I have a Corsair 750xm power supply that's been running since mid 2015. I've been wondering how much life this thing has left given its age. I'm not experiencing any issues. Just wondering if there's some software to check its health so I know when I should probably replace it.
The issue is: I had 2 PCs, and one of them randomly decided to Fry a microchip on the motherboard, obviously the Mobo is Giga ded; However, I'm not sure If the PSU had anything to do with it.
Could I check anywhere if the component is "safe" or maybe it was the cause of my Mobo dying and I never knew it
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I’ve seen a lot of posts and comments lately about random PC shutdowns, coil whine, or systems acting unstable under load, and a surprising number of replies point to the power supply as the possible culprit. It got me thinking about how often PSUs get overlooked until something actually goes wrong.
That’s where I’m a bit stuck right now. I’m trying to figure out whether my PSU is still healthy without using specialized tools like a multimeter or a PSU tester. I know those are the “proper” ways to do it, but I don’t have access to either at the moment and would rather not buy new hardware unless I really have to.
For context, my PC has been running fine for years, but recently I’ve noticed occasional restarts when gaming and once or twice it just powered off completely. No blue screen, no error logs that clearly point to anything else. Temps seem fine, RAM checks out, and I’ve already ruled out software issues as much as I can.
Are there any reliable signs, stress tests, BIOS readings, or software-based methods that can give at least a rough idea of PSU health? Things like voltage monitoring, load behavior, or warning symptoms I should be paying attention to? I’m not expecting perfect accuracy, just enough confidence to know whether the PSU is likely the issue or if I should keep looking elsewhere.
Would really appreciate hearing how others have diagnosed PSU problems without specialized equipment, or what red flags you’d consider “good enough” to justify a replacement.
The issue is: I had 2 PCs, and one of them randomly decided to Fry a microchip on the motherboard, obviously the Mobo is Giga ded; However, I'm not sure If the PSU had anything to do with it.
Could I check anywhere if the component is "safe" or maybe it was the cause of my Mobo dying and I never knew it?
The PSU seems to work at a glance, but the fan it's not working from the limited testing I did
I have received a second hand high end PSU however it is about 7 years old, before running it for a long time I was wondering what the best way to test it would be to ensure it isn't faulty and going to cause problems with my existing parts?
Outside of having a full electronics bench with load tester, there really isn't a way. You could short pins 14 and 15 and use a multimeter to test voltages. Aside from that, there isn't much a normal guy is gonna be able to do.
I would make sure to blow any dust out of the unit, as this is one of the biggest causes of "age related" failures-- lots of dust can cause thermal problems. Broken fans (due to dust or some other cause) also cause this type of failure.
The other thing I would personally do is take a look to see if any capacitors are bulging, leaking, or otherwise failing. I would say with power supplies specifically, this is the second most common problem. However, you should only inspect what you can see through the cooling vents. The voltages inside power supplies can be deadly (they are way higher than both the voltages from your wall outlet and of course what your computer actually uses).
I suspect my psu is dying on me because my pc restart (Kernel-Power Critical Error, unexpected shutdown) under heavy load (gaming and OCCT PSU test) but the voltages both the BIOS and Speccy (or HWMonitor or OCCT) display, while gaming or running a test, seems fine:
AVCC & 3VCC = 3.376V
VCCIN = 1.744
DRAM goes from 1.488 to 1.504
5V = 5.140V
12V = 12.120
How can i really check if it is my psu and not something else? I don't have a spare one to try, i could buy from amazon and return that if needed but i would prefer to avoid this.
Thank you for reading this :)
More Info:
I regularly clean my pc thoroughly
I already disconnected and reconnected all cables and graphic card
Both Windows and BIOS are updated
Nvidia drivers are up to date
Spec:
PSU is corsair CX750M bought september 2014
i5 4460 3.20Ghz
Nvidia GTX 750 Ti
Mobo MSI Z97-G43
OS is on a brand new Kingston SSD
I have been having spontaneous restarts when doing intensive tasks such as gaming. When isolating certain variables, I have not been able to identify what the issue is. I get error code WHEA_Uncorrectable_error. I have done a ram test and got 0 errors, I have done long GPU stress tests as well as CPU tests. When I run BOTH Prime95 and Furmark at the same time, I can get the PC to repeat the errors. This makes me think it is a PSU problem due to the increase in power consumption. Is there another way for me to test for this without having other hardware to replace and isolate the PSU?
CPU: 5900x
GPU: Zotac 3080
Motherboard: B550-F Gaming WIFI II
RAM: G.Skill 32gb 3200
I feel that my psu is failing and i want to check it. Thanks!
You could try monitoring your voltages with https://www.hwinfo.com/
https://puu.sh/v6TEy/b34e4f56ee.png
Like the 12V voltage should be probably like from 11.5V to 12.2V or something like that, mine seems to drop to 11.7V under load.
And same with 5V voltage, don't wanna drop it too much...and same also with the 3.3V voltage.
What makes you think it's failing? Getting random shutdowns?
You can get a PSU tester off of Amazon fairly cheap and test the different rails like so: https://www.lifewire.com/test-a-power-supply-using-a-power-supply-tester-2626160
My PC is custom build, and it has worked well since 2015. But lately, it became very unstable, like:
Sometime the PC is on, but monitor gets no signal (I can still hear the "beep" sound of Stickey Key when pressing the "Shift" key several times, so I guess Windows is still working). The monitor is fine (I tested it with other PC).
Playing games (like GTA V or Starcraft 2) will make the PC crashes after few minutes. Or sometime screen goes black (no signal), while the game running normally (I still hear sound & music).
Using the PC for office / programming / browsing web is pretty okay.
I used Windows Memory Diagnostic to test RAM and found no error.
I used MSI Kombustor to stress test GPU & CPU at the same time for 20 mins and got no problem. CPU max temp is 97, GPU is 60. But few minutes after that test, while I was just browsing reddit, the PC crashed.
The only way to fix (1) and (2) is unplug the power cord and restart. Checking Event Viewer, I get this:
https://i.imgur.com/cBSJuI4.png The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
Google the keyword 0x8000000000000002, people suggest that RAM or PSU may cause the problem.
Is there anyway to check which components I need to replace? Thanks so much.
My Parts list:
CPU: Xeon 1231v3 Motherboard: AsRock ITX B85M Memory: Avexir DDR3 8GB 1600MHz Storage: Seagate 1TB + Samsung SSD 500GB Video Card: MSI N750 Ti TF 2GD5/OC Case: Thermaltake ITX something Power Supply: Corsair VS450
Is there any way to check the health of a PSU? I've had constant problems with my new computer. Now it's having constant micro stutters and after launching a game the pc completely restarts. When I sent it to the store to be looked at they told me everything was fine.
I just reset everything, and reinstalled windows, and only installed two different video games, and GeForce Experience for latest driver, nothing else is changed.
PC specs are as follows:
Windows 11
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB LHR
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8 cores
16 GB DDR4 RAM 3733 MHz
1 TB M.2 SSD
AMD B550-motherboard
600 W PSU Gold
Hello , i had switched the voltage of my PSU from 230V to 115V and now my pc won't turn on, I've tried switching it back to 230V but still , nothing , is my PSU dead or the whole PC?
You blasted your power supply with 230 V from the wall after switching it to 115 V? That thing is dead. Whether or not it took something with it is a different matter entirely and extremely difficult to predict.
Oof. At the very least you killed your PSU, but it'll be impossible to tell if the rest of the computer died along with it until you hook it up to a non-dead power supply.
One thing you might want to do is double-check your circuit breaker / fuse box to make sure you didn't trip the circuit going to that outlet. If you're very lucky, maybe that's the reason why your PC won't power up.
I have an old PSU called Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze since the end of 2012 and I wonder, how much this electrical box can live ?
Just bought an used GTX980 in my old build (i5 3570) and don't want to fry my component because the PSU is too old.
Is there ANY way to check PSU's lifespan or other way to check his health ?
Thanks in advance and have a good night/day
I recently built a new pc and for the first month it worked fine. But then games started to crash randomly. I've tested the GPU with heaven benchmark, it scored fine, I tested the RAM with Memtest86, ran the default 48 test passed all 4 times with 0 errors, I used crystalDiskINFO to check the health status of my drives. all were 80% plus healthy. I've also run cinebench and throughout all these tests, the temps and scores were fine. I suffer no preformance drops when I game, when I'm able too. My only problem is random and abrupt crashes, or crashing 3-4 times before the game actually boots up. The only thing I havent tested is the PSU and to be honest this was relatively cheap for an 1000W PSU its and ARESGAME 1000W GL Series 80+ Gold Certified. I had never heard of the namebrand but I was on a budget. This is the only component I've yet to test and I'm thinking it has to be the problem, but people keep telling me this isnt symptoms of a faulty PSU that my pc would just crash entirely. Is there a way to test if my PSU is faulty before I purchase a new one just to keep experiencing the same problems?
Last night, my computer shut down on me and refused to power on. I checked the outlet and no problems there.
Nothing happens when I hit the button on my PC.
Pretty sure it's the psu buti want to be sure before i sink money replacinga working part.
Best option: Borrow a different one and try it with the loaner.
If that's not feasible, and bearing in mind that I'm not responsible for any shocks, fire, smoke, blown components, dead dogs, terrorist attacks, and general mayhem, you can test the basic functionality of the PSU (turning on) this way:
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Unplug the computer from the wall socket / mains power. Also unplug your monitor(s), external speakers etc (to avoid discharges through those peripherals.) Wait 30 seconds.
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Open your system and disconnect any and all components from the power supply. Repeat: Nothing should be plugged into the power supply, disconnect all wires from their respective plugs inside the computer.
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Get a paper clip, bend it into an U shape. Or a wire, doesn't matter what kind, but it shouldn't be a stranded one.
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Plug the PSU (and just the PSU) back into the mains power.
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Look at the 24-pin ATX connector (the one that goes into the motherboard). There will be exactly one green wire, and multiple black ones. If there's more than one green wire, abort (and get a different PSU from a manufacturer that cares about standards, electrical hazards, and about life in general, that sort of thing.) The black wires are connected to ground, the green wire signals the PSU to turn on.
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We're going to connect the green wire to any one of the black wires. It's quite safe, the current flowing between those wires isn't enough to even stun an ant. (That isn't the case for the others, make sure you pick the right wires; if you're unsure, don't.) Use the paperclip or the wire to connect the corresponding plug receptacles and keep the wire there. The PSU fan should have started to turn and should be keeping it up as long as you keep green and black connected.
If that didn't happen, your PSU is dead. Of course, just because the /PS_ON circuitry is alive and well doesn't mean the rest is too, but it's usually a good indicator.
Edit: Improved, clarifications.
Many motherboards have an LED on them that will light up to indicate power. No LED = dead PSU.
That's not always a complete guarantee though; if you don't have a PSU tester (guessing that's the case) the only other way to be sure is to swap in a known good one. If you have a local PC shop and they're not complete arseheads they might be able to help out - it only takes a few minutes and a spare PSU. Makes sense for them as you're gonna buy a replacement component one way or another.
First up, though, unplug the power, then unplug the PSU connector from the board. go and have a cup of tea, then come back and plug them back in. See if that clears it up - you never know your luck.
I would normally be averse to putting anything with an unknown history in my PC, but I was at a goodwill warehouse recently where they sell stuff by weight and just for the hell of it I picked up a fully modular corsair PSU (I forget the name of it... 650W I believe. My current PSU is lower wattage and not modular) for $4. Cosmetically, it looks like it's in great shape, but before I plug it into my PC and fry everything, is there a way to test it and make sure it's safe? Preferably without any special tools, because I don't have any... and buying anything fancy would kind of ruin the appeal of only spending $4 haha.
Thanks for any tips!
My Corsair RM1000 exploded and caught fire almost burning down my house. I feel like a catastrophic failure like this is unacceptable in a consumer grade product.
Cord
Aftermath
Today
Internal burn evidence
Last edit: Corsair offered a 15% discount store wide. Refurbished power supplies only have a 90 day warranty. I’ll be treating warranties like oil change stickers now.
Edit: I don’t fully understand the root cause just yet. I bring this failure up to see if there are ways to sniff catastrophic failures out before hand and to discuss how manufactures can implement preventative measures to make catastrophic failures closer to impossible in a general sense.
Edit: added another image
Edit: more photos from today
Note: Just dug up the receipt. The unit was a manufacturer refurbished model from Micro Center in Houston purchased in 2015. Definitely some suspect stuff. I don’t know who’s going to take the responsibility if anyone at all.
Edit: It’s not the cord. Cords don’t pop/explode. Also, the cord is rated for 10A 250V. The power supply developed an internal short causing the cord to burn up. Tried another cord on a different breaker, and tripped it no problem. I usually wrap my cords like how this new psu is set up now (unmounted to the case for now). Photo: https://i.imgur.com/CSPKqHe.jpg
Edit: intern burn evidence seen in the browning of some sheet metal on the opposite side of the power connector __
Unnecessary but maybe entertaining background story:
Imagine playing mwII domination and you’re about to smoke three dudes on B. Aim down sight and PAH. Everything turns off and a 3~4 foot flame shoots up from the back of your PC lighting up the room.
The flame quickly subsides and you hear your UPS take over with a loud click. The back of your pc now is illuminated by a flickering yellow light and smoke starts to fill the room. You jump behind the pc to find the cord on fire and try to blow it out. No luck since the fire starts again. Yank everything out from the UPS to then find your table starting to catch.
You quickly blow it out to find yourself sitting in complete darkness and silence in a cloud of smoke wondering who the fuck could help you. After calming down, you can’t help but laugh that you’re the one that got smoked.
i got a new one, a corsaire 650 which will replace the 450w one
but i would like to make some kind of stress test on them, with gpu+cpu
what is the best software to monitor the use of my psu ?