the power supply fan no longer works and as a result i believe the machince is over heating and crashing.


the perfect option would be to buy a new one and install that but i have run into afew problems there.
1. price. it will cost me $100 plus to both buy and have it installed.
2. idk what kind i exactly need. do i just need to meet the wattage of my old power supply unit?
3. i was thinking it would be cheaper to buy a new one and try to self install it but the plugs attached to everything to power them are a pain to remove. they seem to be stuck to each component.


I was wondering if i could use maybe an external fan and keep the power supply open and thus avoid the above problems all together?

or do i need to replace it and can someone help with how to get plugs off/on?

Are you sure it's the power supply that isn't working? Overheating and crashing sounds more like a fan problem. Try cleaning all the fans in your computer with compressed air (or blow into them with your eyes closed if you're cheap like me )

the unit has been cleaned and it still doesn't work. i think the fan unit has shorted out or its motor no longer works.

either way the fan inside the power supply unit doesn't work therefore my power supply is over heating and crashing my comp in approximately 30-45mins after i turn it on.

Buy a new one (IDK where that $100 came from).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
This is too hard to beat at $30. If you've got a modern graphics card, consider something bigger, but otherwise this thing can deliver up to 485 W.

Also note that this is the cheapest one of the 80% efficiencies sold on newegg: something you really want in a power supply. As for the plugs, there are pretty much only a few different types. One is the ATX power, which runs the motherboard and expansion slots. That plug is ginormous (24 pins or so). If your motherboard is really old, the plug might be larger than the socket. In that case, you just make sure it fits on and leave the 4 pins hanging off--they will be somewhat separated anyway. You can't put it in incorrectly, since it has notches. The next is a 4 or 8 pin CPU power connector which goes into the motherboard near the center to power the motherboard. If it's only a 4 pin, you can just let it hang over. You can't put it in wrong again due to the notches. If you have a powered graphics card, you'll need a 6 pin plug to go into the card itself. If you have a super high end card, you'll need 2 (which is unlikely). Hard drives will either be powered by a molex adapter (4 pin, big and clunky looking) or a SATA connector (L shaped). Notched again so you can't put them in wrong.

That should be it.





If you can't figure it out from this, then you should spend the $100 to have someone smart do it.

But that says it is 400W.

If it's just the fan and you are somewhat able with handiwork (or your father/friend) just buy a new fan. I had the same problem and did it that way. New fan costs you only $5 or maybe even nothing if you got one lying around and the "repair" is really easy. Just a few screws and the fan is plugged onto a connector.

Of course first you have to open the PSU case (some screws hidden under warranty seal) and check the size of the fan. Then get a similar one, also note the thickness - you probably need a pretty flat one.
Your new fan will have a 3-4 pin connector and the PSU fan has only 2 pins. There's the only step that can get tricky if you're not experienced at repairing things: You have to solder the old connector to the new fan. You only need the red and black cables of the fan. Maybe you know someone who can do that for you.
Then just plug it in, close the case, tighten the screws and put your PSU back into your computer and you just spent 15 minutes and $5 to get your computer up and running again.

at 485 W, it drops under 80% efficiency, so corsair labeled it as a 400W 80+ model.

I've heard the capacitors in a power supply can give quite a shock if you touch the wrong part of the power supply when you have it open.

That's why you want to leave it unplugged for 24 hours, or use a discharger. Same thing applies with CRTs. It's definitely enough to kill you if you are unlucky enough to touch using both hands and complete the circuit.

The easiest way to discharge is to start your computer and immediately pull the power cord while it's still counting memory and all that stuff.

my fan is solder to the board in there. there are 2 wires from the fan that are directly connected to board.
as far as soldering goes I have nearly the same problem as buying a new unit. i need to unplug the cables from the computer otherwise I can't get very far from the computer.




as for the $100 i can't find the guy who put it in the last time and just charged the price of the part (marked up for sure.)
i've taken it to best buy and another computer store. they want roughly $50 repair charge plus the $50 part since i'm not buying it offline.


as for buying one myself and installing i can't seem to get the pin plugs out that are currently attached.

would a regular fan next to the computer with the power supply box open be enough to do the trick? or do i need to replace the unit? if so is there some trick to getting the current pin plugs unplugged?

Most of the plugs have a tab you have to push in order to pull out. Some molex connections can be stubborn as hell. I would try to put out the ones connected to the harddrive and cdrom first, so you can kind of get a feel for it. You definitely don't want to bend the motherboard too much when pulling out it's connections, try to wiggle it a bit. Also, though obvious, never pull on the wires themselves, only the plastic connector pieces.

Definitely this.

And definitely not this. You are putting your life at risk if you don't properly close the PSU case.
Maybe I made it look a bit too harmless because the actual work is easy. But when you put the PSU back to use you are dealing with line voltage which is life threating! Don't let anyone open that case who doesn't know exactly what he's doing.

well I'm kinda doing this on my own. how is it life threatening if the cpu is unplugged? for opening it?
nehow i'm going to try to replace the cover on the regular unit. as of right now the computer has actually quit freezing on me. the plugs i can c why they are a pain to pull out and may try to pull them out again later idk. also why is it dagerous running the comp with the casing open?

There seem to be several misunderstandings...
First of all the CPU has nothing to do with all of that.
Did you mean the power cord going into the socket in your wall? Then the answer is as long as the power cord is unplugged then nothing can happen if you discharged your PSU properly.
Did you mean the cables connecting to the motherboard? Then I'm gonna tell you that everything behind the PSU box is 12V which is safe unless you create a short circuit and thus start a fire.
Thus having the computer case open is entirely safe. Chances are your system gets better cooling. Venting it with an external fan can even help that.
But under no circumstances you may leave your PSU case open to get better cooling. Odds are some part of the computers case gets connected with 110V / 230V line voltage and THAT could be life threatening.

And I wouldn't rely on the computer to stop freezing. Summer is coming and it'll get hotter. And it might be because you didn't play a 3D game which builds up a lot of heat. When idling (just browsing, etc.) the computer draws a lot less power so the PSU stays much cooler. In any case it's unwise to continue to use an unstable system. If nothing else it'll stress your PSU which will make it fail completely in a few weeks/months.

Sudden shutdowns due to power failure can also screw all of your other components, particularly hard drives. It can, on rare occasions (particularly with XP) screw your operating system to a unrecoverable state.

This isn't a critical issue that must be fixed ASAP, but I would definitely avoid doing anything that would stress the power supply (or other components, since they all generate heat) and it'd be worth cracking open the side of your case and leaving that off with a deskfan pointed at the PSU. You should ideally get this fixed within a month.

I can't get the power cord connected to the motherboard off. it is the only one. the rest were stubborn but this is rediculous.

i have squeezed its lil tab as hard as i can and when i pull it just stays there. i'm afraid ill break the mother board if I pull any harder. (it is already bending a bit when I pull)

what am I doing wrong?

Probably nothing. Try to use a screwdriver maybe? Or perhaps you have a 20+4 connect and there is a second tab?

pliers, and bend it the long ways, so you push down on one side, and lift on the other, then alternate.

It's possible that the plastic of the cable has melted into the motherboard and bonded to it. I've seen it happen before. If this is the case, applying heat to the area to help loosen it may work (hair-drier on hot but low speed, or a heater etc), however I wouldn't go down this route until you've really tried to get it off without heat first.

The only way to get it off is to pull it, but be careful that you don't stress the motherboard so much that it cracks. Wiggle it as rockz has suggested.