possible mobo failure?

A

Alowishus

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
268
My friend "ATIisBetter" is having computer problems. He tried to turn on his pc and fans spin for like half a second and then everything turns off. Now everytime he tries it just does that, it doesnt even display anything on the screen. He tested the power supply (a puma II power supply http://store.jinco4me.com/epep45atxpos1.html) by jumpering the green and black wire and it stayed on. So Im guessing it might be the motherboard (chaintech nforce 3 250 refurb) the processor (athlon 64 3000) or the memory (corsair value select). Any ideas?

PS. He checked all of the connections too
 
what he tested with that PSU doesnt prove anything. Try another reliable PSU such as an Antec or a Zalman.
 
Ok. The power supply might be down but its only like 3 months old max. The little test i did on it is enough for me but the way its acting.... well I'll just buy one from Staples (since I work there). They have Antec's. They're not too bad huh? Anyway, anymore help would be awsome. The exact symptoms are: Powers up for appx 1/2 of a second. When i flick the psu switch off or unplug it altogether, the neons flicker for abt a half of a second. sounds more like the psu i guess. In case u havent noticed i am an extreamly impulsive typer........ thx ;)
 
the a64's really like clean power. TBH I've never heard of the PSU you bought, but just because it kicks in a fan when you jumper the wire, that doesnt prove a whole lot. You have proven that the PSU will provide enough juice to spin the internal fan.

from the product description: said:
Chassis Leather Feel Coating
Click to expand...

Ohhh kinky!! :D

Pleather /= quality when shopping for PSU's ;)

The Antecs are decent, just make sure to avoid the "Smartpower" lines. Those are terribly generic. The others are okay, and I believe staples carries smart and true power lines?
 
The Truepower is pretty decent. I am unsure about the one you had linked. The smartpower is their low-end line of "value/generic" PSU's that will get by in a pinch, but on any modern system that makes heavy use of the 12v rails (P4's, amd64's, large disk arrays) the smartpower line will not cut it for reliability. At best the PSU will crap out prematurely, at worst, it will crap out and take other components out like a bad south-american hostage rescue operation.

The one you linked appears to be their "smartpower" line. The name "solution series" doesnt track back to their site.

FWIW, if thats your entire system, a good 300w PSU will do you just fine as long as its pretty healthy, or at least, provides the advertized rating on the 12v rails. I would strongly suggest (for reliability and stability) go for the Truepower line. (Ouch!!! Antec 430w Truepower @ staples)

That price hurts since you can get the same thing online for much cheaper, unless your discount is hefty enough.

Dude, I know it sucks royal balls not to have a stable system RIGHT NOW, but the PSU is the most underrated piece of hardware in anyone's rig.

For the pricerange you listed, and I'm guessing about your budget, $75 will get you a hella good PSU online. Lemme dredge up some links from the PSU forum's first sticky....
 
Apparently you guys must've been right since his computer now actually powers on, but his motherboard still doesnt post. I guess the cheap PSU fried his stuff :( .
 
not necessarily, it could be a blown fuse in the PSU (if he's lucky). Why dont you let him borrow your PSU to see if it posts his system before he spends money ? :)
 
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