Another power supply failing?

garrypeace

garrypeace

New Member
Motherboard: ASUS m4a785td-v evo
CPU: Athlon II X2 250 3.0 GHz 2MB Cache Dual Core Processor
Power Supply: 500 watt ATX.
RAM: 1GB Kingston ValueRAM Memory 1333Mz DDR3 Non-ECC DIMM

The motherboard LED lights up, but no fan activity, no CPU activity, no POST, beeps, anything. Is this a power supply problem, or the motherboard? I have taken out the RAM, and still nothing. Everything is new and hasn't been used (as far as I know), so nothing should be dead.

Please help. If there is anything else you need to know, please ask.

Thanks.
 
What brand is the power supply? Also, completely unplug the powersupply from the system. Stick one end of the paper clip into the green cable of the 24-bit motherboard connector and the other end into any black cable. This should "jump start" the power supply. You can then hook up a fan to it or something to see if it's actually working.
 
EZ-Cool is the brand, I think. I'm unsure on what exactly you are saying to do with the paper clip. Would it be worth buying a power supply tester?
 
Eh, off brand. The method I described is a way of turning on the power supply without a motherboard. Basically you stick one end of a paperclip in the green wire and the other end of the same clip in the black wire of the 24-pin motherboard connector. This will send a signal to the powersupply to turn on.
 
I'd recommend a PSU tester ($15 from newegg) before sticking paperclips in sockets, but that's just me lol

I don't know that EZ-Cool brand, but it's like 50/50 if they just turn out junk that doesn't work or if you've got a more serious problem.

If you have access to a known good PSU you can try swapping that in to test, also is everything else wired properly? (ie. Case Switch)

One thing you can try is shorting the 2 pins for the case switch and see if the fan's start. If they do- bad switch on the case.
 
rawcomputers said:
I'd recommend a PSU tester ($15 from newegg) before sticking paperclips in sockets, but that's just me lol

I don't know that EZ-Cool brand, but it's like 50/50 if they just turn out junk that doesn't work or if you've got a more serious problem.

If you have access to a known good PSU you can try swapping that in to test, also is everything else wired properly? (ie. Case Switch)

One thing you can try is shorting the 2 pins for the case switch and see if the fan's start. If they do- bad switch on the case.
Click to expand...

I'll test a few other power supplies. Pretty sure the wiring (power, reset, etc.) is correct (tried every method).

What do you mean about shorting the 2 pins? This is my first build, and I'm not too familiar with messing around with wires, etc.

Thanks for the replies so far.
 
rawcomputers said:
I'd recommend a PSU tester ($15 from newegg) before sticking paperclips in sockets, but that's just me lol

I don't know that EZ-Cool brand, but it's like 50/50 if they just turn out junk that doesn't work or if you've got a more serious problem.

If you have access to a known good PSU you can try swapping that in to test, also is everything else wired properly? (ie. Case Switch)

One thing you can try is shorting the 2 pins for the case switch and see if the fan's start. If they do- bad switch on the case.
Click to expand...

The paperclip technique is a time tested method of checking a power supply (as well as using one to power something without a motherboard). It's funny that you should recommend shorting the power pins on the motherboard, since it's essentially the exact same principle.

And to the OP, just because stuff is new doesn't mean it works. It's not uncommon at all for computer parts to be "DOA" (dead on arrival). In this particular instance, the motherboard, CPU, or power supply could be the culprit. The power switch is definitely a possibility as well, but somewhat less common.

To test the power supply, the paper clip method isn't a bad place to start. If you do this and the power supply's internal fan does not spin up, then it's surely the power supply that is faulty. However, if it does spin up it still does not necessarily rule out the power supply as the problem. The very best way to test any component, as raw mentioned, is to switch it out with a known working one.

Also, as to what raw was saying about shorting the pins, what you want to do is locate the two pins that the case power switch plugs into and simply jump them with anything metal (screwdriver works fine). This simulates pushing the power button, and if the computer powers up fine then it would indicate that the power switch is defective. However, before even doing this you might want to check that the power button is even plugged into the correct pins, as this is a common rookie mistake.

If neither of these two tests show any definitive results, then the only other option is to start switching out components until you find the problem. It's clear that the power supply is the weak link here in terms of reliability, so that's really the place to start.
 
Right, so it's the power switch on the case that is faulty. Jump started it with a screw driver and it booted up. Now, is there any way of fixing the power switch or substituting it?
 
Problem solved. Took the front off and the blue wire wasn't connected to the power switch. I must of yanked it out by accident or something.

Thanks a lot for helping. Very much appreciated. :)
 
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