A possible PSU problem, or something else entirely?
I've been having issues with my computer lately, and I have no idea what component(s) might be causing it.
This started last week, when trying to uninstall software, i noticed that the computer was locking up and slowing down on me. So I tried to reset it. It didn't turn on and my motherboard showed no signs of life (an ASUS Prime B550M that I got installed last December to replace my dead MSI, it's supposed to be pulsating an orange light, and only doesn't during power outages, which this wasn't). Unplug the computer, try reseating the CMOS battery and give it a dusting. Plug computer back in, power is restored and machine boots like normal. Initially I just assume something's corrupted my BIOS during uninstallation and carry on, but baby it in case it's a hardware issue anyway.
Then today, it freezes again while watching a video. Try resetting again. This time the mobo is on like normal, but the fan stops spinning after a second or two (also not supposed to happen, when the MSI died, fam spun as normal). Try my fix from last week, nothing changes. Keep computer unplugged until I figure out what's happening.
At this point, it's not a matter of it being a hardware failure, but what component. The three culprits right now are the following:
- the CMOS battery, which isn't likely as that got replaced when I got the ASUS.
- The motherboard, which is possible, but also not likely given the reasons outlined above. Not entirely ruling it out though.
- The PSU, which might be the culprit this time. It's 8-9 years old and on build number three at this point, following the original factory config it came in and in my first custom build.
I'm taking it to the guy who helped me build this setup tomorrow, but I want to know what the opinion is here beforehand.