Could a PSU be affected by a thunderstorm....

[Azureth]

Even if power doesn't go out? Awhile back I had to replace my PSU when it conked out, however it happened about a day or two after some major thunderstorms, now the thing is the power never went out, so my question is could it still have affected my PSU in some way or was it just a coincidence?

 

[Profumo]

Yep, a surge(common in thunderstorms) can damage your PSU.

 

[RamonGTP]

A thunderstorm can no only damage your PSU, but everything else the PSU is attached to, and I don't just mean the motherboard and drives. If a surge is powerful enough, it can take out everything attached to the PC as well, USB devices, monitors, etc.

A properly grounded outlet and a good surge protector are essential, a UPS is even better.

 

[Azureth]

But it can do all that even if the computer never shuts down?

 

[RamonGTP]

No, if it's bad enough to do the damage I described, it would certainly shut the computer off