I'm troubleshooting my nephew's PC, which I handed down to him. It had been randomly restarting, and I suspected a power supply issue when I noticed several Event 41 errors in the Event Viewer. I tested it at my place, and it ran perfectly, leading me to believe the problem was a faulty outlet or an aging PSU at his place. I recommended getting a power stabilizer, a new PSU, or checking the wiring. Fast forward a few months, he told me the PC is now unresponsive and asked me to test it with my PSU. I tried, but my PSU won't boot his rig at all, even after checking all cables and jumping it. Strangely, his old PSU still works fine. I'm puzzled as to why my PSU wouldn't work with his setup. I have a Ryzen 1600 with a B450 BiostarMHP motherboard, and my new PSU is a Be Quiet Straight 11 Platinum, 1200W, bought recently. Any thoughts on why there's an issue here?
2 Answers
It sounds like you might be dealing with an electrical compatibility issue. I've seen situations where a faulty electrical system at a location can cause PSUs to misbehave. If there are surges or dirty electricity, it can ruin power supplies quickly. Definitely look into using a voltage suppressor or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against that if they have issues with their wiring.
It might also be that your nephew's motherboard is on its way out. If the old PSU works but the new one doesn't, it could point to bad capacitors or issues with the motherboard. Sometimes, older systems have more lenient tolerances for power input. Trying a different motherboard might be the next step if the PSU is ruled out.
That's a good point. If the new PSU is more sensitive to fluctuations, it might not handle a failing motherboard well.
Exactly! Unstable power can really play havoc with components. A UPS can help filter that out.