New PSU won't power up computer/ Old PSU still does

thedubgee · Jul 24, 2013

Hello experts,

I have looked all over the forums for answers before I posted.

I recently tried to upgrade my PSU to accommodate a new GPU, a Geforce 280 GTX.

My system is an HP P7. AMD A10 processor with 12 GB RAM and it has a Radeon on board GPU processor.

The reason why I was changing PSUs was because the GPU needed extra power. The new PSU is a 550W OCZ Fatality1. It is modular and I needed that to power the GPU.
Once I placed everything together and powered it up, the CPU fan spun for a half second and then nothing.

I also had a brand new 550W BFG PSU (modular also) and hooked it up to the Dell. Powered it on and the same thing happened...CPU cooling fan spun for half second and then nothing.

Thinking that I must have done something wrong, I disconnected everything, and reset the CMOS. Plugged the PSU back into computer and still a half second spin and then nothing. I did this with the other PSU as well.

Now I am frustrated, thinking that nothing will work...I reconnected the original PSU that came with the HP and (taking the new GPU out, of course) and it works fine.

What am I doing wrong? I would love for this GPU to be installed and working. I have two brand new PSU's that I tested. The reason for my upgrade was to play games.

Any help or insight you can offer is much appreciated!!
Thanks so much!

huchman · Jul 24, 2013

http://www.hardwarecentral.com/showthread.php?153895-Replacing-a-Dell-power-supply

Dell proprietary (non-standard) ATX design

If you currently own or are considering purchasing a desktop system from Dell you will definitely want to pay attention to this section. There is a potential booby-trap waiting to nail the unsuspecting Dell owner who decides to upgrade either the motherboard or power supply in their system. This hidden trap can cause the destruction of the motherboard, power supply or both! OK, now that I have your attention, read on…

It seems that starting after September of 1998 Dell defected from the cause of industry standardization and began using specially modified Intel supplied ATX motherboards with custom wired power connectors. Of course they also had custom power supplies made that duplicated the non-standard pinout of the motherboard power connectors.

An even bigger crime than simply using non-standard power connectors is that only the pinout is non-standard, the connectors look like and are keyed the same as is dictated by true ATX. There is nothing to prevent you from plugging the Dell non-standard power supply into a new industry standard ATX motherboard you installed in your Dell case as an upgrade, or even plugging a new upgraded industry standard ATX power supply into your existing Dell motherboard. But mixing either a new ATX board with the Dell supply or a new ATX supply with the existing Dell board is a recipe for silicon toast. How do you like your fried chips, medium or well done?

lantrich · Jul 24, 2013

The GTX 280 needs 6 pin and 8 pin external power added. Did you plug them in? Won't work without them.

ko888 · Jul 24, 2013

Dell has desktop PCs with an AMD A10 processor??? What's the exact Dell model number?

I know HP has a Pavilion P7 that uses AMD A10 processors.

toyftw · Jul 24, 2013

huchman :

http://www.hardwarecentral.com/showthread.php?153895-Replacing-a-Dell-power-supply

Dell proprietary (non-standard) ATX design

If you currently own or are considering purchasing a desktop system from Dell you will definitely want to pay attention to this section. There is a potential booby-trap waiting to nail the unsuspecting Dell owner who decides to upgrade either the motherboard or power supply in their system. This hidden trap can cause the destruction of the motherboard, power supply or both! OK, now that I have your attention, read on…

It seems that starting after September of 1998 Dell defected from the cause of industry standardization and began using specially modified Intel supplied ATX motherboards with custom wired power connectors. Of course they also had custom power supplies made that duplicated the non-standard pinout of the motherboard power connectors.

Wow! thanx for the very useful info.

An even bigger crime than simply using non-standard power connectors is that only the pinout is non-standard, the connectors look like and are keyed the same as is dictated by true ATX. There is nothing to prevent you from plugging the Dell non-standard power supply into a new industry standard ATX motherboard you installed in your Dell case as an upgrade, or even plugging a new upgraded industry standard ATX power supply into your existing Dell motherboard. But mixing either a new ATX board with the Dell supply or a new ATX supply with the existing Dell board is a recipe for silicon toast. How do you like your fried chips, medium or well done?

thedubgee · Jul 25, 2013

You are correct. I went back and changed my original post to read HP. It is indeed an HP Pavilion P7. You know your stuff!

ko888 :

thedubgee · Jul 25, 2013

lantrich :

Hi there,
At first with the HP Power supply I didn't have the 6 and 8 pins plugged in. The computer started and stayed on but didn't boot up. When I installed the new PSU's and plugged the 6 an 8 pins into it, nothing. The fan would spin for half a second. I put the original PSU back in it with the onboard graphics, and it starts normally.

The two PSU and brand new and working. I did the paper clip trick to verify. I am at a confusing loss!!!

ko888 · Jul 25, 2013

thedubgee :

Those "new and working" PSUs don't seem to be compatible with your system's motherboard.

Working and compatible are not the same thing.

The OCZ Fatal1ty 550W has been reported by some customers to have compatibility problems with some motherboards.

BFG Technologies doesn't even exist anymore. In August 2010 they were in liquidation and ceased honoring their product warranties. They were defunct as of September 2010.

All that I can suggest is getting a better quality power supply.

I've replaced a dead OEM Delta Electronics PSU in an HP Pavilion AMD CPU platform PC for a friend with an XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) which worked absolutely fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

thedubgee · Feb 19, 2014

Okay, so here is how I solved it.

I used a non-modular PSU. It probably explains why another computer of mine fails to boot with a modular PSU.

Has anyone had this error before? Is this common place that it people can run into trouble by using a modular PSU like this?

SO, without having to exchange the PSU, what do I need to do to make it work in the future?

Thanks so much for your help!!

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