PSU Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Should I replace a bad fan in my computer’s power supply?

Posted on September 13, 2018

Question from Dave H.: Hi Rick. About 18 months ago I bought the parts and built a computer by following a guide I found on Youtube. It works great and I love it.

But now the fan in the power supply has started making a loud clunking sound and I can see it wobble when it spins. The fan has obviously gone bad.

My question is can I replace the bad fan in the power supply or should I just replace the entire thing. It wasn’t a cheap power supply (approx. $125) and I’m hoping I can just replace the fan and save some money. I’ll take your advice though whatever it turns out to be because I don’t want to ruin anything else inside the PC.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: What would prevent a home-built computer from powering up?

Posted on January 30, 2017

Question from Aaron P.: When my PC died I decided to build my own computer instead of buying one off the shelf to replace it.

This is a list of the parts I used in the build:

Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 Motherboard
Athlon X2 5200+ CPU
Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB RAM Kit
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti SC Gaming Video Card
2 Crucial MX300 1TB SSDs
Thermaltake Smart DPS G 750W 80Plus Gold Power Supply
Windows 10 Home Edition

After the parts arrived I put everything together but I can’t get it to power up. The screen stays blank and there are no beeps or sounds of any kind except for the case fans and PSU fan noise.

I’ve double-checked everything I know to check. Any ideas?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: What is red switch on back of my PC labeled 120V/240V for?

Posted on May 25, 2013

Question from Amir H.: I just bought a new computer and on the back is a switch labeled 120V/240V. What is this switch used for and do I need to change it? Thank you.

Rick’s answer: Hi Amir. The switch you’re asking about is used to select the proper input voltage for the computer’s power supply unit (PSU).

Here in North America the power that comes out of a standard wall outlet is roughly 120 volts AC, but in many places around the world it is twice that (approximately 240 volts AC). The red switch on the back of the PSU needs to be set to match the output voltage of the wall outlets where you happen to live. [Read more…]