Server PSU for home use?

I've seen a lot of 1300W+ power supplies on ebay lately from reputable manufacturers like HP - made for server use. So I would guess that they're probably pretty high quality units, meant to be run for long periods of time at medium/high loads. And they're super cheap - I'm talking under 30 bucks for a 1300W unit.

Sooo.... has anyone tried to use these to power a regular PC? I understand the wiring will be totally wrong and I'm comfortable with rewiring it - other than the labor involved to do something like that, (and that it's probably really loud), is there any reason not to try it? Efficiency, maybe? Thoughts? I really only need it to power GPUs, so I wouldn't mind using a regular ATX power supply for the <100W of the mobo/cpu/etc, and one of these beasts for 4x7970s, for example - a lot cheaper than a EVGA or LEPA 1300w, that's for sure.

I managed to find a closeup of the side of one of them, it says 74A on a single 12V rail - nearly 900W. Maybe need two for quad 7970s (this is for GPU computing, not gaming), but still, that's only like $60 for 2kw.

Search for DL580 power supply to see what I'm talking about.

Screw it, I got four for $49 shipped (total). I'll experiment and report back

Definitely looking forward to the results of your tinkering. I have never modified a server PSU but have had a 4U rackmount server for a short time.

Another thing to consider is that most server PSUs have loud fans since they are designed to push as much air as possible. Noise usually isn't much of a concern in a server room but since you're going to be modifying pinouts, adjusting fan RPM is pretty straightforward.

I'll end up sticking the frankencomputers in the garage, so noise won't be that big of a deal, but yeah, my limited experience with servers has shown them to be way too loud for office use

The thing with proprietary server PSUs like the DL580, is that most of them do not have their own cooling fans. They rely on high pressure blowers in the chassis to force air through them and provide cooling.

I have a dell server with similar design, and just being plugged into power without the server on the thing gets very hot to touch.

So besides re-wiring you will have to work up a method to cool them. Usually the manufacturer will state how many CFM they need.

How did this work out for you?

I found rack servers are loud. I bought one of the 24 bay rack servers from the hot deal thread and it is too loud for home use. Have to to quiet it down which will likely involve replacing the power supplies and fans. Haven't done it yet since I haven't seen a good deal on drives to put in it yet.

Look for Converting HP server power supply for RC use. That might get you started or at least draw some power from them for the 12v rail.

Interesting point on the fans - the pictures show it has a couple, I'm hoping this particular design doesn't need too much extra cooling.

And good point on the RC community - I use a 300W ATX supply to power my charger for my helo lipos