new power supply defective or am I?

revdarkwing · May 22, 2010

I have a computer I made myself a few years ago. It has a Gigabyte 7N400 MB. The PS went bad so I purchased a new one, a Diablotek DA500, to replace the 400 watt one I was using. This is for my wife now and does not have huge power requirements.

I separated the 4 pin and plugged in the 20 pin connector then plugged in the 4 pin as well. (it didn't have the snap so it actually fits either of two ways). I then plugged in the case fans along with the HD and the DVD drive and turned on the computer . The fan on the CPU twitches once and the "on" indicator light on the front of the computer goes green but the PS fans do not start up and nothing further happens.

I switched the 4 pin plug around but that didn't help. I don't know if I have a defective PS which could explain why even the PS fans don't spin or is there something wrong with the way I connected it which prevents the PS fans from spinning?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

collinsl · May 22, 2010

I would suspect the PSU is faulty, and as I have never heard of DiaboloTek I am going to assume they are a poor quality product. A PSU is one of the most important components to go into a computer, and as such you should only buy reputable brands. If a poor quality PSU dies in use, it is much more likely to take out either some or all of what is attached to it compared to a reputable brand. Please read the text below that has kindly been provided to me by Digerati for reproduction here:

Digerati said:

It is important to ensure power supplies are capable of supporting the demands placed on them. A stressed or overworked power supply can cause stability problems, system lockups and reboots. In worse-case scenarios, a stressed supply can fail catastrophically and damage any device connected to it. Sadly, many computers, especially factory made computers, come with PSUs that are barely adequate to support the existing hardware. Simply adding two more RAM modules (sticks) can overtax them. Therefore is important to consider the greater power demands whenever adding or upgrading hardware. This is critically important with graphics card as they can, and often do demand more power than CPUs.

There are several calculators out there but I have found this to be the best. Note the results indicate the minimum size supply you need. And the default settings do not take into consideration how the computer is used, future upgrades or hardware changes. To ensure your new supply will provide years of faithful service, has enough horsepower to support heavy demands and is ready for future hardware upgrades, please follow the advice below to modify the specified parameters.
Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. To ensure the supply has adequate head room for stress free operation and future demands, I recommend the following settings:

CPU Utilization (TDP) - 100%

Capacitor Aging - 30%

System Load 100%

Motherboard - High End Desktop (optional but recommended)

Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,

Efficiency,

Total wattage.

Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. And don't count on supplies that come included with a case. They are often underrated, budget or poor quality models "tossed in" to make the case sale. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation), as surge and spike protectors are inadequate.
Note: There is often some confusion over buying too big of a supply. It is important to remember that electronics draw from their power supplies what they need and not what the supply is capable of delivering. That is, if the motherboard plus the RAM, drives, fans, and graphics card all need 360 watts of power, they will only consume 360 watts regardless if the power supply is a 400W, 650W or a 1000W supply. And the power drawn from the wall outlet will also only be 360W (plus up to 30% more for PSU inefficiencies). So there is no risk of damage from using too big of a supply, except to your budget. That said, if the calculator says you need a 400 watt supply, a quality 400 watt supply will work, but note it will be working near its peak capacity full time. This will likely cause its internal fan(s) to spin at full speed, and maximum loudness. A 500 - 600 watt PSU will be under less strain, and not require the fans to run at full speeds.
Click to expand...

pclover · May 23, 2010

I agree with you here

diablotek seems to be a really new company. Looks like they formed in 2007

For PSU's I personally like OCZ and Corsair

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 my suggest for a PSU for you.

revdarkwing · May 23, 2010

Thanks for the replies. I usually use newegg and this PS was well rated and since I have limited expertise when it comes to brand for PS, I thought it was safe. Thought wrongly that the PS was one place where risk of problems was lower... oh well.. live and learn. Thanks again.. back it goes.

oxooxo · May 25, 2010

I would suggest that you unplug all componets including hard drive and see if board powers up, when I had this problem it was the hard drive.

scajjr · May 26, 2010

Also I don't see how you could have plugged the power connector in "both ways". Those connectors are made to fit only 1 way.

Sam

voodoo3rd · May 30, 2010

I also cant see how you have put the 4pin extension bit in backwards as I just tried it and cant, the
holes are different shapes to prevent this? If you have managed to do it backwards its possible you've
damaged the PSU and/or the motherboard.

Try leaving this connector out just connect the 20pin portion then try starting it.

I'm presuming your talking about the 4pin extension at the end of the 20 pin power connector
not the 12v_atx/P4 connector that feeds the CPU? In any case this one cant be plugged the wrong
way either.

ASUS · May 31, 2010

Something is shorted, mobo or psu

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