"Loud Pop"...

**Ragga** · May 10, 2010, 08:29 AM

Hey all... really appreciate you taking the time and reading this;

This weekend I was out of town, so I actually turned off my computer (I usually never turn it off and just let it hybernate when not in use - it is a 2year old build and has not had any problems whatsoever). So this morning, be for I went to work, I decided to turn it on... when i pushed the on button I heard a loud "Pop" or "Snap" sound... and my computer would not turn on...

I did smell smoke so I'm guessing some'n shorted or was fried.

Considering I did not have the time to open her up and check everything... I was wondering if anyone has any ideas. So far from reading some searches, it may be the PSU or the MoBo??? Could anyone give some advice or ways that I could determine which one it is, or both, and other things to take notice of... etc.

Rather hear from you guys than just read it from some other forum!!!

**Top-Tier-Tech** · May 10, 2010, 09:05 AM

Most likely the PSU. You'll have to pull one out of another computer or buy one to confirm this.

**Ragga** · May 10, 2010, 09:16 AM

if it is the PSU... will there be any damages to other componets (video card, mobo, and most importantly... the hundreds of songs and pics on my hard drive???)

thanks!

also... i had a 1000 watt PSU and have an old computer (think its a 450 or less) should i still try to boot it up with that one to test it? is that the only way to tell if it is the psu and not something else? tyvm

**Savage_Swede** · May 10, 2010, 10:10 AM

Before trying anything else, simply open up the thing and see if you can locate any burnt smell and if it indeed comes from the PSU. When something in a PC is fried, you definitely should be able to smell it. And you can probably try and swap with another PSU as long as the difference in juice isn't too large.

Also make sure you have your PC turned off when you know you're not going to be using it. Keeping a PC turned on for a very long time (months) can actually crash the harddrive once you actually restart it

**Ragga** · May 10, 2010, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Savage_Swede

Before trying anything else, simply open up the thing and see if you can locate any burnt smell and if it indeed comes from the PSU. When something in a PC is fried, you definitely should be able to smell it. And you can probably try and swap with another PSU as long as the difference in juice isn't too large.

Also make sure you have your PC turned off when you know you're not going to be using it. Keeping a PC turned on for a very long time (months) can actually crash the harddrive once you actually restart it

thank you very much...

i was once told that turning your computer on/off alot isnt that good either... and it was better to just let it go to sleep; especially if you use it everyday.

**Top-Tier-Tech** · May 10, 2010, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Ragga

i was once told that turning your computer on/off alot isnt that good either... and it was better to just let it go to sleep; especially if you use it everyday.

It's a good idea to let the PC go into sleep mode if you use it throughout the day, but always shut it off at the end of the day.

It certainly could be the motherboard, however the PSU is the most common part to go. You said you have a 1,000 watt... a 450watt PSU wouldn't be able to power any beefy GPU so it depends on what your card is if you could use the 450 or not, if you have and onboard GPU on your mobo then you could just remove your GPU for the test, otherwise you'll need one that can actually power the system.

**Smokey** · May 10, 2010, 11:06 AM

What these guys said..

Most likely the PSU but could also be the mobo, I once tried to install a 64bit vista on a 32bit P4 after the third attempt I heard a POP and two transistors on the mobo were blown and the CPU was fried.

If you smelt burning I would pop open the case (pun intended

) and check all the PSU cables and connectors for burn damage.

**mrmouth** · May 10, 2010, 02:10 PM

More specifically, it is almost certainly a capacitor that popped. Could have been inside the PSU, or on the motherboard itself. If it is the motherboard, you can actually replace them fairly easy if you have a soldering iron.

**Karklos** · May 10, 2010, 07:37 PM

It is probably the psu. You can test the psu On it's own by using a paperclip to bridge the green wire to a black wire on the 24 pin adaptor. If the psu is healthy then you should hear the psu fan start up. If it fails o do this then you deffinately have a problem with the psu.

What brand is your psu? The manufacturer may have a guide to troubleshooting the psu on their website. I know corsair do for example.

DO NOT open the psu- you could get yourself a nasty shock!