PSU overload?

[potatoproduction]

What would happen if your PSU isn't enough and you start up the computer

[W-L]

What would happen if your PSU isn't enough and you start up the computer

 

If it's a good PSU it will sense overload and shut down automatically, a bad one might go POP and then hope nothing else broke.

[potatoproduction]

If it's a good PSU it will sense overload and shut down automatically, a bad one might go POP and then hope nothing else broke.

Would it do that immediately after u turn on the computer or a bit after and could it lite on fire?

[Speaker1264]

Would it do that immediately after u turn on the computer or a bit after and could it lite on fire?

 

It would most likely happen immediately, and yes it could start a fire, but probably it is unlikely unless it is really dusty.

[79 Potatoes]

Would it do that immediately after u turn on the computer or a bit after and could it lite on fire?

Usually:

-If it's at the moment: bang! and if it's a terrible PSU can burn

-Over the time: crashes, bad performance, smoke (bad capacitors)

[W-L]

Would it do that immediately after u turn on the computer or a bit after and could it lite on fire?

 

Usually right away for the good PSU's it will basically turn off every time you try to turn it on. 

[Peter Vaughan Truslow]

What would happen if your PSU isn't enough and you start up the computer

that depends. I did this a few days ago with an old machine. I installed a PSU that wasn't up to the task. it was a crappy OEM POS PSU; 300 watts with 24 amps on the 12V rail. the first time I turned it on, it turned off within 30 seconds, with no POST. the second time, I heard a pop, then a component on the motherboard released some magic smoke. it was a small 3 pad component by the chipset that as far as I could tell was an auxiliary MOSFET. once I saw the magic smoke, I immediately pulled power and haven't messed with it since.

this was a pretty extreme case, as the power supply didn't even have a PCIe power connector (used a dual molex to PCIe, and the fact that I probably tied the rails of a dual rail supply together might have had an effect if the voltages weren't exact.

 

edit: woo! 2000 posts!

[Aniallation]

What would happen if your PSU isn't enough and you start up the computer

It should be fine because booting up isn't 100% load on every single component. Once you open a game or stress test though, that's a different story.