Here we go, serious n00b question about power supply blowout

[kill9]

So in the grand quest to get a+ certified, i thought that building a PC would be a good way to get accustomed to the insides(i have spent most of my time on the apple side of the fence. Anyway, after i hooked up all the connections for the motherboard, fans, case, and drives, i turned the back switch on. The fans and front power and cd drives came on, but no video. I turned the power off and connected the keyboard. I turned the back switch on again and tried the soft power button on the front of the case. After about a minute or so, POW, sparks from the supply, then nothing. It was a RAIDMAX 420w PSU that came with the case. i was just looking for some insight as to what couldve cause this. And also what the possibility is that ive fried everything on the motherboard. Thanks for any insight...

[Fruss Tray Ted]

:eek: First things first. Call the fire department!!!

And while they are dousing the flames, welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif

Could you list the details of the system you built? Were they all new parts?

I'm afraid the first and only choice for now is to try another power supply but not without careful inspection of the assembly on a piece of cardboard, OUT of the case. It's possible some standoffs weren't in the right place causing a short on the motherboard and possibly the PSU shorting out was a result of that.

Most failures of pc's are silent without a fireworks display. Something was seriously wrong to have had that happen to your pc.

.

[Steve]

It sounds like one of the capacitors in the power supply blew. It happens sometimes. Take the power supply out. Take the cover off and see if you can identify what fried. If it was a cap (or even if it wasn't), you should be able to send it back for warranty replacement.

Like FTT said, the next step is to put in a working power supply and see what happens.

[kill9]

Thanks to the both of you. im awaiting a new power supply as we speak. To FTT, luckily the house is still standing, and yes, they were all new parts. A Asus Socket A motherboard, 512MB PQI stick, AMD 2400+ Sempron proc., a PowerColor video card, and a Raidmax case. I discovered last night about those standoffs. So, now im thinking i fried the motherboard also. What are the chances that i also killed the proc., vid card, etc along with. Man, what a dumb mistake. But those are the ones you rarely forget...live and learn. Thank you guys for replying.. .

[Fruss Tray Ted]

I only install the standoffs where the motherboard has holes for screws. Usually the case has room for many more but you shouldn't have filled them all. Some are for microatx mobos, others for full size but the different manufacturer's pcb's necessitate putting them in different places as well.

Keep your fingers crossed, hopefully things will be ok with a new PSU.

[kill9]

heres hoping, FTT. ill post back when i get everything reinstalled. Thanks for your insight