# Just how long is a PSU expected to last?



## trparky (Apr 23, 2017)

I have a Corsair TX750 Watt power supply and it's been through a couple of builds. I've had it for the last five years (I think). Just how long are these things expected to last?


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## alucasa (Apr 23, 2017)

It can last 10+ years or it may last a minute.

It's like us, humans. Some die just as they are born. Some die really old.


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## AhokZYashA (Apr 23, 2017)

5-7 years is pretty much the norm, 
but i've seen power supplies go to 10 years.


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## trparky (Apr 23, 2017)

I'm thinking about building a new machine soon. Do you think the power supply should be one of the parts that I replace as part of the new build simply due to the age of it? Or do you think I can get away with reusing it?


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## alucasa (Apr 23, 2017)

If you've had it for 5 years and more, I'd replace it. But that's just me. One of my SFX PSU is 7+ years now. But it's in a less important build.

You could keep that PSU as a backup in case things go wrong and you need extra components to test things out.


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## trparky (Apr 23, 2017)

Thinking about this one.

*Edit:* Luckily I have a Microcenter right across town. I love the fact that I have the geek's equivalent of Toys-R-Us near me.


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## m1dg3t (Apr 23, 2017)

A quality PSU that is run well within spec and kept clean can last indefinately. Efficiency will suffer over time. Just my opinion...

People will say 'the caps degrade' and they do, but... ^^^

I have electronics that are older than me still in service, without being serviced - apart from cleaning & lubing the knobs/switches. I also have pieces from the same era/MFG that required some caps being replaced, my guess is it was ran harder/longer. So hotter. Heat kills electrics, especially when running at the limit.


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## Frag_Maniac (Apr 23, 2017)

Depends on quality of parts, esp caps, how robust the heatsinks are, and how well they pass properly done torture tests. Other than that it's up to how much headroom if any in wattage it has (how much more than GPU requires). Caps put out less wattage as they age. If you can check all those points, it will likely last over 7 years. A good place to check for reviews on PSUs is JonnyGURU.


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## RejZoR (Apr 24, 2017)

Quality and temperature at which it operates. The lower it is (temperature), the longer it'll work. Usually.


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## Kissamies (Apr 24, 2017)

My old Corsair HX620 was over 10 years old, I'd still use it, but its connectors weren't that modern. Its only real problem was very loud coil whine.


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## Komshija (Apr 24, 2017)

It's hard to tell, but good quality PSU's from reputable manufacturers should last longer. If it doesn't fail in the first two years, it's unlikely that it will fail afterwards. I expect good PSU's to last up to 10 years.


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## lZKoce (Apr 24, 2017)

Well, depends on lots of things, but my real life example - my parent's PC has a CoolerMaster M500 Silent Pro unit, for over 7 years now ( they still use it every day). But we are talking office work all the time, no gaming, OC-ing or crunching. I guess if you continuously stress the unit, it won't last that long. But generally, well built PSU, can easily pass 5 years or so.


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## JalleR (Apr 24, 2017)

I have A Corsair tx650 and a 850 and they are bouth 10+ years and are running well with no wierd sounds, the tx850 has been running a I7-5930k@4.2Ghz system with R9 390X/GTX1080HOF/gtx770 for the last 2 years with no issues.

So maybe Expect that you need to change it in 2 years and have the money ready but if the system you are building doesn't exceed 600watt then the tx750 should be good.


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## Ebo (Apr 24, 2017)

normally i change my PSU every 3-4 years, no matter if it works perfect or not.


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## Frick (Apr 24, 2017)

Until the warranty runs out.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Apr 24, 2017)

I have 2 older PSUs, one is 22 years old (Maddog 450w)and other is 14 years old (OCZ 700w).

Both still work just fine.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 24, 2017)

a good rule of judging life span of any item is  as follows. expect a minimum of the warranty period , then once the warranty period has been reached, it could die at any minute, or ;ast another 5 years or more. but all bets are off for real once warranty has lapsed, which is why you'll find PSU's with 10 years warranties are Uber pricey, and ones with short warranties are Mega cheap.


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## Aquinus (Apr 24, 2017)

The real question is: Do you really want to skimp on the component that provides power to every other component? I have a Corsair 850HX that used to be in my tower over 5 years ago. It's probably 7 or 8 years old at this point. It's probably safe but, as others have said, the older and hotter a PSU is run, the less reliable it's going to be in the future. You could always use the current one and replace it if you encounter any problems with the understanding that it's an older PSU.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 24, 2017)

Aquinus said:


> The real question is: Do you really want to skimp on the component that provides power to every other component? I have a Corsair 850HX that used to be in my tower over 5 years ago. It's probably 7 or 8 years old at this point. It's probably safe but, as others have said, the older and hotter a PSU is run, the less reliable it's going to be in the future. You could always use the current one and replace it if you encounter any problems with the understanding that it's an older PSU.



I also have a corsair (CX 600 tho),  from  2011 ,and I don't like to depend on it but it still works beautifully . so what I do is keep it ,and use it to prime water cooling ,test PCs ,or in a pinch I have a back up. But I never depend on it for a day-to-day basis


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## Aquinus (Apr 24, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> I also have a corsair (CX 600 tho),  from  2011 ,and I don't like to depend on it but it still works beautifully . so what I do is keep it ,and use it to prime water cooling ,test PCs ,or in a pinch I have a back up. But I never depend on it for a day-to-day basis


After I pulled the 850 out of my tower, I put it into my gateway server which has been running 24/7 for years. It still works well.


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## Melvis (Apr 24, 2017)

Knowing Corsair, about half the time of there warranty...


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## Kanan (Apr 24, 2017)

You could use it until it dies, but I'd say about 5-7 years is fine if it's a high(er) end model. I replaced my last PSU after 7 1/2 years and sold it in eBay for 30 bucks. It wasn't even a top line PSU, a OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W but i guess my usage was nowhere near extreme that's why it never failed. Some guys here gave really good advice, listen to them.


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## Cvrk (Apr 24, 2017)

alucasa said:


> It can last 10+ years or it may last a minute.
> 
> It's like us, humans. Some die just as they are born. Some die really old.









But yeah, i have a Corsair CX 600. Not so good anymore, but still working, going strong on almost 8 years.


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## trparky (Apr 24, 2017)

So the general consensus is to replace it.


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## Kanan (Apr 24, 2017)

trparky said:


> So the general consensus is to replace it.


What did you do with the PSU? Long gaming sessions for years? Crunching? PC constantly on? How much was it used power wise? Need more info.


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## dom99 (Apr 24, 2017)

How long is a piece of string?

Had my Antec Truepower TP750 for what must be about 8 years now. Still going strong so I don't see any reason to spend another ~£100 on a replacement. Changing your PSU after 3 years is a waste of money IMO unless there is a problem with it, better to spend the £ on replacing the GPU or other parts.


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## trparky (Apr 24, 2017)

It's never been under full load, that I know. Long gaming sessions for years? Not really. Crunching? Nope.


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## teamkoolbox (Apr 24, 2017)

Probably an average time of 5 years. If it has good quality parts maybe even 10 years. I've had this Enermaxx 620W running across 2-3 PC builds now for nearly 8 years so far.


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## Kanan (Apr 24, 2017)

trparky said:


> It's never been under full load, that I know. Long gaming sessions for years? Not really. Crunching? Nope.


So then you can use it for another few years, it really comes down to the details. But I'd say because that psu is of high quality you can still use it a while.


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## Jetster (Apr 24, 2017)

I have a TX650 and a HX850 both over 6 years old I still use for testing. Rock solid
A good power supply should lost a long time. Its the efficiency that come into question


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## Slizzo (Apr 24, 2017)

trparky said:


> I have a Corsair TX750 Watt power supply and it's been through a couple of builds. I've had it for the last five years (I think). Just how long are these things expected to last?



Mine is 7 years old now. I believe it's starting to cause some instability (found it when trying to get my new 1080Ti to be stable. 2 8-pins suck a lot of juice.)

Looking at getting an EVGA 850W P2.


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## basco (Apr 24, 2017)

i have this since 2008:
https://geizhals.at/corsair-professional-series-hx1000-1000w-atx-2-2-cmpsu-1000hx-a317944.html

still running great


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## m1dg3t (Apr 24, 2017)

Frag Maniac said:


> A good place to check for reviews on PSUs is JonnyGURU.



TPUs crmaris does excellent PSU reviews as well, although there wont be as many as JohnnyGuru, his work is just as thorough.


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## Vayra86 (Apr 24, 2017)

Just stick with the PSU.

You can use OCCT and stress test while monitoring the +12V voltage stability. If it stays within ATX spec, you're fine. If it falls out or is on the low side, replacing it can be a good move.

It's not like a quality PSU failing will take down other components. PC just won't boot, and that's when you replace.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 24, 2017)

m1dg3t said:


> A quality PSU that is run well within spec and kept clean can last indefinately. Efficiency will suffer over time. Just my opinion...


That's just a technical fact, not opinion. 

Other influencing factors are environment (not just dust, but ambient temps) and the quality and reliability of the power being fed to the power supply. If the computer is stuffed into an unventilated, hot computer closet, that likely will shorted the life of the supply and other components too. And if the power off the grid is unstable and/or has many extreme surges and spikes, or extreme sags or frequent outages, that can affect longevity too.



Vayra86 said:


> It's not like a quality PSU failing will take down other components.


That's not necessarily true. While very rare these days with quality supplies, a catastrophic power supply failure can indeed take out connected devices.

The fact is, by far, the majority of supplies are replaced because more power is needed, different connectors are needed, or just because the user wants a new supply with other upgrades.

I "expect" my supplies to last until I decide I want to replace my computer. And they typically do.


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## Derek12 (Apr 24, 2017)

trparky said:


> I have a Corsair TX750 Watt power supply and it's been through a couple of builds. I've had it for the last five years (I think). Just how long are these things expected to last?


Many years if:

Quality PSU
Quality mains supply or UPS
Run below its maximum load.
Kept clean.
Avoiding unnecessary power cycles
Kept it cool.
Just keep in mind that efficiency will drop, voltages will have more ripple and power delivery will drop as well. Also voltage output can vary and even go out of range


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## Ithanul (Apr 24, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> I also have a corsair (CX 600 tho),  from  2011 ,and I don't like to depend on it but it still works beautifully . so what I do is keep it ,and use it to prime water cooling ,test PCs ,or in a pinch I have a back up. But I never depend on it for a day-to-day basis


Same thing I do with my Corsair TX750.

Always nice to keep backups on hand.


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## yogurt_21 (Apr 24, 2017)

5-10 years for quality brands 10+ if you paid for ultra platinum

3 years for normal brands under normal use

less than one day, the kind that come with the case you just bought.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 24, 2017)

3 years? Nah. Not if properly sized from the start. It should be noted there are countless factory made computers with generic, off-brand budget computers that have been running for 7, 8, 10 years or longer. And worse(?), many of these computers have never, not once, been opened up for cleaning.  Yet they still chug along every day without problems. 

A PSU being cheap does not suggest early failure. It just means it will likely have a bell shaped efficiency curve, not flat, and a peak efficiency of around 70%, not 80 - 95%. It likely will have higher ripple, and perhaps a noisy fan. But it still must meet ATX and the necessary UL and other fire and safety standards. 

Electronics in general, either fail within the first few "_hours_" of use, or they last many many years - if not abused. 

Why are there still 100s of millions of XP, Vista, and Windows 7 machines still in use? Because they won't die!!! 



yogurt_21 said:


> 10+ if you paid for ultra platinum


"Ultra" platinum? No such category that I have heard of. Got an example?

80 PLUS Certification Categories.


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## dirtyferret (Apr 24, 2017)

I see cheap 250-300w PSU in office desktops go 8-10+ years.  They run for 40-60 hours a week 52 times a year in cases that have no fans and filled with enough dust to fill a liter soda bottle.

I have an antec earth watt 400w unit that is heading into its tenth year even though it only came with a three year warranty.  

There are so many factors to take into account but length of time since you bought the unit really isn't as important especially if you don't use the unit that often.  My gaming PC gets used around five maybe eight hours per week and has been powered by a corsair TX-M 650w since 2011.


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## dirtyferret (Apr 24, 2017)

Bill_Bright said:


> "Ultra" platinum? No such category that I have heard of. Got an example?
> 
> 80 PLUS Certification Categories.



Hercules makes Ultra Platinum Plus PSU, Jonnyguru reviewed one a while back
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=324


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## Kanan (Apr 24, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> Hercules makes Ultra Platinum Plus PSU, Jonnyguru reviewed one a while back
> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=324


Haha I laughed my ass off while reading this, thanks. "Wonder of wonders".


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## 64K (Apr 24, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> Hercules makes Ultra Platinum Plus PSU, Jonnyguru reviewed one a while back
> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=324



What a piece of shit fire hazard that PSU is in the review. a 0.4 out of 10 lol

I forget which PSU it was now but one sad PSU actually exploded while he was testing it.

I honestly don't know how some PSU manufacturers get away with the garbage they sell without being sued.


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## Frag_Maniac (Apr 24, 2017)

Proof that Gold or Platinum rating does not automatically mean a good PSU. That is by far the worst rating I've ever seen on a PSU. One that most would expect would come from a generic OEM non rated unit.


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## Tomgang (Apr 24, 2017)

Lifespan of an PSU depends on many things. Such as heat, workload (there is a difference between a PSU work at 50 % load most of the time vs. one at its peak most of the time), the quality of components among things to consider.

with that said my Thermaltake toughpower 1500 watt runs at its 8 year now, but this PSU has not been at hard work at all, its hardest time where back then i ran GTX 285 triple SLI, but since GPU has become more and more power efficiant and has also since only run 2 way sli so that does not give the PSU a hard time. I think when my pc runs at it peak it consumes about 700-800 watt with overclock as it is configered right now and so this PSU even at peak only has about 50 % load and most of the time more like 5 % to 25 % load. Thats to be considered also.


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## Solaris17 (Apr 24, 2017)

Dont forget that the capacitance of the caps also degrades over time (which affect max output and ripple). Though I dont remember the equation for the avg % per year.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 24, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> Hercules makes Ultra Platinum Plus PSU, Jonnyguru reviewed one a while back


 What drugs are you taking? It must be extremely hallucinogenic!  No where in that review does it say anything about "Ultra" or "Platinum" - not even on the images of the PSU or the box it came in. In fact, it says in the review it has no 80 PLUS certs.

And regardless, I say again, there is no such category of "Ultra Platinum". If any PSU states that, it is just marketing hype - like "The Quicker Picker Upper" or "The Ultimate Driving Machine" - only in that case, BMW at least tries to back it up.



Solaris17 said:


> Dont forget that the capacitance of the caps also degrades over time (which affect max output and ripple). Though I dont remember the equation for the avg % per year.


I don't believe there is a formula. There are several types of capacitors with different compositions. And such aging is affected by different environmental conditions. They don't all suffer from the same affect at the same rate.

But "capacitor aging" of the type you describe does not relate to failure of the device. The efficiency and output power may degrade, but the device still works. Capacitor aging comes into play when initially sizing your PSU at purchase to make sure you always have sufficient power for the expected lifespan of the computer.


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## Dippyskoodlez (Apr 24, 2017)

My PC Power and cooling (Pre OCZ) is going on 11 years old this year, and still not a single complaint.

My EVGA 1600W T2 also has a 10 year warranty.

A solid PSU will last a very, very, very, very long time.


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## ahujet (Apr 24, 2017)

Dippyskoodlez said:


> My PC Power and cooling (Pre OCZ) is going on 11 years old this year, and still not a single complaint.
> 
> My EVGA 1600W T2 also has a 10 year warranty.
> 
> A solid PSU will last a very, very, very, very long time.



I hope mine lasts that long, paid like 150 euros for it


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## dirtyferret (Apr 24, 2017)

Bill_Bright said:


> What drugs are you taking? It must be extremely hallucinogenic!  No where in that review does it say anything about "Ultra" or "Platinum" - not even on the images of the PSU or the box it came in. In fact, it says in the review it has no 80 PLUS certs.



It's not Ultra Platinum but Ultra Platinum _Plus_.  Think of the 80+ ranking more like a circle then a chart, Ultra Platinum Plus is such a higher level then any other PSU (80 plus titanium) it starts at the bottom.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 24, 2017)

Cvrk said:


> i have a Corsair CX 600. Not so good anymore, but still working, going strong on almost 8 years.



 I also have the same power supply and it still kicking after six or seven years. I've heard so many people badmouth those CX power supplies but they kick ass. I mean the proof is in the pudding. Ive installed a few of them outside of my own  computers for friends, etc as well ,and those are still also running strong. Maybe they used to use a better OEM unit, but whatever it is they're one of the more solid power supplies I've ever had/implemented. Certainly not the prettiest power supplies and they're not modular but definitely good quality components


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## dirtyferret (Apr 24, 2017)

I installed a cx430 bronze in my wife's PC.  Works great, you cant compare them to the HX series but they are not intended for that customer.


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## EarthDog (Apr 25, 2017)

trparky said:


> I have a Corsair TX750 Watt power supply and it's been through a couple of builds. I've had it for the last five years (I think). Just how long are these things expected to last?


Well past their warranty. A quality psu should be able to run 100% of its output for the length of its warranty. Now, most wouldnt, and shouldnt, run one that way, but they are going to last a while, well through their warranty,  in most cases.


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## Caring1 (Apr 25, 2017)

I've had OEM PSU's that have survived and surpassed the antiquated systems they powered.
10 years plus, chugging away for daily use in an old P4 Dell GX260 before retiring it due to it's age.


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## Cvrk (Apr 25, 2017)

Well. since we are talking... for about a year it started making coil noise (that very high noise that dogs and sometimes humans can hear)...only does it when the computer is turned off. And one of the 8 pin rails has problems, i use a different one for my gpu cuz i think i got 2...or 3(no idea). But it came with a 4 years warranty.  And i guess it did ok for that time. Problem is i have a very low power consumption pc. The cx 600 was a over kill from the start for my config. So for all these years it only did idle work, no stressing what so ever.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 25, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> It's not Ultra Platinum but Ultra Platinum _Plus_.


There is no such rating! Nor does it even say or show that in your own link to that review! It is not Ultra, it not Platinum and it is not Plus! Why are you making that up!  This is not a BS session but a technical discussion. Intentional misinformation, especially on technical facts like this does not help the discussion and especially not the OP or anyone else wondering about these PSUs. It just adds confusion. 

So PLEASE - stop making false claims about that Hercules, or any other PSU. There is NO SUCH THING as an Ultra Platinum or Ultra Platinum Plus rating. And that Hercules PSU is not certified anything, but trash! 

Once again, here are the only 80 PLUS certification ratings. If you believe you are telling the truth, please provide a link to support your claim.


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## dirtyferret (Apr 25, 2017)

Bill_Bright said:


> There is no such rating! Nor does it even say or show that in your own link to that review! It is not Ultra, it not Platinum and it is not Plus! Why are you making that up!  This is not a BS session but a technical discussion. Intentional misinformation, especially on technical facts like this does not help the discussion and especially not the OP or anyone else wondering about these PSUs. It just adds confusion.
> 
> So PLEASE - stop making false claims about that Hercules, or any other PSU. There is NO SUCH THING as an Ultra Platinum or Ultra Platinum Plus rating. And that Hercules PSU is not certified anything, but trash!
> 
> Once again, here are the only 80 PLUS certification ratings. If you believe you are telling the truth, please provide a link to support your claim.



this rant just made my morning


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## cdawall (Apr 25, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Well past their warranty. A quality psu should be able to run 100% of its output for the length of its warranty. Now, most wouldnt, and shouldnt, run one that way, but they are going to last a while, well through their warranty,  in most cases.



I miss the old PCP&C units that would comfortably run their constant out for life. My Enhance built TPQ850/1000/1200 I would trust to run forever as well.


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## Kanan (Apr 25, 2017)

@Bill_Bright you really need to learn to see sarcasm in future. He never was serious about that Ultra Platinum thing.


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## Athlonite (Apr 25, 2017)

It's all about quality and usage 

if you have a quality built PSU and you aren't pushing it to 100% all the time then a PSU should last you quite a while 

if you're worried about it then monitor the outputs as you stress it if you see drops in voltage nearing the max allowed then it's probably time for a new one if not then it's still good to go for a while longer


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## DRDNA (Apr 25, 2017)

as most have said if the PSU is kept relatively clean of dust and or oil residues then the PSU should last longer than you'll probably keep it for. As long as it wasn't pushed to its limits every day all day.


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## bonehead123 (Apr 25, 2017)

I have 2 no-name 500w units that were 2-3 yrs old when I got them used off fleebaer, and they are still running fine.....that was 9 years ago, and they have been running essentially 24/7 for all but 2 years of this time, during which they were used in entry-level gaming rigs 

However, the 700w Corsair I bought new about 3 years ago recently bit the dust, with only daily office work on the machine it was in...

so YMMV....


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## Athlonite (Apr 25, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> Hercules makes Ultra Platinum Plus PSU, Jonnyguru reviewed one a while back
> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=324




Thats the newly designated 9000 platinum Craptasticle sucksalot + isn't it


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 25, 2017)

bonehead123 said:


> However, the 700w Corsair I bought new about 3 years ago recently bit the dust


Corsairs, especially the entry level VS and CX and some CS models have really been a disappointment in the last few years. Corsair came on very strong when they first started providing supplies. If it said Corsair on the label you knew you had a quality supply. Then they seemed to try an live off their reputation, changed OEM suppliers on many of the their models, and clearly cut back on quality control. 

Surprisingly, one of the longest lasting power supplies I own is by another memory maker, Mushkin. I bought it over 10 years ago initially as the supply in my primary computer, then as the supply in my backup server. It is still going strong and as quiet as ever. 

@Kanan - I am sorry (to DF too) if I misunderstood. But this is a technical discussion in a technical forum. Not a BS session. Tone of voice and facial expressions cannot be seen or heard in the typed word. In communication, it is incumbent upon the messenger to express the message properly, as well as for the receiver to not read in something not there, in order for there to be understanding. So when sarcasm is intended, Smilies are available, just as you aptly used, to ensure the proper message is conveyed. The  or  are good for sarcasm and jokes. Perhaps DF first comment was meant in sarcasm. It did not read that way.


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## Kanan (Apr 25, 2017)

Man you can excuse all you want I don't share your opinion about things. You're totally full of yourself. The sarcasm was extremely obvious yet you (only you) missed it and now you're again starting a useless debate about it, like you always do. Get over yourself.


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## dirtyferret (Apr 25, 2017)

I never understood why people flip out over brands (and vast majority of PC parts are just brands) entering new price points.  Cooler Master, Thermaltake, EVGA sell some good PSU, some mediocre ones and some junk ones. 

Corsair comes out with the CX series and they were mediocre (one year warranty), they eventually improved them to bronze efficiency and stuck a three year warranty on them.  PC fan boys are crying "shame, shame" on a PSU clearly designed for a specific segment and price point.   Yet you change the brand name to Cooler Master and people say what great budget PSU.  

Ive owned lots of PSU and never had an issue with CWT (owned 3-4) or Delta (owned one) units.  I've owned 4-5 Seasonic units over the years and had issues with two of them.  Given a quality price point, most OEM can build a very good to excellent unit.  Given a sub standard price point, you get the Ultra Platinum Plus unit mentioned above that is the bane of Bill Bright.


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## Vayra86 (Apr 26, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> I never understood why people flip out over brands (and vast majority of PC parts are just brands) entering new price points.  Cooler Master, Thermaltake, EVGA sell some good PSU, some mediocre ones and some junk ones.
> 
> Corsair comes out with the CX series and they were mediocre (one year warranty), they eventually improved them to bronze efficiency and stuck a three year warranty on them.  PC fan boys are crying "shame, shame" on a PSU clearly designed for a specific segment and price point.   Yet you change the brand name to Cooler Master and people say what great budget PSU.
> 
> Ive owned lots of PSU and never had an issue with CWT (owned 3-4) or Delta (owned one) units.  I've owned 4-5 Seasonic units over the years and had issues with two of them.  Given a quality price point, most OEM can build a very good to excellent unit.  Given a sub standard price point, you get the Ultra Platinum Plus unit mentioned above that is the bane of Bill Bright.



I think part of this opinion stems from the fact that every consumer only sees a small handful of PSUs of which most of the time they have zero clue who manufactured it, they just see the brand name and that sets the opinion of the entire brand. It's highly unusual for two PSUs to fail in a lifetime of having PCs unless you really push them way past warranty - so the first time any PSU fails, it's considered shit. And because actual numbers about the fail rate of PSU's is pretty much nonexistant (also because these fail rates are generally quite low, DOA PSUs are much harder to find than DOA on any other PC component), that subjective experience is all we can use to gauge quality.

This explains how the CX line is not popular: they're one of the best sold PSUs for self built systems. High numbers = that 1-3% fail rate applies to a larger consumer group.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 26, 2017)

Brand loyalty stretches across all industries. Look how many on this site will only buy Intel or only buy AMD. Only Gigabyte or only ASUS motherboards. Only NVIDIA or only AMD graphics.

There are Ford truck owners who wouldn't be caught dead in a Chevy or RAM. And of course, Harley owners would never own a "rice burner" (no disrespect meant).

But it is not just brand loyalty but - don't know what to call it - "reverse brand loyalty". That is folks who will buy any brand but Brand XYZ because sometime in the past, Brand XYZ left them stranded, or their customer support upset them. So they will go out of their way to avoid Brand XYZ just to buy a different model from another brand, even though the XYZ may be better and cheaper. 

The issue about the Corsairs is a bit different, IMO because we are not talking about a lemon. Even the best models from the best makers can and will have a lemon every once in a while. It is then up to how the company deals with those lemons after the sell that matters and Corsair failed on two fronts there. First, they downgraded the quality of some of their models by switching the guts out with different OEM suppliers, while keeping the prices the same. Second, when more and more reports of prematurely failed units came in, they didn't help their customers out. They built up this stellar (and well earned) reputation, then (it would seem) greed crept in they started living on their laurels. A lesson they should have learned from Intel when AMD spanked them and it took nearly 15 years to catch up. 

I am a big fan of Gigabyte motherboards. Why? Well, they are good boards for one, but also because years ago, I had a "4" year old board fail due to leaky caps. I contacted Gigabyte and they apologized and RMA'ed me a new board. The bad board was already a year out of warranty and they replaced it anyway!  They didn't have to do that. But they obtained a "brand loyal" customer and have since got their money back many times over through many subsequent purchases.


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## Frag_Maniac (Apr 26, 2017)

Things used to not be this way though. A while back brands like Seasonic and Antec only put out high quality stuff. Since the global recession though most manufacturers went to a policy of providing units at all price points. Now the cash strapped customers are a much larger segment of their business, so they can't be ignored.


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## techtard (Apr 27, 2017)

I have several older high quality psus that are still kicking in older builds, 10-12+yrs and still completely stable. A good PSU will last until its cabling is obsolete and we've moved onto new connectors.


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## R-T-B (Apr 27, 2017)

techtard said:


> I have several older high quality psus that are still kicking in older builds, 10-12+yrs and still completely stable. A good PSU will last until its cabling is obsolete and we've moved onto new connectors.



It does indeed happen.  I have an old Delta Electronics PSU that's been running basically 24/7 in a Core 2 Duo server (Upgrade to a Core 2 Quad only a year in) for the past 10 years or so.


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## RejZoR (Apr 27, 2017)

Frag Maniac said:


> Things used to not be this way though. A while back brands like Seasonic and Antec only put out high quality stuff. Since the global recession though most manufacturers went to a policy of providing units at all price points. Now the cash strapped customers are a much larger segment of their business, so they can't be ignored.



Problem is, people think because it carries the same brand name, they are of same quality. I agree that most well known brand names still use reputable builders, but there are corners cut. Then again, I remember days when LC Power GP 550W units were pretty much in every system and they ran for years and years without issues. And I've heard their higher ranges are built by CWT so that's kinda cool. LC Power Arkangel 850W for around 100€ felt pretty damn good value. Modular cables, super quiet and actually nice looking unit. Amps also look decent enough, but it would require a professional test to see how good value it is in-depth. recently bought one because I had to troubleshoot my system quickly. Most others were well over 50€ more. Can't be that bad...

These days, it's actually hard to buy a really bad PSU unless you really go after total no-name unit. Even the cheapest ones usually have power delivery quality well over required standards.


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## EarthDog (Apr 27, 2017)

Frag Maniac said:


> Things used to not be this way though. A while back brands like Seasonic and Antec only put out high quality stuff. Since the global recession though most manufacturers went to a policy of providing units at all price points. Now the cash strapped customers are a much larger segment of their business, so they can't be ignored.


it has always been this way... some great psus, somw good, some terrible. Antec had some frightningly mediocre units several years ago...


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## dirtyferret (Apr 27, 2017)

Overall the PSU market is much better then it was years ago.  It used to be PC P&C and then Antec came along.  Your other choice was basically whatever came in your pre-built PC.


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## R-T-B (Apr 27, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> Your other choice was basically whatever came in your pre-built PC.



Deer...  *shudders*


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## stefanels (May 4, 2017)

My Corsair TX750M serves me form 2009 and it;s going like a champ... i have a spare PSU just in case (HX650W)


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