Question about power supplies

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dogbyte_13

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
1,486
After how many years should i replace it? Ive had it for three years and worry that it's too old? I know it sounds funny but i really don't want my system to get fried. I check the voltage with aida 64 and the 12V rail fluctiates from 12 to 11.88 is that with in a ok range and my 5v and 3v do the same thing they only dop a few volts below spec. Thanks for the help in advance this community is the best and is great.
 
After how many years should i replace it?
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I replace it when it quits working or is incompatible with the new components.

Ive had it for three years and worry that it's too old?
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At work I have systems with 10 year old supplies. At home the supply in the linux box was purchased in 2008 and the one in the windows box was purchased in 2009.

I check the voltage with aida 64 and the 12V rail fluctiates from 12 to 11.88 is that with in a ok range
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Remember that software voltage readings are often wrong so its best to test with a digital volt meter. If you do not have one Harbor Freight has one for $6 http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-multimeter-98025.html
 
drescherjm said:
I replace it when it quits working or is incompatible with the new components.



At work I have systems with 10 year old supplies. At home the supply in the linux box was purchased in 2008 and the one in the windows box was purchased in 2009.



Remember that software voltage readings are often wrong so its best to test with a digital volt meter. If you do not have one Harbor Freight has one for $6 http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-multimeter-98025.html
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LOL funny you mention harbor freight, there is one by my house :)
 
In general terms, PSU longevity comes down to two things: build quality and how hard you push it on a regular basis. [H] did a review of the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MkIII 750W (which should be very similar to your 600w model) almost a year ago and seemed to think the build quality was okay so you should be alright there. Looking at the system specs in your sig I doubt you hit 60% to 70% of the PSU's capacity very often so you should be okay in that regard. The only thing you really have to worry about is the fan crapping out which can kill a PSU (I know from experience!). Replacing a fan is fairly easy though. Just keep an eye on it.

Don't trust voltages reported by software. That can be terribly inaccurate. You can (and probably should) invest in an inexpensive multimeter. You can pick one up for under $20 online or at your local hardware or electronics store. This will give you much more accurate readings. Your 11.88V reading (if accurate) is well within the +/- 5% tolerance specified in the ATX specifications. Nothing to worry about there. The 12V rail can be between 11.40V and 12.60V, the 5V rail between 4.75V and 5.25V, and the 3.3V rail between 3.135V to 3.465V. Obviously you would want the voltages to be as close to nominal as possible but as long as they are within the ATX specs the system should operate normally.

As for replacing your PSU, I would just hang on to it until your next major system upgrade. I'm running a roughly 7 year old Enermax Infinity 720W PSU and other than having to replace the fan once I have had no trouble with it. I had an Ultra 500W that the fan died in and it cooked the PSU. When the PSU died none of the rest of my system was affected. I am NOT saying that it CAN'T happen but it usually doesn't hurt the rest of the system. And if it does, oh well, it was probably time for an upgrade anyway! :D:D

Hope this helps!

.
 
RedWagnum said:
In general terms, PSU longevity comes down to two things: build quality and how hard you push it on a regular basis. [H] did a review of the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MkIII 750W (which should be very similar to your 600w model) almost a year ago and seemed to think the build quality was okay so you should be alright there. Looking at the system specs in your sig I doubt you hit 60% to 70% of the PSU's capacity very often so you should be okay in that regard. The only thing you really have to worry about is the fan crapping out which can kill a PSU (I know from experience!). Replacing a fan is fairly easy though. Just keep an eye on it.

Don't trust voltages reported by software. That can be terribly inaccurate. You can (and probably should) invest in an inexpensive multimeter. You can pick one up for under $20 online or at your local hardware or electronics store. This will give you much more accurate readings. Your 11.88V reading (if accurate) is well within the +/- 5% tolerance specified in the ATX specifications. Nothing to worry about there. The 12V rail can be between 11.40V and 12.60V, the 5V rail between 4.75V and 5.25V, and the 3.3V rail between 3.135V to 3.465V. Obviously you would want the voltages to be as close to nominal as possible but as long as they are within the ATX specs the system should operate normally.

As for replacing your PSU, I would just hang on to it until your next major system upgrade. I'm running a roughly 7 year old Enermax Infinity 720W PSU and other than having to replace the fan once I have had no trouble with it. I had an Ultra 500W that the fan died in and it cooked the PSU. When the PSU died none of the rest of my system was affected. I am NOT saying that it CAN'T happen but it usually doesn't hurt the rest of the system. And if it does, oh well, it was probably time for an upgrade anyway! :D:D

Hope this helps!

.
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Thanks appreciate it, that is a relief.
 
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