having a serious weird PSU issue

bassbeast

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2010
74
0
18,640
In my nearly 35 years of building boxes I have never seen anything like this, but I have tried 2 different PSUs and its the same with both...when the PSU is outside the case? Works perfectly, inside the case? Completely dead. Its not the board either as I have a PSU tester and its the same, outside works, inside dead.

Not that I think it matters as its obviously not the PC parts but parts as as follows...Phenom II X6 1035T, 8Gb of RAM, Asrock 770DE+ board, R7 250 GPU, and a Raidmax case sorry but I don't know the part number and the 2 different PSUs I've tried so far are a 500w Lepa and a 700w generic and its always the same, outside good, inside dead as a doornail.

I am putting this together for a nephew in the service who just wants a box to play TF2 on when he is stuck on base and I'd hate to not be able to hand it to him when he comes home on leave but I've never seen anything like this, what would make a PSU magically stop working when you put it in a case? There is nothing blocking the fan,and like I said if it was the board it would fire on the PSU tester but they only fire when outside the case...I'm totally stumped.
 
Solution
Hello... basically what all above suggestions lead to, is remove your MB from the case and re-test power/booting operations, to eliminate any possible electrical interference with the Case.

Also slightly press on the MB main power connector to see if you have a BAD pin connection or cracked trace on the MB there.

Rexper

Respectable
BANNED
Apr 12, 2017
2,132
2
2,510
My guess would be either metal creating a short inside the case or the lack of airflow within the case which causes over temperatures. Are you able to find the temperatures near the PSU within the case and outside the case?
 
Makes me think you have a short/ground issue in the case.
I'd double check all the standoffs in the tower and make sure they are sitting correctly on the motherboard.
Also check any of the tower wiring to the header aren't pinched/exposed against ant metal of the case.
 
Hello... basically what all above suggestions lead to, is remove your MB from the case and re-test power/booting operations, to eliminate any possible electrical interference with the Case.

Also slightly press on the MB main power connector to see if you have a BAD pin connection or cracked trace on the MB there.
 
Solution

bassbeast

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2010
74
0
18,640


Thanks for all the advice but I was seriously time limited and since I had a pile of AM3+ boards with CPUs and PSUs lying around I just started throwing parts at the thing until I found a combo the thing would take. I ended up with a Gigabyte with a 1045T in it and a Generic 700w, for some reason THAT combo it liked, either one with a different combination? Nada.

I know one thing, I won't be touching Raidmax cases with a 30 foot pole, this is the third Raidmax case that has landed on the desk in the past couple of years and they all gave me fits, lousy cable management, flimsy buttons, I frankly have had better luck with Rosewill and Generic cases than I have with Raidmax.