Here's the situation:
I just finished assembling my build last night. I used a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad. Motherboard is Intel DX38BT, CPU is Intel QX9650. Other components connected at the time were one SATA II Seagate 750 GB HD, and one Samsung SATA DVD burner.
I connected up all the connectors: the three to the motherboard (big 24-pin, 8-pin CPU, and 4-pin molex for the PCI bus), one SATA power each to the HD and the burner. All case headers were connected (power switch, HD LED, etc.).
My current system, w/a 510watt PSU, is plugged into an APC RS1200 (1200 watt) Back-UPS. I unplugged it, plugged in the new system w/the PC Power 750watt PSU, and flipped the switch.
Immediately, my Back-UPS started screeching, and the "Overload" light lit up. I shut off the new system, quadruple-checked all my connections, and tried again. This time, nothing. No "overload" warning, no nothing.
The first time I started, as best I can recall (having been distracted by the Back-UPS alarm) no fans or HD activity was present even for that short period. The second time, definitely not.
I really dug in and started checking conections, and making sure the graphics card and RAM were seated. Everything checked out. Every connection was where it was supposed to be.
I went to PC Power's site, and they have this troubleshooting advice. I followed each step to the letter, including step #6: shorting between the green and black wires on the 24-pin connector. The PSU fan did not come on.
This seems to indicate a bad PSU. But there are two odd things I want to note: one, when the connectors were still plugged into the motherboard, the tiny green LED next to the 24-pin mobo connector was lit up when the PSU was turned on. Two, when I pressed the power switch on the computer case, the power-on LED blinked on and off, rather than coming on steadily.
So can a PSU be bad, and still supply some power? Enough to light up the 24-pin mobo LED, and make the power switch blink? And what does the power switch LED blinking indicate? (I'm sure it means something; I just don't know what.)
I had originally planned to order the PSU directly from PC Power, like I did last time. But they now have resellers listed on their web site, and one was Amazon, which is where I ordered from. It cost less, and no tax plus free two-day shipping. But it came in a huge box, w/hardly any packing, and now I wonder if it got bumped around so much that it ruined the PSU? Hard to believe; PC Power builds like a tank, but possible, I suppose.
I know most of you experienced guys have gone thru this--putting it all together and flipping the switch, only to discover some part was DOA. This is my first time, and I am crushed. But if it has to be one part, I'd rather it be the PSU, than the motherboard. Can you guys give me some guidance as to if it is indeed the PSU that is dead? (Make sure to read the troubleshooting steps I followed on PC Power's site, so you know what I did to test.) And if it is the PSU, I am sending it back to Amazon and ordering direct from PC Power this time--they actually know how to pack an electronic component.
I just finished assembling my build last night. I used a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad. Motherboard is Intel DX38BT, CPU is Intel QX9650. Other components connected at the time were one SATA II Seagate 750 GB HD, and one Samsung SATA DVD burner.
I connected up all the connectors: the three to the motherboard (big 24-pin, 8-pin CPU, and 4-pin molex for the PCI bus), one SATA power each to the HD and the burner. All case headers were connected (power switch, HD LED, etc.).
My current system, w/a 510watt PSU, is plugged into an APC RS1200 (1200 watt) Back-UPS. I unplugged it, plugged in the new system w/the PC Power 750watt PSU, and flipped the switch.
Immediately, my Back-UPS started screeching, and the "Overload" light lit up. I shut off the new system, quadruple-checked all my connections, and tried again. This time, nothing. No "overload" warning, no nothing.
The first time I started, as best I can recall (having been distracted by the Back-UPS alarm) no fans or HD activity was present even for that short period. The second time, definitely not.
I really dug in and started checking conections, and making sure the graphics card and RAM were seated. Everything checked out. Every connection was where it was supposed to be.
I went to PC Power's site, and they have this troubleshooting advice. I followed each step to the letter, including step #6: shorting between the green and black wires on the 24-pin connector. The PSU fan did not come on.
This seems to indicate a bad PSU. But there are two odd things I want to note: one, when the connectors were still plugged into the motherboard, the tiny green LED next to the 24-pin mobo connector was lit up when the PSU was turned on. Two, when I pressed the power switch on the computer case, the power-on LED blinked on and off, rather than coming on steadily.
So can a PSU be bad, and still supply some power? Enough to light up the 24-pin mobo LED, and make the power switch blink? And what does the power switch LED blinking indicate? (I'm sure it means something; I just don't know what.)
I had originally planned to order the PSU directly from PC Power, like I did last time. But they now have resellers listed on their web site, and one was Amazon, which is where I ordered from. It cost less, and no tax plus free two-day shipping. But it came in a huge box, w/hardly any packing, and now I wonder if it got bumped around so much that it ruined the PSU? Hard to believe; PC Power builds like a tank, but possible, I suppose.
I know most of you experienced guys have gone thru this--putting it all together and flipping the switch, only to discover some part was DOA. This is my first time, and I am crushed. But if it has to be one part, I'd rather it be the PSU, than the motherboard. Can you guys give me some guidance as to if it is indeed the PSU that is dead? (Make sure to read the troubleshooting steps I followed on PC Power's site, so you know what I did to test.) And if it is the PSU, I am sending it back to Amazon and ordering direct from PC Power this time--they actually know how to pack an electronic component.