Sick PSU/Motherboard/CPU?

[Karsten75]

Good grief, I can't even find how to sign in anymore.

My PC went out yesterday - I just smelled a bad smell of some electronics - I can't describe it better, but everyone that has smelled it will know what I mean.

I had an Antec 500W PSU, and when I tested it with a PSU tester, it was dead, so I replaced it with a new Antec Earthpower 500W PSU.

Now I get a small green LED on the motherboard (DP35DP), but when I press the power switch, then the LED fans briefly flash on and the fans start moving, but in less than a second, they switch off again.

I've checked and rechecked the power connections, and they seem OK.

I then Connected a PC POST Code analyzer on the PCI slot, but the machine dies before it can get any readings.

So now, are there further tests I can do? I'm worried that if I replace the motherboard it won't fix the problem and that the CPU might also be toast. New motherboards of the same type cost almost $200 when I paid about $120 for mine in 2007 when I bought all this stuff to build my PC.

Visual inspection of the motherboard doesn't seem like any caps have troubles or anything.

Then of course the CPU itself could also be gone and I have no idea how to test that.

Do you guys have any advice or help for me in this situation?

Thanks.

 

[Karsten75]

Look, I'm sorry. This is probably not in the right forum, I had trouble deciding where to post it and then the subcategories presented did not have an Intel category, so I could not post it in the correct board. I hope a mod will move it to the right place.

 

[Karsten75]

No help/advice? Wrong forum?

 

[Makinbacon]

Sounds like a PSU issue. Do you run a PCI graphics card? if you do is the PSU rated high enough? I run a GTX 460 in one of my machines and MSI data sheet said it need a 500 watt PSu but it fried a 620 antec. It required 24amps on the 12v rail my psu had 48. Sometimes we get faulty stuff. But if your PSU isnt get enough cooling and its running higher that 50% load then the tolerance of some of the parts in the PSU will be stressed. Also depends on what part of the PSU is being stressed. The 12v or the 5v. More things in the Pc use the 12v. Powering up for short periods of time may be a bad capacitor in the PSU. I am running a Rosewill 750w PSU it has served me well through an 8800GTS oc and the GTX 460 and now a GTX570. You have to know what your draw is before you get a new PSU (if you determine that to be the problem). I always go bigger that you could ever need. The less stress the better.

 

[Makinbacon]

You could aslo try the PSU in another machine?