I'm in the middle of building a new PC, but I've hit a major snag. So far, I've gone through three power supply units (PSUs) that have all turned out to be dead. It started when I tried powering up my setup, and after failing to power on, I pulled the PSU out and confirmed it was dead by doing the paperclip test (you can find a guide to this testing process on Corsair's site). After trading in the first PSU, I got a second one, only to find it also showed no signs of life during the paperclip test. I even added a SATA drive to try and put a small load on it, thinking that might help, but still nothing. I tried plugging the PSU into another outlet and even pulled a really old PSU from my parts box, and it turned out to be dead as well. My multimeter isn't showing any voltage at the outputs during these tests. I'm at my wits' end here and really need some advice because this has been driving me nuts!
3 Answers
Honestly, I don't think it's the PSUs. It might be something with your setup. I’ve built PCs since the '90s and haven’t had a PSU fail before installation. Try installing a new PSU directly into your case, connect it to the motherboard, and plug it straight into a wall outlet. Just turn on the PC afterward and see what happens!
Having three dead PSUs seems really unlikely. What models are you using? Are you possibly reusing old modular cables that could be faulty?
It’s really unusual to have three PSUs fail on you like that. Are you sure you're testing them correctly? Just to double-check, have you flipped the switch on the back of the PSU after plugging it in?
Yeah, I've flipped the switch on the back multiple times. I'm starting to really wonder about my testing!
I had the same thought. Just checking all angles!
I'm only using the cables that came with each PSU and keeping them organized. The PSUs are Thermaltake PF3 850W and two Corsair RM1000x.