Need assistance from a former inmate in the old folk's home?
Need assistance from a former inmate in the old folk's home?
I need urgent guidance and support.
What occurred? A staff member approached me, used a damp cloth on all flat surfaces, and continued to shout "STOP!" while moving my power cord near the PSU. <spark/flash>
Outcome – The computer powered off. Attempting to reboot triggers an LED but no system beeps are audible. My GTX970 fans remain still, and the stock cooler on my AMD FX 8350 also doesn’t spin.
Questions – Is my ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 motherboard damaged?
Just the EVGA 600W ATX 80 PLUS GOLD power supply?
Could everything be destroyed?
To be honest, I’m in a situation where I rely on others for care. My PC is my only connection, and I’m currently using a borrowed Thinkpad to send you an email. My budget is very limited – about $30 per month for expenses. The facility won’t fix the damage caused by that person (she left after the first day) and won’t assist with shipping it out. I have no one else to turn to, so I need a clear plan of action. I assembled the PC myself when I could, and I’m capable of disassembling and replacing components if needed.
Could you help identify which parts are likely to be faulty?
If I replace the PSU, it would remain my only option since no one will process returns.
I need my computer back in my life – I’m struggling with the loss and torn between saving money or trying to repair it. I’m considering buying used parts and swapping them until the system works again, but this feels like a long wait of about three months.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Understanding the precise model or part number of the PSU and its age helps clarify this issue. If you're unsure, check the label on the PSU for the part number or serial code. The sequence generally follows: PSU - MoBo - GPU - HDD/SSD - RAM - CPU. Without a second compatible system to test individual parts, it's difficult to determine which components are still functional and which have failed. It might be that everything is non-working or only the PSU and motherboard are dead. You can't be certain until you start replacing parts, which could result in a completely new setup.
In your case, consider purchasing a second-hand laptop. It uses less space, is portable, and is less likely to be damaged compared to your current setup. Additionally, given the age of your CPU (about 13 years), your system is quite old, and a complete failure isn't unexpected.
I’m having trouble reaching the tower atm to open it for the model number. I’ll have to wait until the night nurse starts her rounds, as she’d get in the way if I tried to access the computer. I replaced a faulty RAM stick a couple of years ago and was warned, “You could electrocute yourself!”
Regarding the laptop path, what am I after? My main tasks are playing Steam games and watching YouTube at double speed, all while streaming at 1080P. My big monitor works well with my Thinkpad, which is a basic model that lets me borrow it from my 13-year-old. It’s a Thinkpad E545—makes my older PC look impressive before the spark. But honestly, I’m just lucky to get anything posted.
Sorry I’m wordy and haven’t been online much.
It's a disappointment you're on the opposite side of the Atlantic for me to possibly visit. I have a box full of spare PSUs. With just $30 a month, it will take a few months before I can afford a decent quality PSU. Anything new priced at $30 or less is likely not worth it. If you're really in a tight spot...
What you're looking for would be a Good Samaritan with a spare PSU nearby. Do you have someone who runs a repair shop locally, offering their time free of charge and fixing devices?
I encountered this situation with a budget 900W ATX PSU when I accidentally disturbed the power cord. The result was a failed PSU, though the rest of the system worked fine. It was only one year old—perfect for testing my patience on price.
Do you know anyone who is skilled and trustworthy enough to lend their computer or provide a replacement PSU discreetly? Maybe a family member or friend who enjoys building PCs.
Since you can browse online, could you look up nearby repair shops and call them? You might find someone willing to help without charging high fees. It could be worth a shot.
Good luck.
There could be some nearby PC charity or recycling services ready to assist. Another possibility is reaching out to local schools. If they run a computer club or classes, it might be an opportunity for extra credit or a project to help you with troubleshooting.
I agree with the previous suggestions about looking for a local volunteer or organization to assist. I believe the most probable issue lies within the PSU. Of course, temporarily replacing another unit could help verify this. By the way, the manual indicates that when the single green LED is illuminated, it means the PSU is receiving some power, which is enough to activate its basic monitoring circuits to detect any boot attempt. However, this does not confirm that all PSU outputs are functioning properly.
My concern is that water may have entered the PSU near the rear power cord socket. If any liquid remains inside as water, it could be safely removed by carefully taking the PSU out of the case and opening it up. This is important because the large capacitors inside can retain residual charge, which could be dangerous. Someone knowledgeable should handle this removal carefully to avoid harm.
If such a situation occurs, searching for any liquid residue or dirty marks that might act as conductive paths should follow. These can be cleared using light scraping or a damp Q-tip. The final step would be to leave the PSU open to the air for a few days before reinserting it. This allows any remaining moisture to evaporate, which is difficult to achieve if the PSU remains sealed inside your case.
This approach requires no parts cost and only a bit of skilled effort. A willing volunteer could perform this task, even under supervision. Additionally, having someone else handle the work may help maintain caution among the staff.
Many factors influence how much water entered the ATX PSU inlet during cleaning. During my experience, when I disconnected my 900W PSU by moving the power lead, no water was present—just a sudden connection while the system was running and a strong spark occurred. As someone involved in electronics design for MILSPEC and aerospace projects, I suspect a semiconductor or electrolytic component inside the PSU may have suffered permanent damage. I advise against untrained individuals handling the PSU unless they possess proper experience. Although I haven’t experienced any serious consequences yet, I’m confident in my approach. The largest PSU I worked on was rated at 10,000V with a 2.5A DC supply from a 3-phase 25kVA transformer. The bulk storage capacitor in an ATX PSU, usually rated for 400/420V DC, can retain charge at high voltage for some time after shutdown. There are differing opinions on how long this stored energy remains hazardous—ranging from minutes to years. My recommendation is to test another PSU and consider that the older unit is likely beyond repair and economically unrecoverable. It’s best to play it safe unless you’re a skilled technician or engineer.
Once you get sparks/flash out of the PSU, the PSU is usually dead. Drying it up won't make it work again. Also, PSU went "boom" after the power cord of it was wiggled, so, i don't think it would be water damage. Instead low/crap quality PSU that was on it's last leg and poking it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
It does not look good for you. As others have already pointed out, i too advise to get outside help that has the hardware know-how and can come on-site.
Since otherwise, with $30 budget, you're looking 1-2 years of collecting funds to be able to afford even the bare minimum in terms of desktop PC.
The cheapest you're looking at, while re-using your PC case, SSD/HDD (IF they survived) and GPU (if it also survived), comes to $200.
Like so:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Pentium Gold G6500 4.1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
($58.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
ASRock H510M-HDV/M.2 SE Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard
($69.98 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Samsung M378A1K43CB2-CRC 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory
($13.30 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:
Corsair CX (2023) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total:
$202.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-01-15 12:53 EST-0500
It is the cheapest you could get in terms of getting desktop PC working again,
guaranteed
.
Few words about components;
Intel CPU is weaker than your old AMD CPU, but it has iGPU in it, so, when your GTX 970 didn't survive, you can still use the PC. No 1080p gaming though. But web browsing and Youtube it can do. But when GTX 970 did survived, then 1080p gaming as well. Not with as high FPS as before, but still something.
CPU cooler is included with CPU.
MoBo is cheapest MoBo that supports this CPU. So, nothing special but does work.
RAM is 1x DIMM of 8GB. Maybe more than you had, maybe same amount, we don't know. But it has faster transfer speed since it's DDR4 2400 MT/s, compared to your DDR3 that you had in your old build.
And PSU is the cheapest i'm comfortable suggesting for you.
As you can see, even the bare minimum costs quite a bit. Of course, all those components are brand new and while you can buy used CPU-MoBo-RAM combo just fine, NEVER buy used PSU. So, brand new PSU alone will be $60, if not more.
Due to your budget, hence why i suggested getting a laptop. Can be even used one, since at current moment, you're living on borrowed laptop.
Getting your own laptop would give you more sense of security and would give you your Youtube back. Maybe even some light gaming, 720p or so.
But as you've said it yourself;
You do not have enough funds to get desktop PC back.
To get desktop PC, you will need outside help. Maybe some of our forum members who live nearby, can come and help you out (i already put the word out after i posted my initial reply). Or via local community when you reach out.
I, personally, have 0 issues to help you out, but i live across the pond (Atlantic Ocean), in EU and there is no way i can come over and build you a new desktop PC.
Aeacus might be correct. I thought the "sparks" report indicated just a few small sparks at the CONNECTOR where the cable enters the PSU rear. HOWEVER, if there were big sparks coming from INSIDE the PSU at that moment, it's possible the damage is more serious and the PSU needs to be replaced.
My hope is that the incident was minor and drying out will fix it. If you can make the suggested changes for free, you'll see if that works. If not, you'll know replacement is necessary.