My PC’s power supply popped and smells burnt—what should I replace it with?
My gifted PC shut down while I was playing The Witcher 3. I heard a loud pop and noticed an electrical-burning smell coming from the EVGA 850 GT…
PSU replacement
My PC Shut Down With a Pop and Electrical Smell—Do I Need a New PSU?
While playing The Witcher 3, my PC made a loud pop, suddenly shut off, and started smelling like burnt electronics. The smell seemed to come from the EVGA…
Should I Replace My 15-Year-Old Cooler Master GX 750W PSU?
I'm using a Cooler Master GX 750W 80+ Bronze power supply that may be around 15 years old. It originally came from an older family-business computer and has…
Should I replace my old power supply before installing a new GPU?
My graphics card may have failed recently. When I tried starting the PC with the card installed, the system repeatedly powered on and shut off with a clicking…
PC randomly shuts down and crashes when entering sleep mode
My PC has recently started shutting down without showing a blue screen. I replaced the power supply, but the problem still occurs intermittently. Stress testing has not caused…
PC Shuts Down Without a BSOD and Crashes When Entering Sleep
My PC has recently started shutting down at random without showing a blue screen. Windows logs the issue as Event 41, indicating an unexpected loss of power. I…
Can I replace my RM850x power supply without changing the existing cables?
I'm troubleshooting an arc-fault breaker that trips intermittently and want to rule out my PC as a possible cause. Recent electrical work required two standard breakers to be…
Can I Safely Use an Older PSU for a Week While Waiting for a Replacement?
My PC recently started making loud cracking and popping noises under load, along with unusual sounds from the power supply. There has been no smoke or unexpected shutdown,…
Why Is My Power Supply Fan Making a Grinding Noise at Startup?
Whenever I turn on my PC, the power supply fan makes a loud grinding or rattling noise for about five minutes. It gradually becomes quieter, but I can…
PSU Fan Makes a Loud Grinding Noise on Startup
Whenever I turn on my PC, the power supply fan makes a loud grinding or rattling sound for about five minutes. It gradually becomes quieter, but I can…
Should I replace my 10-year-old Corsair AX850 power supply?
I have a Corsair AX850 that has been running reliably for a little over ten years. There haven't been any obvious problems, but I'm wondering whether I should…
What’s the smartest upgrade path for a decade-old gaming PC?
My PC was built in 2016 and still uses an i5-6600K, a GTX 1070, and an unknown-age power supply. The original GTX 980 Ti failed a few years…
What’s the smartest upgrade path for my 10-year-old gaming PC?
I built my PC nearly 11 years ago, and it currently has an Intel i5-6600K, a GTX 1070 that replaced a failed GTX 980 Ti, and an otherwise…
Should I Replace My Eight-Year-Old PSU During a PC Upgrade?
I'm planning a fairly major PC refresh, including a new SSD, a clean Windows 10 installation, a new CPU, and a new CPU cooler. My GPU was upgraded…
Should I Replace My Eight-Year-Old PSU During a PC Upgrade?
I'm planning a PC upgrade that includes a new SSD, a clean Windows 10 installation, a new CPU, and a new CPU cooler. My GPU was replaced a…
My Gaming PC Made a Bang and Now Trips the Breaker
I was playing Battlefield V on my gaming PC when the power suddenly went out for everything in my room except the lights. Only part of the breaker…
Should I replace my eight-year-old Corsair VS450 PSU?
My power supply has been running for more than eight years, and I'm wondering whether its age alone is a reason to replace it. The system uses an…
My gaming PC made a loud bang and now trips the breaker
I was playing a game when the power to several appliances in my room suddenly shut off, although the room lights stayed on. I heard a loud bang…
Should I replace my eight-year-old Corsair VS450 power supply?
My power supply has been running for more than eight years, and I'm wondering whether its age or quality means it should be replaced proactively. The system uses…
PC Partially Freezes After PSU Replacement Then Restarts With a Watchdog Timeout
I replaced my failed power supply a little over three weeks ago, and since then the PC has intermittently entered a strange partial lockup. New applications usually refuse…