Will this fry a motherboard?

[brianls72]

Not sure where to start, but about 3 months ago I built a new computer. Within the first couple weeks I burnt up 3 motherboards. After I burnt the third mobo up I discovered that the outlet that the computer was pluged into was not grounded. Put a new mobo in, plugged it into an outlet that was grounded and it has worked great for about three months.

Two weeks ago I had to move my computer and plugged it back into an outlet that was not grounded. It has been working fine until this morning. I usually never turn my computer off but I did last night. When I turned it on this morning nothing happend. No beeps. Its doing the same thing that it did when I burnt up the first three motheboards. When I went to turn it on just as I was about to push the power button I got a little static shock when i touched the case area around the power button. Not sure if this had anything to do with my problem or not.

Could being plugged into a non-grounded outlet fry a mobo? The previous computer I had was plugged into these same non-grounded outlets for several years and never had any problems. Maybe there is a problem with the case or power button or a combination of things?

Please help.

 

[Luckyboy1]

Well, the fact that that outlet is not grounded shows it is probably a good guess on my part to say it is an old outlet. While by theory, not having a ground plug will increase your chances of frying something, from a pratical standpoint, it is a safety measure that makes it so faults that can't make it to the common lead won't stand there as a potential waiting for you as a physical person to come along and complete the circuit.

What is probably happening here is you have a lousy connection at the wall outlet. this is why if anyone bothered reading the psychotic diatribe on power and heating issues in Luclyboy's Guide For Complete Users, you'd find advice on power that starts out at the wall outlet and then the surge protector and NOT the power supply. Remember, garbage in = garbage out, so get busy reading the guide and the many cheap solutions to what seems at first baffling problems.

 

[brianls72]

Thanks for the response. I will read your guide. On a side note, its actually a newer outlet. Whoever finished off my basement and did the wiring was lazy and chose not to connect the ground wires to the outlets. That is slowly getting fixed, just havent fixed the outlets that i use for the computer. Guess I should have started there first.

 

[furballi]

Lack of grounding could build up static charge but that may not be sufficient to damage the PC. Gotta learn from your past experiences!

 

[Luckyboy1]

Then definately read The power and cooling section, which is last on the list in Luckyboy's Guide For Complete Users. It will tell you where I suspect you went wrong big time when rewiring that room.

Actually, everyone should read at least most of the guide. With the exception of the last part dealing with power issues, the rest of it is simply my writing down universal things that works for others. As a result, there are few original Luckyboy ideas in the entire, long and psychotic mess. It was written that way for two reasons...

1) If you know what you are talking about, you have the ability to explain it in plain language.

2) Adding stories in about mine and other people's real world experiences helps the reader discover the true value of the information and whether or not it is something that should be of concern as it relates to their needs specifically.

 

[brianls72]

Good read, learned some usefull info. Assuming my problem is from a lack of a ground, any ideas why I didnt have any problems for over two years with a previous computer but the first time I plugged this new computer in I had a problem. Four times now. Thats the only reason I have to supect it might be somthing other than the ground problem.

Thanks

 

[imported_rod]

New computer's are more suseptible to static discharges than older computers. It's because of the finer electronic used. The .09 micron processes used on modern CPU's aren't all that forgiving when it comes to static.

But I agree - this sounds strange.

RoD

 

[Luckyboy1]

Because your current rig is wired slightly differently than the old rig, or...

We are pushing silicon to it's thermal and power limits more now than ever. As a result, cheap, $1.75 U.S wall outlets and $40.00 power supplies just won't make it anymore!

Could be a combination of both for all I know! This is why my giving, and others giving as well, sound advice on power issues can be so frustrating. You can always say...

Prove this power supply won't do the job!

or

Prove I will benefit from a commercial grade wall outlet or a new surge protector!

Wanna know something?... I can't!

I can tell you that any given power supply's ability to deliver specs will degrade over time and that is ENTIRELY a function of how close you are pushing it to it's maximum output over time. Heat breaks stuff down over time and the hotter you run it, the faster it happens.

I can tell you having lotsa head room in a power supply will help you overclock better and many mysterious problems simply will not happen.

I can tell you even if you pay $150.00 U.S, for a power supply, you;ve not even spent 10% of the total cost of the PC in the first place for most gaming PC's and...

I can tell you life is too short, so at this point, I can easlily turn my brain off and get something good for a change in pace!

 

[brianls72]