Can a power supply still provide a voltage if it is broken?

Question

I have an ATX power supply that I'm trying to use, but it doesn't seem to power my computer. The power supply turns on and the fans run and I also checked all the voltages, which are correct. However, it just doesn't seem to power anything through the 24 pin connector, even though the voltages coming out of the connector are fine. With the 4 pin connector, I can power some fans.

So is it possible that the power supply is broken but still outputs correct voltages?

Yes, just depends entirely where the fault lies... Though considering it already developed one fault I'd be cautious using it for anything important. — Jarrod Christman, Aug 22 '15 at 03:11
It needs a large enough load to enable power. Google atx power resistor — Passerby, Aug 22 '15 at 03:14
Does the computer work with a different power supply? Seem like the power supply is bad. I posted response assuming that the power supply is defective — Mahendra Gunawardena, Aug 22 '15 at 12:09

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:32

Base on the infomation provided it is hard to say if the power supply is broken or the computer motherboard is defective. I am assuming that the computer powers up with the another power supply. If this is true we can only assume that the power supply is problem.

With the newer ATX power supplies there is circuity to generate a power good or power OK signal. Check if signal meets the ATX specifications. Also power supply rise time is also important. Here are some infomation from a previous post.

PS_ON description PWR_OK description

Below are few references that might help you.

References:

Can a power supply still provide a voltage if it is broken?

1 Answers1