computer died, wuts the problem?

[betaone]

PROBLEM FIXED JUST NEEDED A NEW POWER SUPPLY UNIT



hmm about 30 mins ago i walked away from bestbuy a proud owner of a radeon 9800 pro, i go home i install it and i hook up my computer, everything is working fine and running smoothly untill i turn on a demo the GFX card cd had, about couple secs into the demo my computer shuts down and well, dosent turn on again, looking back im tracing the problem to my powersupply burning out (since i have 2 cd rom drives and 2 hard drives ontop of the new 9800 pro, it had to have given out sometime i guess) i am unclear of how to figure out the wattage my powersupply provides, also i do not even know how to tell if the powersupply was actualy the thing that broke, can anyone confirm the problem befor i go out and pay bestbuy couple hundred bux just to tell me i have connected powercords incorectly or something..
EDIT: after opening it up and removing the powersupply i found out that it is a 350 watt PSU , so will i need a 400 one or a higher one so that this does not happen in the immediat future?
answere to couple of questions i have corssed by

System Specs:
Athalon xp 2800
3x 256 DDR RAM
2 HD
2 CD ROM DRIVE
Radeon 9800 Pro 128

That's the next step of what you need to find out. Are you familiar with taking PCs apart?
well i custome made my computer , that should be enough?

Okay - on to your problem. If you HADN'T installed the instructions properly (eg, you'd not connected the molex connector directly to the card) you'd immediately have a message on-screen as you booted up. But we had to check, anyway.
i did install it correctly because the computer ran fine for the first 10 mins of being turned on after being installed

Do you smell anything acrid? No burnt smells from the back of the PC?
hmm non that i can tell, since im not used to smelling my computer often ^.^ except when i opened it up to see if anything happend when i turned it on, it smelt funky i dono if its how it usualy smells or a new smell it picked up b/c something died,

What happens now when you switch it on?
nothing happens i can just press the button, and nothing happens..,

Try switching it on with the side of the PC off so you can see the motherboard. When you switch it on does anything light up? Any noise/movement (eg the fan momentarily moves)? havenent tried i need 2

edit: after trying it i noticed that NOTHING in the computer functioned except for this REALY small light on the mother board, and that just lit on when i hit the powerswitch and lit off when i hit the switch again

[Kalbrecht]

Just a couple of standard questions:

What are your computer specs?

Did you follow all the instricutions for installing it?

To see the wattage of the p/s, you have to take it out and have a look at the sticker on the outside of it that has all the info on it - brand name, wattage etc.

--- BE CAREFUL --- have the power supply switched off, and unplugged. Earth yourself by touching the metal before taking it out and don't take the power supply apart. Electricity is dangerous, mmmkay.

[Ojnod]

Did you make sure to connect that extra cable that newer video cards use?

The side of the power supply should read the wattage.

[betaone]

system specs? well amd athalon 2800+ 80 gig hd and now a new vid card radeon 9800 pro,, i dono how my specs are supposed to help you out, i have 2 cd rom drives and 2 hd 80 gig 20 gig and yes i installed instructions, it ran fine for about 10 mins after instalation then just shut down, so im gusing i did blow a fuse on my powersupply the big question is what type of PSU wattage i need to run all of those, 450? 600?? or will 350 be sufficient

[Kalbrecht]

The specs help because it gives a general idea of whether you're overstressing the power supply output.

Most generic power supplies do not actually output the amount of power that they label. So a 350W might only output 320W or so.

Now: A 9800PRO requires at least a 300W power supply. Given what else you've got there, a 350W wouldn't be enough. You'd likely want a 400+ W power supply, and a good brand name, too boot.

That's the next step of what you need to find out. Are you familiar with taking PCs apart?

Okay - on to your problem. If you HADN'T installed the instructions properly (eg, you'd not connected the molex connector directly to the card) you'd immediately have a message on-screen as you booted up. But we had to check, anyway.

Do you smell anything acrid? No burnt smells from the back of the PC?

What happens now when you switch it on?

Try switching it on with the side of the PC off so you can see the motherboard. When you switch it on does anything light up? Any noise/movement (eg the fan momentarily moves)?

This will give us a better idea of what might have happened.

[Tavo]

Do what Kalbrecht said. Sometimes you're able to find what the problem is by following the smell of dead circuits.

[betaone]

That's the next step of what you need to find out. Are you familiar with taking PCs apart?
well i custome made my computer , that should be enough?

Okay - on to your problem. If you HADN'T installed the instructions properly (eg, you'd not connected the molex connector directly to the card) you'd immediately have a message on-screen as you booted up. But we had to check, anyway.
i did install it correctly because the computer ran fine for the first 10 mins of being turned on after being installed
Do you smell anything acrid? No burnt smells from the back of the PC?
hmm non that i can tell, since im not used to smelling my computer often ^.^ except when i opened it up to see if anything happend when i turned it on, it smelt funky i dono if its how it usualy smells or a new smell it picked up b/c something died,
What happens now when you switch it on?
nothing happens i can just press the button, and nothing happens..,

Try switching it on with the side of the PC off so you can see the motherboard. When you switch it on does anything light up? Any noise/movement (eg the fan momentarily moves)? havenent tried i need 2

edit: after trying it i noticed that NOTHING in the computer functioned except for this REALY small light on the mother board, and that just lit on when i hit the powerswitch and lit off when i hit the switch again




hope that might help you guys solve the problem faster

[0x64657200 0x6A61636B616C00]

Deine Energieversorgung in den letzten Zügen liegen.

[betaone]

im sorry i did not understand a word you said in that last post, maybe typeing it in english might help out

[Mr. Natural]

Sure sounds like a power supply problem. Does the fan on the power supply turn when you turn on the pc?
Only way to really test it for sure would be to use a volt/ohm meter and test the plug for proper voltages to the wires.
If you open up the box to where you can see the top of the power supply, it should have a label on it specifying the watts output.
Some power supplies do have a fuse in them. (see white circle in pic below) Pull the power supply out, then if possible remove screws and open up the unit. Look for a fuse inside and see if the wire burned through the fuse. Be careful if you open it up. Capacitors will hold a charge and you could get a shock or damage the unit further if you're not careful.
http://www.gamersmultiverse.com/mrnatural/power.jpg

[betaone]

again the only thing that works when i turn on the computer is a very small light on the mother board and nothing,, and on my wattage sticker thingy it says like optimum performence 180 watts surge max 382 watts but i still dono what its wattage is ive looked everywhere guess its time to open up the powersupply

[RangerRick]

If the fan on the power supply doesn't turn, then that's the culprit.

You can try pulling out the video card and see if it begins to power up. If it starts to power up, then the supply cannot handle the additional load properly.
Either way, you'd need a new supply, and I would not go with anything less than a 420 watt supply, and preferably a 480 watt or better. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

[betaone]

i think ill go with the 480 max will be 30 bux right? and i guess it wuld be much saffer for future upgrades tnx guys for all your help

[Ojnod]

Make sure you get a quality power supply. If you are on a budget look at the brands "sparkle" and "forton" on newegg.com I have tested many of these in my computers and they are all top quality despite their "no-name" apperance. Otherwise check into Antec, PC Power and Cooling, and Thermaltake.

Also if you say the motherboard light lights up, maybe your power switch is busted, have you tried starting it with a screw driver? To do this just use a screw driver to touch the two pins where you plug your power switch into the motherboard. Make sure the power supply is ON while you do this.

[betaone]

Make sure you get a quality power supply. If you are on a budget look at the brands "sparkle" and "forton" on newegg.com I have tested many of these in my computers and they are all top quality despite their "no-name" apperance. Otherwise check into Antec, PC Power and Cooling, and Thermaltake.

Also if you say the motherboard light lights up, maybe your power switch is busted, have you tried starting it with a screw driver? To do this just use a screw driver to touch the two pins where you plug your power switch into the motherboard. Make sure the power supply is ON while you do this.
no, that shouldent make a differense, if it was the button then why did the computer shut down without me shuting it down? IT JUST GAVE OUT ON ME when i was watching a demo on the 9800 cd, and wouldent turn on afterwards, and the lil mobo light that turns on, well i dono wut thats for mayb theirs still some power going through the PSU but its only small enough to light that mobo light, im not sure but since im going to buy my new PSU at bestbuy i will probobly go with Antec or Thermaltake,, tnx for all your help

[betaone]

well guys thanks for all the help i fixed the problem by getting a new antec 430 PS unit, and i hope i wont have to spend another 100 bux anytime soon

[DanTheManPR]

super :D