PC damaged during a power outage?

[zoog18]

hello, I just recently had a power outage and my PC was on, its connected to an extension cord which is connected to a power bar, how do I know if it has been damaged? (I was able to boot it up, and when the power went out it didn't shut off instantly)

i5 4670K
Sabertooth Mark 1 Z97
G.Skill Trident X 16GB
WD Black 2TB
Samsung 840 Evo
MSI GTX 780 Lightning
Corsair AX 760
Corsair 750D
Noctua NH-D14
Asus Xonar Phoebus

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

Have you noticed any differences??

 

[zoog18]

Not really, but I just ran Western Digital Lifeguard, and the drive made a lot of noise, unless all drives do this when running lifeguard

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

Not really, but I just ran Western Digital Lifeguard, and the drive made a lot of noise, unless all drives do this when running lifeguard

I have never used that so i cant tell,,,you have an UPS right?? Not PSU

 

[tiny voices]

Yes drives makes noise when running diagnostics.

If your computer is working, it is not damaged. Don't worry.

Is it plugged into a surge protector? If not, it needs to be plugged into a good one.

 

[InvalidError]

Depends on what the "lot of noise" is about. If you were running the drive self-test and part of the self-test is a HDD actuator performance and accuracy test, noise during that part of the test where the head flies all around the place would be normal.

If the drive behaves normally, you get no SMART warnings and Lifeguard tells you there are no trouble codes, your HDD is most likely fine.

Computer hardware is not supposed to get damaged by outages but an inconveniently timed power cut during a disk write can corrupt data.

What is most likely to die from a power outage is the PSU when it gets subjected to junk power as the power grid comes back online. When power goes out, I usually wait for a minute after it comes back before I start turning stuff back on

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

get one of these if you dont have one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply,,i was using my system without one for 6 months and it dint damage anything,,though it isnt recommended but dont worry,,and yeah use a surge protector

 

[zoog18]

Is what you guys mean by a surge protector a long bar with multiple plugs on it? I've known this is a power bar, and no I don't have a UPS, also what I mean by noise is it sounds as if the drivers is speeding up a lot.

 

[tiny voices]

The test you ran pushed the drives VERY hard and they will make alot of noise. Perfectly normal.

And yes, you should always have the computer plugged into a power strip or power bar as you call it.

 

[zoog18]

Is it normal for the drivers to be making constant, somewhat loud clicking noises when I'm not running the test?

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

Yes that is known as a surge protector,,get one,,it is really helpful and also get an UPS,,it acts as an inverter,,when the power goes out,,your system will switch to the UPS power,,same goes with voltage fluctuations

 

[tiny voices]

Is it normal for the drivers to be making constant, somewhat loud clicking noises when I'm not running the test?

No not really. But if they work fine, there is no problem.

 

[zoog18]

What should the WD black sound like than?

 

[tiny voices]

Don't worry about it. Drives make noises. If it is nothing new, forget about it.

Restart the computer and see if they still make noise.

A power surge will NOT cause drives to click. It will simply fry them and make them not usable. This did not happen so you are fine.

 

[zoog18]

So the power outage wouldn't damage the drive it would render it completely unusable?

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

So the power outage wouldn't damage the drive it would render it completely unusable?

That does not happen often man,,relax,,get a UPS

 

[tiny voices]

Yes generally that is what would happen.

Don't bother with a UPS if you live in the US or Canada or Europe.

Also, make sure you know the difference between an outage and a surge. An outage does not damage parts, a surge does and even then surges basically never happen anywhere with stable power grids.

A decent power strip is all you need.

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

So the power outage wouldn't damage the drive it would render it completely unusable?

That does not happen often man,,relax,,get a UPS and a surge protector

 

[zoog18]

yes I am going to get one, just asking if power outages damage drives or break them?

 

[tiny voices]

Read my post. It explains everything.

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

yes I am going to get one, just asking if power outages damage drives or break them?

Read my post. It explains everything.

So basically you need a surge protector

 

[tiny voices]

Which he has, and is why his PSU is fine and not damaged. He also had an outage, not a surge, which doesn't even damage parts.

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

Which he has, and is why his PSU is fine and not damaged. He also had an outage, not a surge, which doesn't even damage parts.

Then he just needs to calm down 😀

 

[tiny voices]

He needs to understand his computer is perfectly fine and not to worry.

An outage will not damage anything.

 

[Shantanu Ghose]

He needs to understand his computer is perfectly fine and not to worry.

An outage will not damage anything.

Yeah,,i live in India and you have to get a UPS if you want your PC to stay alive,,,yet i used my system without one for around 6 months and had no problems from power outages