How to Test a Computer’s Power Supply

Power supply test

In the years that I have repaired computers, it’s on only a handful of occasions that I find the power supply faulty. Nevertheless, the issue of a faulty power supply comes in once in a while.

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A colleague of mine had gone to work on his client’s computers when he found that some of them where not powering. I advised him to test whether the power supplies where fine. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a multi-meter with which to test these power supplies. I took him through a simple process to test whether the power supplies were okay.

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For the good of others that may be faced with a similar challenge, I decided to write this article which could come in handy for those who may not have expensive tools to test power supplies.

Step 1:           Unplug the power supply from the motherboard or completely remove it from the casing.

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Step 2:           Connect your power supply to a source of power using a power cable.

Stephen Dumba illustrating a simple process of testing a power supply.

Step 3:           Find the 20/24 pin connector that connects to the motherboard. Identify the green and black wire adjacent to each other.

Step 4:           Use a small wire (About 4 inches) to connect the green and black wires. If the power supply is fine, its fan will start running.

Using a short cable to join the ends of the green and black wires.

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Stephen Dumba
E-zone School of Computing
+256 752 111 223 / +256 772 111 223

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