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PC sometimes won't turn on until I unplug it from the wall for a 30 seconds or so. Faulty PSU? (self.pcmasterrace)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by hypertown to c/pcmasterrace

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Just like in the title my PC has an issue when it won't turn on. Power button does nothing, fans do not spin, PC is completely dead. First time it happened was when I put it to sleep, sometimes it wouldn't wake up so I just avoided putting it to sleep as a temporary solution that become quite permanent... Simple power off worked well enough but recently it won't start even when I turn it off. If that happens I need to flip the power button on the PSU for a 30 or so seconds then it turn it back on and I can start PC no problems.

From what I read on the Internet people suggest faulty PSU. Is there a way to confirm that? I don't want to buy a new PSU if the old one is still good. It has little over 5 years so it's not exactly new but certainly not too old.

I also had one crash that looked like PSU fault since PC just shut down suddenly but I blamed it on some power drop in the grid at the time.

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[–] KnightontheSun 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They sell PSU testers for $15-20. I bought one years ago and it still serves me well. You plug in the 24-pin and the other power connectors and it will tell you where it's faults lie. If none, then the motherboard should be scrutinized next.

Capacitors exist all over your system. They are on nearly every component. Look for them and then look for the bulge out the top. There are reliefs (a big X) in the top of the capacitor to allow it to "blow" out that direction. Sometimes it only bulges and does not blow, but that's enough for failure. If you open your PSU, try not to root around too much with your fingers. Be cautious of the power load that might remain. Visually inspect the caps. It might only be a slight bulge or none at all, but the caps can still die.

I'd lend you a PSU, so maybe you have a friend close who might too? You may still consider buying a new PSU to allow for future upgrades and put the old one on the shelf as a spare or for other purposes. That is, if the PSU is fine. It is still possible the motherboard is at fault, but again with these symptoms, it would likely be a cap.

Good luck!

[–] hypertown 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I always thought that PSU testers were way more expensive but it's good to know you can buy them relatively cheap. Honestly I'm curious if such a tester would detect anything. Currently the PSU works just fine under heavy load (CPU + GPU stress test). It only happens when I turn off the PC or put it to sleep so low or little to none power draw.

I haven't seen any bad caps on the GPU or motherboard so I'll see on the PSU (obviously with caution).

With GPU it's an easy swap so I once exchanged GPUs with my friend to see if GPU is causing crashes (it was RAM btw) but with PSU I feel it's a lot of work to unplug everything so I don't want to bother them too much. I ordered an MSI 800W PSU. I have two weeks to return it if I want but your idea of having a spare is a good one.

[–] KnightontheSun 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] hypertown 2 points 5 months ago

Wow amazing guide. I'll try testing with a multimeter for now but that PSU tester looks very handy. Maybe I'll buy one someday.