Computer will no longer turn on

Bill Turnip · 21 Aug 2021 at 10:28

Hi all

Last night, our estate's electricity supplier were doing something with their cables, and seem to have accidentally replaced a live cable with a neutral, and as a result half of our house has blown up! Having loss adjusters round later to tot up damage, but I wanted to see if anyone knew the best way to test a PC which is no longer turning on.

No plugs have changed, and the electricity is now back to normal. Is it most likely to be just the PSU that has failed, or is it possible that other components have fried as well? I don't have another PSU to test, and won't be able to get one in time unfortunately, so it's more of a general question if anybody has had a similar experience. I have all receipts and everything, so I should be able to claim for each part (Not sure how a loss adjuster is going to replace a 3080), but want some idea if I'm likely to have to replace everything.

Bill Turnip · 21 Aug 2021 at 20:01

Thanks for getting back - everything the pc was connected to is still working which is a relief. I suspect it is just the PSU which is borked as it was a voltage issue through the mains. It's a corsair rm850x, and only a year old so can verify the purchase which is fortunate (in case I get someone who doesn't know what they're looking at). The power guys have agreed to pay for a replacement now so that's a relief, but if it's the whole pc I'll be gutted.

Bill Turnip · 22 Aug 2021 at 22:09

Esat, thank you for your advice, but they've already okayed a replacement.

Not claiming for the whole pc as if its just the PSU I'm happy to replace and carry on. Also, I'd imagine replacing a 3080 is basically impossible, and I don't want them to just try and repay the rrp as that's probably the worst scenario.

They've agreed for me to purchase and fit a replacement psu which should be here tomorrow, so that will either solve my issue or open up a whole new world

Bill Turnip · 23 Aug 2021 at 07:50

V F said:
Would a surge protector have protected it?

Oh, possibly. However, I've saved my brightest moment for this tale. A few months ago I mentioned that we should get a surge protector for the computers, so I went out and bought a couple. When it arrived, I dutifully plugged everything into the surge protector, thinking "What a clever little grown-up I am".

Monitor? Check.
Speakers? Check
Toothbrush charger? Check
PSU? No. LET'S LEAVE THAT IN THE NORMAL SOCKET.

I'm a moron, and a lesson has been learned...

Bill Turnip · 23 Aug 2021 at 17:59

Just for closure, new PSU received, installed and typing on the computer as we speak. Massive relief!