A defective power supply will damage the entire computer. If the power supply does not turn on at all, then there are no questions about its performance. It is more difficult to identify cases when the power supply does not supply the required voltage through one of the power wires. An ordinary tester can help with this.
Necessary
- - computer;
- - tester;
- - screwdriver.
Instructions
Step 1
Remove the side cover of the system unit, which gives access to the motherboard. Disconnect all power wires from the motherboard, video card, hard drive, and so on. Leave the DVD drive plugged in - power surges and sudden shutdowns are not as bad as the rest of your computer. Disconnect all cables carefully as you may damage your computer if misused. If you do not understand anything about this, it is best to take the computer to a specialized center for testing or buy a new power supply.
Step 2
Take the main power cable for the motherboard and short-circuit its green and black connectors using a regular open-ended paper clip. Turn on the tester and connect the power supply to the mains. Turn on the power supply using the switch on its case. After starting the power supply (if it does not start, check the paper clip) insert the black tester probe into any of the black power wires, and insert the red probe into the other colored pins one by one.
Step 3
Check the parameters on the tester display against the following table:
- orange - 3.3 V;
- red - 5 V;
- pink (purple) - 5 V (dej);
- white - 5V;
- yellow - 12V;
- blue - 12V.
Pay close attention to the readings of the tester, as this is a very important operation when checking the health of the power supply.
Step 4
If the indicators deviate from the table by more than one, this indicates that the power supply is giving out an overestimated (or underestimated) voltage. Such a power supply unit can be considered faulty, it must be repaired. You can repair the power supply at a service center for the repair of equipment. It is also worth noting that with the development of new components for a personal computer, more power is required from the power supply, so in some cases you need to purchase a new one, that is, more powerful.
