Yes, a PSU can be so defective that it prevents powering a PCIe X1 port.
Yes, a PSU can be so defective that it prevents powering a PCIe X1 port.
Hello! It's been forever since I've posted on forums, but I have a peculiar situation I can't figure out myself.
A friend of mine brought me a cheap PC he wants to setup for his kid and needs a Wi-Fi network card installed but the card refuses to work. The card is just dead, not detected by the motherboard, not showing up in lspci results in Linux nor device manager in Windows. I've updated the BIOS, tried different PCIe slots, even x16 one, tried setting up PCIe slots to different gens in BIOS – nothing worked. The card is brand new and I know it works, because I've tested it in my PC and it worked fine.
Now, this PC has some random PSU that looks like it came back from the 2000s, so as a last resort, I've decided to swap it with my old be-quiet I had laying around and everything started working! I even put in my old GTX970 for good measure and it worked with no issues.
Ok, so the PSU sucks obviously, but I'm trying to understand this issue beyond "terrible PSU". How is this possible that this PSU can sustain this system with full load just fine, but won't power a PCIe X1 card at idle? It just doesn't make sense to me. Isn't the 12V for CPU and PCIe coming from the same line? I've tried measuring the voltages and confirmed there is 12V on every yellow wire. I can't test this PSU with my GTX970, because it doesn't even have any PCIe wires, just 4pin CPU, yet it claims 500W. How terrible a PSU would have to be to fail powering a Ryzen 3 2200G, 2 fans, single SSD and a network card?
I've been told this is a second PSU in this computer, since the previous one burned down, so there is a possibility something got damaged when that happened, but why would it work with my PSU just fine? I've tried the exact same config with just 4pin CPU connected and the network card worked fine, swapped back the PSU and it's dead again, yet the system can sustain Prime95 and Furmark running at the same time.
The system in question:
Motherboard:
GA-A320M-S2H Rev 1.1
CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G
PSU: Akyga AK-B1-500E (I have no idea what is this, some local cheap brand or something)
Network card:
PCE-AX3000
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
PSU: Akyga AK-B1-500E (I have no idea what is this, some local cheap brand or something)
Yes it's horrible
. I would replace the unit with something that's reliably built, with a 450W unit, if you're not interested in dropping a discrete GPU that's more than mid-tier. Where are you located? What is your budget for a PSU purchase? Preferred site for purchase? What is the make and mode of your case?
Ok, so the PSU sucks obviously, but I'm trying to understand this issue beyond "terrible PSU".
It's horrible, you're wasting time trying to dissect something that's not worth it's time.
I've been told this is a second PSU in this computer, since the previous one burned down, so there is a possibility something got damaged when that happened, but why would it work with my PSU just fine?
It's also possible that the prior PSU knocked out the motherboard, if that's possible, then the next thing that'll happen is intermittent failures and anomalies with your components or the platform overall.
I understand this PSU is meant for a landfill. I've already let the person know it needs to go no matter what.
What's your budget for buying a PSU? Where would you like to purchase it? What is the model and type of your case?
I just assembled a decent gaming setup for his younger sibling, so he’s tight on funds right now and only needs this one to function. I’m considering an MSI A550BN as a solid choice and it should give room for a better GPU later.
Regarding the case, it’s just a generic box with decent build quality; good cardboard is stronger than this, but there’s no budget left for anything else, so it has to be accepted now.
It’s really frustrating, you’re spending time on something that doesn’t add value. It’s just a matter of curiosity. I thought someone online might know about ATX power circuits, but I’m aware that “cheap PSU tricks” might end up being the solution.
And operating it could actually destroy the remaining components.
I've experienced this firsthand—using a failing PSU has led to the motherboard failing.
Maybe the PSU's voltage or ripple is deviating from the required range, yet the board can handle smoothing components on the VRM to maintain stability; however, the Wi-Fi card is overly sensitive. This is just an assumption, but if the system runs without problems with the Bequiet PSU but fails with the current one, the fix seems straightforward. No matter what specific power characteristic is missing, the PSU is faulty and should be replaced. It's true even if the system operates perfectly, safety demands a new PSU.
These are fairly affordable options. They could definitely be improved. The cases are fine, and it's usually acceptable to reduce costs in this setup. Airflow isn't as critical here since we're using just a basic CPU without a GPU.