Computer does not turn on

[l3luemoon975]

The past few days my computer has been getting really hot, and well a burning smell was coming for it. When this happened i stopped using it. I assumed it was becuase I haven't clean it in awhile. So i cleaned it and when I was done I tried to turn it on. Everything turned on for a second then turned off. The light on my motherboard turned on indicating that there is power. But it wont turn on, I can make it do the turn on for a second thing only when i unplug it and replug it in.

I believe its my power supply but I am unsure, I looked at it through the fan because i heard a clicking sound when i turned it on. I saw that some glue from inside had melted telling me that it had gotten to hot. I am not sure however that that is the promblem but before i buy one I want to make sure that is the actual problem. thanks in advance.

 

[kimsland]

This does sound like power supply

One way of identifying this would be to remove the power supply
ie unplug all power cables to CD HDD Floppy or any other Also M/B power Fans etc. Then unscrew the powersupply (from back of Desktop case) and carefully remove the power supply.
Then
Actually smell inside the powersupply for that burning smell (it usually lingers in there for a few days.

With the powersupply out you can inspect other components better to (ie m/b)

Choosing a new power supply, is dependant upon how many parts are in your computer (mind you as a golden rule, I always say 650Watt, usually takes care of everything)

 

[l3luemoon975]

Just to make sure, if the PSU is fried then would the computer turn on? even for the split second? because i'm gonna go out and buy a ultra 550w PSU today, and before i do it i just want to make sure that that's the problem before i spend $80 on it. because the major thing is that the light on my motherboard turns on when the psu is plugged in.

 

[AlbertLionheart]

Kimsland has given you the right advice (only do not take the lid off the PSU as the residual charge in the capacitors can kill!). Before getting a new PSU you should check the rest of the motherboard for signs of overheating, sticky fans etc. The only way to be sure is to test the PSU with a tester - will your supplier test the old one if you take it in?

 

[l3luemoon975]

i have no idea, can't even remember where i got it. It was a Powemax Demon 480W PSU. So it's not like it was real good.

 

[AlbertLionheart]

Any decent computer shop will have a PSU tester - sometimes it is worth going there to spend a little more for the component that you know has been tested as bad, if you get my drift! The only caveat about PSUs is that when they blow they can cause cascade damage so the sooner you get the faulty component identified the better.

 

[l3luemoon975]

Well i think im gonna buy the PSU anyway since I want to start re-upgrading my pc. Would that 550w psu be able to handle 2 1 gig RAM sticks, 4 case fans, a sparkle Geforce 8600GT 256mb SLI ready video card, 3.2 ghz intel pentium 4, 2 70 gig HDDand a ECS PF21 extreme MOBO?

 

[kimsland]

Component Requirement
AGP Video Card 30W – 50W
PCI Express Video 100W – 225W
Average PCI Card 5W – 10W
DVD/CD 20W – 30W
Hard Drive 15W – 30W
Case/CPU Fans 3W (ea.)
Motherboard (w/o CPU or RAM) 50W – 100W
RAM 15W per 1GB
Pentium III Processor 40W
Pentium 4 Processor 80W – 125W
AMD Athlon Processor 80W – 125W

For overall power supply wattage, add the requirement for each device in your system,
then multiply by 1.5.
Furthermore, power supplies are more efficient and reliable when loaded to 30% - 70% of maximum capacity.)

Therefore
2 1 gig RAM sticks, 4 case fans, a sparkle Geforce 8600GT 256mb SLI ready video card, 3.2 ghz intel pentium 4, 2 70 gig HDDand a ECS PF21 extreme MOBO?
At maximum limits
(15 + 15 + 3 + 3 + 3 +3 + 225 + 125 +30 + 30 + 100) x 1.5 = 828Watts !
Then at 30 % load makes it around 580Watts

Therefore I'd say 550 Watt is the absolute minimum.

 

[l3luemoon975]

well i bought the 550 w psu today from tigerdirect, went right to their store and picked it up put it in my comp and everything works, thanks for all the help.