# Decade-old PSU?



## Nawdir (Jan 1, 2022)

happy new year TPU folks.
following that, i decide to retire my ancient sandy 2500 and upgrade  to Alder i3 soon™. but do i have to change my PSU too? 
the PSU (https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3587/enermax_modu87_800w_power_supply/index.html)
yeah its old,  but it only powered 660ti SLI from 2014-2017, and never overclock anything.
if had to change, is 550 watt good enough ?  will 550w be enough for x60 card in 2026 lol?


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## FreedomEclipse (Jan 1, 2022)

The problem with what youre doing is if you upgrade to Alder. youre going to need to upgrade your graphic cards too because they are not UEFI supported.

If you modernise your system. somethings will have to be left behind because they are legacy products and not supported.

There are many other reasons why ditching the 660 SLi for a single card would be better. SLi died years ago and no publisher or Nvidia themselves really make any real effort to support it. You might see some support for it with DX12 or Vulkan. But the card doesnt have full DX12 feature support (which is more or less DX11) and Vulkan support is only v1.1

---

Alternative solution would be to grab a i7 3770 or its Xeon equivalent and bump the PSU up to a decent 550w. This will still give you a boost over your 2500 -- Its an old platform so its not worth pouring big bucks on it but it still works out cheaper than upgrading to alder lake and having to buy a new GPu.


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## droid-I (Jan 1, 2022)

The old PSU should be fine if it has sufficient cable option for the system to be built.
No dust buildup inside, and the fan still works silent?

If no SLI and without too many other gimmicks in the rig, a quality PSU of 550-600W is good, IMO.


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## Nawdir (Jan 1, 2022)

FreedomEclipse said:


> The problem with what youre doing is if you upgrade to Alder. youre going to need to upgrade your graphic cards too because they are not UEFI supported.
> 
> If you modernise your system. somethings will have to be left behind because they are legacy products and not supported.
> 
> ...


nah i now rock 1060, bought in 2019 (its in my spec) .  its just historically thats about the only time my PSU was really pushed.
so i assume from this that my PSU is still fine for alder ? the fan is still silent & good.


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## ExcuseMeWtf (Jan 1, 2022)

It was a pretty high-end unit back then and not too awful even by today's standards (modern enough to have DC-DC and component selection at least decent).
If it doesn't cause issues, I'd keep it.


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## DR4G00N (Jan 1, 2022)

The biggest problem with psu's that old is that they may just not work at all with new generation hardware because they lack the power standards required by the platform.
Doesn't hurt to try though, it might still work but it probably won't be able to use some of the low power states.


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## Nawdir (Jan 2, 2022)

so if i buy new, 550w is enough yes?   is there any difference betweeen corsair rm550 and its 2021 edition,  and also RMx 550 ?


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## kiriakost (Feb 13, 2022)

Nawdir said:


> so if i buy new, 550w is enough yes?   is there any difference betweeen corsair rm550 and its 2021 edition,  and also RMx 550 ?



Golden rule for any gaming build:
1) Nothing below the 650W range.
2) Nothing below the 150$ USD mark.


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## Mr.Scott (Feb 13, 2022)

kiriakost said:


> Golden rule for any gaming build:
> 1) Nothing below the 650W range.
> 2) Nothing below the 150$ USD mark.


Hahahaha
Totally untrue.


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## thesmokingman (Feb 13, 2022)

A decade old psu will have lost 40% of its power and will be on its last legs. You wanna trust your nice new components to be protected by decade old caps? That is all you man.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 13, 2022)

thesmokingman said:


> A decade old psu will have lost 40% of its power and will be on its last legs. You wanna trust your nice new components to be protected by decade old caps? That is all you man.


Id say get hwinfo64 running and see if 12V values are still good.


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## looniam (Feb 13, 2022)

thesmokingman said:


> A decade old psu will have lost 40% of its power and will be on its last legs. You wanna trust your nice new components to be protected by decade old caps? That is all you man.


that is not necessarily true, it depends on the quality. before kyle bennett retired to intel and took his content w/him, hardOCP at different times retested 7-10 y/o silverstone, coolermaster and seasonic psus.

out of the three, i recall the seasonic unit was remarkable compared to the others with a little looser voltage regulation, but still within specs and was still able to supply its rated output. the silverstone and CM psus voltage regulation(s) were out of spec and couldn't provide their rated output but still in the 70%-80%  before tripping.

fwiw, i have a antec eco 620 that would be in my rocketlake rig if it was haswell compliant. i stress test it every year (or more!) w/o issues.



eidairaman1 said:


> Id say get hwinfo64 running and see if 12V values are still good.


THIS^


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## Kissamies (Feb 13, 2022)

kiriakost said:


> Golden rule for any gaming build:
> 1) Nothing below the 650W range.
> 2) *Nothing below the 150$ USD mark.*


I don't see anything wrong with my Seasonic Focus+ Gold 750W which cost 107.90EUR in 05/2019.


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## ir_cow (Feb 13, 2022)

For example I bought the first Seasoinc Platinum on the market. It last 7 years. Since it had a 10 year warranty I got a replacement for free. I wouldn't trust that 550 Watt Enermax with anything new. Power supplies only last so many years. I would say after 8 years its time for a new one. You can of course check the 12v rail and if it isn't dipping that bad, keep on using it.


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## Shrek (Feb 13, 2022)

I am happy to use a ten-year-old power supply on ten-year-old equipment, after perhaps a rebuild with better capacitors; but I am not so sure I would be happy with a ten-year-old power supply on modern equipment.


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## Aquinus (Feb 13, 2022)

I'm still rocking a decade old 1kw Seasonic Platinum in my tower. It's still running like a champ.


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## Mr.Scott (Feb 13, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I am happy to use a ten-year-old power supply on ten-year-old equipment, after perhaps a rebuild with better capacitors; but I am not so sure I would be happy with a ten-year-old power supply on modern equipment.


LOL
What if I tell you I'm extreme benching a Ryzen system on a 12 year old TurboCool 1200?
Still as good as the day I bought it. Been nothing but a benching PSU the total time.


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## thesmokingman (Feb 14, 2022)

Mr.Scott said:


> LOL
> What if I tell you I'm extreme benching a Ryzen system on a 12 year old TurboCool 1200?
> Still as good as the day I bought it. Been nothing but a benching PSU the total time.




Now go bench something that draws near that psu max and see what happens.


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## ir_cow (Feb 14, 2022)

I agree with @thesmokingman . Most do not run their units above 50%. Give it a good 90% load and see it still holds up.


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## mstenholm (Feb 14, 2022)

My almost 12 year old 600W Enermax Pro87+ have more than 80k operations hours folding/crunching. It does dip to 11.8V with a decent load. It’s driving my daily PC that goes into retirement this month. I wouldn’t be confident to let it run a new build but it seems like Enermax did bolt some decent PSUs together a decade ago. Equipment: an OCed W3670 plus up-to RTX2070.


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## kiriakost (Feb 14, 2022)

My keystrokes they look to have special magic powers, this dead topic all the sudden got some life.

At Haswell times and later = 2013 +++ .. all the sudden all PSU makers they become more sensitive to compliance and certification.
At my fresh Haswell build, I am using an CX750 which seems to struggle when my GTX-1060 operates with out V-syn.
I thought to test today the HIPER 780W (2008) instead,  and it were burned (half dead),  my Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H succeed to damage, the standby 5V rail of the PSU.
More work again for me, I had to remove the dead body and install again the CX750.

Something at 200E from Seasonic will possibly be my next PSU Idol.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 14, 2022)

thesmokingman said:


> Now go bench something that draws near that psu max and see what happens.


Trust me he does


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## Frick (Feb 14, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> Id say get hwinfo64 running and see if 12V values are still good.



Software measurements are useless.



Mr.Scott said:


> LOL
> What if I tell you I'm extreme benching a Ryzen system on a 12 year old TurboCool 1200?
> Still as good as the day I bought it. Been nothing but a benching PSU the total time.



It's not as good.  That unit was special though, and really good at what back then was crossloads but today would be considered normal loads. And the only way to know how well it handles modern loads (the load drastically chaning many times per second) is to hook up an oscilloscope to it . The vast majority of units from back then would probably be bad for modern hardware.


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## Mr.Scott (Feb 14, 2022)

ir_cow said:


> I agree with @thesmokingman . Most do not run their units above 50%. Give it a good 90% load and see it still holds up.


How 'bout this setup?
Pulls a little over 800 at the wall running Cinebench. Works fine.


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## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Feb 14, 2022)

It would still be fine, unless you would buy an i7 and overclock it or a RTX 3070 and above, then yes, you need an upgrade, otherwise your current PSU should be ok


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## Shrek (Feb 14, 2022)

Do the new modern sleep states require a modern power supply?


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## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Feb 14, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Do the new modern sleep states require a modern power supply?


yes


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## thesmokingman (Feb 14, 2022)

Mr.Scott said:


> How 'bout this setup?
> Pulls a little over 800 at the wall running Cinebench. Works fine.


That's maybe 650w after losses so you're just over half the rated power. That's hardly extreme.


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## JrRacinFan (Feb 14, 2022)

Run it for a week or two to notice any instabilities or oddities. The 660Ti SLI rig in its time probably pulled about 550W-600W from the wall. I would say youre good with what you got.


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## freeagent (Feb 15, 2022)

When I got my Seasonic 750 she was tight as a drum. 6 months after I bought it I started getting back into crunching a little bit. 1.5 years later she is not as tight as she used to be, and now dips down to 11.8xx. I did have a couple of shutdowns as well, maybe 6 or 7. It has a 12 year warranty. Seasonic suggested that I undervolt my GPU.. not sure I will be flying with them next time. I did check their PSU calculator as well, before it said my 750 was good for my setup, now they changed their mind with an update and now say 850 is ok.. Either way I can tap 90-95% of its rated power pretty easily lol.. gotta buy a bit bigger I guess..

Edit:

I think you guys fail to understand just how much power an X58 rig can burn with ease.. I burned out 2x 850s running my old x58 setup.. a Corsair and a Thermaltake.. the TT was the better unit believe it or not lol..


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 15, 2022)

freeagent said:


> When I got my Seasonic 750 she was tight as a drum. 6 months after I bought it I started getting back into crunching a little bit. 1.5 years later she is not as tight as she used to be, and now dips down to 11.8xx. I did have a couple of shutdowns as well, maybe 6 or 7. It has a 12 year warranty. Seasonic suggested that I undervolt my GPU.. not sure I will be flying with them next time. I did check their PSU calculator as well, before it said my 750 was good for my setup, now they changed their mind with an update and now say 850 is ok.. Either way I can tap 90-95% of its rated power pretty easily lol.. gotta buy a bit bigger I guess..
> 
> Edit:
> 
> I think you guys fail to understand just how much power an X58 rig can burn with ease.. I burned out 2x 850s running my old x58 setup.. a Corsair and a Thermaltake.. the TT was the better unit believe it or not lol..




Considering at the time 1156 was msdt, 1366 was hedt, 1576 was server/workstation.


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## ExcuseMeWtf (Feb 15, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Do the new modern sleep states require a modern power supply?


Modu87+ is DC-DC so it should handle them just fine anyways.


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## Nawdir (Feb 20, 2022)

wow just realize after a month i got reply here. better late than never , thanks folks!
so update: after i turn off the quick boot thingy in win settings, no problem whatsoever ( rig created 18 jan) . HWmonitor report voltage as 5.040/3.440/12.288  during idle.
yeah i think i will retire this giant when i had spare cash, preferably after upgrading  gpu lol. see ya!


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## kiriakost (Feb 20, 2022)

Nawdir said:


> wow just realize after a month i got reply here. better late than never , thanks folks!
> so update: after i turn off the quick boot thingy in win settings, no problem whatsoever ( rig created 18 jan) . HWmonitor report voltage as 5.040/3.440/12.288  during idle.
> yeah i think i will retire this giant when i had spare cash, preferably after upgrading  gpu lol. see ya!



One last piece of information,  all PSU has the tendency to say goodbye with a very sudden manner. 
Set as top priority the PSU.


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## Nawdir (Feb 20, 2022)

roger sir!


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## Shrek (Feb 20, 2022)

kiriakost said:


> One last piece of information,  all PSU has the tendency to say goodbye with a very sudden manner.



While I don't disagree with this, I had an OEM power supply that seemed to be doing fine, but when I added a video card, things got unstable; turned out to be a swollen capacitor in the supply and once that was replaced things have been fine.

Even if only one secondary capacitor is distressed, I tend to replace all the main secondary capacitors with top quality low ESR units; the repaired unit will then probably last longer than the original unit (I oil the fan when possible). I keep the good, replaced capacitors, so that I can repair a bad supply right away while new replacement capacitors are on the way; this keeps the down time low. I've also been known to recap a good power supply pre-emptively, so I don't have worry.

_*I'm not suggesting people do the same and I only do this for use on the original hardware.*_

_*Power supplies are dangerous; do not open one up unless you know what you are doing.*_


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## qubit (Feb 20, 2022)

Given the age of that PSU, I’d replace it although it’s not critical. You would certainly lose out on power state features at the very least by staying with it and risk hardware failure at the worst.

Buy a decent brand like Seasonic and it’s better to overspec it a bit on the power rating as you never know what you’re going to throw at it in the future.


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## JrRacinFan (Feb 20, 2022)

qubit said:


> never know what you’re going to throw at it in the future.


this is why we have this thread; OP went 850W and overspecc'd potentially following this same advice to begin with. Im not saying overspecc is bad per se. I still say try the current PSU for a couple weeks see what gives.


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## qubit (Feb 20, 2022)

JrRacinFan said:


> this is why we have this thread; OP went 850W and overspecc'd potentially following this same advice to begin with. Im not saying overspecc is bad per se. I still say try the current PSU for a couple weeks see what gives.


Yes, it wouldn't hurt to try it. There's no absolutes here, but I wouldn't be comfortable pairing such an old PSU with expensive brand new hardware.

Having said that, I'm still rocking my Corsair HX850W v1 from 2009 on my old 2700K-based PC and it's just fine after 13 years of daily use - the fan is still good with zero maintenance too, proving that long lasting fans* are perfectly possible. It was a monster PSU and got rave reviews at the time, so the investment has paid off.

*My Noctua NH-D14 cooler from 2011 has two big Noctua fans on it that still run (with the speed reduction resistor) as silently as the day I installed it. Amazing.


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## thesmokingman (Feb 20, 2022)

freeagent said:


> I think you guys fail to understand just how much power an X58 rig can burn with ease.. I burned out 2x 850s running my old x58 setup.. a Corsair and a Thermaltake.. the TT was the better unit believe it or not lol..


X58 wasn't that bad. X79 is where it got real big numbers due to the actual gpus available. With x79 cane the 580s and 79xx/290x and you could easily get up to 2kw. I think I still have a screen of my quadfire in the 3dmark top ten in the world for like 5 minutes lmao.


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## Assimilator (Feb 20, 2022)

Will your decade-old PSU still be good with modern hardware? _Probably_, but the only way to tell for certain is to hook it up to a PSU load tester. Software measurements are useless, a multimeter is next to useless.

The most important thing is that your old PSU will definitely be lacking some of the newer low-power states, which may or may not affect your Windows install, particularly in respect to suspend/resume.


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## kiriakost (Feb 20, 2022)

qubit said:


> Buy a decent brand like* Seasonic* and it’s better to overspec it a bit on the power rating as you never know what you’re going to throw at it in the future.



Seasonic aloud transferable warranty (user to user),  at models support 10 or 12 years of warranty, you may safely sell them, and buy a bigger if you ever need one.
Seasonic this is Gold partner of DELL and of Fujitsu Siemens, desktops.

Even the used Seasonic, they do not loose resale value.


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## repman244 (Feb 20, 2022)

I'm still running a HX850 (the first version), but if/when I upgrade I probably won't use it with new hardware.
The price of a new PSU isn't that big so I would not risk it with the old PSU.

However if it's a good quality unit it can last for a very long time.


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## droid-I (Feb 20, 2022)

In addition to safeguards OPP,OVP, UVP SCP and SIP, good to consider if it its been used for 24/7 and at what load.
In some places the environmental conditions do put extra "wear" on a PSU.
From my limited experience with power supplies, always have a backup PSU.
One of challenges with older PSUs are the cabling&connectors, compatibility with whatever builds one have.

_OCP (Over Current Protection)
OVP (Over Voltage Protection)
UVP (Under Voltage Protection)
SCP (Short Circuit Protection)
OPP (Over Power Protection) 
OTP (Over Temperature Protection) 
SIP (Surge & Inrush Protection)
OLP (Over Load Protection)_


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## maxfly (Feb 20, 2022)

The review OP posted is from 2015 so the psu is 7yo? Test the rails under load. If they're still solid, rock on for another 3 or 4 years or until the rails start to show signs of giving up the ghost. Then relegate it to your test unit or give it to Andy for a recapping


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## kiriakost (Feb 20, 2022)

maxfly said:


> recapping


I have news for all the full of ambition recappers,  recapping is dead,  Mainland CN succeed making caps lasting five years instead of two.


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## R-T-B (Feb 20, 2022)

kiriakost said:


> I have news for all the full of ambition recappers,  recapping is dead,  Mainland CN succeed making caps lasting five years instead of two.


Good thing no one runs their psu longer than 5 years...


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## droid-I (Feb 20, 2022)

Reading the fine print on the PSU:  Do not remove this cover. Trained service personnel only. No user serviceable components inside.


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## Shrek (Feb 20, 2022)

I agree, it's dangerous in there; _*do not open one up unless you know what you are doing.*_

Teen electrocuted while working on unplugged computer - CNET

Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Small Switchmode Power Supplies (repairfaq.org)
"Careless troubleshooting of a line powered switchmode power supply can result in severe electrical shock or electrocution. This is potentially more lethal than the high voltage section of a TV or monitor due to the high current availability. Even the charged on the main filter capacitors with the unit unplugged can kill."


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## droid-I (Feb 20, 2022)

Still regret a bit that I tossed a couple of PSUs that could have been salvaged by replacing a couple of capacitors. I do have a degree in electrical engineering, a couple of times received a good share of high voltage through the fingers.


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## Shrek (Feb 20, 2022)

Thanks for reminding us of the dangers; sometimes I forget to add the proviso.

It's just not worth the risk.


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## maxfly (Feb 21, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> Thanks for reminding us of the dangers; sometimes I forget to add the proviso.
> 
> It's just not worth the risk.


So what your saying is you don't want this dead zalman 1000w psu I'm going to throw away?


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 21, 2022)

JrRacinFan said:


> this is why we have this thread; OP went 850W and overspecc'd potentially following this same advice to begin with. Im not saying overspecc is bad per se. I still say try the current PSU for a couple weeks see what gives.



I agree


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## dirtyferret (Feb 21, 2022)

kiriakost said:


> Golden rule for any gaming build:
> 1) Nothing below the 650W range.
> 2) Nothing below the 150$ USD mark.


I don't believe golden rule means what you think it means


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## qubit (Feb 21, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I agree, it's dangerous in there; _*do not open one up unless you know what you are doing.*_
> 
> Teen electrocuted while working on unplugged computer - CNET
> 
> ...


I got electrocuted once too often many years ago due to a bit of clumsiness rather than I didn't know what I was doing. It was a truly horrible experience and the damaging effects of electric shocks are cumulative.

Since then, I've vowed never to work on any high voltage electronics ever again to avoid this risk which has kept me shock free. Nowadays, a shock like that could much more easily give me a heart attack. Just not worth the risk.

A few years ago, I inherited an old CRT TV which had a slight red tint to the picture. To fix it, all it needed were the internal RGB pots to be adjusted while it was running, but instead I just lived with it until it died and I'm glad I did.


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## freeagent (Feb 21, 2022)

I would die for sure if I opened one, that is my luck.. even though I have a little Irish in me.. I recently threw away a few old PSU's that I have injured, and I could have saved a ton by recapping.. maybe.. but I am too chicken to open one up, even if its been sitting for years


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## kiriakost (Feb 21, 2022)

droid-I said:


> Still regret a bit that I tossed a couple of PSUs that could have been salvaged by replacing a couple of capacitors. I do have a degree in electrical engineering, a couple of times received a good share of high voltage through the fingers.


Your degree of sincerity this is remarkable,  but when a PSU uses power electronics them *be designed and  produced* somewhere at CN mainland, and there is no documentation, and there is a single eBay seller which offer them at unreasonable pricing... these are the real problems.
Any way, the ones voting in favor of budget PSU they will never care having them repaired.
The PSU with ultra long warranty, at the time of failure they will be outdated designs. 




dirtyferret said:


> I don't believe golden rule means what you think it means


Do not use it.


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## Cutechri (Feb 21, 2022)

I would not use even a Seasonic 12 year warranty for more than 5 years. But that's just me. I'm very picky and careful about my power delivery. Plus, new ATX standards.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 21, 2022)

qubit said:


> I got electrocuted once too often many years ago due to a bit of clumsiness rather than I didn't know what I was doing. It was a truly horrible experience and the damaging effects of electric shocks are cumulative.
> 
> Since then, I've vowed never to work on any high voltage electronics ever again to avoid this risk which has kept me shock free. Nowadays, a shock like that could much more easily give me a heart attack. Just not worth the risk.
> 
> A few years ago, I inherited an old CRT TV which had a slight red tint to the picture. To fix it, all it needed were the internal RGB pots to be adjusted while it was running, but instead I just lived with it until it died and I'm glad I did.


Shocked bro, electrocution is execution.



freeagent said:


> I would die for sure if I opened one, that is my luck.. even though I have a little Irish in me.. I recently threw away a few old PSU's that I have injured, and I could have saved a ton by recapping.. maybe.. but I am too chicken to open one up, even if its been sitting for years



Ive discharged caps using 2 high quality screwdrivers touching terminals and eachother.


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## qubit (Feb 21, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> Shocked bro, electrocution is execution.


lol I'll give you that one.   They were some big shocks though. At the full 240v, they went right to my core and so violent, worst experience of my life. I think I've had three electrocutions shocks in total. Good thing I was young then as I'd probably get a fatal heart attack nowadays.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 21, 2022)

qubit said:


> lol I'll give you that one.   They were some big shocks though. At the full 240v, they went right to my core and so violent, worst experience of my life. I think I've had three electrocutions shocks in total. Good thing I was young then as I'd probably get a fatal heart attack nowadays.


I've been hit with 526 VDC, it feels like 120 VAC. I've melted test leads on 120 and 240 circuits by shorting together by accident



eidairaman1 said:


> Shocked bro, electrocution is execution.
> 
> 
> 
> Ive discharged caps using 2 high quality screwdrivers touching terminals and eachother.


I worked in appliance repair is why i know this.


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## Shrek (Feb 21, 2022)

DC is a beast

AC versus DC load breaking comparison with a knife switch - Bing video


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 21, 2022)

Andy Shiekh said:


> DC is a beast
> 
> AC versus DC load breaking comparison with a knife switch - Bing video


Yup my statement above stands.


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## Assimilator (Feb 21, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> I'm very picky and careful about my power delivery.


As you should be! But we honestly have it really good compared to a decade or so ago, when you could still easily find PSUs from big names that couldn't deliver their rated wattage, or were derivatives of ancient 5V AT designs. Nowadays even the cheapest name-brand PSU can generally be counted on to fulfill its claims, and customers are a lot more savvy (witness the deserved furore around Gigabyte's recent PSU fires). Hell, even the recent saga around the AeroCool PSUs that were actually Bronze instead of Gold is a massive step up - ten years ago those PSUs would've had concrete in them to fake quality via weight (no this is not a joke).

I wish I could say this was due to 80PLUS, but honestly I think it's just a consequence of the PC market becoming more mainstream and mature. It's certainly not due to the useless authorities who have consistently refused to test PSUs to ensure they comply with their marketing claims and aren't a hazard to consumers.


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## Frick (Feb 21, 2022)

Assimilator said:


> As you should be! But we honestly have it really good compared to a decade or so ago, when you could still easily find PSUs from big names that couldn't deliver their rated wattage, or were derivatives of ancient 5V AT designs. Nowadays even the cheapest name-brand PSU can generally be counted on to fulfill its claims, and customers are a lot more savvy (witness the deserved furore around Gigabyte's recent PSU fires). Hell, even the recent saga around the AeroCool PSUs that were actually Bronze instead of Gold is a massive step up - ten years ago those PSUs would've had concrete in them to fake quality via weight (no this is not a joke).



 I remember saying exactly the same thing a decade ago. In theory this is accurate, but one can still find plenty of name brand low end PSUs you probably wouldn't want for a modern mid range gaming computer. The old group regulated EVGA's for instance are still plentiful in stock.


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## Assimilator (Feb 21, 2022)

Frick said:


> I remember saying exactly the same thing a decade ago. In theory this is accurate, but one can still find plenty of name brand low end PSUs you probably wouldn't want for a modern mid range gaming computer. The old group regulated EVGA's for instance are still plentiful in stock.


Yeah, but those group regulated EVGAs are at least covered by a warranty from a reputable company that isn't going away anytime soon. And that warranty isn't BS either - EVGA knows that their reputation will take a hit if they sell garbage unsafe products, so they won't sell such. My point is that it the industry is getting better, even if it is more slowly than we'd hope.


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## kapone32 (Feb 21, 2022)

I bought a HX 1200I about 7 years Ago and it has been rock solid. I would say that be careful and only buy Corsair HX, Seasonic or the EVGA better series. If you get a $20 tester you could see if your PSU is good to go.


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## kiriakost (Feb 21, 2022)

Assimilator said:


> My point is that it the industry is getting better, even if it is more slowly than we'd hope.



In my vocabulary, market is getting better because tiny computer builder brands they did stop pretending the ODM.
They was the responsible ones, which was ordering PSU under their own low in taste specifications, so to enlarge their profitability. 
Bunch of fresh required product certifications (EU & USA) , they took away the darkness, of whom is whom and about the true product origin. 

Chinese factory them missing certifications, still do the job, but the clients are the poor in Africa, India and Brazil, they think of them as fools.



kapone32 said:


> If you get a $20 tester you could see if your PSU is good to go.


This was a treasure 40 years ago, but today you need an 20.000$ tester.


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## Shrek (Feb 21, 2022)

kapone32 said:


> If you get a $20 tester you could see if your PSU is good to go.



Such testers have a place, but they don't test under real load or report ripple (which will probably be negligible without a real load anyhow). A bad capacitor might still have what it takes to smooth without load.


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