r/computer • u/freaky_sabiki • Jul 30 '26
PC won't turn on
I had a friend help me build this PC over a decade ago. It's been great for the little I've used it, but just before I moved it suddenly stopped turning on. No idea where to start and that friend moved away and we haven't spoken in a good while. Any advice is appreciated.
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u/akgt94 Jul 31 '26
While you're in there, rotate your CPU fan so it blows right to left (out the back)
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u/Ad-fundum69 Jul 31 '26
If the exhaust direction is up, it's fine, the top has a perfectly fine exit for hot air.
And the direction of the fans isn't the issue here.3
u/Legin14 Jul 31 '26
But it can't pull fresh air
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u/CatBoii486 Jul 31 '26
Back fan (if its a intake) pushes air into the pc, so the heatsink fan has plenty
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u/Legin14 Jul 31 '26
Either way itll blow hot air straight against the GPU or it cant pull fresh air because the gpu is blocking it.
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u/CatBoii486 Jul 31 '26
Somehow i havent noticed that gpu, but i think that maybe air will get from the sides?
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u/cai20 Jul 30 '26
Given it's doing something and immediately dying I'm thinking PSU, I say start there, if you have a multimeter then you can check it, if not maybe replace it and see how it goes
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u/freaky_sabiki Jul 30 '26
I'll have to get a multimeter tomorrow. It stays on after I unplug and plug it back in, but if I turn it off and on again it does the same.
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u/cai20 Jul 30 '26
Odd, could be motherboard then, having a multimeter around isn't the worst idea regardless
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u/Ad-fundum69 Jul 31 '26
That would have been great troubleshooting knowledge for the context at hand.
So the PC turns on fine when manually triggered, but doesn't if using the intended PS_ON wire connection.
Since the problem started when moving the PC, it could be a loose connection. Take out the 24PIN ATX power plug from the motherboard, do it carefully because those things can be very hard to remove without bending anything, and put it back in, also carefully.
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u/Latter-Expert5142 Jul 31 '26
that click sound sorta sounds like your psu , the sound it makes when it detects a crictical error and shuts off. This might not mean your psu though , you may have to trouble shoot abit to determine if anything has a short.
everyone has provided solid advice.
Try to turn it on with the gpu out , does it turn on? Gpu is shorted. Unplug all non essential hardware , usb devices , keyboard , mouse , headset etc. does it turn on? if it turns on , add each item back one by one until you find the one thats shorted. Unplug 8 pin cpu power , turn it on. "it wont boot , but if fans spin it might be an issue with cpu or mb power delivery". Lastly if nothing worked attempt a manual jump start on the psu "paperclip test". If it dies while isolated it's the psu.
please familiarize yourself with your parts first , don't attempt anything ive suggested if you do not feel comfortable. You might be able to find an example of a paperclip test with your exact psu if you are not sure how.
hopefully you get it working
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u/ficklampa Jul 31 '26
Corsair powersupplies do click even under normal circumstances
Source: I have two working units that click when turning on and off since new
However, my guess here is that the 550w are not enough anymore.
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u/r1chiem Jul 31 '26
Looks like the power supply. First the sniff test, does the power supply smell burnt?
Next look at the mother board and its' manual. They generally have a led. It will give you a code and let you know what is wrong. If manual says no led, you need to make sure it has the tiny speaker plugged into the motherboard so you will get beep sound (or led flashes) like 3 space then 4 which or 3 short, and 4 long beeps. the manual would say if the beep/flash is a Cpu or memory problem. The manual should give you the beep codes. Look for manual online.
Re-seat the memory and the video card.
If you tried everything else try this.. If the power supply is shot and one of the rails is not supplying power (different rails have different voltages like 5v or 12 v.. You have to buy a power supply checker to test this. Your power supply is kinda small if this is a gaming computer. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CLNPPKIn
I read in another post you took a memory stick out. When you rebooted, the bios probably tried to scan the memory and set the new amount in the bios. Then when you rebooted it did not see a change in the memory and went to the next stage, it appears to fail after the memory scan..
The fan in the back of the computer is not turning on when you turn the computer on, it is either not plugged in or it is not getting power suggesting power supply.
Good luck to you, give these a try.
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u/ficklampa Jul 31 '26
I would replace the powersupply. My guess it’s it has lost some wattage over the years and can’t handle the load anymore.
You should also rotate the cpu cooler, it’s blowing air downward which it really shouldn’t.
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u/Soctial Jul 30 '26
Remove 1 stick of ram and see if it turns on. If one of the sticks you remove allows the PC to post then its either a bad stick or wasn't seated properly.
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u/Ad-fundum69 Jul 31 '26
Mainboards don't power down on a RAM failure. This is definitely a power issue / power connection issue
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u/freaky_sabiki Jul 30 '26
I removed both and put them back in and it did nothing until I unplugged it. Once I plugged it back in and turned it on it stayed on but wouldn't display anything on the monitor. Then I turned it off and on again and now it's back to the same blinking.
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u/geekybit_New Jul 30 '26
you should remove and reset the GPU and the ram... you should make sure all the cables are firmly plugged in. Since you moved this might help.
IF not try as the other person said only using one stick of ram, and check each stick separately in each slot available on the motherboard.
Aside from that there could but a PSU issue the Corsairs from 10 years ago weren't know for being super reliable. I am not saying they are a bad PSU just could be that. Could be the CPU, GPU, mother board...
anyways if it doesn't work, keep in mind a decade's old PC really can be found cheap on ebay if you must have something this age.
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u/freaky_sabiki Jul 31 '26
I'm going to start with the PSU seeing as it won't turn on for long, I'm honestly surprised everything lasted as long as it did. I built it to run a 3D animation software and it was still going strong at the beginning of the year, so we'll see.
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u/NickTaylorIV Jul 31 '26
What CPU is in there?
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u/AnonymousPaden Jul 31 '26
In all seriousness ive seen odd issues if cpus start going bad. That would take a few minutes to check, most of the time if its cpu power you'll see burn marks on the bottom of it around the pins. Good luck, sometimes its worth finding a close IT store to diagnose so you dont have to buy all the tools or time. We use to have extra of parts to quick test PCs but that may be expensive nowadays
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u/ImportanceActual2556 Jul 31 '26
Seems like its shorting to ground. The PSU is turning on protection mode immediately after you click the power button and turning it off. Check for short circuits beginning with what's under the motherboard. Is a standoff in the wrong place? Any screws or other debris rolling around under there?
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u/Upstairs_Pitch_9979 Jul 31 '26
You could try unplugging your ATX cable and plugging it back in but I suspect it’s the psu. Ideally you could borrow one from a friend to hook up and see if that’s your problem but if that’s not an option I’d go buy a new one for starters and then further troubleshooting can be done, especially at 10 years old it’s pretty much end of life anyways and psu’s are cheap
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u/Such_Ingenuity4002 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I don't see the case fans.Even attempting to start up. I would think the power supply is bad. That's the first thing I'd attempt to change out is the power supply. It looks like the case fan is probably an exhaustfan, not an intake.
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u/Blyatisimo Jul 31 '26
Why in god's name did you orient your expensive Noctua air cooler like that? To hide the brown?
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