Question Testing a PSU ?

[axlrose]

A friend is having trouble and thinks it's his PSU. Any easy ways to troubleshoot if he needs a new one?

Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

Any easy ways to troubleshoot if he needs a new PSU?
Not really, unless you have expensive testing equipment.

The paper clip method is flawed, due to the fact that the test doesn't tell you how much power the PSU can effectively output at any given time.

One way to route out the issue is to source(borrow, not buy) a reliably built higher wattage PSU to power your troubled system with. What is the make, model and age of the PSU your friend is dealing with?

Best you include the specs to his 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.

 

[axlrose]

I don't know any of that. He just wants help taking out the PSU and installing a new one, and I thought maybe we could diagnose if that was the problem first.

 

[USAFRet]

I don't know any of that. He just wants help taking out the PSU and installing a new one, and I thought maybe we could diagnose if that was the problem first.

We'd NEED to know the parts involved.

If he is trying to use a 7 year old 500watt DiabloTek, with a RTX 5080...he will have issues.

 

[Misgar]

He just wants help taking out the PSU and installing a new one, and I thought maybe we could diagnose if that was the problem first.

Trying a new PSU is probably the most sensible option, provided you get a good quality adequately rated unit.

If you want to test a PSU thoroughly, as @Lutfij says, you need expensive equipment.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042-2.html

At the very least I'd apply the highest load possible (CPU + GPU stress test) and monitor the supply rail voltages on a digital meter and the ripple voltage levels on an oscilloscope. Anything less and you're just guessing that everything seems OK (or not).

When the magic smoke appears, it's probably too late.

 

[geofelt]

Lend him your known good PSU to test with.

Failing that, buy a quality psu of extra wattage from a shop with a good return policy.
Expect to pay at least a 15% restocking fee if it needs to be returned.

 

[punkncat]

These guys are not wrong and all that advice should be taken seriously.

As far as "semi-helpful" there are some inexpensive PSU testers anywhere from around $10 and up to a couple of hundred dollars which are of widely variable usefulness and quality. Most of them do not test under load. I have seen various content creators use things like old drives or car headlamps to simulate load which may or may not really be useful. One thing for sure though, if a $10 PSU tester calls a questionable unit bad...

 

[axlrose]

Looks like he is going to replace same with same and get another Corsair 850 and see if that does the trick. Thanks for the ideas.