Computer repair needed

[SDguy]

Can you recommend a place or person? Thanks.

[pirate2876]

Whats the problem? Would you prefer to take it in(cheaper) or, have someone come out to your house(pricey)?

[SDguy]

Hi Ray, long time!!

I can take it in. Pressed the start button one morning and pop/spark out the back.

Took it to a local repair shop. $95 in diagnosis and he says the motherboard is dead, *thinks* also the power supply, and even after fixing those he *can't* guarantee everything else will work.

I just want a proper diagnosis... what's broken, what isn't, and what will it cost, so I can decide if I just buy a new one or not.

Thanks for any help!

[jetli1969]

I would recommend to buy a new instead, computer these days are a lot cheaper now!
How old is your computer, what type of processor are you running right now?
What brand of computer do you have?

[drainbamage]

tower or laptop? age?

If sparks were coming out the back that's probably power supply, but if there was a short on the motherboard it'll be tough to figure out what is or isn't working until the MB is replaced, aside from dropping each component into another system one by one to check functionality.

I don't have a good recommendation as I usually just futz with mine until I've fixed it or a friend with more knowledge takes pity on me and tells me what's actually wrong. I don't want to volunteer anyone's spare time but at least one of those said friends is (maybe was? it's been awhile) a SD Reefer too.

[SDguy]

It's a tower. Couple years old. I know, it's probably just easier to buy a new one. But a friend built this for me... part alone were over 1K, so I think it's a pretty good computer still, and maybe worth repairs.

I don't have the specs on me... will have to get the unit back first.

[Squid]

+1 to what drainbamage said.
"If sparks were coming out the back that's probably power supply, but if there was a short on the motherboard it'll be tough to figure out what is or isn't working until the MB is replaced, aside from dropping each component into another system one by one to check functionality." Everytime I've taken my computer to be repaired whether it be the Apple store, startech etc, I'm met with this problem. Theyve all always told me to just compare your internals to what is on the market currently and how much your replacement costs would be vs buying new.

[jschnepf]

I have plenty of power supplies lying around, if you want one to use for testing. My wife works in your area at sdge so I could toss it in her car, if you want.

[knightnsd]

Startech computers in el cajon off fletcher, they are awesome and reasonable. STAY AWAY FROM STAPLES

[sushi]

Yeah I'd swap the power supply first just to make sure... swapping the motherboard can work if you can find the same one, but with the way technology progresses you could probably get a way better motherboard for the same price, grab a little ram, a cpu, and keep your hard drives. You can also probably get a graphics card that is way better than your current one for like $100 since things fall into obsolescence so fast.

[SDguy]

I would recommend to buy a new instead, computer these days are a lot cheaper now!
How old is your computer, what type of processor are you running right now?
What brand of computer do you have?

Sorry for the delay... here are the specs:

Sales Order Date: 8/30/2013 12:15:06 PM

Shipping Method: Super Eggsaver (4-7 Days)

1 x ($239.99) SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $239.99

1 x ($184.99) MSI R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $184.9

2 x ($74.99) CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B $149.98

1 x ($119.99) AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX $119.99

1 x ($99.99) Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $99.99

1 x ($99.99) ASUS PCE-AC66 Next Generation AC Dual-Band Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n PCI Express Up to 1750Mbps (450/1300Mbps) Wireless Data Rates $99.99

1 x ($79.99) MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $79.99

1 x ($79.99) LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXLB lu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back (WH14NS40) - OEM - OEM $79.99

1 x ($59.99) Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply $59.99

1 x ($59.99) COOLER MASTER HAF series RC-912- KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99

[SDguy]

I have plenty of power supplies lying around, if you want one to use for testing. My wife works in your area at sdge so I could toss it in her car, if you want.

Thanks for the offer. I have it confirmed that the power supply is also bad, along with the MB.