ALL SET! Thanks to Jim... OT: Dead power supply

Are you going online or brick? What is the MB and processor? I would get something in the above 500 watt range these days. Susan I am sorry to hear this but we will get you up and running in no time.

Another custom builder here... Seasonic/Corsair brand power supplies have NEVER let me down... best recommendation I can give by far. Plus, they're extremely quiet which is perfect for DAW use. Don't be fooled by wattage ratings. By that I mean the standards (lack of) to measure and market them are all over the place making it nearly impossible to compare one model/brand to another.

I've built several DAWs over the past few months with the Corsair CMPSU-450VX model, which is more than adequate for most DAWs, even heavily configured ones. The 450 Watt rating is very conservative and very real. It can be had from Newegg.com for $80 (Edit - and a $15 mail in rebate!) . Plus there's even a newer 400 Watt model for only $60. I've used the modular cable 520 watt version in my heavily configured rig below for quite some time now, and it's performance has been flawless.

I've written several times in the past in this forum about the absolute critical importance of the power supply in a DAW that is solid, stable, and reliable -- I can't stress the importance of a high quality power supply enough. There are few other good models/brands available, but Seasonic and Corsair (Corsair brand power supplies are actually manufactured by Seasonic) have never given me a reason to use anything else -- and as a result ALL of my custom systems have performed incredibly well, many for several years now.

ORIGINAL: Susan G
I'm totally dead in the water, have been for several days. My power supply died. It was an Antec 450 watt in a Sonata II Antec case.

That is interesting, as I have the same Antec Sonata II case (with 450 watt PS) that has been giving me problems lately. It is about (2) years old. When I press the main power switch on the front panel nothing happens. I have to uplug/replug the power cable to the back of the computer several times (sometimes a lot of times), each time pressing the front power switch until it catches and comes to life. Very strange indeed! Now, I hardly ever turn the computer off (24/7) as I am afraid the next time it will never power up. I was thinking it was either the PS going bad, the MB going bad or maybe the front panel power switch is just actually flaky. Unfortunately, with the Sonata II cases you can't easily take the front panel cover off to investigate that. I wonder what the exact issue might be.

@John- ASUS P5B-E, Intel Dual Core.

I've been waiting to hear back from Jim Roseberry, who was nice enough to send me a replacement. The problem is the MB connector is a 20-pin, and I need a 24-pin. I don't suppose there's an adapter for that?

Otherwise, I wouldn't care if it's online or brick except I want to get it working today!

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm going to see what's available locally. If nothing looks good I'll order online.

@Billy- That's weird, and makes me a little nervous! I did unplug/replug the power cable several times. This has happened before after a power outage, but it always started up after a few attempts. You're right, though, I suppose it could be something other than the PS.

Thanks, everyone-

-Susan

P.S. @feedback- Just saw your post. Uh-oh. Motherboard issue, you say? How the heck to know?

Also perhaps you realize that the main power connector on the power supply often has a clip on extension set of pins to accomodate the variable number of pins found on legacy-vs-newer motherboards.

I don't see anything like that, but does that mean I might be able to adapt the 20-pin connector that came with the replacement PS to the 24 on my motherboard?

Clueless-

-Susan

The socket on the motherboard is a 24-pin, so I guess you are saying the plug from the power supply is a 20-pin. Many power supplies have a connector pair to make them compatible with both. That is a 20-pin plug that fills the first set of plugs and a 4-pin plug that fits next to it in the same socket to fill the other pins. If your power supply has that, it should be fine. Do have someone check the PS you have. PC (switching) power supplies will often not work if there is a problem with the load to which they are attached (motherboard).

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

ORIGINAL: Susan G

@John- ASUS P5B-E, Intel Dual Core.

I've been waiting to hear back from Jim Roseberry, who was nice enough to send me a replacement. The problem is the MB connector is a 20-pin, and I need a 24-pin. I don't suppose there's an adapter for that?

Otherwise, I wouldn't care if it's online or brick except I want to get it working today!

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm going to see what's available locally. If nothing looks good I'll order online.

@Billy- That's weird, and makes me a little nervous! I did unplug/replug the power cable several times. This has happened before after a power outage, but it always started up after a few attempts. You're right, though, I suppose it could be something other than the PS.

Thanks, everyone-

-Susan

P.S. @feedback- Just saw your post. Uh-oh. Motherboard issue, you say? How the heck to know?

You should be fine unless you are running your hair dryer off a USB port. The extra pins provide more power capacity, but most people probably overestimate the power their computer actually needs.

http://www.smps.us/20-to-24pin-atx.html

ORIGINAL: Susan G

Update: Jim Roseberry just called me back, and the replacement PS he sent works fine! I just had to plug the MB connector in and leave 4 pins free. I told you hardware isn't my forté...