Question Problem with something in PC

[HampusEdenblad]

This summer I bought a couple of parts for a cheap gaming PC these are it's specs (it hasn't had any problems before this):
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790K 4GHz, 8MB
RAM: ADATA 16GB (2x8GB)
GPU: 2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 Gaming G1 med SLI
PSU: Fractal Design Edison M 750W 80+ Gold, Modulär (changed into a 1200w Thermaltake ThoughPower)
MOBO: Gigabyte ga-z97x gaming 1
Regarldess yesterday when i went to have lunch and when i came back to my room the screens were on but the computer was completly turned off or rather what i should really say was black because NO LEDS were on.
I then ofcource plugged everything out of the branch outlet i had and it started making weird noises behind the on/off breaker and lightning came out the sockets on everyone of the outlets....
I opened up and plugged out basically the whole PC to check if there were a smell coming from the motherboard (which there wasn't), checked all the compactors (or whatever they are called (no compactors looked off though)), I checked the PSU (and it smelled a little off) and I also checked through the GPUS (which i did not notice anything on).
Today: I bought a new PSU to check if it was just that part which was faulty and when i plugged the new PSU into the system basically nothing happened except that the PowerButton tuned on for like 0.5 seconds (i read about the problem i had and this thread was maybe the closest i got to it https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...g-pc-for-the-second-time-in-a-month.18657820/).

After i had plugged out everything and basically rebuilt the PC again i had a thought to take out the CMOS battery and i replaced it with a new one, when i then plugged in a power cable the Power Button lit up and kept on being lit up nothing happened except for that though.
Not even a fan spinning....
Please help me 🙁......


After all this i removed the GPU's and saw a MBIOS light flashing (only once the first time i plugged in the PSU and pressed the power button...)

 

[Aeacus]

Today: I bought a new PSU

Make and model of the new PSU is? And did you buy it as used/refurbished?

 

[drivinfast247]

This summer I bought a couple of parts for a cheap gaming PC these are it's specs (it hasn't had any problems before this):
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790K 4GHz, 8MB
RAM: ADATA 16GB (2x8GB)
GPU: 2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 Gaming G1 med SLI
PSU: Fractal Design Edison M 750W 80+ Gold, Modulär (changed into a 1200w Thermaltake ThoughPower)
MOBO: Gigabyte ga-z97x gaming 1
Regarldess yesterday when i went to have lunch and when i came back to my room the screens were on but the computer was completly turned off or rather what i should really say was black because NO LEDS were on.
I then ofcource plugged everything out of the branch outlet i had and it started making weird noises behind the on/off breaker and lightning came out the sockets on everyone of the outlets....
I opened up and plugged out basically the whole PC to check if there were a smell coming from the motherboard (which there wasn't), checked all the compactors (or whatever they are called (no compactors looked off though)), I checked the PSU (and it smelled a little off) and I also checked through the GPUS (which i did not notice anything on).
Today: I bought a new PSU to check if it was just that part which was faulty and when i plugged the new PSU into the system basically nothing happened except that the PowerButton tuned on for like 0.5 seconds (i read about the problem i had and this thread was maybe the closest i got to it https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...g-pc-for-the-second-time-in-a-month.18657820/).

After i had plugged out everything and basically rebuilt the PC again i had a thought to take out the CMOS battery and i replaced it with a new one, when i then plugged in a power cable the Power Button lit up and kept on being lit up nothing happened except for that though.
Not even a fan spinning....
Please help me 🙁......


After all this i removed the GPU's and saw a MBIOS light flashing (only once the first time i plugged in the PSU and pressed the power button...)

Make sure you didn't use the power cables from the old PSU.

 

[HampusEdenblad]

Make sure you didn't use the power cables from the old PSU.

Yes ofcourse i used the new one i got with the PSU i bought just yesterday

 

[HampusEdenblad]

Make and model of the new PSU is? And did you buy it as used/refurbished?

The new PSU I bought was a used 1200w Thermaltake ThoughPower

 

[Aeacus]

a used

Terrible idea. Never buy used PSU since you have 0 idea what kind of abuse it has seen and if it even works as it's supposed to.

Regarldess yesterday when i went to have lunch and when i came back to my room the screens were on but the computer was completly turned off or rather what i should really say was black because NO LEDS were on.
I then ofcource plugged everything out of the branch outlet i had and it started making weird noises behind the on/off breaker and lightning came out the sockets on everyone of the outlets....

I checked the PSU (and it smelled a little off)

With this, i'd say your old PSU went sky high and since old PSU wasn't that good of a unit, you can expect everything that was connected to PSU - to be dead.

That's the price of buying cheap and/or used PSUs, when they go out, they have the magical ability to fry everything they are connected to.

Here, you'd need 2nd, compatible PC, where to test out your components individually. To see what survived and what didn't.
At bare minimum, one of the following or all of them, are dead: CPU, MoBo, RAM. Since these three are bare minimum to get the PC working. And of course, you'll also need new PSU. And here, i don't mean the used Thermaltake you bought, but instead brand new PSU. Good or great quality one at that. E.g Seasonic Focus/PRIME or Corsair RM/RMi/RMx/HX/HXi/AX/AXi.

 

[HampusEdenblad]

Terrible idea. Never buy used PSU since you have 0 idea what kind of abuse it has seen and if it even works as it's supposed to.

With this, i'd say your old PSU went sky high and since old PSU wasn't that good of a unit, you can expect everything that was connected to PSU - to be dead.

But why would the PC parts react to being plugged in why would one light flash etc i just dont get it.....

That's the price of buying cheap and/or used PSUs, when they go out, they have the magical ability to fry everything they are connected to.

Here, you'd need 2nd, compatible PC, where to test out your components individually. To see what survived and what didn't.
At bare minimum, one of the following or all of them, are dead: CPU, MoBo, RAM. Since these three are bare minimum to get the PC working. And of course, you'll also need new PSU. And here, i don't mean the used Thermaltake you bought, but instead brand new PSU. Good or great quality one at that. E.g Seasonic Focus/PRIME or Corsair RM/RMi/RMx/HX/HXi/AX/AXi.

I mean yeah sure the PC wasn't really used by the prior guy though (which i may mention was a friend of a friend so we kinda know eachother) and I don't think he would sell me a PC that was going to stop working just like that. (And also a thing worth mentioning is that the Pc parts aren't to blame in this it's 100% the Branch outlet)

And the PSU i bought was supposed to be for someones mining rig (he had only used for about a month) he showed me all the progress for the rig (a receipt) and then told me he didn't find it to be profitable enough to just have it right now in this day and that he would most likely by a new one or build a new one in the future.

 

[Aeacus]

But why would the PC parts react to being plugged in why would one light flash etc i just dont get it.....

In a similar sense, when car has an issue, and you turn the ignition key and all the lights come on, but engine won't start. <- Something is wrong with the engine, despite lights coming on. Same with PCs.

Just because you see some sliver of life, doesn't mean PC must work.

and I don't think he would sell me a PC that was going to stop working just like that

Well, it did stopped working. And by the symptoms, PSU went "pop", frying other hardware as well.

And also a thing worth mentioning is that the Pc parts aren't to blame in this it's 100% the Branch outlet

If no PC parts aren't to blame, you should be able to get your PC working with 2nd PSU. But since you can't, i'd blame the Fractal Design PSU, which is subpar PSU and killed other hardware inside the PC.

Good/great quality PSUs very rarely, if ever, fry other components when they die. It's the cheap PSUs, with poor protections, that fry other hardware as well, when they go "pop" and release the magical smoke.

And the PSU i bought was supposed to be for someones mining rig (he had only used for about a month) he showed me all the progress for the rig (a receipt) and then told me he didn't find it to be profitable enough to just have it right now in this day and that he would most likely by a new one or build a new one in the future.

If the PSU was for mining rig, why sell it in the 1st place? 🙄 He could've hold on the PSU for the future mining rig and/or use it in the main/gaming PC. Unless... there was an issue with PSU. This explains why to get rid of it, while recouping some (or all) money payed for the PSU.

Btw, mining rig PSUs are the ones that see the worst abuse. Running 24/7 at high loads. Often in high temperature situations. Wearing out PSU far faster than it was ever designed to handle.

 

[HampusEdenblad]

In a similar sense, when car has an issue, and you turn the ignition key and all the lights come on, but engine won't start. <- Something is wrong with the engine, despite lights coming on. Same with PCs.

Just because you see some sliver of life, doesn't mean PC must work.

Yeah I guess you are right it still sucks and I don't really have to much money rn i mean im only a student soooo......

Well, it did stopped working. And by the symptoms, PSU went "pop", frying other hardware as well.

Yeah i don't know how it sounded but i can defo see how it has gotten fried

Good/great quality PSUs very rarely, if ever, fry other components when they die. It's the cheap PSUs, with poor protections, that fry other hardware as well, when they go "pop" and release the magical smoke.

I for sure thought Fractal design was a reputabe and pretty high end brand, though I know they aren't themost popular but still thought they were pretty high up.

If the PSU was for mining rig, why sell it in the 1st place? 🙄 He could've hold on the PSU for the future mining rig and/or use it in the main/gaming PC. Unless... there was an issue with PSU. This explains why to get rid of it, while recouping some (or all) money payed for the PSU.

He sold it at a reasonable price and he had also had and was in the process of selling multiple GPUS with receipts to show when he had bought them and all that as well

Btw, mining rig PSUs are the ones that see the worst abuse. Running 24/7 at high loads. Often in high temperature situations. Wearing out PSU far faster than it was ever designed to handle.

Yes ofcourse but he had the rig in a basement of a not very well insolated place (it was cold AF down there) and he hadn't had the thing runningfor that long

 

[Aeacus]

I for sure thought Fractal design was a reputabe and pretty high end brand, though I know they aren't themost popular but still thought they were pretty high up.

Fractal Design is PC case manufacturer and they make good PC cases. E.g Torrent is the best mid-tower ATX case of 2022. But outside of PC cases, Fractal isn't that good. Their fans are mediocre and the rest they make/sell, i even don't look at.

Though, when it comes to the PC cases, the top 3 would be (in no particular order): Phanteks, Corsair, NZXT. Be Quiet! is also very close by. And this is in terms of build quality and (unique) features they offer with their PC cases.

In PSU world, top 3 are: Seasonic, Super Flower and Flextronics. All 3 are PSU OEMs and two of them also sell PSUs under their own name. E.g Seasonic PRIME or Super Flower Leadex III Pro. Flextronics makes Corsair AXi series.

Also, when it comes to PC hardware, you better look towards those brands that specialize in making one specific hardware, rather than expanding their production line all over the place, where none of the hardware is good. E.g "master of one" vs "jack of all trades, but master of none".

Moreover, no brand is making "every" component PC is made of. What we have, are:
CPU - Intel or AMD
CPU cooler - Noctua, Arctic Cooling, Be Quiet!, Corsair, EK, (DeepCool)
MoBo - MSI, EVGA, Asus, (AsRock, Gigabyte, Supermicro)
RAM - G.Skill, Kingston, Corsair, (Micron)
GPU - MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, (Zotac, PNY)
PSU - Seasonic, Super Flower, Flextronics, (Corsair)
UPS - CyberPower, TrippLite, (APC)
PC cases - Phanteks, Corsair, NZXT, Be Quiet!, (Fractal Design, Thermaltake, Lian-Li)

There are more brands in each category but brands outside of ( ) is what i'd look towards, when buying specific hardware. Also, i don't look for cheapest hardware either, since when you pay peanuts - you will get monkeys.

He sold it at a reasonable price and he had also had and was in the process of selling multiple GPUS with receipts to show when he had bought them and all that as well

For a used PSU, there is no reasonable price, even when it is for free.

Since PSU powers everything, it is the most important component inside the PC. Hence why never cheap out on PSU, especially buying used one. Since like you've learned the hard way, cheap/used PSUs, when going "pop", can kill everything they are connected to. And you got lucky. There have been loads of instances where cheap PSUs have catched fire, burned down the PC, entire home and even lives have been lost.
Example article: https://www.thesundaily.my/archive/...wer-supply-unit-computer-updated-LTARCH461974


Lets say you fork out 150 bucks for that mining Thermaltake PSU (brand new goes for 250 bucks). You can use it for e.g 2 weeks (or 4 weeks, or a month) and PSU dies. Then what? You do not have any warranty, so, no chance to get PSU replaced. And i doubt that PSU seller is going to refund you either (since they have 0 obligation to do so). At this point (if not far earlier), the reality will hit, that you should've gone with new PSU instead, for the redundancy it comes with (warranty, usually 10 years) and the fact that it is brand new. Unless you have money to spare to get yourself 2nd working PSU, while also replacing all the components the PSU fried.

Lets look at it on another perspective:
Why miner is selling the hardware (GPU/PSU) in the first place? PC hardware is still a good "tool" to make money. Unless, there is an issue with hardware and it isn't "good enough" for the miner anymore. Perhaps miner also knows the signs of hardware starting to "fade out" (die), and it's time to get rid of the hardware. Preferably at the same price as MSRP, (without incurring any loss, but keeping all the profits hardware made for them).

All-in-all, regarding PC hardware, never buy used: PSU and GPU. Unless you have the money to buy 2nd one, once the used one dies on you. Though, on PSU part, things are worse since when PSU goes sky high, it has the magical ability to fry everything it is connected to. Aka your whole PC. Hence why never buy used PSU, since you don't know what kind of abuse it has seen.

Another thought;
Miners are the sole reason why we have GPU prices so high and why almost all RTX 3000 series GPUs were sold out at launch, after which, scalpers put some of them at sale, 2-3 times of MSRP. Helping miner to get rid of the useless stuff (read: burned out GPU), isn't doing any of us (gamers) any favors. Instead, it shows miners that they can get away with it and same happened again, when RTX 4000 series launched.
So, besides risk to your wallet, there's moral reasons as well. At least to me.

-----

Life lesson, regarding PC hardware;

• Never buy used PSU.
• Never buy cheap PSU.
• Avoid buying used GPU.
• Never buy mining GPU.

The rest of the components can be bought used. But keep in mind that with used hardware, there is 0 expectation of it working as it is supposed to (without flaws) and it can die on you tomorrow. Also, you do not get any warranty with used hardware either.