Member Avatar for anlogue

Simply is it possible for the PC (motherboard) to blow PSU'S I.E.from a shorting motherboard or other device on the mobo

Have been fixing PC'S for years but this scared me and my pocket,

The PC had a blown smokey PSU, I replaced with a second hand known working unit.... this blew.....then a new unit....... this blew
im not putting anything else in there till i talk to someone...

This PC has been troublesome for a month, ranging from a failed CPU Fan, a modem that stopped the PC Booting (no posts) and software glithches. Its tired out.


I have 2 more PSU units i have tested them in my test PC and they are working:p

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

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Member Avatar for DMR

Simply is it possible for the PC (motherboard) to blow PSU'S I.E.from a shorting motherboard or other device on the mobo

Yes- definitely possible, especially if it's a very hard short straight to chassis ground. We've had a few members who had similar experiences, and at least one of them found that a screw securing their motherboard had made contact with a 12V motherboard trace at one end, and was touching the bare metal chassis at the other end. A badly-shorted component like a capacitor could have the same effect.

If you have a multimeter, you might be able to narrow down the location of the fault by testing for lack of resistance between the different circuit traces/power rails and chassis ground. You should also inspect (look and smell) the motherboard and all other components for signs of physical/thermal damage.

Member Avatar for anlogue

this pc belongs to a client, i think my course of action will be to look for the exact same motherboard, a nice new case and load in the cards one by one. I may stick in a new cpu as well as there not short of cash. Its a compromise but you have to look professional and they have vital docs and proges in the setup.
trouble is i cant find a Asus A7A266 MOBO on ebay

Thx for your help

Member Avatar for jbennet

this happened on my dads box as the mobo wasnt on the foam so it was shorting by touching the metal sides of the case

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