Electrical popping noise now my computer wont power on.

[Laverick1992]

I have recently upgraded parts of my old acer x1301 system which was getting a little old and I wanted it to run a little quicker.

I basically added a new case, 600w PSU and an Asus HD 6670 graphics card and I intended to upgrade the motherboard and CPU this summer. Got everything running fine for a few weeks and had no problems whatsoever, aside from upgrading the BIOS to run the graphics card. Then this morning while the computer was turned off I heard a short but loud popping noise from my computer. It was protected by a surge protect extension but as a precaution I turned all the electrics off and waited before plugging everything back in and trying to start my PC. Nothing would turn on. No lights, none of the usual startup noises ect. Everything seems completely dead. Checked the PSU to see if it had changed wattage or anything like that (i know some have a tiny switch for american and european) but I couldn't see one.

I'm not worried about losing my data, had all that backed up externally so thats not a problem. But I have no idea why my computer won't turn on. I'm really worried it something might have shorted out or fried.

Does anyone know what this might be? Could really use some help to get my PC up and running again.

Thanks a lot
Jack

 

[Someone Somewhere]

What model PSU? Some cheap ones are seriously crappy, and can be fire hazards.

FYI: The switch is voltage, and most modern PSUs auto-detect.

 

[Laverick1992]

What model PSU? Some cheap ones are seriously crappy, and can be fire hazards.

FYI: The switch is voltage, and most modern PSUs auto-detect.

It was a Corsair Builder Series CX600.

 

[beoza]

There's a way to test to see if the PSU died, it'll be in the manual and possibly on the Corsair support site. You'll want to unplug all your power connections from the components in your system then using a jumper wire test to see if the PSU powers on. If it doesn't power on the PSU is blown, if it does power on check your main board to see if any of the capacitors have blown. I'd still look over your main board thoroughly looking for any discoloration around all the circuits on the board.

 

[photonboy]

What model PSU? Some cheap ones are seriously crappy, and can be fire hazards.

FYI: The switch is voltage, and most modern PSUs auto-detect.

It was a Corsair Builder Series CX600.

My Corsair Builder Series CX430 died in EXACTLY the manner you describe. I replaced it with an Antec PSU and everything was fine.

While your PSU is still probably under Warranty, I wonder how reliable it is. If you decide to get a different PSU, do what I did and spend a lot more time Googling for both official reviews and signs of dying for whatever model you might replace it with.

This is the one I used (probably enough power, but possibly not enough SATA connections for some):
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=62331&vpn=VP450&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1304

Here's the CONCLUSION of the review. If you get a different PSU, I recommend making sure it gets a half-decent review like this:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Power-Supply-Review/1487/11