New Power Supply, But Desktop Won't Turn On! Please Help!

problempc

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Aug 20, 2017
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This is about the third time I've posted about this machine, and still haven't managed to fix it. I took the desktop to get diagnosed, and was told that everything was checked, and that the power supply was messed up. So, I got a new power supply. Yet and still, it won't turn on. I've been told it'sm not the hard drive or the motherboard, so I have no idea what the problem could be.

The desktop has an msi 970a-g43 plus motherboard, an Nvidia GTX 950 Grapics card, and the power supply is a Thermaltake TR2 430W(which I know isn't a good supply, but it's new version of the same one I originally had.) Does anyone know how I can get it to turn on? It's like there's no power going through it, and the only indicator the power supply is even remotely functioning is that the usbs power up when the power switch is turned on.
 
Solution
Yes, try testing the power supply. If you've tried 2-3 of them, I would think that pretty much says it, but as I said, I'd like to know if they actually plugged another power supply into the system and tried to start it up, or if they just visually inspected and said everything looks ok, or if they only used a power supply tester on the first unit and saw it tested bad and assumed that all else was ok. Not a way to know what they did.
problempc, your power supply appears to have a split rail design, and +12v on the two rails is only 14 amps on #1, and only 15amps on#2. These aren't additive, that's the limit of that connection for each rail.

If I have the specs right, the gtx 950 recommends having 24 amps minimum for a single rail. If you had a single +12v rail, you would be better off. The symptoms you describe can be a problem associated with insufficient amperage. You are recommended to have one above the minimums though for stability.

Depending on what processor you have, you may need even more.
 


And yet previously the power supply that fried that I had originally was the same model, and it worked fine then. No power problems to be had until something overheated. Not to mention I got a different 600w power supply, and that didn't work either.
 
"the power supply that fried"

Trying to draw more power than it was rated for would be an educated guess. This could have damaged components.

You had it checked. If it would work for whomever did the testing, ask them what PS they were using. How did they check the system? Were ALL your parts in the system, or did they substitute to check, or were all parts not in it?

They said not the HD or motherboard. They said nothing about the CPU or graphics card?
 


They didn't give really any specific details, they just had me drop it off, and I came back a couole days later. They said there was no damage to the MB, nothing wrong with the processor or my graphics card, just that the problem was with the powet supply. But I don't get it, if the old power supply I had used to work, why won't the new one that's the same model?
 
Can't answer specifically to that, but they should have tried to boot with another psu. It's possible they only used a PSU tester. In any event however, a PSU with a single, strong 12v+ rail seems to be best. I have tried split rail psu's, and some of them aren't strong enough for those old fx cpu setups.
 


Then why did the old one work before this all happened? It had a split rail design too, and is literally the same model as the one I got to replace it.
 
Again I can't tell you why in that case. Theoretically it should work. It is possible the replacement you got is a dud. If you have access to a spare PSU, you might try it to see if it tries to power up or not.

My first post, I'm just going from experience as I've seen systems shut off under stress due to a PSU not being up to the job. If it does not start up with a different psu, I'd still guess at motherboard issues.
 


I got two different PSUs before this one, both different, neither worked. If it's the motherboard, it means when I took the computer in for a diagnostic, the people handling it had no idea what they're doing, and if it really is a problem with the motherboard, I guess I'm just screwed. I got that motherboard a few months ago, and I certianly can't afford to buy another one.
 


I tried using different and newer power supplies. They didn't work. So i bought this one, ehich is the same as the one I had originally. It still doesn't work. I've blown all my available money on this computer. I can't afford to try replacing any more parts, especially when I haven't even had them formore than a couple months.
 
If you've tried 2-3 power supplies, even lowish quality should at least allow it try to start up. Try to boot up with one stick of ram. Also, if no joy there, try it without the ram and without a video card and see if it beeps at you. If so, that would indicate the board showing signs of life. I would not suspect the cpu being bad, that's just a rare thing. Do you happen to have an older video card you can try in it?
 


There's currently only one stick of ram inside, and it doesn't work. I've taken the ram and graphics card out, and it still doesn't work. I've checked the cpu for damage but nothing, and I don't have another video card. There's no beeps or anything because my motherboard doesn't have a speaker.
 


I took it to Office Depot, which was offering free computer diagnostics. They didn't say how they tested it, only that it was a problem with the original power supply, which I'm beginning to believe is incorrect, because NOTHING works.
 
If you've tried 3 different power supplies, I would almost begin to suspect the motherboard. As far as Office Depot, yeah, I don't know how far I would trust them. Put it this way, I graduated college for IT/networking etc. I went to best buy a few years back(after college), to try to get a job with geek squad. At least part time, as I was unemployed at the time. They didn't even really seem to want to interview or talk to me. They did give me an interview, but I got the vibe they wanted high school or college kids they didn't have to pay much and that they could teach their way to. I don't know if Office Depot is like that, but I'll leave that discussion there.

In my opinion though, I've only ever seen 2-3 cpus just die. I'm thinking the motherboard is more of a concern. What a lot of people don't realize, when a power supply goes out, unfortunately, they can kill other components as well. Which is one reason you see a lot of guys here who will not go cheap on their power supplies.
 


Followed the video's instructions, but nothing happened trying to turn it on without the power button. And yes, I'm positive that the supply is switched on.
 


Well that's......I'm not sure what to even say about that. Guess if that's the only problem it can be...
 
Well, you can always test the PSUs to see if they work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixcWCrYpw3Y

It's very possible something else got damaged when the previous PSU "fried". Since it's not a "good PSU" it's more likely to damage other components, chiefly the motherboard first.

Since you only got "free" diagnostic support they probably only tried to switch the computer on, saw that it wouldn't and said it was the PSU, which it may have been, but they didn't test it any further to see what else was damaged.
 


They said they checked the motherboard...But I guess.
 
Yes, try testing the power supply. If you've tried 2-3 of them, I would think that pretty much says it, but as I said, I'd like to know if they actually plugged another power supply into the system and tried to start it up, or if they just visually inspected and said everything looks ok, or if they only used a power supply tester on the first unit and saw it tested bad and assumed that all else was ok. Not a way to know what they did.
 
Solution