How long should a good quality PSU last

Joined
Oct 15, 2014
Messages
12
I just bought a bunch of upgraded parts for my system and then came to realize that my PSU is the longest living component I have.

PSU information:
XFX ProSeries P1-1050-BEFX
link:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207021R
It is an XFX 1050W fully modular PSU.
I bought the power supply on March 26th, 2013. It has powered my sandy bridge i7 system with dual gtx 680 lightning cards, my i7 haswell system fully water cooled with gtx 970, and it is about to be powering an i7 7700k with a gtx 1070.

I understand that 1050W for my 2 more recent build revisions is WAY overkill but when i bought it my sandy bridge system, with the lightning cards was capable of pulling over 900W from the wall so at the time it wasn't that much for overkill.

It has been running lower power demanding systems since late 2014 but it has been running my main system almost 24/7 save for the brief shutdowns if i went on vacation. I bought this unit because at the time it was stated by other forum PSU experts to be a good quality OEM for a decent price, also I liked the idea of fully modular, however I find myself asking, "how long can it last"

As it is the longest running component in my system to date i wanted to get other people's take on their experiences with power supplies and if possible life expectancy of similar XFX power supplies who share the same OEM, (Seasonic I believe), and also see if I can expect it to last quite a bit longer as 4 of the 5 and a half years it has powered my system has been way under even 50% load.


Thanks in advance for the replies.

-Xander

Edited as the original newegg link was redirecting to a 650 model and not the 1050.
 
Last edited:
psus will last longer than the standards do. I have al old 2006 480w no name that is working fine still but is no longer within the current gens specs, only has 1 cpu 4 pin, its all molex etc. for a while everything was split 12v rails now they have all gone back to one massive 12v rail, new protection features, stuff like that. if its out of warranty you can always peek inside to make sure the caps are good and theres no signs of over heating.
 
yep thats a seasonic built psu. it should still be gtg for a couple more years. those 1050s are really solid units. i had mine running in my main rig for about 5yrs with no sign of let up. when i upgraded my rig i wanted to keep it with the 2600k rig otherwise it would still be in my main rig. i would check the rails with a multi while its under load to make sure its still running within specs. maybe give it a good cleaning if needed. if it checks out, it should still be more than enough to keep your rig happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mac29
like this
Anything good should outlast its warranty, even the 10+ year stuff. Obviously out 100s of units some will fail but the good models are pretty durable as long as you feed them clean power. A decent UPS will go a long way to keeping them alive, if you have shitty power expect to replace that every so often.

I see PSUs from the 90s still working every week, and back then there wasn't really a premium aftermarket. Some might be 80s, I know at least one DOS terminal still in use at a place I go to. (for its purpose, no reason to fuck with it)
 
People get in such a habit of replacing their computer components after a handful of years that using the same PSU for such a long time seems like such an oddity, but look at any other industry and it's really not. It's the computer industry that is the outlier, due to the rapid advancement of technology that forces quick upgrades. Fairly basic components - such as power supplies - can and do last a very long time. So long as the standards are still compatible, there is absolutely no reason why you can't keep using a power supply for 10, 15, even 20+ years. I have audio components that are 40+ years old that work great. My two main computers are both running 1000w PSUs from ~2007, both still working great. Of course maintenance helps. There have been a few threads recently that asked very similar questions; examples:

https://hardforum.com/threads/replace-old-working-psu.1967541/
https://hardforum.com/threads/would...ased-use-9-5-years-ago-for-new-build.1969649/
 
Wasn't there an article about this on HardOCP? They tested a 10 year old PSU and found it worked but was more like a 700W unit than a 1k unit if I remember correctly.
 
Wasn't there an article about this on HardOCP? They tested a 10 year old PSU and found it worked but was more like a 700W unit than a 1k unit if I remember correctly.

PSU technology has evolved quite a bit since that one. I wouldn't be surprised if modern Seasonics degrade slower than PSUs that came out 10 years ago.
 
i'm still using a corsair 650HX....it's over 10 years old easily. i'll keep using it until it melts.
 
i'm still using a corsair 650HX....it's over 10 years old easily. i'll keep using it until it melts.

Careful of that....

When I removed my Corsair 650TX after approx 8 years of use, I noted a distinct burn pattern on the case in the form of the grill from the psu! (from where they were touching at the back of the case)

Crazy but yeah.... Just fyi
 
Careful of that....

When I removed my Corsair 650TX after approx 8 years of use, I noted a distinct burn pattern on the case in the form of the grill from the psu! (from where they were touching at the back of the case)

Crazy but yeah.... Just fyi

Its no problem. The case is black and so is the PSU so I'll never notice burn marks. All good!
 
It all depends on the caps.

If the caps are not bulged or leaking, I'd test it, and use it.

I would actually replace the caps in an old, working power supply from 10 years ago, as long as it has PFC.

Using power factor correction saves you money in the long term on your power bill.

Caps are cheap; just buy good high frequency rated ones of the same values and package size, and replace them.

Something that's worked for years is more likely to last a long long time, than anything new; you're well into the flat part of the bathtub curve, and the caps are the only wear item.

If it sold as "Solid dielectric Caps" like some motherboards, I wouldn't even worry about the caps, but I'd look them over, they take a pretty good hit after power failures, when everything else is trying to come on at once.
 
I just had a PSU go out after 11 years, after a breaker blew. So if probably would have survived as long as I needed.

Was a PC Power & Cooling 850w.
 
I say 10 years but that depends on how hard you beat it up.. If it runs at 98% of the maximum all the time this will reduce its lifespan.
 
As long as the PSU meets the build parts requirements, I'd keep using it. I have a 750 and 850 that are still in service after years and multiple builds and the only reason I upsized on one rig was to run dual video cards (SLI).

The newer PSU might have better features (modular or energy efficiency), so if you really want to get access to those, there's nothing wrong with spending the money. I figure as long as the PSU (or any part really) has already been paid off / ROI'ed you can always sell it or keep it as a spare.
 
I've never actually had one die on me - I've got at least two old pcp&c units (750W) that still work. I usually only change PSUs to get new features (fully modular, etc.)
 
Wasn't there an article about this on HardOCP? They tested a 10 year old PSU and found it worked but was more like a 700W unit than a 1k unit if I remember correctly.

I'm not sure what PSU you are referring to but in one of their more recent articles, the 10 year old PSU didn't seem to have any problems making it through an 8-hour torture test at full load. Of course, things like efficiency were not impressive compared to new PSUs out today.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/05/31/thermaltake_toughpower_1200w_psu_10_years_later
 
I'm not sure what PSU you are referring to but in one of their more recent articles, the 10 year old PSU didn't seem to have any problems making it through an 8-hour torture test at full load. Of course, things like efficiency were not impressive compared to new PSUs out today.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/05/31/thermaltake_toughpower_1200w_psu_10_years_later

That wasn't the one i was thinking of maybe it was on Anandtech I can't really remember but sure it was a 1050W unit
 
That wasn't the one i was thinking of maybe it was on Anandtech I can't really remember but sure it was a 1050W unit

In that same article they have the Silverstone Olympia 1000w and Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1000w. I remember the Olympia having degraded to about 700 watts, but it wasn't a top tier unit in the first place.
 
My custom Silverstone 650W has been running well 7 or 8 years now. I am inclined to make it a planned obsolescence, because the fan seems to run louder or it might just be my psychology, and upgrade to something 750W modular. The only issue is it takes a little effort to find ITX compatibility.
 
11 years 2 months and still rocking

I originally purchased this for a Q6600 build and then moved the PSU to a 2600K build when I was building a new PC.

I actually thought about replacing the PSU because I plan to turn that 2600K build into a file server (unraid).

Screenshot_112518_125930_AM.jpg
 
In that same article they have the Silverstone Olympia 1000w and Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1000w. I remember the Olympia having degraded to about 700 watts, but it wasn't a top tier unit in the first place.

That Olympia model was one of the best 1000W unit on the market when it was released in 2007 and was well reviewed by Paul, hence the reason he used it for his personal systems. In HardOCP's 2015 redux article of it, it also handled the torture test at 806W just fine.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/03/09/silverstone_olympia_1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux/
 
Here are all three retests I have done:

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/03/09/silverstone_olympia_1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux/
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/03/12/cooler_master_real_power_pro_1000w_psu_10_year_redux/
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/05/31/thermaltake_toughpower_1200w_psu_10_years_later

Edit: And someone asked in another thread a long time ago which other units I still had running that could pop up in this. One is listed in that Cooler Master review (TTGI PLUG-N which made it 13 years) the other is still in one of my other office PC's and if it survives will show up at some point in the future.
 
I agree with others, a good PSU should last 10+ years. However, nuclear pile type PSU's, those delivering enough power to handle your HVAC, maybe not.
 
My Seasonic X750 apparently crapped out bought it 9/28/2012... which is awesome because if you bought it before sept 2012 it had a 5yr warranty where as if you bought it Sept 2012 onward it had a 7yr warranty (rma approved)

somewhat annoyed because it wasn't super cheap, and I bought it for the OMG!!!!1111!!!!111 quality reputation Seasonic has.. in the mean time waiting on RMA my rig is being powered by a 10+ year old Corsair 650watt psu (i think Seasonic may have been the OEM for ??)


seasonic RMA was very fast turn around and when there was a bit of an issue they have been super responsive on getting it fixed..
 
Last edited:
I'm in this boat now. Certain games black screen and don't recover. This is at stock everything. I can't find my damn receipt though which is killing me.
 
My compaq desk pro xl PSU is running fine, I guess that’s 25+ years? Oh, my TI-99/4a PSU is also working, that’s got to be 35+ years. Pretty sure I have some R2R around here with a power supply 50+ years still working.

Power conversion technology engineered right should last decades. As the 2nd poster said, it should outlast the standard.
 
My compaq desk pro xl PSU is running fine, I guess that’s 25+ years? Oh, my TI-99/4a PSU is also working, that’s got to be 35+ years. Pretty sure I have some R2R around here with a power supply 50+ years still working.

Power conversion technology engineered right should last decades. As the 2nd poster said, it should outlast the standard.

not a computer but this thing is a monster stereo amplifier (and an awesome one at that).. anyways this bad boy is from circa 1988~ or so, power supply in this is working quite nicely 30~ years later.

ta_n77es.jpg
 
I've got my Corsair HX750 for 7 or 8 years already (so slightly out of warranty)

Through I'll be replacing it soon as I found new HX850 (2017 Platinium rated model) for <110 euro on sale.
 
I just had a pc power & cooling 750 bit the dust tonight & I bought it like mid 2008... :-/
 
Surely it's dependent on the cap quality and load% you run it at over time. A Seasonic with Nichicon or Rubycon caps rated at 105c and run at say 60% load should last darn near forever. A lesser brand with second or third tier caps rated 85c... not so much.
 
Back
Top