How to Troubleshoot the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of a Dell Desktop Computer

Power Supply Testing

A faulty power supply can cause a power failure in one of two ways. It may not provide power to the device at all, or it may not provide sufficient voltage and current to the various components of the desktop. The following step-by-step checklist helps identify if the power supply unit (PSU) is working correctly.

Determine If There Are Any Signs of Power

• Are the Light Emitting Diodes (LED)s turned on? Check the power button, diagnostic LEDs, and hard drive activity LED.
• Are there other signs of power such as a fan spinning or disk drive activity?

If There Are No Signs of Power, Check The Following:

1. Is the power cable plugged into the back of the device and into a known working power source? Bypass any power strips, surge protectors, or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units by making sure that the power cable is plugged directly into a known good wall outlet.
2. Is the voltage selector correctly set for local power? Some power supplies are auto-switching and do not have a physical switch. For those that do, ensure that the power cable is unplugged and flip the switch back and forth; again making sure it is set to the proper voltage. Plug the power cable in and test.
3. If there is still no sign of power, the next step is to isolate the power supply. Ensure that the power cable is unplugged and disconnect the power leads from all devices except the motherboard.
4. Any power leads to the motherboard should be reseated to ensure a good connection.
5. Remove memory, expansion cards, and disk drive cables to ensure that they are not causing the failure. These components must be removed later to complete no Power-on Self-Test (POST) troubleshooting anyway if the power supply is not at fault.
6. If appropriate to the model, test the I/O panel.
7. If there are still no signs of power, it is most likely the power supply is non-functional. If there are indications of power, continue troubleshooting to isolate the failed component. 

If There Are Indications Of Power Such As A Blinking Amber Power LED, A Solid Amber LED, A Spinning Fan, Or Hard Drive Activity:

1. Bypass any power strips, surge protectors, or UPS units by making sure that the power cable is plugged directly into a known good outlet.
2. If the device fails to turn on correctly and attempts POST, the next step is to isolate the power supply. Ensure that the power cable is unplugged and disconnect the power leads from all devices except the motherboard.
3. Any power leads to the motherboard should be reseated to ensure a good connection.
4. Remove memory, expansion cards, and disk drive cables to ensure that they are not causing the failure. These components must be removed later to complete no POST troubleshooting anyway if the power supply is not at fault.
5. If the device still fails to turn on correctly and attempts POST, it is most likely that the power supply is non-functional and should be replaced. If however, the power LED is solid amber, the failure could potentially be the motherboard, and Technical Support involvement may be required.
6. If there are indications of power, continue troubleshooting to isolate the failed component. To get more information, see the Dell Knowledge Base Article: Dell Computer Does Not Turn On or Boot Into Windows With Errors Such as No Bootable Device

Perform A Self-Test On The Power Supply

Alienware, Dell Inspiron, XPS, OptiPlex, Precision, and Vostro desktop devices include a power supply with an integrated self-test (BIST) feature. This is a feature that helps diagnose the health of the power supply unit. The LED indicator on the PSU identifies if the power supply unit is faulty.

How to run the self-test using the button on the PSU:

1. Turn off the computer.
2. Press the BIST button on the computer and check whether the LED lights up.
3. The light should be solid on not flickering or flashing, and the power supply fan should also turn on to speed. If the fan is not spinning up properly, this should be considered a BIST failure even if the LED lights up.

• If the integrated self-test LED turns on, then the power supply unit can deliver power to the motherboard.
• If the BIST LED does not light up, then the power supply is not able to deliver power to the motherboard. Any component connected to the power supply or the power supply itself could be causing this. Contact Dell Technical Support for repair options in your location.

How to run the self-test without the button on the PSU

1. Turn off the computer.
2. Disconnect the power cable from the PSU, and wait for 15 seconds.
3. After 15 seconds, connect the power cable back to the PSU.
4. The LED light should stay on for 3 seconds and then turn off.

• If the integrated self-test LED turns on, then the power supply unit can deliver power to the motherboard.
• If the BIST LED does not light up, then the power supply is not able to deliver power to the motherboard. Any component connected to the power supply or the power supply itself can be causing this. Contact Dell Technical Support for repair options in your location.

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See these Dell Knowledge Base articles for related information:

• How to Troubleshoot Power Issue on a Dell Desktop or All-in-One
• Power Supply Fan stops spinning during Power ON and Diagnostics mode