# Can a damaged power supply affect other components?



## Opticalillusion (Jun 11, 2009)

Hi guys, thanks in advance for any help you can provide =)

Today when I turned my computer on, my power supply began making random and rapid clicking noises after about 15 minutes. I hadn't moved or touched the computer at all since last night - it just started happening.

First I shut the computer down, and rearranged the plugs so that the PC was drawing power directly from the wall, but the noise continued. It's definitely coming from the power supply, but I'm not sure if it's the fan or something else in there that is producing the sound.

I want to order a new power supply, as that would be cheaper than trying to have it repaired (the 12 month warranty expired about a year and a half ago), but I cannot afford it at the moment (as I'm a poor student). My question is: what damage might the power supply cause to the rest of my computer if I simply continue using the computer as per usual until I can afford a new PSU?

Also, the noise has mostly stopped now, but I can still hear the occasional click.

Thanks!


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## makinu1der2 (Jan 1, 2008)

Hello,

Yes a faulty PSU can eventually damage other components.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

what are you running
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply
brand
wattage

check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them


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## Avitas (May 18, 2009)

in a nutshell, yes. a bad power supply can damage components. it can, possibly, kill just about everything inside the case. From the sound of it, you simply have something stuck in the fan. if this is the case, then there is little to worry about bad voltage, little, but not none. you should still look into another one. depending on the specs your looking for, you might be able to get a workable replacement for as little as 30-50$


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## Net Jockey (Oct 18, 2008)

What one needs to know about...the difference between Quality PSUs as opposed Poor quality units...and the effects of heat on your computer.

Most poor quality units...are tested at 25 degrees Celsius ...from this their rating is determined... which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving.

Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25 Degree Celsius testing temperature...coupled with the fact that computers tend to run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature... In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F... your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F.

So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit.

In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating at...under powered...adds more heat to the equation. 

Consider also...the possibility...that ratings given by the manufacturer of single components...such as graphics cards...need to be treated with skepticism... Manufacturers may minimize support issues and under rate the power required...in order to make a larger profit. 

Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC... During this conversion, some power is lost as heat... The poorer the quality of the PSU The higher the voltage that is required to produce the preferred results. Resulting in more heat that the PSU has to deal with

Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components.

The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise.

Quality units...are tested at very high temperatures...The efficiency rating of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with...Also the higher the quality of the PSU the higher the temperature that it can...safely... run your computer at...which reduces the need to run your computer at such low temperatures...that are hard to achieve.

A quality PSU of the right wattage...for your computer...can easily give you two or more more years of service

A quality PSU of wattage... higher than required...for your computer...can give you room for future expansion...

For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link. http://www.techsupportforum.com/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

While you were in the case, did you by any chance blow the dust bunnies out of all those fans and the heatsinks with a can of compressed air? If not, try that to see if that helps. It may be a stray wire (as mentioned earlier) or a dust buildup causing the noise.

Please list the specs as requested by dai.


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## Opticalillusion (Jun 11, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies!

Sorry that I didn't mention my computer specifications in the opening post, the computer has been running fine with this hardware for the past two and a half years, so I didn't think it was too relevant.

- 520W PSU
- Steel case with front, rear and side fans
- Asus M2N-MX motherboard
- Nvidia GeForce 7950GT 512MB graphics card
- AMD Athlon 3800+ CPU
- 3GB fairly generic DDR2 RAM
- 250GB Seagate HDD

It's winter here, it's been pretty cold lately, and I had only had the computer running for 15 minutes before it started making noises, so I don't think heat is a factor.

I did try blowing some of the dust out of the fan, but I don't have a can of compressed air. I might go get one on Saturday if I have time.

The noise has stopped for now, so I'll probably just leave it be and hope it was just something stuck in or bumping against the fan. If it happens again, I'll have another go at fixing it, but for now I'll just keep my fingers crossed, thanks again for all the help, information and advice!


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

Hope it stays working and you do need to clean it out to see if that is an issue. What is the brand name of that power supply (side of the power supply when you open the case) in there?


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