is my computer dead?

xant420 · 01 Oct 2012

alphanumeric said:

marimuda said:

xant420 said:

Dead or dying ram or video card can cause same symptoms too, have you tried stripping down to a barebones setup?
no video card or harddrive etc? can help sometimes.
Antz

If the Motherboard and Power Supply is functional - and the problem was laying in the Ram or VGA, wouldn't there be any biiib sound code from the motherboard then?

or can an problem in vga/ ram make the computer totally dead , no led, no sounds, no fan.

Not always, but more often than not, I would expect a beep code if the motherboard was functional. The test you did shows that the power supply is probably OK. Its just not getting the turn on signal from the motherboard. So its either a motherboard fault or a defective case power button. As mentioned you can swap the case power and reset buttons and then try pressing the reset button to turn the PC on. Or unplug the case power button and momentarily short the two motherboard power pins with a screw driver.

It's a rare thing on boards but does happen that sometimes they don't have speakers, a defective chip on RAM or GFX card can stop the POST in its tracks. just a thought :) but my money is pretty much on PSU now.
Antz

alphanumeric · 02 Oct 2012

@ Antz, it could still be the power supply. The paper clip test isn't a definitive test as the power supply isn't under load. Even using a power supply tester isn't 100% acurate. I'm thinking its the motherboard though. The PC would boot up untill the CMOS reset, now its dead. Hopefully it turns out to be a lose cable/connector or something like that.

marimuda · 15 Oct 2012

Just bought a new motherboard, and it didn't fix anything still totally dead..
Might be nonfunctional motherboard I've bought but most likely is the problem else where.. what would you do now in this situation if you were in it?... Return the motherboard and maybe try to buy a new power supply?

alphanumeric · 15 Oct 2012

If it was me I would try to borrow a power supply and try it with the new motherboard. If it now works, put the old motherboard back in and make sure it works before you return the new one. Also try a different power cord in the power supply. I've had one of those actually fail on me and it was the last thing I suspected. It had me scratching my head for a while.

marimuda · 16 Oct 2012

Thanks for your quick responds... The suggestion is good and I'd do so if i was living in my old place.. the problem is I just moved out of the country 3 weeks before my computer broke down. So I don't have any good connections. I've tried to pm them and no one has a power supply around. Would you consider me a Di*k if i bought If i bought a power supply from the same store as I bought the motherboard from,,, I mean If neither works and the problem is else were I return two orders within a week from receiving them :x. Buying a power supply tester costs up to 50% of a new power supply of my wattage needs.. My current is a 850w corshair. and based on my components I don't need more than a 650w for 24/7 usage.. The thing is. If the power supply is faulty, I got warranty on it. So I am strongly considering buying a power supply tester + power supply, then deliver back the things i don't need... but it just feels wrong to buy a power supply tester when I know I'm going to return it :/..

I'm very limited financially, just started my study, So don't really have cash to waste.. What is your suggestion? Would you buy a new power supply & tester? then return the tester & motherboard + faulty warranty psu if it only was the PSU that is faulty?

/thanks

alphanumeric · 16 Oct 2012

You could ask the computer store if they would test your power supply for you. Even if there is a small fee to do it, it might be worth it to avoid buying more parts and then having to return them.

is my computer dead?

darn new motherboard didnt fix the problem