PC won't turn on-Is my PSU the culprit?

helm10101

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Sep 26, 2013
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Hello,

I bought a Compressed air can to clean my PC components from all the dust, and I also cleaned inside the PSU. What I've noticed too late, is that the pressurized air left ICE residue (probably due to the high pressure) that later became water on all the motherboard(and I guess that inside the PSU as well). I waited for it to dry, however I believe I didn't wait long enough.

**Another thing - I also replaced the thermal paste of my PSU - which is my first time doing it

Now when I press the power button, the fans (psu fan,case fan and cpu fan) move for about 2 seconds and stop.

I did test the PSU with the following : I did the "paperclip test" and the PSU fan was running without stopping. Then I removed the CPU and the memory card, and connected the PSU back to the PC, and the fans all spun without stopping.

Is the PSU the problem, because it can't work under load (with cpu and memory card), or maybe it's because a bad application of thermal paste / installation of CPU fan? (Is it how a PC behaves when you badly install a CPU fan?)

Last thing : If it is the PSU, what PSU do I need to buy? My system is : i3-2120 cpu, 1x4gb ddr3 ram, no graphics card, h61 chipset motherboard.

Sorry for the long story, hope you enjoyed at least :)
Thanks! 😀
 
You are suppossed to hold the can upright at all times so the liquid does not escape.... it's not water and should be electrically non conductive if designed for PC usage. The freeze however could have had negative effects from thermal contraction ... perhaps broken solder joints

 
first see if some one esle has a differenet power source you can borrow and see if that helps if it works then buy another psu you can get something cheap since your not overclocking and there is no gpu i mean get like a 430 corsair or 500w rosewill pick them up cheap under 40$
 
Thanks, I will try to borrow psu from someone or I will buy some cheap. But it's weird because all the fans spin when the CPU and the memory card are not installed. I really hope it's just the PSU (By the way, is it really possible that without load the PSU will spin, but with load it won't work, just like in the test I did, or maybe the cpu/memory card are using a circuit that's been damaged by the freeze?)
 


Even though it runs without load?

By the way, which of the following PSUs should I go for?
-SeaSonic 430W 80+ Bronze S12II-430
-Corsair 430W 80+ Bronze CX430M

Which is more quiet? Or maybe you recommend any other specific model? (Again, my system is just i3 2120 with 1 stick of 4gb ddr3, no graphics card)
 


Odd that it would do so, but I'm still apt to say yes.



Either of those would be fine as both are made by very reputable manufacturers. There are a whole host of good vendors out there: Antec, Cooler Master, Seasonic, Corsair, Be_Quiet!, Silverstone... the list could go on. What will usually differentiate them is wattage, modular/not modular, efficiency rating, and maybe rails.

 
Thanks all for your help, I have an update : I noticed that when I do the test without load ( no cpu, ram, and hdd ) , I do it only with the 24 pin cable from the PSU (without the additional 4 pin that's located on the other side of the motherboard), but when I connect the 4 pin to the motherboard, the fans won't spin. Is it because the extra 4 pin is supposed to be connected only when the other components are connected and without them, it provides too much voltage thus shutting the PC automatically, or the PC should turn on with both the 24 pin and the extra 4 pin without load, and perhaps the circuit of the 4 pin is damaged?
 
Sounds to me as though either the 4 pin on the board is shorted or the 4 pin from the PSU is hosed. As for your theory of the components not being connected makes it so that the fans don't spin is hard to say. I do believe that the 4 pin is for the CPU socket, so maybe because it's not present/recognized that segment isn't working.

Try it without RAM/HDD and just the CPU to see if it's still doing it.
 
Another update: I put my PSU in an old PC with an intel Pentium E2180, with 1 HDD, and 1 stick of 1GB DDR2 ram (really old PC, still runs Windows XP! 😀), and it works, the PC turns on and everything works fine. so I believe that my motherboard was fried due to the freeze? Well it's just an H61 chipset motherboard, I think it's cheaper than a new PSU . . .

What do you think ? It's really a dead motherboard? What am I going to do with my Windows 7 OEM . . ? I heard I can't switch Windows OEM to a new motherboard 🙁
 
Hi again, today I go to buy the part I need but I'm still not sure which one: psu or mobo? Can you tell me which of the following pc's draws more power?(the old pc with e2180 and 1GB drr2 or newer pc with i3 2120 and 4gb ddr3) because I'm trying to find out what has died : the mobo or the psu..Please look at the details in previous messages to help me decide
Thanks
 
At the lab he tested the Mobo+CPU with his working PSU (+ he had a device that tests PSUs-and found out my PSU is working)
I then bought a motherboard, and again tested with his PSU, and then my PC would turn on, but constantly restart. Then the technician got a working CPU with same LGA1155 socket, and tested, and the PC finally worked. so the CPU also fried! wtf! he also said it's rare!
 
That's quite an odd outcome. I really never factored the CPU being hosed as being the main culprit and especially seeing as it didn't get hit with any of the compressed air (at least not directly or for long). I know you said you re-applied your paste but, unless you spooged it all over the place, I don't see how that would be an issue.

Sorry to hear your CPU is toast. 🙁 While it's not the answer you were looking for, at least you were able to finally determine the root of the problem.