Failing power supplies and motherboards offer many of the same types of symptoms.
A power supply or motherboard failure can happen suddenly and completely, or slowly and partially. In partial failures, you will start to notice symptoms before the component goes belly up entirely, while a complete failure results in sudden death of your computer. As with other failing electronics, these components generally begin showing signs of weakening before giving up the ghost entirely, so if your computer begins to act strangely, such as emitting a burning smell or throwing error messages more often, take it to a repair shop for evaluation or spend some time trying to locate the trouble yourself.
Shared Symptoms
Frustratingly enough, the symptoms of computer component failures can all mimic one another, or fall under umbrella symptoms such as "sudden power loss" or "will not boot." In the case of power supply and motherboard failures, both offer these symptoms, as well as errors and the stomach clenching blue screen of death. Overall functionality problems abound, such as random crashes or reboots.
Separate Symptoms
A failing power supply will randomly lose power and contribute to overheating, as the fan within the supply will malfunction. In some cases, the power supply fails so completely that you'll hear a loud "bang" sound, which may or may not be accompanied by a puff of smoke as the capacitor inside the supply blows out. A failing motherboard may kindly produce an error message warning you of an impending failure. Sometimes only certain parts of a motherboard fails, resulting in ports or connections that no longer function, such as those to your printer or CD drive.
Causes
One major cause of failure involves temperature, as excessive heat can destroy many of a computer's internal components. Dust, hair and dirt build-up on the power supply's internal fan, causing it to seize and preventing the proper ventilation of the hot air inside the case. Without proper cooling methods, the power supply overheats, causing failure. Short circuits can also kill a motherboard or power supply, as can powerful electrical surges. A failing motherboard can even release a sudden, large electrical charge when it finally reaches the end, which can fry the power supply.
Diagnosing
Diagnosing a failing power supply involves testing the voltage the supply produces for abnormal readings or swapping out the supply entirely to see if the symptoms persist. Most business that sell or repair computers have power supply testers, allowing you to check for abnormal or inconsistent readings to determine the health of your unit. Bad motherboards are a little harder to diagnose, as they generally aren't easily swapped out or removed from your system, and a new board can be fairly expensive. Trial and error generally helps determine the health of your motherboard, as you systematically remove other components to check for continued symptoms.
Correction
If your power supply or motherboard are showing signs of failure, the safest thing to do for the rest of your system is to replace them entirely. When a motherboard fails, it can release an electrical surge, which can fry not only your power supply but any other components attached to your board, such as your RAM, CPU and graphics and sound cards. Power supplies can actually emit smoke, sparks or even flames at the point of failure, which are hazards not only to the other parts of your computer, but also to your health and safety.
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