Member Avatar for Chrismander

Hi...I built a machine about a year ago, my first build. Asus P4P800E, Pentium 3.0, 1 gig kingston, a few HD's, DVD ROM and DVD R, ATI AIW 9800 video card, and just put in a Sound Blaster Platinum something or other a few weeks ago. No real problems recently except that I kept getting voltage drops on the 3.3 lead when I played certain games, so I was planning to order a new power supply soon or later.

A few days ago my computer just died when I was surfing the web. Nothing intensive, maybe had 4 or 5 browser windows open, no other applications. It just sort of went dead, made that popping sound it makes when it shuts down--i thought either i had kicked the surge protector off at first, but nothing else was off. I figured my power supply had just blown, since it had been giving me problems, and it was a cheapo supply that came with the case. So I just went ahead and ordered a new one. Put it in today, fully expecting the machine to just come back on..and, nothing. Feeling like a total douche, I shorted the old power supply with a paper clip and viola, it still works. Oh well, I would have needed a new power supply eventually anyhow, just to play my games.

But where now? I really want to avoid taking it to a scuzzy repair shop and getting hit with some mammoth labor bill. But I can't afford to just keep buying new components off newegg if i have no idea what's the trouble. Anyone have a good middle path here that'd help me diagnose what's wrong cheaply? Any chance it's something really cheap like the switch, or are we definitely looking at a major component?

Thanks!!
Chris

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Carebare47

Dani AI

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Practical, low-cost troubleshooting steps to narrow this down (pulling together points from , and ). Work from cheapest/least-invasive checks toward swapping parts so you avoid unnecessary purchases.

  • Safety first: unplug, ground yourself, and avoid touching caps or power connectors while energized.
  • Visual inspection: look for bulging or leaking capacitors, scorch marks around the CPU area or power connectors, and loose connector pins. A burned smell is a strong clue.
  • Strip to the minimum: remove all nonessential drives and cards. Leave only the board, CPU + cooler, one known-good RAM stick (try different slots), PSU and whatever video is required to get POST. Attach a chassis speaker or watch onboard POST LEDs.
  • CMOS and connectors: clear CMOS (battery out or jumper), reseat RAM, reseat power connectors (ATX/CPU). Verify the CPU fan header is actually powering the fan.
  • PSU checks: a fan-spinning or paperclip test only proves basic power; measure 3.3/5/12V rails under load with a multimeter or borrow a known-good PSU to rule out rail sag. A cheap PSU tester helps but is not definitive under real load.
  • Bench test outside the case: run the board on cardboard to rule out a short to a standoff or the case.
  • Interpret results: audible POST codes or activity point away from a dead CPU; complete silence and no fan/LEDs after the PSU is proven good strongly suggests motherboard power circuitry (VRMs, shorted components) or a protective short. If the CPU fan doesn’t run or the heatsink was loose, thermal protection can behave similarly.

If tests are inconclusive, borrow/swop a PSU, stick of RAM or a cheap used board/CPU to isolate the failed part before buying new. A low-cost diagnostic from a reputable shop is often cheaper than replacing both motherboard and CPU blindly.

Member Avatar for rhrinkrat

i am haveing the same problem. my machine just randomly turned off on me the other day and i thought the power supply was shot. Put a new one in and it started for 2 seconds then just turned right off. I also noticed the fan on the CPU wasn't doing anything so i figured the cpu was over heating and it shut down as a protection. So i changed my heat sink and fan, because for some reason you cannot but a plain cpu fan in compusa. And that didn't work either. Unfortunatly, i think the problem might be the cpu burned out or motherboard shorted, one of those two. I think you might have the same problem, i haven't purchased a new board and cpu yet, avoiding high upgrade costs, but hope to get a new one soon and find out if thats the problem.

Member Avatar for Carebare47

It sounds to me like your CPU has burned out. How old was your CPU cooler, and did you accedently ( or on purpouse ) change any of the dip switch settings, the little blue box with the white switches on it.

Getting a new CPU might fix the problemb, but it might just burn out again, so i wouldent do that just yet.

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