if i put a psu that _might_ not work into a pc and plug everything in and turn it on, if it doesn't work could it damage any of the parts? or will it just not turn on and everything will still work fine. thanks
If you put a low power PSU to a high powered computer, the computer wont turn on but it wont damage it(might damage the PSU not sure).
okay because the current PSU i've got it in like realllly old probably like 200W or something and the new one is 420w so it's not like its lower watts it will power it fine but I don't know if it works so I don't wanna plug it in and it screws up my parts so I'm just checking here so it is ok to do?
If you kill the PSU in the process, it's possible to damage components. Hopefully the overcurrent protection would kick in first, but it may or may not.
oh okay so there is a risk that it could damage it? do you still think it's worth a try? i don't see how it could be that bad because if the PSU doesn't work then nothing would get power or anything yea?
Depends on the quality of the PSU. Generally, the better-built higher quality ones will have built-in protection for overcurrent/overvoltage conditions, but some of the more generic ones might not. If you put these under too high a load, they can die and the voltages will go right out of spec, causing serious damage in some cases.
You could try jump starting it (connect the green wire on the ATX plug to one of the black earth ones, there's better guides if you search), then you'd know if the PSU would turn on, and if you've got a multimeter you can test the voltages, or just try plugging things like fans that ain't so expensive to replace in...
I am very impatiant, so I would just try it, but I would never recomend it. It completely depends on the problem with the PSU on whether it will take more things out. There is no way to know without seriously testing it (as has been suggested).
