Help 4 month old PSU just... died?

[eksdee]

Hey,

So I went to bed last night, turned off my computer as normal and went to sleep. Normal. Woke up this morning, hit the power button, nothing happened - not normal!

The previous evening, or in fact in the contravening months since buying the PC (got it Dec 2010 pre-built from Overclockers, only thing I added was my old hard-drives), I have absolutely no issues with this machine. Runs like a dream, all as expected etc.

I had a very similar problem with my old PC and it was, as expected the PSU. The PSU I replaced that time though was around 3 years old so it made more sense. Is it really possible my brand new PSU just died overnight or may there be some other issue here? I'm a complete dunce to this stuff, so I'd love some help!

Oh I should also say, I use surge protectors and I tested the kettle lead in another PC also and it worked fine. Also tried plugging the PC into another plug socket - no dice. Inside looks fine, barely even any dust. Gaaaaaah!

 

[MYstIC G]

Could it be the wiring in your house?

 

[inactionman]

Sounds like you may want to use a small UPS as a power conditioner.

 

[eksdee]

I have no idea what that means :<

 

[inactionman]

If the power supply in your house is running out of spec, it can damage PSU's. To get around this you can use a small Uniterruptable Power Supply to protect a PSU. This will not only protect against surges, but also ebbs (brown outs).

This isn't cheap though, it may be easier to get your power/wiring tested.

 

[eksdee]

Okay, thank you! Going to chuck in the PSU from my old PC when I get home from work in the hope it fixes everything. Failing that, brown trousers time as I'll be shit out of ideas.

 

[eksdee]

New PSU works fine, going to send the blown one back to Overclockers.

 

[Tom]

Just a faulty unit. Most faults occur when devices are powered on or off.

I wouldn't worry about the power in your house as it's unlikely to be that. Just make sure that your case and PC location allow the power supply to remain within its operating temperature range.