Right. Used a thin wire between the green and black sockets (holes?) on the main power block on the psu. nothing. tried various green to black connections. wire also didnt get hot. guess its the psu.

strange that an led was lit on the mb? but guess it getting it's power from one of the many other cables.

quick trip to maplins/pc world tomorrow to buy a cheap replacement. then order a new beast. still not 100% sure its the psu. these antecs are supposed to be indestructable!!

as you've all been so helpful i'll try to remeber to report back!!

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

... strange that an led was lit on the mb? but guess it getting it's power from one of the many other cables....

That LED will remain lit in most cases as it's fed from the 5v "EVER" line.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Currently trying to take the PSU out to try the short cicuit test. Cant unplug it from the board though. Both the main connecter and the processer connector wont budge !!

There is a small "clip" on each connector that needs to be squeezed in whilst pulling the plug out.

cool. so the led is just there to confuse the hell outta me. it's a conspiracy.

Thanks everyone. New cheapo PSU doing the trick. About to order Corsair

Thanks for letting us know.

Good to hear.

Good luck with the interview on Monday