Question PC won't post

[Pocket Walrus]

Right so I cleaned my pc this morning, did everything as I always have done used compressed air and tissues. After the clean the pc powers on but it doesn't post. One time it posted in safe mode and it detected all my components so I assume mboard and cpu, ram, gpu and drives are all fine. So could the PSU be dead? If so, I just replace it and its fine?

 

[AllanGH]

It conceivably could be.

What brand/model is it, and how old is it?

Knowing the full system specs couldn't hurt, either.

 

[Pocket Walrus]

It conceivably could be.

What brand/model is it, and how old is it?

Knowing the full system specs couldn't hurt, either.

Thanks for the reply!

Specs:
Cpu: Intel Pentium g4560
Ram: corsair ddr4 2400Mhz 8gb stick
Gpu: Geforce GTX 1050ti
Drives: Kingston ssd 240gb
WD hdd 1tb
PSU: Corsair VS450 80 plus white (2 years old)
Mobo: Asus prime b250m-k

 

[AllanGH]

Yeah....I like Corsair, but their VS series really isn't the way to go.

If you stack rank Corsair PSUs, according to quality and robustness, the VS models come out at the bottom of the heap.

You'll want to bump that up to a TX or RM series PSU, no matter how this shakes-out....and it's the most likely point of failure, given what you've said, so far.

 

[Pocket Walrus]

Yeah....I like Corsair, but their VS series really isn't the way to go.

If you stack rank Corsair PSUs, according to quality and robustness, the VS models come out at the bottom of the heap.

You'll want to bump that up to a TX or RM series PSU, no matter how this shakes-out....and it's the most likely point of failure, given what you've said, so far.

Thanks for the useful info, anything I could do to defimitely know that it's the PSU that has quit and not the mobo? As I mentioned I was able to get some kind of safe boot where all my components were correctly detected, it said to press f1 to enter setup so I did but after that it just got stuck on a black screen. Does this then really mean it's just the PSU?

 

[AllanGH]

Test the PSU output directly:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UZHB6G
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F778JO
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X9ISWI

 

[Pocket Walrus]

Test the PSU output directly:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UZHB6G
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F778JO
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X9ISWI

Damn, those are a bit pricy for me :/ Also would it help if I told you that while cleaning the PSU with compressed air I saw some like water particles emmit from the can? Could that have killed it?

 

[AllanGH]

Most of the time that's just the propellant from the can. It's volatile enough that it evaporates almost immediately. It probably doesn't change the equation much.

If you are going to do this by blind parts-swapping (never a good idea), make certain that you didn't disconnect anything while you were in there, and that all components are correctly seated, do a BIOS clear and try it again, then decide if you're going to start spending money on parts.

 

[Pocket Walrus]

Most of the time that's just the propellant from the can. It's volatile enough that it evaporates almost immediately. It probably doesn't change the equation much.

If you are going to do this by blind parts-swapping (never a good idea), make certain that you didn't disconnect anything while you were in there, and that all components are correctly seated, do a BIOS clear and try it again, then decide if you're going to start spending money on parts.

Would a BIOS clear be a CMOS battery removal for 1 min? And I already reconnected all of the major cables in the case multiple times. I think I have a spare psu, should I try booting with it?

 

[AllanGH]

Remove the battery and find the BIOS clear jumper or switch, and try that.

If you have a spare PSU sitting around that you positively know to be good, and has a high enough power output to support the system for a test, then use it. It's definitely better than guessing.

 

[Pocket Walrus]

Remove the battery and find the BIOS clear jumper or switch, and try that.

If you have a spare PSU sitting around that you positively know to be good, and has a high enough power output to support the system for a test, then use it. It's definitely better than guessing.

Good news, ater rebuilding the entire pc amd trying to turn it on with a different PSU it decided to boot, so then i tried booting with the original VS450 PSU and it magically decided to boot now. So glad I don't have to buy new parts! Thanks for your help Allan! Also do you have any idea why it suddenly wants to boot now after reassembly?

 

[AllanGH]

Honestly.....I'd chalk it up to probable contact fretting (This is a good reference to explain what contact fretting is.) and enjoy the fact that it is working now. It could have been an issue that just wanted you to clear the BIOS. You could blame it on pixies, too.

I'd be lying if I tried to give you an answer that sounds like I actually know.

LOL

Glad you got it going again....but, when you can, upgrade that Corsair VS PSU.

 

[Pocket Walrus]

Honestly.....I'd chalk it up to probable contact fretting (This is a good reference to explain what contact fretting is.) and enjoy the fact that it is working now. It could have been an issue that just wanted you to clear the BIOS. You could blame it on pixies, too.

I'd be lying if I tried to give you an answer that sounds like I actually know.

LOL

Glad you got it going again....but, when you can, upgrade that Corsair VS PSU.

I surely will! Thanks again!