Dead PSU?

[Revolution6000]

Came back from my parents and turned on my machine only to find it wouldn't start, it'll turn on but nothing appears on either monitor. Tried resetting the BIOS, removing RAM and switching the GPU (between a 4870 and 8800GTX) and the same thing every time. When I use the 4870 it has three red lights on the card, and from some Googling this seems to indicate that there is a problem with the power to the card.

I don't have a spare PSU to check if this is the problem but does it sound like it could be the problem? Any recommendations for a decent (and cheap) PSU?

 

[Plec]

The PSU could certainly be the problem but before committing yourself to the expense of a new PSU you may want to try and confirm that the PSU is the problem before you buy.

Below are links to Huddy's site which has a step by step guide on how to test your PSU using a volt/multimeter:

'Use a multimeter to check your PSU' and one to 'How to check if your PSU is faulty'

You could also try disconnecting all non-essential components (HDDs, optical, PCI, USB, 1 stick etc) and see if that makes any difference.

Good luck.

 

[PhoenixUK]

Yep looks like PSU, try another PCI-E lead if possible, might be just dodgy connection.

Try different power socket in home too.

Regarding PSU, I won't be so sure that cheap and and decent go together, depends what you mean by cheap.

For me any PSU that ain't modular isn't decent enough so I'd recommend this if you're on budget:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-167-CM&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1103

Can't really go much cheaper but a PSU is one of the parts that you shouldn't get greedy on, after all it powers up all your PC and might cause instability when under load if not good enough or blow up and take all your gear with it if it hasn't got decent protection : ).

Also you don't buy PSU every year so it's worth spending the extra 30-40quid and getting something decent instead of a cheapo chinese crap, good PSU will last at least 4years from my experience.

 

[Revolution6000]

I've tried removing all the power to the DVD drive, HDDs and even from the GPU itself and it's giving me the exact same result, going to try with my 8800 before I order a replacement. The PC is louder even for all the funs running at max, and it appears to be some sort of vibration that I think is coming from the PSU.