Can any computer viruses damage or break hardware?

[Dubnoman]

I believe I have a broken PSU. Everything was normal when I was using my computer. I shut it down and then went to turn it on today, but it won't start. After investigating a bit, I'm pretty sure my PSU died. I did get a message saying that a malicious URL was blocked (this was a couple of hours before I last shut it off). If a virus did slip through, are there any that can somehow damage computer hardware? Are there any that can somehow break a power supply unit?

 

One thing that leads me to think my PSU died is that I have a USB powered speaker set for this desktop of mine (my computer). If the computer is off but the speaker set is plugged in, there is a bright blue light that will be on. When my computer wouldn't start, I plugged in the USB powered speaker, and the light wouldn't come on. Do you guys think my PSU died? Can a PSU die during a shut down of a computer, even if rare? I did get a cheap PSU when I got my computer; I'd like to add.

 

Anyone have a recommendation for a good, reliable power supply unit? Any brands that stand out as very reliable? Are they one size fits all? I have a typical desktop (so that means typical components, nothing compact or miniature).

Edited April 8, 2012 by Dubnoman

[FMod]

Can any computer viruses damage or break hardware? Can computer viruses break PSUs?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: There were some obscure ways with very old hardware (floppy drives, CRT displays), but the process was usually very obvious, took considerable time, and had a very small success rate. None of these ever spread anyway.

 

It does sound like your PSU died. Check around for the obvious like on/off switch, power cables, the fuse if present.

Good PSU to buy are Corsair TXV2, Seasonic S12 or M12, Nexus (unrelated to this site), Antec Truepower New, Antec HCG-620, in about this order.

Different PCs have different wattage, you need to list your major components to get it.

[Dubnoman]

Can any computer viruses damage or break hardware? Can computer viruses break PSUs?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: There were some obscure ways with very old hardware (floppy drives, CRT displays), but the process was usually very obvious, took considerable time, and had a very small success rate. None of these ever spread anyway.

 

It does sound like your PSU died. Check around for the obvious like on/off switch, power cables, the fuse if present.

Good PSU to buy are Corsair TXV2, Seasonic S12 or M12, Nexus (unrelated to this site), Antec Truepower New, Antec HCG-620, in about this order.

Different PCs have different wattage, you need to list your major components to get it.

 

Major components:

 

Radeon HD 5750 1 GB

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 4 cores at 3.2 GHz

750 GB HDD I believe it is 5400 RPM

4 GB DDR 3 PC 1600 RAM (Two 2 GB sticks)

DVD-R/DVD-RW Drive

Card reader

USB powered speaker set

 

Anything else I should list? I can't recall the specifics of the motherboard. Is that an issue? It isn't a high end board. It is a typical board from 2008 or 2009.

 

Should I be worried about other components being fried due to the PSU dying? I know there was a possibility of that, but how likely is it?

 

Edit: I'm looking at this PSU.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

 

It has 20+4 pins for a connector, which is what I need. Anything else I should look for when comparing it to my old PSU? Take a look at the components I listed. Now, if I were ever to put a Radeon HD 6850 on that machine an hook up an external HDD, would that thing have enough watts? Should I go with a 600 watt or 650 watt PSU instead? 700 watt PSU?

Edited April 8, 2012 by Dubnoman

[ziitch]

Not as far as I can tell, but the worst that can be done is if it somehow manages to gain control of disk partitioning and wipes the disk's data through a complete reformat. I've had one that embedded itself into the MBR and corrupted it, but that's an easy fix if you have the OS's CD/DVD and some knowledge of the MBR repair tools that come with it.

[Dubnoman]

I used this PSU calculator: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

 

I used that PSU calculator, and even put a Radeon 6950 in the calculation instead (my current GPU uses much less wattage), and it gave a recommendation of 419 watts. So maybe a 550 watt PSU is all I need?

 

Again, this is the PSU that I'm looking at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

 

Would that be a good buy?

 

Also, it turns out my dead PSU is indeed a shoddy one. So-so ratings from sites.

 

Also, that PSU calculator site said total amperage available is very important. What total amperage should I look for for +12V, +5V, and +3.3V?

[FMod]

Should I be worried about other components being fried due to the PSU dying? I know there was a possibility of that, but how likely is it?

Possible but not likely if it went down quietly (won't start one day).

 

 

Edit: I'm looking at this PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

It can do, but I would still recommend this one instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020

At $75 after rebate it's only an extra $10 and a much better unit inside.

 

edit: It's actually free shipping vs $10 shipping, so comes out to the same price. Definitely take the TX650 V2.

Another option is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 - the exact same unit inside, but with more toyish looks and a couple more connectors (you won't need them though).

Edited April 8, 2012 by FMod

[bben46]

Before shelling out for a new Power Supply, Unplug everything from the PS. Including the AC power cord. Anything that kills one of the DC power outputs from the PS will cause the power supply to shut down and not allow any power output at all. To protect itself from damage. A cheap PS may not have this protection on all outputs, a good one will.

 

If you feel confident in working with electricity there are tutorials on the internet on how to test a power supply.

 

Any component, hard drive, Mother board, video card sound card or even a monitor can have a short that can cause this condition. A PC switching power supply will not start up unless there is some load - a Hard drive provides just enough load to allow it to start.

 

I have an inexpensive (about US $10) power supply tester that can show if the PS is working or not. But that is not practical for a casual repair. However, if you have a friend who builds their own or builds for other people they may have a power supply tester that they will allow you to use. This just checks whether or not a voltage is present, and does not test the quality of the voltage. A professional shop will have a much more expensive tester that does this.

 

And to answer another question - YES, a bad power supply can, and often does cause damage to other components. Most likely part to be damaged is the motherboard.

[Dubnoman]

When looking for a new PSU, do I have to match up similar specs with my old PSU? Things like ampage and DC output?

 

My shoddy PSU is from Xion. Model number is XON-700P12N. Some examples of what I'm talking about. The +3.3V is at 30A, the +5V is at 28A, and the +12V1 is at 18A. Do I have to find matching numbers on my new PSU? Do I have to find matching values for things like input voltage, input frequency range, input current, and output? Do I have to find matching values for any of those?

 

In finding the right PSU, does a new one have to have anything to do with the one you have? What do I need to look for to get the right PSU?

 

I kind of expect what answers I'll get to some of those questions, but someone suggested I have to match certain values, and I decided I might as well ask, even though I'm not sure on that.

 

Do I have to look into what type of connectors come with a PSU? I already know I need a 20+4 pin connector for the motherboard. I read that a 24 pin connector is also compatible with 20+4 pin connectors, IIRC. That is the case?

 

I'll check to make sure the PSU is actually dead before buying a new one, btw.

[Sarissi]

I had a similar problem with my AMD dual core. I traced the problem down to a dead motherboard.

[FMod]

When looking for a new PSU, do I have to match up similar specs with my old PSU? Things like ampage and DC output?

No reason to at all. It's just a modular ATX supply. All you need is enough output for your components, which TX650V2 has that with plenty to spare.

 

Do I have to look into what type of connectors come with a PSU? I already know I need a 20+4 pin connector for the motherboard. I read that a 24 pin connector is also compatible with 20+4 pin connectors, IIRC. That is the case?

20+4 is 24 - it wouldn't be there if it wasn't compatible with standard ATX motherboards (which you have).

 

You don't need to worry about any of that, just get the PSU I recommended, it will work fine. It's a recent design Seasonic inside, so power quality and build quality are as good as you can ever get for under $100. There's also a 5 year warranty on it, and Corsair's customer support is on the better side.