Fried power supply, possibly computer

Spoom182

During a storm, my computer made a really loud buzzing noise, (most likely a fan) then abruptly shut off. My dad and I are thinking it's a surge. All the power outlets in my room won't turn on, but what I really need to know is if the rest of my computer is fried or if the power supply is the only thing that's dead. I know for a fact that the power supply is not working, I used an extension cord and plugged in my computer but it wouldn't turn on. Luckily my monitors and speakers were saved, but without being able to turn on my computer I don't know the extent of the damage. Is there a chance my stuff is saved, or has everything been zapped?

Synthetic Orange

Nothing to do here except check each component.

The last time my PSU died it killed everything inside the computer. The ram, motherboard, gfx card, cpu, and all hard drives.

proXimity

Yeah, it's really a pot-shot as to what is dead after a power surge. Any number of things could have gone wrong and many components or none besides the PSU may have died.

Apogee

Yeah, good PSUs will have fail-safes so that they don't fry everything else. If it's a good brand name, odds are you just need a new PSU; if you're unlucky, it may ahve fried the motherboard too. If you're really unlucky, it may have fried even more. In my experience, netowrk cards tend to go next, since they're connected to additional stuff outside the case and thus provide somewhere for the power to go. Of course, on most computers these days, they're on the motherboard...

brandotheninjamaster

Few quick questions:

1. Are there any diagnostic lights on your motherboard? They are lights that normally stay on unless the computer is unplugged.
2. Are there any power switches on your motherboad? Albeit very unlikely but some do have them.
3. Have you tried a different power cord? Try taking the one from your monitor since you know that one is working.

If all this doesn't work then I'd say your PSU is fried. You can get a new one for cheap:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PS575XBK&cat=PWR Then just take it from there.

Terrendos

To prevent future problems, investing in a surge protector is really worthwhile. I know it doesn't help you much now, but it will save you future costs. I live out in the middle of nowhere and we get power surges/blackouts all the time, so I've got a surge protector with battery backup too.

tsmvengy

brandotheninjamaster wrote: »

Few quick questions:

1. Are there any diagnostic lights on your motherboard? They are lights that normally stay on unless the computer is unplugged.
2. Are there any power switches on your motherboad? Albeit very unlikely but some do have them.
3. Have you tried a different power cord? Try taking the one from your monitor since you know that one is working.

If all this doesn't work then I'd say your PSU is fried. You can get a new one for cheap:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PS575XBK&cat=PWR Then just take it from there.

Hey, definitely buy this PSU if you want to fry all your components next time this happens.

Get a power supply with a good brand (Seasonic, Corsair, Antec Earthwatts) and use a surge protector!

brandotheninjamaster

tsmvengy wrote: »

brandotheninjamaster wrote: »

Few quick questions:

1. Are there any diagnostic lights on your motherboard? They are lights that normally stay on unless the computer is unplugged.
2. Are there any power switches on your motherboad? Albeit very unlikely but some do have them.
3. Have you tried a different power cord? Try taking the one from your monitor since you know that one is working.

If all this doesn't work then I'd say your PSU is fried. You can get a new one for cheap:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PS575XBK&cat=PWR Then just take it from there.

Hey, definitely buy this PSU if you want to fry all your components next time this happens.

Get a power supply with a good brand (Seasonic, Corsair, Antec Earthwatts) and use a surge protector!

Why don't you tell me what you really think :P

All in all OP you probably are better off buying a more expensive PSU. In my experience I have found the cheap ones to work fine (4+ years fine), but better safe then sorry. That is only my experience though so take that for what it is worth.

Spoom182

I was using a surge protector on a power strip, which is what really surprised me.
I had a pretty good PSU, it was a Thermaltake which is a pretty well respected brand. One thing I have noticed is that when I turn the power supply into the on position, a little light flickers where the ethernet cord goes in. This means to me that the motherboard probably isn't dead, as power is going through it to the network card, so maybe the other components are saved as well. I guess it's just time to get a new power supply. Any good recommendations for a power supply? The last one I got was 650 watts, I think. I've got a Geforce 8800 gtx graphics card, 2 hard drives, 2 disc drives, dual core AMD processor, and a sound card. Is 650 watts too much?

Synthetic Orange

All my cheap PSUs died in two years.

So for the first time, I decided to spend more than $30 on a PSU and bought an expensive $200 Antec.

After two years it blew up and destroyed every component in my PC.

tsmvengy

I am a fan of these:

Seasonic 550W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151027
Corsair 520W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001