Question PSU went up in smoke ?

[edrahn]

Hi,
My PSU went up in smoke. None of the connections look bad. Am I safe to plug a different PSU in, is there a chance the components caused an issue?

thanks,
Ed

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

You might want to pass on images to show the extent of the damage that you speak of. You might want to inspect each part inch by inch for anything that's burnt or blown off the board.

 

[Misgar]

Am I safe to plug a different PSU in

You, yourself, are safe, provided you remain at arm's length when switching on the computer with a new power supply, just in case something else goes bang and emits magic smoke. Or did you mean "is the computer safe?" That's a different matter entirely.

I had an old PSU go bang in a second hand computer recently. It took out a 13A fuse in the mains plug. I connected a new PSU and the Xeon server board and GPU booted back into Windows normally. I was lucky.

is there a chance the components caused an issue?

PSU components failing spectacularly, yes. Components outside the PSU on the motherboard or GPU causing an issue, probably not. There are all kinds of protection circuits built into ATX power supplies, e.g. over current, over/under voltage, over temperature, etc.

When a GPU card or motherboard fail and go short circuit, the OCP (Over Current Protection) in the PSU should operate. The power supply should shut down and no smoke should be emitted from inside the PSU.

It's a completely different matter when the PSU itself fails, generally due to old age. Protection features may not work if an electrolytic capacitor explodes or PSU components such as MOSFETs, varistors, MOVs, resistors, transformers, inductors, relays, etc., go up in flames.

There's no easy way of telling if your computer has survived until you change the PSU. As @Lutfij says, carefully inspect your mobo, GPU and disk drives for burnt components before proceeding, but I doubt you'll see any visible signs of damage. Do not use any modular cables from the old PSU.

Take care.