesy of Troy/Artellos and Digerati respectively
http://www.geekstogo...r-own-computer/ and
http://www.geekstogo...rface-material/
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#3
Rusbel

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Thanks for the welcome Phil and your advice is well appreciated.
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#4
phillpower2

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You are welcome and let us know if we can assist you in any way.
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