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The other day, my PC shut off in the middle of using it and will not turn back on. I think it could be my PSU because it is exhibiting some of the same behaviors of what I've seen on the negative reviews for this product. However, there is still some power getting to the motherboard. The Ethernet port lights up when something is plugged in, and there is an LED lit on the board too. Even though there is still some power getting to my motherboard, could the PSU still be my problem, or is it more likely to be something else such as the motherboard, CPU, or GPU?

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  • Can you try the PSU on another PC? This will be the easiest way to test if it's the root cause.
    – Kinnectus
    Oct 17, 2014 at 21:02
  • There exists ways to force a power supply on, manually shortening pins, to test if the PSU will turn on, but look at other things before you do that or simply replace it since its the least expensive item and easily returnable in most vases
    – Ramhound
    Oct 17, 2014 at 21:07
  • You can use a power supply tester, but I'm guessing you don't have one.
    – joeqwerty
    Oct 17, 2014 at 21:11

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The power supplies I've had generally fail within 4 to 5 years. If yours is an older one you may want to replace it. When you do, get one with more power than you need and upgrade to a PSU that has multi-stage circuitry.

If you have absolutely no power, try disconnecting all add-in cards like video, sound, and USB. You might also try removing some memory cards and rotating them out. One of the most obvious and frequently overlooked is the power cord and wall receptacle and also if you are using a surge protector (especially a cheap one), try plugging your power cord directly into a wall outlet bypassing the surge protector.

You might also try disconnecting your hard drives... You won't boot up beyond the BOIS POST, but if you get any power indication reconnect the hard drive and check for the BIOS drive information. One other possibility and the easiest and cheapest to check is to replace the BIOS battery located on the motherboard. I hope this helps :)

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  • Thanks, I'll try these things. I might start with borrowing a voltmeter and testing the PSU. I'm hoping it's just that, it would definitely be the least expensive component to replace. Could the PSU still be bad even if there's some power getting to the motherboard (LED on and network port lit when something is connected)?
    – dkiefer
    Oct 18, 2014 at 3:50
  • Checking voltage with a voltmeter is not as easy as you would think. Just because it says 12v when you put the meter on it doesn't mean it can still supply that 12v when under load.
    – Tetsujin
    Oct 18, 2014 at 6:42
  • Thanks everyone for the info! I hooked it up to an old motherboard and everything powered up, so I hooked it back up to my machine, triple checked to make sure all the connections were tight, and wouldn't you know, the dang thing booted right up. This is probably the cheapest fix (free) I've ever done. Thanks again!
    – dkiefer
    Oct 18, 2014 at 15:41

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