2 Dead Psu's and in Damage Control Need some Help

I'm only semi- literate on these things, so ex nay on the terminology and assumed knowing eh?. I usually just  wing it, but currently stressed and feeling clipped. My mobo is  a M5A78L-M and it uses ATX stuff.

I have a GTX 950 graphics card, 16gigs of ram, and an old TB HDD of some sort with Win7. Cpu is AMD FX 8350

Threw it together some years ago, some el-cheapo  600W psu that lasted a long time and crapped out.

Replaced it with a 850W el cheapo psu that lasted all of a few days (power would shut down, thought it was cables loose or heat, ram not snug,graphics card,anything but a new psu),  took it apart and back together and it's the psu.

I don't have another psu to test it with, it gets a green led light on power (while computer won't power on)  but I know that new psu murdered my old  chassis fan and I think it's possible it may have put a hurt to god forbid the mobo or something.

I do believe it may have hurt the 24 pin connector on the mobo,or possibly the secondary place the mobo requires, it was compatible but from day one it never fit right and seemed to require adjustment.

So I've returned the el cheapo mobo and I'm getting forced into shopping/upgrading

-I;ve replaced the stock gpu heatsink/fan with a new one that's a million times quieter (old one vibrated like crazy)

-Bought new chassis fans 3 pins and a molex adaptor to power them from psu

-Bought a new power switch because it was acting up back in the psu1 days

-Need to buy (and advice on doing)

New psu. I'm on a budget, but I'm going brand name this time,unsure if power will be ok

A solid state drive to increase performance and reduce heat. I'd like to get 250gb at least to run games and os on, and keep my old hdd for throwing junk in.

Now that's my situation, so question time.

1. What's my minimum power req/advice on brand of psu. Mobo manual (from what I can tell from my cellphone) says 300. Gtx950 on top + 8350, a hdd,a new sdd, usb mouse,keyboard,headphones, a usb wifi thingy thats crazy big, 360 controller. Few new, very effecient fans.

I ask because I see a EVGA 500W on Amazon for $48 it's rated 80+ and good warranty so if it can work I can live with price. I'd feel safer with 600-700W though. I'm not sure, I just want no more China junk from my psu. If I have to change/test one more psu this month  I'm going to take a 12 gauge to the computer and try to power it with lead pellets and fury. There was a Corsair 750 but it was near $130, it said 100% Japanese so that was a selling point . I don't know the fineries of this, so...

2. I took the front panel off to nix the old power switch, I'm having the fans blow everything one way,it can stay off for all I care. In doing that (after psu #2 the fast  failure) I messed with some switches on the bottom I forgot what were,and I can't really read that fine print right now. There was a usb connector (that was dead anyway), led lights,hdd lights, and power switch/reset. When I do put that back when I get the new psu, all I really need to connect is the 2 wires for the power switch right? I've no clue what the reset does, and I don't care about leds

3. I should know this but I don't. I have 4 sata slots for hdd's with a wire that connects it, and then the psu powers the hdd with a little cable. How does it work for SSD's? Same way (psus have multiple of those little toothed cables)  Same way, do I need to buy adapters/cables if so names of them please

4.Again concerning SSD...how can I clone over everything (or selectively,so I can exclude some large folders that just have data/files not related to games or the os)  currently on my hdd (as is, with windows settings,files/all) to the SSD? I don't have a windows 7 disc. Is that possible? I'd then like to format the hdd and just use it as data, but I don't want to begin from square one.

Thanks

*Important forgot to ask. On my mobo, there is the 24 pin female end that's raised up with plastic. Directly above it, is 24 males without plastic (so it's just raised pins)  Is that a second possible connection for the big strip of the psu?  In the event my 24 females got hurt , is there some sort of adapter to get power from that connection and what might it be called?

Edited by koplio123, 14 February 2018 - 12:21 AM.

1. What's my minimum power req/advice on brand of psu. Mobo manual (from what I can tell from my cellphone) says 300. Gtx950 on top + 8350, a hdd,a new sdd, usb mouse,keyboard,headphones, a usb wifi thingy thats crazy big, 360 controller. Few new, very effecient fans.

I ask because I see a EVGA 500W on Amazon for $48 it's rated 80+ and good warranty so if it can work I can live with price. I'd feel safer with 600-700W though. I'm not sure, I just want no more China junk from my psu. If I have to change/test one more psu this month  I'm going to take a 12 gauge to the computer and try to power it with lead pellets and fury. There was a Corsair 750 but it was near $130, it said 100% Japanese so that was a selling point  . I don't know the fineries of this, so...

 

I've run your system through this calculator, including a few assumptions Here. As you will see, recommended PSU wattage is 371 watts or above.  So you could *get by* with a 400-450w one, but IMO 500w-550w is a good area to aim for as this gives ample headroom, and there are lots of PSU's available in that segment at a fair price.  No need for 600-700w, and besides, I would much sooner buy a good quality 500w PSU than a bad 700w one.

There's the EVGA 500B which is OK, but I think at the price I'd favour this one, the Corsair CX550.  The new 2017 model (white label) ones are better designs than the older models with green writing on them, and they have a 5 year warranty.  There's a version of the same PSU with modular cabling (allows you to only attach the cables you need for a neater system) for $10 extra, but at current pricing, I think the next model up (Corsair TX550M) is worth the $65 price on Amazon if you have the cash (or $45 on Newegg currently after a $20 rebate).  It's had good reviews and has a long 7 year warranty.

2. I took the front panel off to nix the old power switch, I'm having the fans blow everything one way,it can stay off for all I care. In doing that (after psu #2 the fast  failure) I messed with some switches on the bottom I forgot what were,and I can't really read that fine print right now. There was a usb connector (that was dead anyway), led lights,hdd lights, and power switch/reset. When I do put that back when I get the new psu, all I really need to connect is the 2 wires for the power switch right? I've no clue what the reset does, and I don't care about leds

 

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3. I should know this but I don't. I have 4 sata slots for hdd's with a wire that connects it, and then the psu powers the hdd with a little cable. How does it work for SSD's? Same way (psus have multiple of those little toothed cables)  Same way, do I need to buy adapters/cables if so names of them please

 

Never use a PSU that is not at least Bronze efficiency rated and especially when there is an add on video card involved.

1: You do not need anything near 750W for the hardware that you have Seasonic S12 II Bronze 520W 

2: See ** below.

3 & 4: Your MB is not M.2 SSD compatible and so you will need the 2.5" SATA type ( those little toothed cables  ) WD Blue 3D NAND 250GB PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s 2.5"/7mm Solid State Drive - WDS250G2B0A qualifies for the downloadable WD SSD Dashboard and Acronis software

On my mobo, there is the 24 pin female end that's raised up with plastic. Directly above it, is 24 males without plastic (so it's just raised pins)  Is that a second possible connection for the big strip of the psu?

 

No, pretty much unused these days but that is an LPT connector (line printer terminal) most people have USB type printers now so the LPT ports are seldom used.

** Would strongly suggest that you download your MBs user manual from here and familiarize yourself with the boards components, don`t want any mishaps along the way do we 

 

On my mobo, there is the 24 pin female end that's raised up with plastic. Directly above it, is 24 males without plastic (so it's just raised pins)  Is that a second possible connection for the big strip of the psu?

 

 

No, pretty much unused these days but that is an LPT connector (line printer terminal) most people have USB type printers now so the LPT ports are seldom used.

 

** Would strongly suggest that you download your MBs user manual from here and familiarize yourself with the boards components, don`t want any mishaps along the way do we 

Good spot, I completely skimmed over the mobo model was included in the post ;)

Easily done   same as me replying right after you already had 

I'll know tommorrow if mobo is still alive (it does get  green led), hopefully the cpu,ram,mobo,gpun are functional. Got an evga 600w power supply. It's bronze rated so it'll be the nicest one I've ever had.

I had to go through my electro junk drawer to find odds and ends for the new cooling system I'm piecing together (just more 80/120mm fans ,with psu repositioned, this thing has always run too hot) Blow  low suck high, that's the general thesis.

Found a few tb's worth of old laptop hdd's, they have the same connections it looks like so I'll  connect one them or usb them to throw data in . May as well clone the current main hdd to each of them to have 4 or 5 extra lives there. Problem is, they are in the junk drawer for a reason, reasons well forgotten so..ha

Bought a 850 Evo 500gb and some high speed cables for it. Never used a SSD so I decided to treat myself.

If mobo is dead, I'll have to shop for a new one and a new case .Would have to support my cpu though. Wouldn't be the end of the world though.

If cpu,gpu,ram are dead I'll swear for 2 months solid and use my cellphone and tablet until I miss decent games so much I bite through my lip,throw my wallet and drop coin.

Thanks for the update 

It powers on for about 50 seconds and clomps off (no errors,just shutdown), enough to barely load windows. I think mobo is damaged as the new power supply is good  and has a little self test feature that shows it is.

I'm guessing the power plug (the 24 pin or the 4 pin secondary) got fried or damaged somehow by the last one, because whatever is happening it's dropping power.

I took the battery out, moved the cap from 1/2 to 2/3 and everything else I could think of, and nothing. Video card is still working as that's hat I have tv connected to.

Time to find a replacement mobo I guess, exact same one I guess unless some compatible with socket am3/my ram deals are going on as I don't really plan on upgrading. Glad the gpu seems fine, looks like I could sell mine for twice what I paid for it, no way I'd buy one right now at these prices.

From your OP;

Replaced it with a 850W el cheapo psu that lasted all of a few days (power would shut down, thought it was cables loose or heat, ram not snug,graphics card,anything but a new psu),  took it apart and back together and it's the psu.

 

Can I just ask if the CPU has been removed along the way and that you have the CPU cooling fan connected to the correct header on the MB, the 4 pin header which is nest to the RAM slots.

if you do end up needing to purchase a new MB I would recommend that you also invest in a BIOS speaker, they are invaluable when it comes to troubleshooting.

I didn't remove cpu until the end and I had decided to replace the mobo.- Just not something I want to forget and toss with it. I have a 4 pin speaker somewhere. The heat sink/fan was connected correctly. The chassis fan that died, it's slot was working at least from what I could tell during the brief moments of power from the newest psu.

I don't know if the mobo has a short or what, but I decided that was enough gambling everytime I power it on with the cpu,gpu,ram for the sake of giving the mobo a chance. Their value far exceeds the board, so to hell with the board.

I bought a replacement board and a new case,it's just a matter of them arriving now.

I didn't remove cpu until the end and I had decided to replace the mobo.

 

Reason I asked was because starting up and shutting down straight away can also be caused by the MB shutting down to protect a CPU that is overheating, you would not believe the amount of folk that remove and replace the CPU cooler without properly cleaning off the old thermal compound and then correctly applying a fresh amount, had a person once tell me that they had used toothpaste for thermal compound.

 I have a 4 pin speaker somewhere.

 

Would make a point of ensuring that you have one for use when you reassemble using the new board.

It's working! After forever of getting packages in I finally have a computer.

The story of what happened

1.Psu natural death

2. Second psu- defective murderer of motherboard who then offed itself

3- New mobo,new case,some minor upgrades,put it together all nice and.....,Woudln't stay powered on! Rage!  Psu was known to be good, ram seemed good,graphics card taken out to rule it out. What,why?

Had a final notion of what to try before outsourcing it away, I did take the cpu and heatsink out putting it on mobo #2, maybe the old bonds of the paste broke their seal. So cleaned them off, bought some new paste and voila. This time around it was the cpu heating due to the old paste having been seperated from cpu/heatsink side.

Can not describe the bliss of not having to check connections and resecure things for a hundredth time like an ocd person at a light switch.

Edited by koplio123, 25 February 2018 - 07:10 PM.

Great news and thank you for letting us know