comp won't turn on anymore

[Stern]

core 2 duo 8600
radeon 4870x2
g.skill 4gb ddr2
1TB harddrive
1 DVD-RW
P5Q Deluxe motherboard
corsair 750tx PSU

I used to get random crashes in games like WoW or BF2 now and again, but it wasn't really a persistent problem so I ignored it. Today I got home from work, and it just won't turn on. Nothing I've tried works.

From what I've read, it's either the motherboard or the PSU... and since I'm not even getting a light or cough from the fans, I'm guessing it's the PSU?

Any advice on this would be great, I'm moving out of the states in a month and if I don't replace whatever part is broken it's going to be a pain to do RMA from Europe.

Thanks for any replies!

edit:forgot PSU

 

[krnmastersgt]

More than likely the PSU or mobo as you seem to have isolated, unfortunately at this point the best way to test it would be by swapping another working PSU in to check. Reason I'd suggest against trying the PSU in another system is to contain the damage a faulty PSU can bring to one system.

 

[Stern]

Yeah unfortunately where I'm living is only for 8 months so I don't have any of my usual spare parts lying around, at work however there's an old PC standing around that nobody wants... maybe that would be ok

Or I could find a PC shop that has a multimeter. I just really hope it's not the mobo... I hate replacing those.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Either one would be a good test bench I suppose, and if you don't mind potentially killing the old PC that no one wants, you could just swap your current PSU in there and see what gives.

 

[starfireone]

This happen to me this week:
Tuesday I came home and my desktop would not boot up. No lights, no sound, no fans, no nothing. I found out about a half hour later from my neighbor that a big loud lightening bolt hit near by our neighborhood. Had my desktop on power backup too. But it was dead for sure. Popped the PSU out thinking that is was dead due to a power surge. Ran up to my local friends PC shop and had him test the PSU out for me. It tested good. Knew it had to be the motherboard. I ended up replacing the motherboard. A side note: the Internet cable modem was shot as well. Had to have that replaced by the cable company. What I figured happen was the power surge from the lightening hit ran through the cable, to the cable modem, through the RJ45 cable from the modem to my embeded NIC and zapped the hell out of my motherboard.

So even when you think it is the PSU it can still be the motherboard. Take it up to your local PC shop and have them test it. They normally will not charge for testing it.

 

[Stern]

I'm gonna try popping it into the old PC at work and see what happens. Otherwise I'll bring it Bestbuy and see if they can test it for me. Wish me luck and thanks for the advice!

 

[Stern]

Alright, I've put the PSU in the PC downstairs. When I plugged the power cord into it, there was like a fizzing/buzzing sound, and when I tried to turn on the PC nothing happened. I plugged the old PSU back in, and it turned on straight away.

Just to make sure I got this right, all I have to plug in for the computer to theoretically be able to turn on is the big motherboard connector and the CPU connector, right?

If so, it's the PSU.