Is it possible for a PSU to cause memory to go bad?

[Maximilian]

Or cause problems with any other component?

Im not talking about a massive power surge or anything, blowing up half the comp, i mean over time. With things getting gradually worse.

 

[Gautama2]

Bump for an answer. I think its yes, but I want confirmation.

 

[qdogforeva]

A bad PSU can ruin everything in the system. Large variances in voltages, random spikes, over-and-under voltages can all ruin just about any component in the system. It should, theoretically, ruin the mobo first, but you might notice issues in the memory first.

Yes its possible to degrade over time.

 

[Gautama2]

Originally posted by: qdogforeva
A bad PSU can ruin everything in the system. Large variances in voltages, random spikes, over-and-under voltages can all ruin just about any component in the system. It should, theoretically, ruin the mobo first, but you might notice issues in the memory first.

Yes its possible to degrade over time.

If voltages are almost always stable, and i never have any issues under load, could the psu still kill?

 

[Maximilian]

How do these voltages look?

Seriously there is absolutely no reason i can think of as to why my comp just bluescreened, minidumps are non conclusive and the entire comps been replaced EXCEPT the psu, as everything else was still under warrenty.

So ima replace this seasonic S12 500w as i believe it has wrecked my old gcard my old ram and my old mobo over time.

 

[Gautama2]

Odd, I think my seasonic might be whats causing problems for me. First my hd failed, now in the process of rmaing my mobo (though the onboard sound was defective from the start, but now the mobo is dead). If something else dies, Im gonna want something from seasonic, atleast a bump up from the 380w to the 430w.

 

[Operandi]

Seems unlikely. RAM doesn't receive it's power directly from the PSU. There are many components on the motherboard between the PSU and RAM and those components would also have to have been damaged.

 

[Rubycon]

We've had hard drives go bad where their pcb's were sending spurious stuff back into the backplane making other drives seem to be bad. It can be a nightmare.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Soviet
How do these voltages look?

Seriously there is absolutely no reason i can think of as to why my comp just bluescreened, minidumps are non conclusive and the entire comps been replaced EXCEPT the psu, as everything else was still under warrenty.

So ima replace this seasonic S12 500w as i believe it has wrecked my old gcard my old ram and my old mobo over time.

Never rely on software to read your psu voltages. Instead purchase a $20 DMM from Sears to properly test it.

Testing Your PSU Voltage Rails

I also agree that a bad psu can damage other hardware. In fact I have seen it happen numerous times over the years.