Question Help needed from an old folk's home inmate - er - patient ?

[TobyCatVa]

I am desperate for help/advise

What happened - A staff member came in running a damp rag over all flat surfaces and ignored me yelling STOP! She wiggled my power cord where it enters the PSU. <spark/flash>

Result - The PC shut off and trying to reboot results in an LED coming on but no system beeps are heard my GTX970 fans do not spin, the stock cooler on my AMD FX 8350 does not spin.

Questions - Is my ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 Motherboard toast?
Just the EVGA 600W ATX 80 PLUS GOLD PSU?
Everything fried?

As stated I am indeed in an old folks home and bed ridden so my PC was my world. I am on a borrowed Thinkpad to email you. I have a limited disposable income after care expenses of $30 a month. The facility will not repair the damage the GNA did (she quit after that first day) nor will they help me in sending it out. I have no body to help me so I need a plan of action. I built the PC back when I was able to go and do. I can take apart and swap things in the PC.

I would like your thoughts on what parts are toast in order of likelihood.

As if I order a new PSU it will be mine forever as nobody here is going to help with returns.

I need a PC back in my life/as my life and I am left grieving the old one and unsure if I try and save it or save money in misery to buy a replacement as I wait for $30 months to add up to a usable amount to get back what I had or I buy used parts swapping them in until my PC returns from the dead.

Thank you for any advise you can give.

 

[Aeacus]

Just the EVGA 600W ATX 80 PLUS GOLD PSU?

Knowing the exact model (or part number) of the PSU + PSU's age, will answer this question;

Everything fried?

So, what model PSU you have? If you don't know, look the PSUs label. There the part number (or serial number) is listed.

I would like your thoughts on what parts are toast in order of likelihood.

Depends on the model of the PSU, but the order from most likely would be:
PSU - MoBo - GPU - HDD/SSD - RAM - CPU.

to get back what I had or I buy used parts swapping them in until my PC returns from the dead.

Without 2nd, compatible system, to test out individual components, it is impossible to tell what components survived and what didn't. Could be that all are dead. Could be that just PSU and MoBo are dead. But that you can't tell until you start replacing components. Whereby you may end up with completely new system.

In your situation, i'd suggest you buy yourself 2nd hand laptop. Takes up far less space, is portable and not prone of someone poking it to death, as it was with your current build. Also, based on the CPU you have, your build is ancient (CPU is 13 years old) and whole build giving up a ghost isn't that much of a surprise.

 

[artk2219]

Has someone tried turning the switch on the back of the power supply to off, removing the power cable, and hitting the power button on the computer for 20 seconds or so to clear the charge. Then plugging the power cable back in, turning the power switch on the power supply back to on, and seeing if it turns on after that? It could have tripped a protection mode and those steps could help reset it out of that mode.

 

[TobyCatVa]

I can't get to the tower atm to open it for the model number. Will have to wait on that until the night nurse does first rounds as she would cause an issue seeing me digging around in a computer. I replaced a bad ram stick a couple years ago and was yelled at "You could electrocute yourself!"

Tried artk2219 suggestion, Thanks but no bueno.

As to a laptop path what am I looking for to play the steam games my PC did and YouTube at 2X speed. My main activities. Everything at 1080P. My big monitor is fine and jacked into this Thinkpad the former activities girl is letting me borrow It is a potato Thinkpad E545 that makes my 13 year old PC look state of the art before the spark. LoL But beggars and choosers and all I am lucky to be able to post.

Sorry I am wordy, have not been online in awhile.

 

[Misgar]

I have a limited disposable income after care expenses of $30 a month.

It's a shame you're on the wrong side of the Atlantic for me to (potentially) drive over and visit. I have a box full of spare PSUs.

With only $30 per month, it's going to take several months to afford a good quality PSU. Anything (new) priced at $30 or less will be junk. If you're really desperate though .......

Ideally what you need is a Good Samaritan with a spare PSU lying around. Do you have the equivalent of a "Repair Shop" run by local volunteers who give their time for free and fix things?
https://tellyvisions.org/article/repair-shop-seasons-12-where-watch-stream-us

She wiggled my power cord where it enters the PSU. <spark/flash>

I had this happen on a cheap and nasty 900W ATX PSU when I wiggled the power cord. The result was a dead PSU, but the rest of the computer was fine. The PSU was only 1 year old. Serves me right for buying cheap.

Do you know anyone who's competent and trust worthy enough to hand over the computer, or who might be willing to visit with a replacement PSU hidden in a bag? Maybe the son or daughter of a member of staff who enjoys building PCs.

Since you're able to go online, can you check out normal computer repair shops in your area and give them a call. You might find a generous soul who's prepared to drop round without charging exhorbitant call out fees. Worth a try.

Good luck.

 

[Eximo]

Rough geographic area?

There may be some local PC charity/recycling businesses around that would be willing to help.

Another avenue might be calling in to local schools. If they have a computer club/classes it could be someone's extra credit or project to help you troubleshoot at the least.

 

[Paperdoc]

I like the several posts above suggesting trying to find a local volunteer (individual or organization) willing to come in and help. I suggest the MOST likely problem source is in the PSU. Of course, temporarily substituting another would be a way to test that. By the way, according to the mobo manual that single green LED being lit says that the mobo is receiving SOME power, sufficient to get its basic monitoring circuits working ready to detect any attempt to actually boot up. But is does NOT guarantee ALL PSU outputs are working.

My suspicion is that some water got into the PSU at the rear close to the power cord socket. IF some of that still is inside as liquid water, you night be able to fix things IF someone can remove the PSU entirely from the case and open it up CAREFULLY. I say that because the large capacitors inside WILL have some residual charge on them and those CAN be lethal! Someone who really understands all that should know how to discharge those safely before doing anything else. THEN he / she could proceed to search for liquid water and try to remove. If none is found, continue by searching for stains and dirty residue left that may be conduction paths for electrical signals. Such can be removed with light scraping or using a damp Q-tip. Last step is to LEAVE the PSU open to the air for a day or two or three, THEN close up and re-install. In that time any remaining liquid water can dry out - the drying is VERY hard to do with a closed PSU box inside your case!

All of that costs nothing for parts, and only consumes some skilled time. A good volunteer might be able to do that, even if perhaps under your supervision. And maybe having the work done by someone ELSE will keep the cautious staff at bay.

 

[Misgar]

My suspicion is that some water got into the PSU at the rear close to the power cord socket.

A lot depends on how heavily soaked the sponge or cleaning cloth was as to how much (if any) water got into the ATX PSU inlet during "cleaning". When I killed my 900W PSU by wiggling the power lead, no water was involved, just a "make/break" connection whilst the computer was switched on and a big fat spark.

As an electronics design engineer working on MILSPEC and Aerospace systems, I suspect that a semiconductor or electrolytic inside the PSU has sustained permanent damage. I'd caution against untrained personnel opening up the PSU, unless they have experience. I haven't died yet but I believe I know what I'm doing. The biggest PSU I worked on was 10,000V at 2.5A DC fed by a 3-phase 25kVA transformer.

I say that because the large capacitors inside WILL have some residual charge on them and those CAN be lethal!

The bulk storage capacitor in an ATX PSU typically rated at 400/420V DC will certainly store charge at a high voltage after the PSU is switched off, for a period of time. We can have arguments as to how long the charge remains a hazard (minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years, depending on who you listen to).

My advice is to try a different PSU and accept the old PSU has probably died and may be beyond economic repair. Play safe unless you're a competent technician or engineer.

 

[Aeacus]

My suspicion is that some water got into the PSU at the rear close to the power cord socket.

Once you get sparks/flash out of the PSU, the PSU is usually dead. Drying it up won't make it work again. Also, PSU went "boom" after the power cord of it was wiggled, so, i don't think it would be water damage. Instead low/crap quality PSU that was on it's last leg and poking it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

As to a laptop path what am I looking for to play the steam games my PC did and YouTube at 2X speed. My main activities. Everything at 1080P. My big monitor is fine and jacked into this Thinkpad the former activities girl is letting me borrow It is a potato Thinkpad E545 that makes my 13 year old PC look state of the art before the spark. LoL But beggars and choosers and all I am lucky to be able to post.

It does not look good for you. As others have already pointed out, i too advise to get outside help that has the hardware know-how and can come on-site.

Since otherwise, with $30 budget, you're looking 1-2 years of collecting funds to be able to afford even the bare minimum in terms of desktop PC.

The cheapest you're looking at, while re-using your PC case, SSD/HDD (IF they survived) and GPU (if it also survived), comes to $200.
Like so:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Pentium Gold G6500 4.1 GHz Dual-Core Processor ($58.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H510M-HDV/M.2 SE Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Samsung M378A1K43CB2-CRC 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory ($13.30 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2023) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $202.22

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-01-15 12:53 EST-0500

It is the cheapest you could get in terms of getting desktop PC working again, guaranteed.

Few words about components;
Intel CPU is weaker than your old AMD CPU, but it has iGPU in it, so, when your GTX 970 didn't survive, you can still use the PC. No 1080p gaming though. But web browsing and Youtube it can do. But when GTX 970 did survived, then 1080p gaming as well. Not with as high FPS as before, but still something.
CPU cooler is included with CPU.

MoBo is cheapest MoBo that supports this CPU. So, nothing special but does work.

RAM is 1x DIMM of 8GB. Maybe more than you had, maybe same amount, we don't know. But it has faster transfer speed since it's DDR4 2400 MT/s, compared to your DDR3 that you had in your old build.

And PSU is the cheapest i'm comfortable suggesting for you.

As you can see, even the bare minimum costs quite a bit. Of course, all those components are brand new and while you can buy used CPU-MoBo-RAM combo just fine, NEVER buy used PSU. So, brand new PSU alone will be $60, if not more.

Due to your budget, hence why i suggested getting a laptop. Can be even used one, since at current moment, you're living on borrowed laptop.
Getting your own laptop would give you more sense of security and would give you your Youtube back. Maybe even some light gaming, 720p or so.
But as you've said it yourself;

But beggars and choosers and all I am lucky to be able to post.

You do not have enough funds to get desktop PC back.

To get desktop PC, you will need outside help. Maybe some of our forum members who live nearby, can come and help you out (i already put the word out after i posted my initial reply). Or via local community when you reach out.
I, personally, have 0 issues to help you out, but i live across the pond (Atlantic Ocean), in EU and there is no way i can come over and build you a new desktop PC.

 

[Paperdoc]

Aeacus may be quite right. I was hoping the "sparks" report was merely a few tiny sparks at the CONNECTOR where the cable from the wall enters the PSU rear. BUT if there were large sparks from INSIDE the PSU at that time, there is a REAL possibility that the damage is much larger and the PSU needs replacement.

My HOPE is that the incident was only minor and drying out will solve that. IF you can arrange to do as I suggested for FREE, you will find out whether that works. If it does not, you KNOW replacement is required.

 

[stonecarver]

I know it's personal and for safety and like other I'm willing to help. If we know where your located Eastern US
Middle US or Western US. That is if your in the USA.

Heck we just might have someone who is just up the street from you willing to pitch in.

 

[COLGeek]

A solution will be on the way to @TobyCatVa this afternoon. Feel free to keep assisting with troubleshooting the current system.

 

[TobyCatVa]

Thank you all, The PSU was an EVGA 700B 80PLUS BRONZE 12 years old, the spark was one big flash from where the loose cord entered the PSU at the PSU, the cloth was damp for dust but not wet. Somebody here has stepped in to help me in private messages.

 

[TobyCatVa]

From my first build to now Tom's forums and information has always gotten me through. BTW this is not my original account so you can ignore the joined date I joined Tom's in 1997 when a guild mate in EQ sent me to gain knowledge so I could build not buy. THANKS TOM'S PEOPLE.

 

[Aeacus]

The PSU was an EVGA 700B 80PLUS BRONZE 12 years old

EVGA 700B is low quality PSU and it ever came with 3 year warranty,
specs: https://www.evga.com/articles/archive/00971/EVGA-700B-Power-Supply/default.asp

So, it lasting this long is actually a surprise, since such poor PSUs hardly ever last longer than the warranty they have, let alone triple that amount.

The lower the PSU's build quality - the higher the chance of PSU taking other components with it when it goes "pop" with fireworks.
Since the PSU isn't that good of a quality and was WAY past it's expected lifespan, it took something else with it as well. Main suspect is MoBo, as i described above. GPU could be dead too. But without actual testing, there's no way to tell which components survived and which didn't.

Somebody here has stepped in to help me in private messages.

Since there's solution in the works privately, there's no need to troubleshoot current PC issues. Still, i'll write the usual troubleshooting steps as information, as of what to do next, in similar situation, that anyone who comes across this topic can read it.

1st step would be buying (or getting) brand new, known to work, good quality PSU, to test IF the system works with 2nd PSU. Since current PSU is confirmed to be toast.
There are many PSUs out there, crap quality, low quality, mediocre quality, good quality and great quality. I, personally, suggest getting at least good quality PSU, while great quality PSU is preferred when PC has dedicated GPU in it. If PC is office build without dedicated GPU, then mediocre quality PSU would suffice as well, while good quality PSU is preferred.
E.g the Corsair CX-series i linked above, is mediocre quality and viable only when one doesn't have enough funds for good quality PSU. While Seasonic Focus, Corsair RMx/RMi, Super Flower Leadex Gold would be good quality PSUs. Seasonic Vertex/PRIME, Corsair HXi/AXi and Super Flower Leadex Platinum/Titanium would be great quality PSUs.

If the build doesn't power on even with 2nd, known to work, good/great quality PSU, then something else is dead as well.
Since you have old AM3 platform build, suspects are: CPU, MoBo, RAM and GPU. Either one of them, some of them or all of them.

Because build is old and uses DDR3 RAM, there's no point in getting old AM3 CPU socket MoBo, just to test out if CPU, RAM and GPU survived.
In this scenario, best would be going with new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo. E.g Ryzen 5000-series + AM4 MoBo + DDR4 RAM. Or Ryzen 9000-series + AM5 MoBo + DDR5 RAM. With Intel 12th, 13th and 14th gen CPUs, you have option regarding MoBos, if the MoBo uses DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. The latest Intel Core Ultra 200-series CPUs are such a flop, that i don't suggest those to anybody.

With new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo + the new PSU already bought, user essentially has new PC on their hands that they can use. Often, the CPU is much better than what was in the old PC, with nice performance uplift. And if one bought more RAM than they used to have, then there's additional performance uplift.

To save on money, user can re-use their old PC case. And SSD/HDDs as well, IF those survived the PSU going belly up. Even still, new SSD isn't that expensive and many are now going with new M.2 NVMe SSD, rather than old 2.5" SATA SSD. But SATA SSD is still relevant and can be good option when funds are low.

Once the new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo arrives, it is best to breadboard it outside of the PC case, to make sure if the combo works. If it doesn't, best to use warranty and RMA defective components. But when build does work and one can access BIOS, then new OS needs to be installed onto it.

As of GPU, that is best tested in 2nd system, to see if it works. In a case where user doesn't have 2nd system to test, the GPU can be tested in the new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo, to see if it shows up in BIOS.
Note: AMD Ryzen 3000/5000-series CPUs doesn't have iGPU in them, except when the CPU has G-suffix. While Ryzen 7000/9000-series CPUs have iGPU in them. So, when user buys e.g Ryzen 9000-series CPU, they can use the PC without dedicated GPU. Otherwise, dedicated GPU is needed to see the image.
On Intel side, when CPU has F-suffix, then it doesn't have iGPU in it. Otherwise it has iGPU.

As of this current setup, GTX 970 is also quite old GPU, 11 years old. So, GPU could be dead as well. We don't know it until it has been tested. IF it is dead, then there are cheap(ish) GPUs that one can buy. Like GTX 1630/1650/1660 or RTX 3050/3060/4060. On AMD Radeon side: RX 6400/6500XT/6600.

Once the GPU is also sorted out, user ends up with new PC, that they can use for many years (given that user didn't cheap out on PSU).

BTW this is not my original account so you can ignore the joined date I joined Tom's in 1997 when a guild mate in EQ sent me to gain knowledge so I could build not buy.

I don't care about join date since i don't look at it when helping out in the forums. Doesn't matter to me if user joined ~30 years ago or yesterday.

THANKS TOM'S PEOPLE.

👍