Wapsi Square Forum

My fourth computer power supply in just a little over a year just gave up the ghost - blew a capacitor, apparently, just like the previous three.

I promise that nothing have done could be leading to this. Pretty sure it's still covered by Micro Center's replacement guarantee, since i think i got this one less than a month ago.

What the HELL have i done to offend Murphy this badly?

Look at your motherboard. Find the capacitor cans. Are the ends flat, or rounded? If rounded, you have noisy power to house mains. The voltage variations are gradually killing the caps, and the power supply took the brunt of it first. If your computer is starting to get flakey and the caps are rounded, it's time for a replacement mobo. I went through this before in a poorly powered area -- the sort where the lights flickered in thunderstorms and occasionally dimmed for no apparent reason. Once I got a UPS to filter and smooth the power, things were great. Best money I spent in a while to protect my system. Fifteen years later and one battery pack replacement, it's still going strong on it's 3rd (4th?) computer system.

Good luck!

Actully, since,among other things i've done, i spent three years as a tech at AMI, four at Hayes, and seven at Micromeritics, which was then the top pre ision measuring equipment manufacturer in the world, .ozt of them working on computers and other digital stuff, i know that stuff.

I checked it the last time.

And the motherboard and CPU are actully new since then.

The only parts that haven't been replaced are the drives and the RAM.

Is a puzzlement.

An easily overlooked condition for those not in the know, which you clearly are. Sooo.... if not bad power or crap PSU source, dunno!

You might have mentioned in previous posts, but were all these power supplies the same model?

The first two were Corsair, three and four were Powerspec, Micro Center's store brand.

The one i picked up today is EVGA.