Yes, an old motherboard can sometimes draw more power than it normally does.
Yes, an old motherboard can sometimes draw more power than it normally does.
Hello everyone, welcome to my first post here. It’s nice to see you all. I’m a bit sorry if this section isn’t the right place, but I believe it relates more to the motherboard than the power supply unit. Here’s what I’m sharing:
I currently have a PC that’s around six years old. The setup looks like this:
- Motherboard: ASUS H61M-C
- GPU: Palit GTX-1050Ti
- RAM: Two 4 GB sticks totaling 8 GB
- Processor: Intel I5-3330
- Storage: Two Samsung EVO 860 SSDs (250 GB and 500 GB) plus an old HGST 500 GB HDD
Last Friday (it’s now a Friday in Indonesia), a lightning strike hit the neighbor’s tree. The surge damaged both my modem and PSU (a Seasonic S12-II, about five years old). I quickly looked for a replacement PSU to test the motherboard and borrowed my sister’s laptop to check the HDD. The HDD was fine, but the motherboard is acting odd—it won’t power on with a PSU under 480 watts.
With my specs, I should be able to boot using a 300-watt PSU (I already have three tested: 300, 450, and 480 watts). Only when I used the 480-watt unit did the POST screen show up.
I’m wondering if the issue lies with just those three PSUs I’ve tried, or if something on the motherboard is pulling more power than it should. I haven’t checked the board thoroughly, just the front panel—no burn marks or blown capacitors.
Thanks for your attention.
Best regards.
It's more probable you have one faulty PSU, another that only works with Dell's proprietary design (which can be risky if the pin configuration changes) and one functioning PSU.
It’s uncommon for a machine to remain operational yet need extra energy to run. Most devices are either fully functional or not working at all. Being on but damaged is even rarer. Even more unusual are sudden power spikes compared to typical surges. What was your initial power supply rating?
Maybe so. Thanks. The "correctly" functioning 480 Watt unit appears to have a dead SATA power connector, with the contact covered by some white mold that I can't clean properly. So even the board was operational, but I can't boot into Windows. The PSU I'm testing has three options. As Shrimp mentioned earlier, this could be the case. When I first got the board, my PSU was a 500 Watt Korean brand called "Danawa." I later swapped it out for a 520 Watt model from Seasonic S-12-II.
This 480w output feels similar to the other units that can't power the board. It might be better to get a newer, reliable PSU from a friend's PC for more accurate testing. Windows won't boot properly—consider installing a fresh OS on a new or better drive.
Yeah. This time i'm gonna (after some financial effort) Gonna get a new PSU's. Regarding the Windows, i hope i dont have to fresh install haha. Nonetheless i have recovery media ready. I think i will mark this thread as solved for now. See if new PSU will fix everything.
Luckily you have a backup ready. The drive might have taken some damage. Not being able to access Windows could mean the drive was swapped onto another system and the chipset drivers were overwritten. A simple Windows repair might fix it. We'll find out for sure when you try it.
It could function at 500 volts. Perhaps the trial power supplies lack sufficient strength. The white mold might indicate oxidation. Thunder is powerful enough to melt metal. Mold usually develops slowly; rapid growth suggests oxidation.