How to test your computer's PSU Power supply - tester

[Starlingchaser]

This is no good at all. It doesn't test for under or over voltage. It only tests a molex, and that on only one level. This will still work on a unit that won't power your PC, or some or all of your drives.

[Maul9999]

You miss point. Don't forgot to test for 5 volt and 3.3 volt. yes you do need PSU testers to know more information.

[FSXSOUTHWESTPILOT]

CAN anyone help me? i did this and the fan will start but then slowly fade out then its off again

[chrsdj]

Except your PSU can be putting out enough power to run a case fan and still not be putting out enough to run your MB and peripherals.

[scottsworldrocks]

works, don't know whats wrong with my computer now tho :( if anyone knows how to fix computers plz msg me i will be very grateful.

[NewRoseas]

Excellent nice and simple just how I like it and the captions much better than some drawling voice. Hmmmm suppose it's just matter of testing the rails /lines thereafter.

Must try this myself as I recycle these units for emergencies as I with the fans for the same reason - surprised you don't do the same.

[MrGGBIG]

Nice TY

[apachelives1]

pointless, that just tells you the fuse and 12v rail is fine

what isnt fine is if its malfunctioning etc (missing 5v/3.3v or undervolting/droop in the rails etc, or under ~2% load is ok) this will tell you nothing about them

[PalmettoMoon]

Thanks! This was quick and easy and i thought my power supply was dead.Turns out it was'nt.Must be the motherboard?

[davidlatte]

you should take that power supply to a proper recycling center.

[devGOD]

@davidlatte like everyone does that... do you take you AA batteries to a recycling center or do you throw it in the trash? i bet you dont...

[webjeff2002]

@devGOD always take it to be recycle! He may not know.

[giotinez]

Thats cool but my fan has not 4 pin connector. Can I connect the cd-rom unit instead ?

Thank you.

[jefftey]

tnx man

[brianlspath]

Not pointless at all! This is actually a neat little trick to know when you are trying to set up the fans and airflow on your case. I do this to test my set ups before I have a cpu, memory, etc.

[VoiceOpinion]

Neat...but pointless, if the PSU is dead. The fan inside of it wouldn't run anyways. If the fan malfunctioned, then the power supply will burn out soon anyways. Either way...it'll need to be replaced. =)

[pauly9974]

A tester would be better than this any day. I'm going to invest in one they don't cost much. This will not tell you if your psu is outputting proper voltages. This is only good for seeing if the psu works.

[Xeikkeiu]

Very helpful and visual, thanks loads :)

[Taylorsingsbetter]

thanks for the help, my psu is fine so i guess that moves to the power switch and motherboard ><

[snake10566]

Recycle your PSU's =)

[PsiloCybinDreamX]

umm that 20-24 pin connector isnt called a molex connector its an ATX connector

[FaithFullMemory]

@PsiloCybinDreamX Lol :P

[theevillucyshow]

This not only saved me a lot of money, but it made me happy. I followed everything and it worked! Thank you so much!!!!

[GarrettBMXes]

This only tests whether or not that PSU will turn on, not whether it will actually run stable while connected to more hardware.

[jerseychik26]

cool thanks i was looking on how to test to see if the motherboard is dead or not i didn't see anything on your vid. will u be doing one or did i just not see it.

[ThePolarisdog]

This IS a partial test. Sometimes your fans will work, and other essential components won't. Don't hate the truth.

[soulassssns]

What about PSU's that are not completely dead? I have a system where the fans will come on but the sustem will not post.

[Highlander01]

Nice tutorial. Works like a treat!

[JediPaladin]

Yeah but what if the problem is in the 24-pin cable?

[wannabelikeyou22]

I went to turn on the computer and got nothing. I found this video. I was nervous about that paper clip jump. But, followed instructions.

The fan spun for 1 second (probably residual power). Then - nothing.

Pulled the PSU out, brought it to the store where it was confirmed DEAD.

Thanks!! So glad it I did not have to mess around with the motherboard.

[robkar1967]

This proves that there is out put voltage to the Molex plug.... It does not prove that the PSU is good.

[nolabush25]

@robkar1967 actually you are a moron. this does prove whether or not the PSU is good. I have done this method twice and both times found out my PSU was in good working condition and was having either a motherboard issue or ram issue.. both times i got the computer fixed and it was never the PSU. thanks to this method I didn't have to replace or pay to have PSU checked! so quit flaming and spewing out nonsense.

[SupBitchesItsMike]

@nolabush25

Actually, robkar1967 IS correct... YOU are the misinformed one. Plus, why call someone a moron, when you dont know what you are talking about?? Just because you used this TWICE and it happened to work for you, great. It ONLY proves there is voltage... have you ever had a PSU issue where voltage was coming out but still there was an issue? well, I have. This is a NEAT TRICK, but you really need to use a voltmeter to see 'exactly' what is coming out of the PSU!

[nolabush25]

@SupBitchesItsMike i just used this method yet again.. and prove to save me once again.. this time i found out my pc wasn't starting because my RAM went bad.. replaced the ram and the PSU is working just beautifully.

[carnige4]

@nolabush25

not if one of the other color wires voltage was jumping around. so you're 100% wrong. idiot

[nolabush25]

@carnige4 has saved me a trip to the computer techs 2xs now and neither time was the PSU. this method is awesome. both times it ended up being a RAM issue.. thanks uploader

[MJBDC07]

what if your cables are black what then?

[M4nimal]

@MJBDC07

you need to identify a +12 V and a GND pin and connect them toghether, see the motherboard atx connection legend to see which is which

[nolabush25]

it worked. i actually didn't have a case fan to plug so i plugged in my dvd drive! lol.. but it powered on.. now on the next tutorial. man i appreciate this a lot. i hope i get this figured out.

[scarstruck85]

worked a treat, thanks, great video. Fortunatlley my PSU is in good working order.

[d3vovus]

cheers matey this helped me out :D

[bhurix]

Thnx dude!!! 5***** u really gave me a tip on how to check my psu here... Thnx...

[barbelotta]

ty 5 *****

[fatsotomuscles]

Good stuff! But what if I do turn it on and it boots but then it unexpectedly turns off with no error message, it just shuts down? Is it still the power supply? Sometimes it is a minute or sometimes it's a few minutes, then it shuts down.

[ipponsuki]

@fatsotomuscles

Maybe yourCPU temperature is to high. check you bios - if you have a lot of dust on you heat-sink and fan that might be the problem

[illyas1]

what do you mean by have some load on it? and i dont have a fan so how can i do this?

[libbern]

@illyas1 If you dont, the energy will be released as heat at other places in the system, possibly damaging something... You could try to connect it to something else, as long as it has enough load

[num9yne]

that's not the correct way to throw away computer part you little shit turd...i should through you away

[zengeneral01]

@num9yne shut up you muppet

[num9yne]

@zengeneral01 why do you insult i? when you know your no challenge in any fight?

[TegMystery]

The other night I shoutdown my pc, and this morning i tried to turn it on and it kicks on for about 2sec and dies. Im a little confused because I havent had any problems with my pc in over a year. i have a dell 530, i used my power supply from my old gaming rig to power everything, it wasnt running overloaded, im just wondering if it died from old age, i just thought i would have seen signs before the death of my psu. any help would be appreciated.

[cloudbook1994]

it happens a lot with dells

[devanshu123]

@TegMystery

PSUs are usually a hit and trial kinda thing. could be age, a surge or just about anything.

[TegMystery]

it was a bad psu, i just got a new psu

[tranzeagle]

Simple, but I've had psu that would power the fan but the main 20/24 pin wasn't sending voltage to the motherboard. Maybe it was an isolated incident. Just thought you should know.

[unrealford]

Sweet, thank you, Ive been searching all over the internet to figure out this darn pc Problem, Thanks again..

[Illankid]

thanx for the video and tip mate