I'm building my new computer and when I thought I was done and turned it on, the fans spun for a split second then stopped. (The rgb ram stayed lit if that's important) so I tried the paper clip test by just unplugging the 24 pin cable from the motherboard and putting the paperclip into the correct pins. The same thing as before happened, fans spin for half second then stop. So I tried unplugging the psu from everything, then testing them 1 by 1. With nothing connected to the psu ( unplugged pcie cable from gpu, unplugged sata connector from psu, unplugged CPU cable from motherboard) the psu fan turned on and stayed on. With any 1 thing connected, (whether it be a sata connection, the gpu plugged in, the motherboard CPU cable plugged in) it didnt work (psu fan spins for half second then stops) i tried each sata connection individually (my kraken x52, my ssd, my corsair rgb fan hub) and each one made the psu fan spin for a half second then stop. Ideas of what's going on? Should I go for a new psu?
The paperclip test emulates how the motherboard would turn on the PSU. If doing so doesn't turn on the PSU then it is likely that your PSU no longer works.
Disconnect the PSU from everything (but mains) and ideally connect a multimeter across a power lead and check if there is a voltage. Presuming you don't have a multimeter, plug in a hard drive (not an SSD!) and see if it spins up when you perform the paperclip test again (if you hold the hard drive you should feel it spin up)
Its worth understanding what the paperclip test is, and what exactly it does.
A paperclip test is a good way to work out if your PSU is completely dead, as opposed to another issue. It is no replacement for a proper PSU tester.
Essentially the only question it answers is "Does the sense cable pick up that its grounded?"
From what you say, yes you failed it. If you passed it still dosen't mean that your PSU is completely healthy. You'd want to check each 'rail' to see if its the correct voltage, which a proper PSU tester would do automatically.
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Alright if your reading this please read the whole thing im sorry for the long text
So there was a night where i wanted to power on my pc… nothing no fans no mobo post lights just nothing. I assumed it may go away tomorrow and just went to bed. Once in bed i heard a buzz coming from my pc and my mouse randomly illuminated.
❗️Also before this my pc randomly restarted about once a week and sometimes when i plug in the back of the pc cable and its not fully seated it arced and zapped even when the switch was off.❗️i asked chatgpt alot of questions along the way and it told me to NOT try powering the pc on again so i didnt although i wasnt sure if maybe the power cable just wasnt connected properly or maybe the power switch was still flipped off. But chatgpt said to not take the risk and take it out. And i assumed there is definetely something at fault seen the symptoms i described
so this lead me to thinking it was a psu issue. Basically very clearly a psu thing right… even though i wasnt sure if maybe it just wasnt plugged in right or something. But once again chatgpt told me to not troubleshoot by plugging in the power cable again
So i made a big leap and opened up the pc took out the psu and ran the paperclip test. Boom the fan span to life. My heart sank. Idk what to do z span to life. My heart sank. Idk what to do now.
But i read in google that even if the psu passes the paperclip test that still doesnt indicate that the pc is fully functional. But i dont have another spare psu to plug into my rig to test if it really is the psu.
So now im kind of lost… and kinda regret not checking if the power cable was secured and the button was set to on. But i think these mistakes are still very unlikely to happen to me as im very alert.
Please help a fella out I appreciate the people who reach out to help so much
Thank you
So I’ve been in the process of upgrading my PC a few parts at a time. At this point, everything except for the GPU is brand new. Yesterday I got this PSU - “Thermaltake GF1 (2024) Fully Modular ATX 850W Power Supply - 80 PLUS Gold - Ultra Quiet - Zero RPM, PS-TPD-0850FNFAGU-P” - However it doesn’t power the PC at all when I hook it up. I thought for sure it was DOA because the old power supply worked fine when I tried putting it back in. I tried the paper clip test, however, and the new PSU started up fine. I have an Aorus B650 Elite AX V2 mobo. I have tried multiple outlets, and at this point I’ve checked all the connections several times over. I’m a little lost at this point and any help is appreciated.
although i get no power and my board has no debug lights. the usbs still get power. im leaning towards faulty mobo. psu and mobo are both fairly new. and stopped working when i moves my pc. paperclip test was done with nothing else connected. when conmected to board with only cpu nothing happens. same when i added a stick of ram.
Any input would be much appreciated!!
Troubleshooting Help:
What is your parts list? Consider formatting your parts list.
Processor: i5
Motherboard: FMB-0901
Original Power Supply: DPS-320KB-1 A REV
New Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80 Plus
Describe your problem. List any error messages and symptoms. Be descriptive.
Alright, so I bought an HP Z200 off a friend in an IT department, they were getting new computers and selling off all the old ones. I've been stuck on a MBP for 5 years and this is my first time doing any PC building. Bought a new sound card, hard drive and graphics card (ASUS Geforce GTX 750 Ti) so that I can play Goat Simulator or something like that (light gaming, basically). The graphics card requires a PCI-e power extension, which the existing power supply doesn't have. After asking around, I'm told the best bet is to buy a new power supply. K, fine.
Problem in short: Computer boots up with old power supply no problem. With new power supply nothing happens, but it passes the paperclip test.
List anything you've done in attempt to diagnose or fix the problem.
I've tested the power supply with a paper clip and get the right voltages, but it does nothing when connected to the motherboard.
Post relevant photos of build/parts here.
http://i.imgur.com/0ac66Vi.jpg
Provide any additional details you wish below.
I think I screwed up something basic, but don't know what.