Question PC not turning on, and there's a buzzing/sparky sound near the PSU ?

[JamesC01]

Today I tried to turn my PC on, but pressing the power button doesn't do anything. I grabbed the power cord to push it in to make sure it wasn't loose, and there was a sparking/buzzing sound near it. Is this a power supply failure? I read that it might be the power supply shorting due to dust, so I hoovered inside the case and the power supply vent and tried to get rid of as much dust as I could.

Yesterday, I turned my PC on, and it went on for a few seconds, then randomly turned off, but once I turned it on again it stayed on. It has also randomly turned off instantly a few times in the past. How do I find out where the problem is, when it won't even turn on? Should I buy a new power supply? Or is there an easier way to tell if the issue is the power supply, rather than another component or the switch? Could a fan cause the PC to not turn on? Because I used to have problems with the fan not spinning fast enough, and I'd have to manually spin it to start it up, mainly in the winter, but that hasn't been a problem since early this year.

If this is the PSU, do you think my ssd is safe? It's an m.2 under the GPU. That's what I mainly care about. Could PSU failure damage it? I haven't backed up in a few months.

 

[CountMike]

Today I tried to turn my PC on, but pressing the power button doesn't do anything. I grabbed the power chord to push it in to make sure it wasn't loose, and there was a sparking/buzzing sound near it. Is this a power supply failure? I read that it might be the power supply shorting due to dust, so I hoovered inside the case and the power supply vent and tried to get rid of as much dust as I could.

Yesterday, I turned my PC on, and it went on for a few seconds, then randomly turned off, but once I turned it on again it stayed on. It has also randomly turned off instantly a few times in the past. How do I find out where the problem is, when it won't even turn on? Should I buy a new power supply? Or is there an easier way to tell if the issue is the power supply, rather than another component or the switch? Could a fan cause the PC to not turn on? Because I used to have problems with the fan not spinning fast enough, and I'd have to manually spin it to start it up, mainly in the winter, but that hasn't been a problem since early this year.

I would change power cable first, some are really el cheapo and loose contact pressure.

 

[JamesC01]

I would change power cable first, some are really el cheapo and loose contact pressure.

Forgot to mention I tried it with my monitor's power cable, which has the same voltage and more amps. Still didn't work.

 

[CountMike]

Forgot to mention I tried it with my monitor's power cable, which has the same voltage and more amps. Still didn't work.

Look closely at contacts on the PSU, discoloration and/or specks from sparking. I have seen a lot of that. I have also seen some really dusty inside but for some extra heat it was not a problem.
How old is it ? It's possible some capacitor is leaking and that could pose big problem. PSU is very important component and could burn other parts.

 

[JamesC01]

Look closely at contacts on the PSU, discoloration and/or specks from sparking. I have seen a lot of that. I have also seen some really dusty inside but for some extra heat it was not a problem.
How old is it ? It's possible some capacitor is leaking and that could pose big problem. PSU is very important component and could burn other parts.

I can't see any obvious sparks on the prongs, other than a tiny brown mark. I took some photos of inside of the power supply (without opening it up), the capacitors look slightly bulged, but I'm not sure if they are meant to look like that or not. The PC is 6 years old.

https://imgur.com/a/gDGKIbW

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Just out of curiosity, what is the make & model of that PSU ?

 

[JamesC01]

Just out of curiosity, what is the make & model of that PSU ?

MASTERWATT LITE 230V 400W

 

[CountMike]

MASTERWATT LITE 230V 400W

If you can see those electrolytic (cylindrical) capacitors, there's an X etched at top which should be flat, it's to weaken it so if it starts bulging it does it there first as an indicator of going bad.
PS,
6 years is already long time for that class of PSU, factory warranty is 5years.

 

[JamesC01]

If you can see those electrolytic (cylindrical) capacitors, there's an X etched at top which should be flat, it's to weaken it so if it starts bulging it does it there first as an indicator of going bad.
PS,
6 years is already long time for that class of PSU, factory warranty is 5years.

Do you think I should buy a cheap psu tester, just to make sure it's the psu?

 

[Misgar]

Don't waste your money on a so-called "PSU Tester". Unless you place representative loads on all the major rails, all it will do is indicate the DC Voltages, not the AC ripple. If you've got leaky capacitors, the ripple voltage could exceed the safe maximum for your motherboard. Result = dead mobo/CPU/GPU.

If any of your electrolytics are bulging like the capacitor on the right (see photo) chuck the PSU in the trash can. The capacitor in the middle of the photo has exploded, spraying brown goop all over the other components. You do NOT want to let your old PSU get to this stage. Buy a new one.

 

[JamesC01]

Don't waste your money on a so-called "PSU Tester". Unless you place representative loads on all the major rails, all it will do is indicate the DC Voltages, not the AC ripple. If you've got leaky capacitors, the ripple voltage could exceed the safe maximum for your motherboard. Result = dead mobo/CPU/GPU.

If any of your electrolytics are bulging like the capacitor on the right (see photo) chuck the PSU in the trash can. The capacitor in the middle of the photo has exploded, spraying brown goop all over the other components. You do NOT want to let your old PSU get to this stage. Buy a new one.

I don't think it's bulging like that. Check the photos I posted and see if you can tell. It looks like the plastic coating is bluding at the edges, but I can't tell if the center is bulged. Should I buy a new power supply anyway, since it's 6 years old and full of dust? What should my next step be?

 

[DSzymborski]

I'd just buy a new one. In truth, your current one is one of the worst quality PSUs ever released by a major brand, so it was pretty bad when it was new and out of the box, let alone after six years and full of dust. Even if you could repair it, you wouldn't want to.

 

[USAFRet]

MASTERWATT LITE 230V 400W

Replace that PSU.

Our office just got 10 new systems, with Masterwatt PSUs. 500w, I believe.

Within 2 weeks, 2 of them had outright died, another 3 were making very strange noises.

We got ALL 10 of them replaced by the vendor.

 

[JamesC01]

I'd just buy a new one. In truth, your current one is one of the worst quality PSUs ever released by a major brand, so it was pretty bad when it was new and out of the box, let alone after six years and full of dust. Even if you could repair it, you wouldn't want to.

Do you have any suggestions for a replacement one? I don't really have any idea about PC building, other than replacement ram and drives etc., so I'm not sure about the sizes and compatibility with PSUs. What kind of price range should I be looking at?

 

[DSzymborski]

Do you have any suggestions for a replacement one? I don't really have any idea about PC building, other than replacement ram and drives etc., so I'm not sure about the sizes and compatibility with PSUs. What kind of price range should I be looking at?

It would depend what the components of your PC are. You can get a solid-enough PSU for an office machine around $50, but PSUs that need to power a GPU that requires supplementary power are generally $90 and up these days.

 

[JamesC01]

It would depend what the components of your PC are. You can get a solid-enough PSU for an office machine around $50, but PSUs that need to power a GPU that requires supplementary power are generally $90 and up these days.

My PC has worked fairly fine for 6 years on the 400w psu. I have 16gb ram, gtx 1050 ti, 2 hdd's, 1 ssd, and ryzen 3 1200.

 

[DSzymborski]

My PC has worked fairly fine for 6 years on the 400w psu. I have 16gb ram, gtx 1050 ti, 2 hdd's, 1 ssd, and ryzen 3 1200.

One problem is that you can't observe a PSU working properly outside of the most dramatic issues. It's almost certain that you've had poor voltage regulation and poorly mitigated electronic ripple going through your parts for six years. It's a bit like diagnosing someone's cardiac health by looking at a picture of them.

However, you don't need an impressive PSU to power this PC. Something like an EVGA BR or Corsair CV would be adequate for a rig like this *if* you don't plan on upgrading the GPU.

 

[JamesC01]

One problem is that you can't observe a PSU working properly outside of the most dramatic issues. It's almost certain that you've had poor voltage regulation and poorly mitigated electronic ripple going through your parts for six years. It's a bit like diagnosing someone's cardiac health by looking at a picture of them.

However, you don't need an impressive PSU to power this PC. Something like an EVGA BR or Corsair CV would be adequate for a rig like this *if* you don't plan on upgrading the GPU.

Thanks! Those PSU's are a good price, I'll look into buying one soon. I also saw the EVGA GQ, which seems decent, too, although I'm not completely sure. Are there any precautions I need to take to make sure a PSU is compatible with my system? Also, if it turns out to not have been a PSU issue, could the other problem damage the new PSU, or should it be okay?

 

[DSzymborski]

Thanks! Those PSU's are a good price, I'll look into buying one soon. I also saw the EVGA GQ, which seems decent, too, although I'm not completely sure. Are there any precautions I need to take to make sure a PSU is compatible with my system? Also, if it turns out to not have been a PSU issue, could the other problem damage the new PSU, or should it be okay?

The GQ is decent, too. I wouldn't use it with a high-end GPU, but it's *more* than needed for your current rig.

PSUs are pretty standard. As long as you're not doing things like reusing modular cables, which aren't standardized (not an issue in your case), it's hard to mess up. Another problem is unlikely to damage a new PSU, PSUs are almost always a *source* of damage rather than a recipient of damage.