Help - it's just gone bang!!!

Hi - I'm posting this from my old pc as my current one has just died.

No apparent problems until there was suddenly a bang and it seems to be completely dead.

I've tried changing the external power lead (so I know the power is working up until it gets to the PC) with no result, so presumably the PSU is the likely culprit?

It's an Antec Truepower 2.0 550w EPS12V that came mounted in an Antec Titan case I bought in December 2006. The label on the PSU says no user serviceable parts. Any tips as to what I can check or change would be gratefully received.

The ironic thing is that in my many PCs over the years this is the first branded "quality" PSU I've owned and it is also the only one that's blown up on me.

The PSU should still be under warranty, but I’ve just had a nasty thought. As it was bought fitted in a case, can they insist that I return the whole unit rather than just the PSU? That will mean an unnecessary complete rebuild

Help!

anything get burned/damageD?

Quick and easy way to check would be to grab a spare PSU (if possible) and hook it up to your system to see if it'll power up.

Greetings, Smiler.

I hope you don't have cause to change your handle to "cryer". It sounds like the PSU blew up. Indeed, there are no "user-serviceable" parts inside, and lethal voltages can be present, but if you are curious AND careful, you should be able to open the PSU case and take a quick look-around to see if anything is obviously amiss. If you want to try this, make SURE that the PSU is unplugged, and wait for several hours since the capacitors inside can hold a charge for a long time. If you do find obvious damage (exploded capacitors, blackened/burned areas, etc.), it is likely that it cannot be repaired (unless you are an experienced electronic technician or engineer) - and even then, it is still a good idea to get a new, higher-quality PSU.

If you are lucky, the rest of your components may be undamaged. There is a slight chance that a dying PSU can take other components with it, though. 99% of electronic damage will not be visible to the eye.

My advice: get a new PSU. Stick with tier-one suppliers, and skip the "cheap deals". Choose one that provides a little more power than you will need; it's always nice to have a little headroom to add another drive, or second graphics card. Think of the PSU as the foundation of your system. You don't want to put excellent components on top of a crappy foundation. The PSU affects everything in the computer - CPU, graphics card, mobo, drives, etc. These components all need stable, regulated voltages in order to operate properly. Feed them crap power and watch them perform unstably, and maybe even die.

Even if the new PSU shows that your mobo, etc., are fried, at least you have a good foundation for a new build.


Good luck!

Altazi

Normally (some exceptions) "Loud Bang" is a result of an exploding electrolic capacitor. This is normally caused by (1) defective Cap or (2) overvoltage. In the PSU overvoltage could be a result of a regulator failure. In both cases the "bang" is caused by excessive current thru the cap ( Leakage resistance ). The Heat generated causes a pressure build-up until the cap ruptures. Less likely, a very high current thru a resistor can cause a Bang, Not as loud and my be accompanied with a brief flame.

Once I messed up (Being polite) I installed a tantilium cap backwards (Electrolices are polarized ), While troubleshooting why it didn't work - it blew. Sounded like a firecraker going off.

You might be able to "sweet" talk the vendor into just swapping out the PSU.

Check this and good luck


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] wer-supply

No question about messing with the PSU if it's still under warranty. At least you have a second computer to "tide you over" until you get your new PSU.

Let us know how they treated you regarding your warranty replacement.

Good luck!

Altazi

Just my two cents, but just stick your nose next to the PSU's venting, see if anything smells amiss. Burned PCB and electronics smell NASTY. It'll be a very distinctive smell, I would think, if something blew or burned.

I've set a motherboard on fire before, fried a power supply, burned out RAM. It all smelled horrible.

Hi cpburns.

I did have a sniff after the big bang. There was a slight smell of burning, but it wasn't particularly strong and seems to have gone now. I've got my fingers crossed that any damage is confined to the PSU itself.

Those Antec Smartpower PSUs had a problem a while ago. I would stay away from them, whether they fixed the defect or not. Definitely go buy a PSU and cut your losses. If you use the junk they send you to keep you quiet, then you will be setting yourself up for the big bang again. Plug the one they send you in just long enough to make sure nothing else is damaged then get a new quality PSU. Or else..... BANG!

It is roughly equivalent in specs to the original Antec. Maybe slightly lesser quality. Never heard of an exploding model. Maybe it is called the Thermaltake TNT RX.

You took the words out of my mouth. Official XS Tiered PSU Manufacturer Brand Listing Phase III
Tier 4 is one step above complete junk. As I said earlier, put it in the closet and get at least a tier 3, preferably a tier 2, PSU to use. Keep that junk as backup.

Best

Thermaltake W0105RB Toughpower 700Watt ATX £67.56
http://jonnyguru.com/review_detail [...] page_num=1


Toss up. The Corsair has a single rail and is made by Seasonic, which I like, the tough power has more wattage.

Corsair HX520 520 Watt PSU £66.97
http://jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=28

Thermaltake W0103 Toughpower 600Watt ATX £57.58

IMO they are all good. For the money get the 700W Toughpower.

I would assume that they are all active PFC. As far as cable management, I believe they are referring to modular cabling. I'm not a fan of it, but I think I'm the only one. With unused cables removed you get better air flow and a cleaner look. What is your configuration? You probably don't need anything larger than the 520HX. But a larger PSU will cover you if you decide to add a lot of stuff or upgrade down the road.

I did a search for reviews and although I found someone complaining about problems with the 700watt version, everyone seems to love the 750watt Toughpower.

So I've gone mad and ordered one of those.

Cheers!

More power than you need is never a bad thing. Especially if it is quality power.

OK, I've got the Toughpower 750 Watt fitted and as far as I can tell the rest of the PC was undamaged when the previous PSU expired. I'm now trusting the retailer to refund some money onto my card.

Are Thermaltake having a laugh with providing the silicon gasket? I had to crowbar the case just to get the PSU in without it!

Also, does anyone know which is the best PCI-E power supply to use if you are just running one graphics card? I'm assuming it would be the hardwired one, although as there are two additional sockets, could one of those be powered off a different rail or whatever?

Cheers.

Hi Zorg.

I went for the cable management option. This has one hardwired PCI-E cable and two sockets to attach additional cables, giving you up to 3 PCI-E power leads.

The manual tells you which cables to use for 2 cards, but I couldn’t see a recommendation for just one graphics card. I've assumed it would be the hardwired cable, but then I wondered whether plugging in one of the optional cables instead might have any advantage. Probably not, but I thought I may as well ask.

Everything seems to be running fine so far anyway.

Cheers.

Thank you for that Zorg.

I'll stick with the way I have it wired up now then. The motherboard, CPU and graphics card are hard wired and the DVD combo, fan and hard drives are on one SATA cable and one IDE cable.

Cheers.