Power Supply Help

[dutchca]

I wasn't getting any power when I pushed the button on the front of the computer, so I figured it was the power supply.

I have today off, so I opened the case and pooped out the supply. I think I am in over my head. I unplugged a number of plugs thinking there would only be 2-3, but there was more, like 5-6. I think once |I get a new supply I will be able to figure it out as I think there is only one way to plug them back in. Most of them had 4 prongs except the ones for the mobo and cpu.

Do I have to use the proprietary power supply? I am worried the one I may buy won't have the correct type and number of plug-ins.

Is it possible to plug the plugs back in backwards and fry something? Maybe I should just take it in to a repair shops?

[sickcars]

I wasn't getting any power when I pushed the button on the front of the computer, so I figured it was the power supply.

I have today off, so I opened the case and pooped out the supply. I think I am in over my head. I unplugged a number of plugs thinking there would only be 2-3, but there was more, like 5-6. I think once |I get a new supply I will be able to figure it out as I think there is only one way to plug them back in. Most of them had 4 prongs except the ones for the mobo and cpu.

Do I have to use the proprietary power supply? I am worried the one I may buy won't have the correct type and number of plug-ins.

Is it possible to plug the plugs back in backwards and fry something? Maybe I should just take it in to a repair shops?

What type of computer is it? How many watts is your current PSU now?
Generally any good brand name power supply will work. I suggest you pick up something from a good brand name company like Corsair. If your current PSU is 400watts then stick with that rated number or go higher, dont buy something lower end. Also expect to pay around $50 and up for a good powersupply dont walk out of the store with a $20 psu because its just going to fail on you again & this time it may fry the other parts in your computer.

It is possible to plug them in backwards if you put it in enough so im sure anything is possible.

If you have more questions feel free to ask away.

[s0berage]

I wasn't getting any power when I pushed the button on the front of the computer, so I figured it was the power supply.

I have today off, so I opened the case and pooped out the supply. I think I am in over my head. I unplugged a number of plugs thinking there would only be 2-3, but there was more, like 5-6. I think once |I get a new supply I will be able to figure it out as I think there is only one way to plug them back in. Most of them had 4 prongs except the ones for the mobo and cpu.

Do I have to use the proprietary power supply? I am worried the one I may buy won't have the correct type and number of plug-ins.

Is it possible to plug the plugs back in backwards and fry something? Maybe I should just take it in to a repair shops?

I could train a monkey to change a power supply, its easy. Just tell us the FULL specs of your PC and take some photos for us to visually see what you mean. If you have a Mini-Tower or full tower PC, you're looking for an ATX power supply of at least 400 - 500 watts, make sure it has this power connector, its called a Molex motherboard 24 pin power connector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex_connector

Check if you have IDE or SATA hard drives, the 48 pin flat cable is IDE, the thin red cable with the L shaped notch at the front of the connector is SATA. This is important.

http://www.computer-hardware-explain...e-labelled.jpg

If you have a floppy drive, make sure the new PSU has the same floppy power connector, called a berg connector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berg_connector

Lastly, check if your motherboard power connector has 20 or 24 pins with a seperate 4 pin connector on board or not. see the 1st picture above.

If the PSU is with HP or Dell, dont bother, its proprietary and you might as well buy a new PC, they'll juice you for the PSU.

[sickcars]

I could train a monkey to change a power supply, its easy. Just tell us the FULL specs of your PC and take some photos for us to visually see what you mean. If you have a Mini-Tower or full tower PC, you're looking for an ATX power supply of at least 400 - 500 watts, make sure it has this power connector, its called a Molex motherboard 24 pin power connector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex_connector

Check if you have IDE or SATA hard drives, the 48 pin flat cable is IDE, the thin red cable with the L shaped notch at the front of the connector is SATA. This is important.

http://www.computer-hardware-explain...e-labelled.jpg

If you have a floppy drive, make sure the new PSU has the same floppy power connector, called a berg connector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berg_connector

Lastly, check if your motherboard power connector has 20 or 24 pins with a seperate 4 pin connector on board or not. see the 1st picture above.

If the PSU is with HP or Dell, dont bother, its proprietary and you might as well buy a new PC, they'll juice you for the PSU.

Not all Dell/HP's have proprietary PSU's the older ones did but recently in the past few years they have gotten away from that & its no longer an issue.

[dutchca]

Thanks for the tips.

Here are a couple of pictures:





So, from the label it looks like a 300W power supply. There is a 24 pin and a 4 pin plug-in. Also, I think one of the black plug-ins was for the hard-drive. The white ones with 4 horizontal pins are all the same and I recall that the DVD drive was plugged into one of those along with a few other miscellaneous plugs as well.

[sickcars]

The black connector is a Sata power connection which all new Hard Drive & cd-roms use.
The white connection is a Molex connector used by older parts but its very possible your cd-rom does take one if its slightly older

Here are some suggestions for a power supply, depending on your price range,

Corsair 650watt - Defiantly a higher end quality PSU, depending on your setup & if you plan on upgrading you may want to invest in something high end like this.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58381&...r&promoid=1282

Coolermaster 500watt - Have used these power supplies in lower end systems and for the price they are actually pretty good.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35940&...R&promoid=1282

OCZ 500watt - Have used these in some lower end systems again without any issues.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=33040&...Z%20Technology

Seasonic 520Watt - Another very good brand in terms of quality just like Corsair
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=52175&...%20Electronics

[dutchca]

Thanks for the suggestions.

How do I know what plug-ins will be on the new power supply that there will be enough plug-ins/interfaces. Is it pretty standard?

[goofball]

Thanks for the suggestions.

How do I know what plug-ins will be on the new power supply that there will be enough plug-ins/interfaces. Is it pretty standard?

If you have a standard system with only 1-2 hard drives and 1-2 optical drives, a few fans, you should have no problem with any of the PSU's already mentioned.
Do you have a budget in mind for PSU?
I don't recommend skimping but at the same time, putting in a PSU that is way overrated for the system is a waste of money if the system is already obsoleted.

[mv10]

Thanks for the suggestions.

How do I know what plug-ins will be on the new power supply that there will be enough plug-ins/interfaces. Is it pretty standard?

The 24pins connector is for motherboard, the 4pins connector is for CPU.

The 4pins Molex for optical drive and Molex SATA connectors are all based on Molex standard specification, so as long as the connector looks the same, you don't have to worry about the compatibility issue.

Don't have to worry too much about the numbers of connectors either, since there are tons of adapters, extenders, and converters for Molex 4pin - Molex SATA available in store if you end up needing more connectors than you need. But that's pretty unlikely since the numbers of components in your system are fairly standard.

Good luck!

[Warlock]

... How do I know what plug-ins will be on the new power supply that there will be enough plug-ins/interfaces. Is it pretty standard?

No, not standard. Depending on model, number of connectors will vary.

You can check the power supply manufacturers' website for the number of SATA, PATA, PCI-E... connections available for a particular model.
or
Check store websites, such as newegg, which typically provides details and displays images.

[Warlock]

Using the images you have posted above as reference,
The typical HP-D3057F3R should have the following connectors:
24pin ATX, 4pin 12V-P4, 5 x IDE, 2 x SATA, 1 x Floppy

For additional details on specifications,
Click HERE
*Use above only for reference. I do not recommend the above item.