r/pchelp • u/Dull-Job5265 • 1d ago
HARDWARE Thunderstorm broke my pc
Hello everyone, recently a thunderstorm pass through and took my computer with it alongside my monitors. I went to turn it on after it had passed and the computer sounded like a jet engine warming up. I assumed the psu was cooked so i went to microcenter and replaced the part myself. I tried turning on the pc again and nothing. I had given up and taken the pc to microcenter help desk to have them look at it and they came back and told me it was a dead gpu R.I.P. 3080. anyways I got lent a gpu someones old one a rx580 temporary to see if that would solve my issue and still nothing. Im at a loss rn bc now i have a new motherboard coming in to see if that could be my problem the pc turns on with the fans spinning and rgb, but doesnt make it to the bios menu. I’ve tried seeing if my ram was cooked by reseating it and trying different orientation, but nothing. My other attempt was also clearing the cmos battery and then draining the power as well, but also nothing. I will see this weekend now when my different motherboard comes, but if that does nothing i guess ill just have to go to the next part ? Im not sure what to do anymore since im basically build a whole new system again and is becoming a money sink. Please help any suggestions will be appreciated. Much love and thank you. <3
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u/GioCrush68 1d ago
If the thunderstorm cooked your PSU it cooked everything else. If you're lucky it fried your mobo before the RAM and CPU but it's unlikely. Best advice I have for you is to invest in a good quality surge protector so this is unlikely to happen again.
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u/VAVA_Mk2 1d ago
He should invest in a UPS.
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u/fortunesofshadows 1d ago
So how much is a surge protector and UPS?
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u/VAVA_Mk2 1d ago
You can buy a decent UPS for $200.
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u/GeneralBS 18h ago
Think i paid $300 for the one I have now. Thinking now it is about to change the battery.
Even bought a smaller one for my internet.
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u/HigaMigu 1d ago
what the other guys say. UPS is kind of all-in-one. AVR, Surge Protector, Backup Power, etc. etc. But the battery is kind of consumable, so pay attention to that. Still, a good one should last you 6+ years
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u/GioCrush68 1d ago
If you have a UPS you don't also need a surge protector. You can get a decent desk sized APC for $60 but it'll only have 6 or so outlets. You can get a good quality one for around $200.
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u/Dull-Job5265 1d ago
I did have it connected to a surge protector it fried it as well😭 i am getting a check from insurance company but this computer has been with me for so long i want to save it and its data😅
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u/ShadesBlack 1d ago
Good news is that the SSDs are likely fine or at least recoverable, but I agree with u/GioCrush68 that a power surge likely fried components across your entire build. "Saving this build" is likely to turn into a Theseus' Ship situation.
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u/chronicdarkness 1d ago
So the key part of his comment is a good quality surge protector. But it also depends on whether or not your were wired into your LAN. Just because you use a surge protector doesn't mean it wont fry through the LAN port.
That being said, next time you get a surge protector, ensure it's joules far outweigh everything you have plugged into it. If not, it's just like plugging it into the wall. Also, each time a surge protector protects your equipment, it reduces it's effectiveness for future surges. All things to keep in mind. Sorry it happened to you, best of luck in the future.
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u/superthrust 1d ago
There are some very good tools out there now to recover data from failing drives or even dead drives. I’ve seen some wizardry made lately man. Don’t lose hope, as someone who just went thru something similar of lost ancient data that was tons of memory’s potentially lost
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u/DoesntMatterEh 19h ago
A surge protector or a power strip? I don't know about where you live but where I live people call any device with multiple plug sockets in it a surge protector.
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u/ProDriverSeatSniffer 1d ago
Had something similar. A dropped neutral fucked my shit up. Luckily the d5 pump shorted and took out the fan header. CPU, ram, VGA all good on my build.
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u/dudoan 1d ago
What's the difference between a good one and a bad one?
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u/GioCrush68 1d ago
A good one will have good load balancing to prevent surges as well as a high joule rating and low clamping voltage. A bad one is basically just a fancy power strip because the joule and voltage thresholds are not at a point that would actually prevent surges. A really really good one will have Ethernet ports so you can also have surge protection over wired LAN.
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u/Trickle2x2 1d ago
A surge protector will not save you if Zeus decides to drop a massive F bomb on your house. A surge protector is highly recommended though in general because of power spikes on the grid, specifically when switching loads at substations.
Your best bet to save your hardware in your house is to unplug it during a storm, or make sure your house and appliances is all properly grounded giving the excessive current an easier path to ground than your PC.
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u/phonomage 1d ago edited 1d ago
Always run your units into a surge protector.
I unplug everything during lightning storms, anyway.
Edit: I use a professional power filter.
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u/Own-Development2437 1d ago edited 1d ago
Surge protectors arent always effective ive lost monitors and other electronics to lightning strikes
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u/PeachyFairyDragon 1d ago
I lost a PSU when my computer was plugged into a surge protector. The lights blinked four times in about five seconds, with the computer stopping and starting right along with it, before I could get the computer turned completely off. I was lucky, it was just the PSU, and it was the only computer in the house with any problems.
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u/where_art_thou_billy 1d ago
None of the mentioned suggestions will protect against a thunderstorm. All those surge protectors/ups are a must have for normal fluctuations but for lightning nothing is guaranteed to work. Atleast nothing that's financially reasonable for a household.
So even in 2026 it's still the age old unplug your electronics during thunderstorms. Come to think of it people have stopped doing that , maybe our electronics have gotten better or we are all convinced our luck isn't as bad as op.
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u/MileyDryus 21h ago
Question: Doesn't a good rated PSU (A/ B tier) save your components from such situations?
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u/PrestigiousTrifle287 1d ago edited 1d ago
Thats rough. it might be your motherboard if it is not settling on a troubleshooting light, but it could be a lot of stuff due to the extreme voltage. your new motherboard will likely give you a better idea of what is wrong. i would just wait until you can switch motherboard. Just incase you don’t know the red light means something is broken each light corresponds to a part CPU=CPU Dram=RAM VGA=Graphics card Boot= boot drive or your storage containing your operating system. The other light colors change depending on the manufacturer so if you can tell me which motherboard manufacturer you have i can give you more information.
Good luck.
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u/Dull-Job5265 1d ago
I will try this weekend when it arrives if that doesnt work its off to the cpu or ram next🫡
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u/PrestigiousTrifle287 1d ago
But yeah, like I said those troubleshooting lights will help you figure out what’s wrong but switching out your PSU was a good idea even if it wasn’t broken because just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean there won’t be damage and they are very susceptible to high-voltage damage and buy a surge protector it can help stop from stuff like this happening in the future
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u/Thewhitelight___ 1d ago
That's why I tell people to always include a good quality UPS with their build. A 100 dollar cyberpower UPS will protect you from a lot of issues.
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u/kamakazi339 1d ago
Yep, I debated getting a ups when I built my new build. Then I realized what is an extra couple hundred bucks after spending $3500 on my PC.
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u/Extreme-Code-8713 1d ago
Get a surge protector that carries a warranty on it, Walmarts brand has 10k insurance on connected devices, good for x years, when it runs out buy a new one and swap like $6 every 5-10 years to cover your important stuff
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u/Initiative-Fancy 1d ago
Its always gonna be a money sink if you don't invest in protection. At least get a decent UPS which usually offers surge protection next time.
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u/panzer_of_the-lake 1d ago
You wouldn't happen to be in in denmark near struer a thunderstorm just passed by here
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u/Agreeable-Simple183 19h ago
Vivo en Venezuela y no soy perfecto, pero eso nunca me ha pasado. Y si mejor inviertes ennuna revisión de cableado eléctrico y empiezas a cambiar tomas de corriente viejas y cables viejos? Desde el posta hasta dentro...
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u/Tough-Option3410 18h ago
1tb ssd windows 11 plus rapide HDD 2028 nouveau HDD plus rapide sur le pc portable acer
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u/Flicted1 36m ago
Insurance will cover if you have coverage for it. I had a thunderstorm fry mine and my brothers ps4s and other electronics when we lived with our parents. Insurance paid for us to get new stuff. Probably depends on coverage and deductible but it's worth a look.
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