# [SOLVED] Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?



## JohnPower (Jun 28, 2012)

Hello folks, this is my first thread and I apologize in advance if this is the wrong board to post in.

Specs: 
Win 7 Ultimate
Asus M4A785-M
Phenomx3 8850
GTX 560 ti
Coolmax 600watt

To the issue. Power supply simply went, snap, crackled a bit then popped and the smell of burnt plastic was my rooms new perfume. So to speak. Being in a panic, Immediately unplug everything, open up the PC to detach the graphics card and others. Left the CPU in just so I could check to see if the motherboard at the very least showed some sign of life. There wasn't any visible marks on the board or any smell what so ever aside from the burnt plastic from the power supply.


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## helios19 (Nov 25, 2008)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my mother okay?*

Hey John,

I'm sure your mother will be fine provided you take good care of her! :grin:

Now onto the PSU issue; considering it is a low quality PSU, it is likely that it may have damaged other components. Do you have another PSU (that you know works) that you can test the system with?


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## JohnPower (Jun 28, 2012)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

The only other power supply I have is one that only turns on for a split second lol. But no, I don't have anything to test it with, and there isn't any shops around here where I live. The only thing that keeps me going is the tiny green light that turns on


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## dm01 (Oct 10, 2006)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

What computer are you using now? I'm guessing you can't cannibalise it.


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## JohnPower (Jun 28, 2012)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

A lap top so out of shape that it gets up to 80C watching youtube videos. Probably could cook an egg on it if I started to play any games on it lol


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

Coolmax PSU's are junk and when junk PSU's go they commonly take other components with them.
Best option is to get a good quality 650W minimum PSU and test on the bench.
All SeaSonic- All XFX- Most Corsair (not the CX-GS-M Series) are top quality.

Remove EVERYTHING from the case.
Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can actually conduct electricity! 
Install the CPU and heat sink. 
Install 1 stick of RAM.
Install the video card and attach the power supply connection(s) to the card if your card needs it.
Connect the monitor to the video card.
Connect the power supply to the motherboard with both the 24pin main ATX Power connection and the separate 4 or 8 pin power connection.
Connect power to the power supply.
Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual to find which two pins connect to your case's power switch. Then touch both pins with a screwdriver to complete the circuit and boot the system.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. Then assemble the parts into the case and try again. If the system now fails to boot, you have a short in the case and need to recheck your motherboard standoffs.

If the system does not boot after this process, then you most likely have a faulty component. You'll need to swap parts, start with the power supply, until you determine what is defective.


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## JohnPower (Jun 28, 2012)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

Figure I should update this in case anyone comes across it.

The motherboard wasn't fried at all or any other damage what so ever. After I bought a new power supply and case, everything actually works better than when I first bought the poor thing. Damn thing doesn't know when to quit I guess lol


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

Glad it worked put for you and hopefully you installed a good quality PSU with sufficient power to avoid a repeat performance.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Power supply shorted, is my motherboard okay?*

Great why not mark this solved in the first post under "Thread Tools" in the first post.


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