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Power Supply or Motherboard?



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 17th 07, 02:50 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Mark[_7_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

Hi

I have been given a Optiplex GX270 that wont power up. Is there anyway
of confirming if the lack of power is caused by the Power Supply or
the Motherboard? The previous owner new very little about computers
and told me that this computer only needed formating. When I press the
power button I can hear the fan start up then shut down, maybe 2
seconds in total. The power button is orange for that time.

The GX270 had a 3hr car trip before I got it home, so the first thing
I checked was that the cables and cards were seated correctly. I took
the 4 memory cards out and reseated them. The 4 diagnositic lights on
the back show no sign of life, but there is a small orange light in
the middle of the motherboard that is on. I also had a quick look at
the capacitors on the motherboard, all appear ok.

Would I be safe in assuming that this is a dead power supply?

Cheers Mark

  #2  
Old July 17th 07, 03:12 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Ben Myers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,432
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

The easiest thing to do without needing any special tools or instrumentation is
to attach a known good ATX12v P4-capable power supply and see what happens. If
the system powers up, you know to replace the power supply. If not, the
motherboard is suspect. The tower GX270 uses a standard form factor ATX12v
power supply. The smaller GX270s use power supplies with a proprietary form
factor, but standard power connectors, so you can test one with the case opened
up.

The GX270s suffered from a rash of blown motherboard capacitors, and Dell
replaced a large number of motherboards. Look for broken, bulging or dirty
capacitors on the motherboard. They are the little cylinders all over the
motherboard. Dell may still be obliged to replace defective GX270 motherboards.
If the board is non-functional, it is worth contacting Dell... Ben Myers

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:50:35 +1000, Mark wrote:

Hi

I have been given a Optiplex GX270 that wont power up. Is there anyway
of confirming if the lack of power is caused by the Power Supply or
the Motherboard? The previous owner new very little about computers
and told me that this computer only needed formating. When I press the
power button I can hear the fan start up then shut down, maybe 2
seconds in total. The power button is orange for that time.

The GX270 had a 3hr car trip before I got it home, so the first thing
I checked was that the cables and cards were seated correctly. I took
the 4 memory cards out and reseated them. The 4 diagnositic lights on
the back show no sign of life, but there is a small orange light in
the middle of the motherboard that is on. I also had a quick look at
the capacitors on the motherboard, all appear ok.

Would I be safe in assuming that this is a dead power supply?

Cheers Mark

  #3  
Old July 17th 07, 04:18 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
S.Lewis
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,079
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?


"Ben Myers" wrote in message
...
The easiest thing to do without needing any special tools or
instrumentation is
to attach a known good ATX12v P4-capable power supply and see what
happens. If
the system powers up, you know to replace the power supply. If not, the
motherboard is suspect. The tower GX270 uses a standard form factor
ATX12v
power supply. The smaller GX270s use power supplies with a proprietary
form
factor, but standard power connectors, so you can test one with the case
opened
up.

The GX270s suffered from a rash of blown motherboard capacitors, and Dell
replaced a large number of motherboards. Look for broken, bulging or
dirty
capacitors on the motherboard. They are the little cylinders all over the
motherboard. Dell may still be obliged to replace defective GX270
motherboards.
If the board is non-functional, it is worth contacting Dell... Ben Myers


Photo of swollen capacitors:
http://news.com.com/i/ne/p/photo/cap...le_500x375.jpg

Photo of ruptured caps:
http://www.asti-usa.com/support/appnotes/65/2.jpg


Stew


  #4  
Old July 18th 07, 05:18 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,418
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

On Jul 17, 6:50 am, Mark wrote:
Hi

I have been given a Optiplex GX270 that wont power up. Is there anyway
of confirming if the lack of power is caused by the Power Supply or
the Motherboard? The previous owner new very little about computers
and told me that this computer only needed formating. When I press the
power button I can hear the fan start up then shut down, maybe 2
seconds in total. The power button is orange for that time.

The GX270 had a 3hr car trip before I got it home, so the first thing
I checked was that the cables and cards were seated correctly. I took
the 4 memory cards out and reseated them. The 4 diagnositic lights on
the back show no sign of life, but there is a small orange light in
the middle of the motherboard that is on. I also had a quick look at
the capacitors on the motherboard, all appear ok.

Would I be safe in assuming that this is a dead power supply?

Cheers Mark


It's possible to have only the +5 of the power supply work, and
produce something like you're seeing.

Power supplies are easier to test. And replace. A standard ATX power
supply should work, but if this is a micro desktop, it might not fit
in the case.... However, it would power the machine, you could borrow
one from a p4 class machine and see if it does the trick (acutally, it
just needs the extra square connector thingy AKA the 12v rail). Then
order the proper PSU from Dell.

However, given that the machine is one known for bad motherboards,
this is NOT a safe assumption.

Da manuals.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm


  #5  
Old July 24th 07, 02:37 AM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Mark[_7_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?




On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:18:29 -0700, "
wrote:

It's possible to have only the +5 of the power supply work, and
produce something like you're seeing.

Power supplies are easier to test. And replace. A standard ATX power
supply should work, but if this is a micro desktop, it might not fit
in the case.... However, it would power the machine, you could borrow
one from a p4 class machine and see if it does the trick (acutally, it
just needs the extra square connector thingy AKA the 12v rail). Then
order the proper PSU from Dell.

However, given that the machine is one known for bad motherboards,
this is NOT a safe assumption.

Da manuals.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm


Thanks guys
I've got hold of a second hand working power supply that fits. I'll
try it tonight and hope that will fix my problem.

If, worst case senario, it ends up being the motherboard, is this a
cost effective repair? Or are the motherboards expensive to replace?

Cheers Mark
  #6  
Old July 24th 07, 03:11 AM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
S.Lewis
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,079
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?


"Mark" wrote in message
...



On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:18:29 -0700, "
wrote:

It's possible to have only the +5 of the power supply work, and
produce something like you're seeing.

Power supplies are easier to test. And replace. A standard ATX power
supply should work, but if this is a micro desktop, it might not fit
in the case.... However, it would power the machine, you could borrow
one from a p4 class machine and see if it does the trick (acutally, it
just needs the extra square connector thingy AKA the 12v rail). Then
order the proper PSU from Dell.

However, given that the machine is one known for bad motherboards,
this is NOT a safe assumption.

Da manuals.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm


Thanks guys
I've got hold of a second hand working power supply that fits. I'll
try it tonight and hope that will fix my problem.

If, worst case senario, it ends up being the motherboard, is this a
cost effective repair? Or are the motherboards expensive to replace?

Cheers Mark



It's cost-effective. But if it is the board, you'll want to call Dell as
they may replace it FOC (it was part of a large recall.)

Beyond that, they can be found on ebay I'm sure - though I haven't looked
recently for that model. Purchasing the board will be much less expensive
there than from Dell.

Stew


  #7  
Old July 24th 07, 03:19 AM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Ben Myers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,432
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

If it is the motherboard, I would call Microsoft Tech Support and ask for a
replacement. Tell them it is one of the many thousands of Optiplex GX270
systems that got a recall for bad capacitors on the motherboards, and that
somehow your system did not get the recall.

Otherwise, you can probably find a working GX270 board on eBay for maybe $50. If
you want to downgrade to a GX260 (not recommended), GX260 boards are going for
chump change and they are a perfect fit for a GX270 chassis, because the GX260
and GX270 chassis are identical except for the little badge (British usage) or
name plate on the front... Ben Myers

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:37:37 +1000, Mark wrote:




On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:18:29 -0700, "
wrote:

It's possible to have only the +5 of the power supply work, and
produce something like you're seeing.

Power supplies are easier to test. And replace. A standard ATX power
supply should work, but if this is a micro desktop, it might not fit
in the case.... However, it would power the machine, you could borrow
one from a p4 class machine and see if it does the trick (acutally, it
just needs the extra square connector thingy AKA the 12v rail). Then
order the proper PSU from Dell.

However, given that the machine is one known for bad motherboards,
this is NOT a safe assumption.

Da manuals.

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/en/index.htm


Thanks guys
I've got hold of a second hand working power supply that fits. I'll
try it tonight and hope that will fix my problem.

If, worst case senario, it ends up being the motherboard, is this a
cost effective repair? Or are the motherboards expensive to replace?

Cheers Mark

  #8  
Old July 25th 07, 02:04 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Mark[_7_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

Well the Power supply didn't fix the problem, so it looks like it's
the Motherboard.

Cheers
Mark





On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:37:37 +1000, Mark
wrote:


Thanks guys
I've got hold of a second hand working power supply that fits. I'll
try it tonight and hope that will fix my problem.

If, worst case senario, it ends up being the motherboard, is this a
cost effective repair? Or are the motherboards expensive to replace?

Cheers Mark


  #9  
Old July 25th 07, 02:27 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Ben Myers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,432
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

Time to contact Dell and see if they will supply a replacement board per the
earlier recall of GX270 boards. Good luck... Ben Myers

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:04:36 +1000, Mark wrote:

Well the Power supply didn't fix the problem, so it looks like it's
the Motherboard.

Cheers
Mark





On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:37:37 +1000, Mark
wrote:


Thanks guys
I've got hold of a second hand working power supply that fits. I'll
try it tonight and hope that will fix my problem.

If, worst case senario, it ends up being the motherboard, is this a
cost effective repair? Or are the motherboards expensive to replace?

Cheers Mark

  #10  
Old July 26th 07, 07:05 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
w_tom
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 583
Default Power Supply or Motherboard?

On Jul 25, 9:04 am, Mark wrote:
Well thePower supplydidn't fix the problem, so it looks like it's
the Motherboard.


A perfectly good power supply in one system can fail in another.
Yes, probability of motherboard failure is high. But two minutes with
a 3.5 digit multimeter means a definitive answer - not speculation.
Since you don't have numbers (meter provides numbers), then others
with far more knowledge cannot provide useful assistance. Your
replies will only be as useful as information provided.

It is a power supply system. Power supply is only one only multiple
components of that system. How to obtain necessary information with
numbers was posted in:
"When your computer dies without warning....." starting 6 Feb 2007 in
the newsgroup alt.windows-xp at:
http://tinyurl.com/yvf9vh
Pictures for use with above procedure;
http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-10586-5566528.html
http://www.helpwithpcs.com/courses/p...nc-pinouts.htm

How complicated is that two minute procedure? An Ipod is more
complex than a meter. How expensive? So expensive and so complex as
to be sold for $20 even in Kmart. This simple tool is even in
Walmart, Radio Shack, Lowes, Tru-Value Hardware, .... just get a
digital meter even in other stores for less money. If you fear the
meter, then you have no business opening a computer cover.

Two minutes means either definitive answers or replies that actually
say what exists - no speculation that it *might* be a motherboard.
After spending massive more time swapping power supplies, your
conclusions remain speculation. Use the meter. Post those results
for even further useful information. Stop shotgunning.

 




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