Strange PC behaviour...

[Fragony]

Got an old Geforce 4 256 MB lying around, you can have it.

[rajpoot]

Riiight got the thing checked. The PSU is....err...'broken'. So I am ofcourse buying new one. Now the internet suggests going for a Corsair something unit, which would cost around Rs 3000, that'll be say, 60 dollars. Waay out of my budget.....I was thinking something along the lines of 12 dollars, so that when converted into my currency, it's still a affordable sum.....suggestions please.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Riiight got the thing checked. The PSU is....err...'broken'. So I am ofcourse buying new one. Now the internet suggests going for a Corsair something unit, which would cost around Rs 3000, that'll be say, 60 dollars. Waay out of my budget.....I was thinking something along the lines of 12 dollars, so that when converted into my currency, it's still a affordable sum.....suggestions please.

I'm afraid the going price for a PSU is around 60 dollars. You can get them for about $20-25 at the cheapest, but they are not very powerful and of a dubious quality. They are quite likely to break if put under any strain, which would mean buying another one, and spending more money.

If you can wait, i'd recommend saving your money until you can afford a decent one that will last you a long time.

[Ramses II CP]

Yeah, if your tower light doesn't come on that's a fairly reliable sign the PSU is dead. PSUs are not a difficult part to replace, even if you're a tech novice. The first thing to do is figure out what your current PSU is rated; no matter how appealing a cheap PSU is do not buy something that won't provide the power your box needs. As a general rule of thumb I wouldn't spend under $35 on a PSU even if I was on a strict budget. For a standard, modern 500w PSU expect to spend about $55-65 dollars. An unreliable power supply can significantly shorten the lifespan of all your components.

When it comes to actually unplugging the old one and installing the new one, check and double check that your box is unplugged first. And check again.

Then, if you're concerned about keeping track of the connections (And it's really much simpler than it looks) plug the new connectors in as you remove each of the old ones. Make sure none of the cables or unused connectors is brushing against a fan or heatsink before you close the case back up, and then start 'er up. Most PSUs have their own onboard switch to turn them on and off, but IMHO it's preferrable to leave that on and just unplug the thing from the wall as necessary.

[TevashSzat]

Yeah, like Mikeus said above, avoid really cheap PSUs because the odds are that they'll break in a month or two and then you'll have to buy another one again

[LeftEyeNine]

Thermaltake ftw

[Whacker]

india, do NOT skimp on a new power supply. Spend the money and get a good one, getting a cheap one can be disastrous. They make unclean power, are unreliable, and worst they can damage your other expensive components. I'd say $100 is "cheap" for getting a good PSU. PC Power and Cooling is the Lexus. Enermax and Thermaltake are both great also, I have a Thermaltake and it works like a champ.