I was gaming on my self-built PC when I suddenly noticed a burning smell. After investigating, I found that smoke was coming from the back of the PC, specifically where the power supply unit (PSU) is located (it was an NZXT C1200). I immediately quit the game, shut down the computer, and unplugged it. I figured the PSU was toast, so I ordered a new one (ASUS ROG STRIX 1000w Platinum) which arrived the next day. After installing the new PSU, I was disappointed to find that nothing happened—no lights or sounds when I tried to power it on. I thought the motherboard might be fried, so I went ahead and ordered a new one, which came this morning. After installing it and plugging it in, the LED lights on the motherboard lit up, which was encouraging, but pressing the power button only produced a slight click from the PSU. I'm really at a loss here—can anyone help?
2 Answers
Honestly, if you've replaced the PSU and the motherboard and still nothing works, there's a chance the PSU fried other components. But if you're getting LED indications, that's a sign something is at least functional. Just approach it one step at a time and keep testing with minimal components.
To start diagnosing, you should test with minimal components. Remove everything except for the motherboard, CPU, and PSU. If your motherboard has onboard graphics, plug into that and power on; it should complain about missing RAM. If it does, that’s a good sign that the motherboard and processor are working. Just add one stick of RAM and test again. It sounds tedious, but it's the best way to pinpoint the issue. Also, make sure you aren't using cables from the old PSU, as they can vary by brand and fry your components.
Good call on removing the GPU! If there's no RAM at all and an orange light shows up on the LED error panel, that's usually an indication that the motherboard is at least detecting something. But be cautious if you're mixing parts from different setups.
I would advise against using old cables, even from the same brand. It's risky and can damage your new motherboard or drives.