Who are these Power Supply manufactures?!?

[Buddy Weiser]

The computer I am building is as follows:

---parts I am using right now

Lian Li V-Cool PC V1000

Tyan Tiger K8WE (S2877)

Dual AMD Opteron 244 (socket 940)

Two Kingston 2GB 333MHz DDR ECC Registered CL2.5 DIMM BGA Dual Rank, x4

Four Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 (currently using SATA and no raid)

No idea what brand my floppy drive is, but it works!

ASUS 16X MAX QuieTrack DVD

---parts I have tried to use without any luck

MSI K8T Master2-FAR7 (not happy with Micro-Star International...)

Aspire ATX-AS520W 12V

Antec True 430

Various different memory cards

Various different floppy drives (all from retired computers)
===============================

"I've had a lot of luck but it's all been bad!"(Hank Williams)

I started with an MSI K8T Master2-FAR7 and had to return it because it was broken when I got it. After the second Master2-FAR7 arrived, I got along ways, thought I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel....I had SBS 2003 installed and was working on setting up the rest of the software but had been suffering through the process the whole time until the Power Supply just quit. I bought the second power supply and continued to have issues.

Feeling very frusterated with how hard it had been to get that far, I started looking....again....for more info on the components I was using and double checking for compatibility (it is my first time building a computer). As I was looking at the motherboard specs I found the memory MSI had said was okay really wasn't and they just updated the documentation to reflect that. So I tried different memory cards, no luck, and finally I gave up for about two months.

In the mean time I built another computer that is working splendidly.

Then I ordered the new motherboard and have been reasonably golden until just now. While I was happily working away on the computer, trying to boot from the IDE DVD (to install Windows SBS 2003) and I was messing around with the jumper on the back of the DVD and then I went to turn it back on and..... no power.

So I turned to our mutal friend, the internet, now I am here and all I seem to find is comments like, "Oh, that PSU is no good your risking failure just by using it.", "Your PSU probably died.", "I have replaced my PSU and now everything is fine.", "PSU this", "PSU that" and "PSU.... crap." Thus the title of my thread.

Now for the question. Can anyone tell me what would be a good, dependable PSU for my computer?
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We all seem to be buying PSUs that aren't worth a damn....why don't they make them more dependable? Have we all been hit by, struck by... smooth criminals?

[Panama Red]

You would do well to peruse the 3 Sticky threads at the top of the Gen Hdw forums.

http://forum.pcmech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[Buddy Weiser]

Thank you.

[Buddy Weiser]

I would like to be sure it is the PSU before I go buy another one....I looked at that link and found that the brand I have is supposed to be alright and my amperage is good. When I hit the power button, an L.E.D. on the motherboard flashes but thats all that happens and then when I turn the power back off I can hear a short, faint whistle come from the power supply. I could have screwed something else up so I figured I would ask; Can anyone verify or tell me an easy way(other than using a different PSU) to find out if the PSU is the problem?

[Panama Red]

The only ways to eliminate a possibly defective psu from the list is to swap in a known good one or test it/have it tested with a psu tester. However, I've had a few bad psu's show good with my Antec tester. You can also use a jumper wire to "trick" the psu into thinking it is attached to a mobo (green wire to any black wire in the 20/24 pin connector) and check the voltages with a voltmeter. Problem with that test is there is no load applied so you're only checking no load voltages.

[Buddy Weiser]

Hmm, sounds tricky. I think I'll keep it simple and just try another PSU. Thanks again!

[Buddy Weiser]

I finally tested the powersupply by connecting the green wire with a black one and low and behold the powersupply is fine!? I guess I screwed something else up and that's why the computer won't turn on. I had everything working fine and like I said before I was messing with the jumper on the back of the DVD player trying to get it to boot from my SBS 2003 disc. I am going to try disconnecting the DVD and see if that will change anything. Currently though all I get when I flip the power on is one l.e.d. flash and thats it.

Could someone help me figure out what to try next? I am still going to buy a new PSU that better matches my motherboard (24 pin instead of using a 20-24 converter). If there is anything else I can specify to make helping me easier, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

[flanzig1]

Have you tried the out of case build yet. This will help eliminate the possibilites of something shorting out the motherboard. Start off with the mininum: video card/1 stick of ram/no drives; if you get a POST image,start adding parts.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Buddy Weiser I finally tested the powersupply by connecting the green wire with a black one and low and behold the powersupply is fine!?

Actually, that test just tells you the start circuit is okay...it doesn't mean the power supply is working properly.

Originally Posted by Buddy Weiser I guess I screwed something else up and that's why the computer won't turn on. I had everything working fine and like I said before I was messing with the jumper on the back of the DVD player trying to get it to boot from my SBS 2003 disc.

Did you mess with the jumper while the computer was running? Was it plugged into the wall outlet and was the motherboard LED on?

Originally Posted by Buddy Weiser Currently though all I get when I flip the power on is one l.e.d. flash and thats it. Could someone help me figure out what to try next?

I would try the out-of-case troubleshooter.

Originally Posted by Buddy Weiser I am still going to buy a new PSU that better matches my motherboard (24 pin instead of using a 20-24 converter).

Oh, if your motherboard requires a true ATX 2.0 power supply with the 24 pin power connector you should definitely get one and stop using the older ATX power supply with the 20 pin to 24 pin adapter.

Cricket

[clroberts]

Here's something interesting, I have two PSU's. One has a 20 pin connector and says it is meant for ATX 2.03 specifications and One has a 24 Pin Connector and says it is meant for ATX 2.0 specifications. I am wondering if that would really be the Adapter causing the problem or whether his PSU is not spected out for ATX 2.0 if his MB is meant for 'True ATX 2.0'

[Buddy Weiser]

I have tried two different PSUs that both turn on when I connect the green to the black:
Antec True 430
Aspire ATX-AS520W 12V

My workstation actually just quit me the day before yesterday and I had to use the Antec True 430 to replace the Rosewill PSU (came with my Rosewill case) that died. So now all I currently have to work with is the fancy looking Aspire PSU. If I do the green to black trick while the PSU is plugged into the four harddrives, the DVD player, and the floppy, it kicks right on and everything seems fine. It's when I hook it up to the motherboard that it stops powering on. I have tried the green to black trick with the 20-24 pin adapter on as well and it still works but I'm not convinced that tells me much because I have yet to try a PSU that comes with a 24 pin.
No the computer wasn't plugged in or turned on when I was switching the jumper around...it was the jumper on the back of the DVD player(which still turns on when I "trick" the PSU) and so I am not totally convinced it has to do with the jumper.
The only reason (other than being busy! haha!) that I haven't tried the out of case test is because it was working fine, I turned it off and unpluged it, switched the DVD jumper, plugged it back in and then went to turn it on and got nothing.
I can only see trying a 24 pin PSU as a probable fix. I will say whether or not it works after I get a new one and try it. Thanks a ton everyone!!!!

[Buddy Weiser]

Oh and that Antec True 430 PSU that I am using to type this was the one that was hooked up when the other computer stopped turning on. I know it isn't the PSU itself but maybe the adapter? Anyways, like I said, I'm gonna get a new 24 pin PSU and try it out.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Buddy Weiser If I do the green to black trick while the PSU is plugged into the four harddrives, the DVD player, and the floppy, it kicks right on and everything seems fine. It's when I hook it up to the motherboard that it stops powering on.

Sounds like you have a problem with the motherboard, not the power supplies.

Cricket

[glc]

Again, have you tried the out of the case procedure yet?

[Buddy Weiser]

I got the new psu and it acted the very same way so I tried the out of case build and got it to turn on and go through bios and all that. I am gonna put ol' humpty dumpty back together again and see how that does. I will post the outcome. Thanks again!

[Buddy Weiser]

It starts! Now I am back to where I was before it stoped powering on. Thank you for all your help!!

Of coarse, I still haven't gotten past the little issue of not being able to successfully boot. I have a MS SBS 2003 bootable cd in the dvd drive but everytime I start the computer up and it gets to where it is ready to boot, it tells me:
PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable

I have tried different IDE cables (for the dvd player) and i've tried all three of the jumper settings on the back of the dvd for cable select, master, and slave. I do not know what to try next. My dvd player can burn and all that great stuff so I have assumed (without ever successfully finding good documentation to support this) that it is able to boot my computer as long as the disc in it is bootable. The dvd player is brand new, never been used in any other computer, and the light turns on, it opens and closes fine....any ideas?

[glc]

1. Use a 80 wire cable for the DVD, blue end to motherboard, black end to drive. Connect NO other drive to that cable for now.
2. Jumper the DVD to CS.
3. Make sure the IDE controller is enabled in the bios.
4. Make sure the DVD drive is set first in the bios boot order.
5. TEST the DVD drive in an operating computer, it may be brand new but defective. Just because the drawer opens and closes doesn't mean it can read a disk.
6. If you have another known good optical drive of ANY type, try it.

[Buddy Weiser]

No luck, I enabled everything IDE in the bios and the DVD is first in the boot order but it seems that the dvd drive isn't even spining the disk so I wonder if maybe there is a problem with dvd player. There are two IDE ports on the motherboard and i have tried both and 3 different cables (all with blue ends in the mobo and black in the drive) with no luck i am gonna guess that it is a faulty dvd drive.
I'm gonna try a different drive to see if maybe this one is defective like you suggested. Thank you for the assistance.

[Buddy Weiser]

Sure enough the dvd drive is no good. Thank you very very much for all the great help!!