3 Simple Ways To Troubleshoot Your Newly Built Computer

This is the moment you've been waiting for, the moment of truth. You close the side panel to your newly built computer, then proceed to press the power button. Your heart rate is rapidly increasing, your hands become sweaty. You wait for a moment, then the excitement turns into despair when the computer shows no signs of life. You continue to press the power button again, hoping that the computer turns on. Yet, nothing happens. You let out a sigh, realizing that you're going to have to TROUBLESHOOT the computer. "Now, where do I start?" you wonder: Google. So you search up something along the lines of: computer won't turn on, or diy computer not turning on. Then you search through the sea of meaningless articles, talking about buying a power supply tester or just new parts altogether. Although that might be necessary, here are three simple steps for you to try first, so that you don't have to spend a dime.

1. Make sure the electricity is flowing 
Your computer is a system, and is designed to work as a single unit. This means that even one wire or one connector out of place, or plugged in the wrong way, will result in a dead computer. This was actually my problem when I first built my computer. I plugged the CPU power in the wrong way, which was a rookie mistake. So make sure to check all of the wires from the power supply and make sure they're plugged in to the right places, and also the right way. The CPU power wire has a little notch(shown below) and it needs to be on the same side as the notch on the input(shown below). Also, the motherboard power cable and input is the same type of case with a notch on the side.

Notch is on the left, the long white notch

The notch is on the right in this wire

Motherboard Power Cable (Notch is on the right)

2. Make sure the power supply is turned on

It might seem silly, but this is a very common mistake people make when building their first computer. The power supply has two options: I which is turned on and O which is turned off. Just check and make sure the switch is turned to I.

I: On     O: Off

3. Check the outlet and power supply cable

Although it's rare, outlets and power supply cables can fail, and this can cause a dead computer. So make sure to check the outlet by plugging in other electric appliances. The power supply cable can be checked by plugging it in to another computer, and if you don't own another one, I don't know what to tell you. 

Power supply cables can fail

Conclusion

Most people find their mistake by steps one, two, or even three. But if you made it this far and your computer still doesn't turn on, then it's necessary to either return the items for a replacement, or buy power supply checkers such as this one: Insten 20 / 24-pin Power Supply Tester for ATX / SATA / HDD, Black. Hopefully you found this guide helpful, and if you did please share with others who might need this guide. Build On!