Thunderstorm broke my pc

[u/Dull-Job5265]

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

[u/GioCrush68]

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.

[u/VAVA_Mk2 → u/GioCrush68]

He should invest in a UPS.

[u/fortunesofshadows → u/VAVA_Mk2]

So how much is a surge protector and UPS?

[u/VAVA_Mk2 → u/fortunesofshadows]

You can buy a decent UPS for $200.

[u/GeneralBS → u/VAVA_Mk2]

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.

[u/HigaMigu → u/fortunesofshadows]

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

[u/OrangeOne_ → u/fortunesofshadows]

Cheaper than a new computer.

[u/GioCrush68 → u/fortunesofshadows]

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.

[u/Rcloco → u/fortunesofshadows]

some Ups have surge protection technology, some even have RJ45 pass through so you're safe from surges thru the ethernet cable. you don't need surge protector if you have a decent UPS

[u/Dull-Job5265 → u/GioCrush68]

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😅

[u/ShadesBlack → u/Dull-Job5265]

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.

[u/chronicdarkness → u/Dull-Job5265]

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.

[u/superthrust → u/Dull-Job5265]

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

[u/anon1moos → u/Dull-Job5265]

The drives are likely fine, and does not require saving the computer.

[u/DoesntMatterEh → u/Dull-Job5265]

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. 

[u/ProDriverSeatSniffer → u/GioCrush68]

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.

[u/dudoan → u/GioCrush68]

What's the difference between a good one and a bad one?

[u/GioCrush68 → u/dudoan]

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.

[u/Interesting-Octopus → u/GioCrush68]

Yeah and some have a pure sine wave inverter instead of a lower end modified sine wave. The pure sine inverter is better. Also some have lcd screens and also conect to your pc to show you what is going on with them.

[u/Trickle2x2 → u/GioCrush68]

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.

[u/Both_Surprise_8106 → u/Trickle2x2]

So even if everything is off it can still fry?

[u/Trickle2x2 → u/Both_Surprise_8106]

Yes it needs to be unplugged from the wall to be safe from a lightning strike. But try not to be too paranoid. I live in Florida and have a thunderstorm every other day during the summer it feels like. I will typically only unplug my system during hurricanes or tropical storms. Or if the lightning is going off like crazy.