I need your guys' help :(

DiamondJack

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Oct 6, 2014
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Okay this might get a little long winded and it's from my phone so bear with the layout lol.

My computer randomly turned off about a week ago and would not boot or post so I presumed my mobo had died so I swapped it out this weekend and managed to get to windows 8 install, then I was installing some drivers and doing the usual first stuff and it switched off again, this happened a few times. After this it switched off again and would only come on for a few seconds before turning off, now the power button does nothing and when I plug the adapter from the socket to my psu there's a crackling electric sound :/. I tested the psu using the paperclip trick and nothing happens.

So I'm hoping it's the psu because I presume my computer wouldn't have let me install windows etc with bad ram/cpu?

Specs
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Socket AM3+Motherboard

Cpu - amd fx 8150

Ram - g skill 8 gig

Heatsink - hyper evo 212

The psu is a cheap 750w iv had for around 18 months.

I'm away this week but want to get it going this weekend so should I buy a corsair 750w psu and hope it solves it?

Thanks in advance

 
Your cheap PSU is probably the culprit. Don't skimp on PSU quality, it could kill every component in your PC if its bad enough.

Get your PC to a repair shop and ask them to diagnose for bad components. Don't replace parts if you're not sure it solves the problem.
 
You're probably best going through the usual trial and error process before purchasing a new part.

As unknownofprob suggested, RAM stick can often be the culprit and removing one at a time can isolate the issue. Also, if you have a GPU, remove this and see if this solves the issue. The issue with this being that you cannot be sure when the bad section will be accessed, so often you can start up for short periods of time.

Please do your best not to plug a PSU in whilst the power is on (ie, at the wall) - in general many PSU will crackle if you do this so it is not necessarily a sign of damage. Also - did you notice any extra noise coming from the PC when the initial breakdown happened? Whilst PSU can die, they normal show signs of failure before hand, so you would likely notice an increase in noise, or a noise that sounds like loose ball bearings.

It does seem like the PSU is the issue, but try a few other things first, and yes get the PSU checked out if you can. Also, if you know the exact model of PSU some others will most likely have had experience in using one here.
 
I had the computer started and the bios recognised the 8gig of ram the cpu and everything and then it just kept powering off like the psu was running out of steam, I'm gunna buy a new psu anyway so if that doesn't solve the problem then I'm literally probably going to give up cos it was upsetting this weekend believe it or not hah