New power supply blew up!

filosofo · 04-16-2005, 11:56 AM

I'm building a new system:
Shuttle AN51R Mobo
Athlon 64 3000+
nVidia G-force mx 4000 128mb
1 GB RAM

I plugged all the above into a case with 400 watt ATX PSU. Turned it on, and nothing happens other than a couple of green LEDs on the motherboard light up for a minute, then disappear. No fans come on.

I think there must be something shorting out the mobo so I take it out of the case--still nothing.

I went to Microcenter, picked up a cheap 400 watt PSU, plugged it in: the green LEDs come back for about 2 seconds (still no fans) before there's a loud pop, flash, and burning smell from the PSU, which I quickly unplug.

What could possibly make the PSU short out like that? How can I find out without going through a ton of PSUs? Could a bad motherboard short out a PSU?

**Sarkast** · 04-16-2005, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by filosofo

..... picked up a cheap 400 watt PSU, plugged it in: the green LEDs come back for about 2 seconds (still no fans) before there's a loud pop, flash, and burning smell from the PSU, which I quickly unplug.

Well "cheap" !! is the keyword here. That wouldnt be the first PSU that either didnt start right out of the box or blew up. Just hope it didnt take any of your components down with it.
I know this might not be the answer you want to hear but i'd try a quality PSU like Antec, Enermax to see if you can get your system working. The power supply is always the wrong spot to save money.

filosofo · 04-16-2005, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarkast

i'd try a quality PSU like Antec, Enermax to see if you can get your system working. The power supply is always the wrong spot to save money.

I took your advice and got an Antec PSU--it even looks better built (and it runs a lot quieter).
Anyways, after a little experimenting, it turns out something was wrong with my Shuttle motherboard--it was frying my cheap power supplies (but not the Antec PSU). So now with an identical replacement mobo everything is happy.

**Sarkast** · 04-16-2005, 06:00 PM

Well i guess all that matters is that you got it sorted out. You'll have much more fun, longevity and upgradeability with your new PSU anyways so its money well spent.

04-16-2005, 11:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
filosofo Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2 OS: various	New power supply blew up! I'm building a new system: Shuttle AN51R Mobo Athlon 64 3000+ nVidia G-force mx 4000 128mb 1 GB RAM I plugged all the above into a case with 400 watt ATX PSU. Turned it on, and nothing happens other than a couple of green LEDs on the motherboard light up for a minute, then disappear. No fans come on. I think there must be something shorting out the mobo so I take it out of the case--still nothing. I went to Microcenter, picked up a cheap 400 watt PSU, plugged it in: the green LEDs come back for about 2 seconds (still no fans) before there's a loud pop, flash, and burning smell from the PSU, which I quickly unplug. What could possibly make the PSU short out like that? How can I find out without going through a ton of PSUs? Could a bad motherboard short out a PSU?

04-16-2005, 06:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
Sarkast TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,715 OS: WinXP	Well i guess all that matters is that you got it sorted out. You'll have much more fun, longevity and upgradeability with your new PSU anyways so its money well spent. __________________ P4 2.4@2.9 / XP-90 / Albatron PX865PE Pro V2.0 / Kingston Hyper-X 512MB Dual Channel CL2-2-2-5 / Geforce4 MX440x8 64MB / WD80GB 7200RPM 8MB / Thermaltake 420W PSU --> SEE IT ALL GLOW <-- MBM5 - SpeedFan - PSU Calculator - MemTest86 - ThrottleWatch