Computer shut off and won't turn back on

[phenom588]

I was playing games when my computer just decided to shutoff. Whenever I tried to turn it back on, the fans would turn a little but stop quickly after. The green light on the mobo is on, and after trying the paperclip test the power supply's fan and light turned on. I've tried powering on without the gpu, but it didn't help. Can anyone help me figure out what is wrong with it?

I'll try and give as much information as I can
Power supply is Coolmax cu 700b
GPU is Geforce 8800 gts (320mb i think)
MOBO M2N SLI Deluxe
RAM 2 corsair xms 2 ddr2
Not sure how to find the cpu

 

[capt_taco]

Sounds like what happens when the machine overheats - it shuts itself down, then when you try to turn it back on, it will start, immediately recognize that it's still too hot, and shut back off.

Could also be that the power supply itself is on the fritz. It's hard to tell from what you wrote just how long you waited in between attempts to turn back on.

But basically: If you leave it alone for half an hour (for the heat to dissipate) and then it functions as normal for a while, then odds are it's a heat issue - check it with a program like Coretemp to verify. If it won't power back on no matter how long you wait, look toward the PSU as the cause.

Coolmax is not known as the best brand, so that could be a bit more likely than usual.

 

[phenom588]

I just put it back together and turned it on, but it didnt work so i think we can rule out overheating. If i were to go and pick up a new psu, what brand would you suggest?

 

[capt_taco]

Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, all pretty good ... OCZ not bad either.

If you have a multimeter laying around (or know someone who has one), you may want to check the old PSU first to see if the voltages are in the acceptable range. That way if it's some other component, you won't have wasted $50-$100 on a new PSU that you didn't need. You might also see if you can borrow a PSU from another machine temporarily.

It's definitely worth checking out, at least. Coolmax PSUs may not be the best, but it's all relative. 90 percent of them will probably still work fine for their entire lifetime; it's just that if you were buying new, the top brands will fail less than that.

 

[phenom588]

Thanks a bunch for the help, ill see if i can find a multimeter tomorrow or at least use my other computer test it out.

 

[phenom588]

So i tested it out with the multimeter and its perfect, which is a tad disappointing. The only other things that could have a problem now are the mobo and cpu