PSU Fail Symptoms & Diagnostic Wizard
Is your power supply failing, or is another component causing instability? Select your symptoms, configure your hardware profile, and run our triage rules-engine to narrow down the fault.
What is the primary symptom your PC is experiencing?
Frequently Asked Questions — PSU Fail Symptoms
What are the telltale signs of a failing PSU?
The most common symptoms include random instant shutdowns under gaming load (usually triggering OCP protection), failure to power on at all, loud electrical buzzing or abnormal coil whine, frequent Blue Screens of Death (BSOD) with WHEA hardware errors, or a burning plastic smell.
Why does my PC shut off instantly when starting a game?
Instant shutdowns (where the screen goes black and all motherboard lights turn off immediately) are typically caused by the PSU's Over-Current Protection (OCP) or Over-Power Protection (OPP) triggering due to a high GPU transient spike exceeding the unit's capacity limit.
What is the Paperclip Test for power supplies?
The Paperclip Test is a manual method to check if a PSU turns on. By bridging the green PS-ON pin (pin 16) with any black COM ground pin on the 24-pin motherboard connector, you trigger the power supply to boot up. If the fan spins, the basic startup logic functions.