# New PSU, from good to cheap, advise!



## Fergutor (Sep 3, 2020)

So my old and trusty Cooler Master Silent Pro 700M appears to be finally giving up after more than 10 years of amazing service and surviving countless power shutdowns while protecting all my components.
http://us.coolermaster.com/product/Detail/powersupply/silent-pro-m/silent-pro-m700.html

Syptoms: not many actually, just bad smell at load. Otherwise it appears to be functioning alright.

I opened it 2 days ago, cleaned, cleaned the fan which wasn't making any noise...now it does a little noise  ..., which is weird because I repaired many similar fans with good results, removing the old grease and putting machine oil. One could say "well if it wasn't broken then why fix it?" Well, I had to, it was too dirty and I had to see if the problem was there. But didn't see anything in bad shape, no capacitor leaking or something burnt.
Sadly I don't recognize the smell, but I have a PSU laying around in very bad shape, that has that same smell, only many times stronger (that PSU wasn't mine).

So, due to the problems of buying during this pandemic and the typical problems of living in a 3rd world country, I have to buy quick and cheap and my best options right now are:
https://aerocool.io/product/cylon-700w-full-range/
https://www.gamemaxpc.com/productkkk/showproduct.php?id=679
Also the lower wattage versions of those that are barely cheaper.
My system is R5 1600 @ 3.7 or 3.8Ghz depending on the ambient temperature (at 3.8 the VRMs get to hot), probably will change it soon to a 3600.
MSi B350 Tomahawk
2x8GB 2666 Ballistix (about to change, hopefully)
MSi GTX 1660 Super Gaming X (had an Asus GTX 970 Strix OC until few weeks ago)
1 SSD
3 HDDs
Audigy Se PCI (which is why I have that motherboard and have to keep it)
3 12cm system fans
So, nothing spectacular or that consumes a lot.

So of the two, which one you like more?

I'm leaning towards the "Gamemax" (hate that name), because of the "*Durable hydraulic pressure bearing fan* " and the "ECO" feature that allows the fan to stop spinning when the load is less than 50%. I dont like the look it has with the ugly label and the colored connectors, but, ultimately: meh.
The Aerocool is prettier and the brand is better known. I don't care about the RGB. Not other important differences. The Aerocool says "APFC rates > 0.9" like my Cooler Master, the Gamemax doesn't say that.
Both are 80+ with claims of 85+ efficiency, and similar or same protection features. Both have fan control depending on the load and/or temperature (not sure) only the Gamemax allows to turn it off completely.
Can't find inside pictures of any but they do not look especially good for what I can see.

In the same store there are Seasonic Real Focus that costs more than double these ones and expensive enough not to be able to buy them. And not good other alternatives, at least not good prices and models.


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## TeeKayTK (Sep 3, 2020)

85+ Efficiency does not exist. They're lying.
More reason not to buy those two PSUs.
Check out Phanteks AMP and Corsair TXM.


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## jboydgolfer (Sep 3, 2020)

ive been buying Seasonic Focus + Golds for years now. theyre very reliable, & come with a long warranty ive never needed.  id go wit hreliable, or wait till you can go reliable. bad power supplies are wastes of time & money.


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## TeeKayTK (Sep 3, 2020)

jboydgolfer said:


> ive been buying Seasonic Focus + Golds for years now. theyre very reliable, & come with a long warranty ive never needed.  id go wit hreliable, or wait till you can go reliable. bad power supplies are wastes of time & money.











						Seasonic FOCUS PLUS PSUs Encounter GPU Compatibility Issues
					

It has been confirmed by Seasonic that their FOCUS PLUS power supplies are experiencing potential conflict with a select number of graphics cards. In regards to NVIDIA, the compatibility issue is currently limited to the ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX. In limited instances, this particular graphics...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



There are plenty of good PSUs that aren't Seasonic branded or even made. They're just one example.


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## Fergutor (Sep 3, 2020)

TeeKayTK said:


> Seasonic FOCUS PLUS PSUs Encounter GPU Compatibility Issues
> 
> 
> It has been confirmed by Seasonic that their FOCUS PLUS power supplies are experiencing potential conflict with a select number of graphics cards. In regards to NVIDIA, the compatibility issue is currently limited to the ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX. In limited instances, this particular graphics...
> ...



Well that was quick haha. Now, how interesting that problem because last year I tested a Zotac GTX 970 with my CM Silent Pro and had that blackscreen problem and I was sure the problem was exactly that, rippling or some extreme peak problem with that GPU, which worked fine on a 1000Watts CM. Also tested on an EVGA 650W and same problem. My brother had the same GPU model and didn't had the issue with my PSU. Also my brother has the same PSU as I have but the 600W model.
The Asus GTX 970 Strix OC I had until few weeks ago didn't have that issue.



TeeKayTK said:


> 85+ Efficiency does not exist. They're lying.
> More reason not to buy those two PSUs.
> Check out Phanteks AMP and Corsair TXM.



Well then Cooler Master lies too: "The Silent Pro M700 is 80Plus certified with a stalwart efficiency rating of 85% and an active PFC keenly minim..."
Well actually they say this:
Aerocool: "• 80Plus Bronze Certified for up to 85%+ efficiency"
Gamemax: "Efficiency： 85+ Bronze" and then
"

Technical Specifications80PLUS®APFC 80+ Plus CompliantEfficiency Level80+ Bronze
"
Also, remember, I don't have other choices for the moment.


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## dirtyferret (Sep 3, 2020)

the aerocool is made by Andyson which is a confirmed company that has made power supplies...and that gives it a leg up on the gamemax


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## Fergutor (Sep 3, 2020)

dirtyferret said:


> the aerocool is made by Andyson which is a confirmed company that has made power supplies...and that gives it a leg up on the gamemax


Good, thanks!

Now that I remember, the Silent Pro started to smell bad since I installed the 1660 Super...
Last night I furiously played and before that I brutally stressed it and not a strange thing, not loss of stability not voltage drop out of the normal (12v for example always a maximum of 12.384 or 12.288, 12.096 if I stress either to GPU or the CPU and a minimum of 12.000 with both, according to HWiNFO64v6.30-4240), only the bad smell.



dirtyferret said:


> the aerocool is made by Andyson which is a confirmed company that has made power supplies...and that gives it a leg up on the gamemax


I just found out that a Chinese company named "SOHOO" makes the units for Gamemax. Any good?


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## dirtyferret (Sep 4, 2020)

Fergutor said:


> I just found out that a Chinese company named "SOHOO" makes the units for Gamemax. Any good?



It seems Gamemax is the brand name for SOHOO products but I have never seen them used for any other brand power supply and there are no professional reviews of them to my knowledge.  Checking TPU's review database they seem primarily a case manufacturer.  I would personally avoid them until they started to have their PSU reviewed by professionals.


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## Fergutor (Sep 4, 2020)

dirtyferret said:


> It seems Gamemax is the brand name for SOHOO products but I have never seen them used for any other brand power supply and there are no professional reviews of them to my knowledge.  Checking TPU's review database they seem primarily a case manufacturer.  I would personally avoid them until they started to have their PSU reviewed by professionals.


Ok thank you, will do that, will buy the Aerocool Cylon. Pity because the Gamemax looks good with nice features, but you're right...I mean both are very dubious and cheap especially compared with my Cooler Master. But as I said, can't buy anything else right now. BTW here is a look at the insides 







  ...don't like...
I was thinking, as my problem started when installing the new GPU (1660 Super OC), could it simply be incompatibility? Some way the GPU works that this PSU isn't prepared for? Similar to the Seasonic problem pointed out above?


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## moproblems99 (Sep 4, 2020)

Fergutor said:


> Now that I remember, the Silent Pro started to smell bad since I installed the 1660 Super...
> Last night I furiously played and before that I brutally stressed it and not a strange thing, not loss of stability not voltage drop out of the normal (12v for example always a maximum of 12.384 or 12.288, 12.096 if I stress either to GPU or the CPU and a minimum of 12.000 with both, according to HWiNFO64v6.30-4240), only the bad smell.



If you replaced grease with oil then I suspect some oil leaked out on some warm components.


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## Deleted member 191766 (Sep 4, 2020)

Fergutor said:


> Syptoms: not many actually, just bad smell at load.




Look for the slightest bulge on the top of a capacitor.


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## Icon Charlie (Sep 4, 2020)

You people already know my viewpoint on name brand product these days as more often than not you are paying extra for that brand name and nothing else.  You also know how I keep my PSU's  under the PSU's 50% load in order to keep the PSU's to last longer.

That saying I have a aerocool 750 gold I bought in 2017 in one of my computers.  I've had no issues with it.  It also had good reviews as well.


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## Fergutor (Sep 4, 2020)

moproblems99 said:


> If you replaced grease with oil then I suspect some oil leaked out on some warm components.


No, the smell came before I put oil. It started when I installed the new GPU, and also, now that I remember I cleaned the whole machine, so probably dust burning...but don't know.



Anwar.Shiekh said:


> Look for the slightest bulge on the top of a capacitor.


Yeah I did but not thoroughly, I was more worried of cleaning it. Will do again.



Icon Charlie said:


> You people already know my viewpoint on name brand product these days as more often than not you are paying extra for that brand name and nothing else.  You also know how I keep my PSU's  under the PSU's 50% load in order to keep the PSU's to last longer.
> 
> That saying I have a aerocool 750 gold I bought in 2017 in one of my computers.  I've had no issues with it.  It also had good reviews as well.


I am of that opinion since many years ago, but lately don't have the experience due to not changing PSU and the many brands and lines appearing in the market.


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## moproblems99 (Sep 4, 2020)

Icon Charlie said:


> more often than not you are paying extra for that brand name and nothing else.



In some things yes, take Apple for example.  The components are not that much different from any other phone.  PSUs, on the other hand, are the life blood and a poor decision can affect every other component.  No name PSU brands require far more scrutiny and if someone is asking, they likely don't have the knowledge to make that observation.



Icon Charlie said:


> keep my PSU's under the PSU's 50% load in order to keep the PSU's to last longer.



That doesn't mean they will last longer.  Too many variables besides load.


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## Fergutor (Sep 4, 2020)

moproblems99 said:


> PSUs, on the other hand, are the life blood and a poor decision can affect every other component.  No name PSU brands require far more scrutiny and if someone is asking, they likely don't have the knowledge to make that observation.



I'm really trying to find more info, I was seeing the insides of the Aerocool in that video and doesn't look good (small...everything). The Gamemax, I can't find anything yet (I did find from other models and they look very good) but here in the high res pictures from the back you can see that it has at least slightly bigger heatsinks and a pcb that seems to be one of those protection that by the way the PS supposedly has some more protection than the Aerocool (_OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP_ vs _OPP/OVP/UVP/SCP_). Then the cables, the package (then the link to the video that shows this, and also there are Amazon reviews) , the fan, everything seems "more quality" (ok, only accesories some of this, not internal electronic components) than the Aerocool.








EDIT: aah sorry that is the RGB version (sigh...) not the one I'm considering to buy, but the package, cables and accesories seem to be the same, look at the amazon reviews of the 600W VP 600 model.

So, now I'm doubting..which is why I didn't buy yet. Aerocool seems more "brand", more known, but the Gamemax seems more feature oriented, alleged quality and better in package and some components.


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## Deleted member 191766 (Sep 4, 2020)

A more efficient power supply needs less cooling and transistors and diodes are more efficient run hot, so the heatsink might be small on purpose.


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## Fergutor (Sep 4, 2020)

Anwar.Shiekh said:


> A more efficient power supply needs less cooling and transistors and diodes are more efficient run hot, so the heatsink might be small on purpose.


True, but they look cheap, I mean the same as in those grey 200W ultra generic power supplies.


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## Deleted member 191766 (Sep 4, 2020)

Probably wise


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## dirtyferret (Sep 4, 2020)

Fergutor said:


> True, but they look cheap, I mean the same as in those grey 200W ultra generic power supplies.


Without an actual breakdown of the parts it's tough to say they are cheap just because of the color.  That said, they are both very cheaply built for a specific market and budget.  The question is are they dangerous to your other hardware?

If it was me I would keep looking but like I said previously, at least the areocool is made by a company that has a history of making PSU (mostly cheap ones for cooler master)


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## Fergutor (Sep 5, 2020)

dirtyferret said:


> Without an actual breakdown of the parts it's tough to say they are cheap just because of the color.  That said, they are both very cheaply built for a specific market and budget.  The question is are they dangerous to your other hardware?
> 
> If it was me I would keep looking but like I said previously, at least the areocool is made by a company that has a history of making PSU (mostly cheap ones for cooler master)


No, the colour I meant of the PSU case.
4:08 in the video (don't know why it starts at the beginning) you can see the heatsinks. They are cheap, lowest quality. Now, how important this really is in that specific PSU I don't know, I'm trying to gather all little info I can given the lack of proper reviews of both PSUs, lack of reputation and any other info that could lead me to a safe desicion. I agree with you that Aerocool as brand seems safer but looking at the details betwee this two models...don't know...Think that I'm buying low quality PSUs at the price, in exchange, US citizens buy high quality high tier PSUs, and worse because of the relative value of other items it's somewhat like a US citizen spending ~900Us$. So I have to choose very well!! ...It was way easier when I bought that Cooler Master, for sure haha.


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## Final_Fighter (Sep 5, 2020)

if it where me, id go with the areocool if i absolutely had to choose. and to be honest, the heatsinks dont look horrible. i would be more concerned about the thermal material used between the transistors and the heatsink. and judging from that video it actually looks like they took the time to put something there for heat transfer. aside from that, it actually looks similar to most lower name brand tier power supplys. 

just my opinion tho.


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## Fergutor (Sep 5, 2020)

I found a place that probably has the Gigabyte P650B ("probably" because it's a store that has the reputation of not always having what they have listed in their site).
It looks to me, on the insisdes, about as cheap as the others. Here and here are some pictures of the insides.
Any opinions on that one?


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## Final_Fighter (Sep 5, 2020)

the gigabyte psu is using  Nichicon caps and solid state capacitors. this is a no brainer, go for the gigabyte one if you can get ahold of it.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 5, 2020)

TeeKayTK said:


> 85+ Efficiency does not exist. They're lying.
> More reason not to buy those two PSUs.



They are both 80+ Bronze certified, that literally means 85% efficient.  Neither are claiming to have some 85+ certification, they both say "80+ Bronze for up to 85% efficiency".  Neither are lying here.


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## Secret Rival (Sep 5, 2020)

This is what I have, is is a Thermaltake Tough Power Grand Series - RGB 750W with 80+ gold rating.

I've been using Thermaltake parts when I can since they're all going in a Thermaltake view 71 case
which is a heavy monster but I like that it is modular - just like this PSU. I would suggest a modular PSU for the
ease of only using what you need, and less clutter.

Allso, The Thermaltake UX100 CPU cooler is really nice - huge, but nice. Take a look when ypou have a moment.

Here is a link to the T.T. PSU 






						Amazon.com: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 750W 80+ Gold Smart Zero 256-Color RGB Fan Fully Modular Power Supply 10 YR Warranty PS-TPG-0750FPCGUS-R: Computers & Accessories
					

Buy Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 750W 80+ Gold Smart Zero 256-Color RGB Fan Fully Modular Power Supply 10 YR Warranty PS-TPG-0750FPCGUS-R: Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com


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## Fergutor (Sep 5, 2020)

Final_Fighter said:


> the gigabyte psu is using  Nichicon caps and solid state capacitors. this is a no brainer, go for the gigabyte one if you can get ahold of it.


True didn't noticed it. Thanks!


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## dirtyferret (Sep 5, 2020)

Fergutor said:


> I found a place that probably has the Gigabyte P650B ("probably" because it's a store that has the reputation of not always having what they have listed in their site).
> It looks to me, on the insisdes, about as cheap as the others. Here and here are some pictures of the insides.
> Any opinions on that one?


It's a cheap fan but they actually use some nippon caps in there.  I would easily take this unit over those other two units if I had choose among the three.


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## Fergutor (Sep 5, 2020)

Secret Rival said:


> This is what I have, is is a Thermaltake Tough Power Grand Series - RGB 750W with 80+ gold rating.
> 
> I've been using Thermaltake parts when I can since they're all going in a Thermaltake view 71 case
> which is a heavy monster but I like that it is modular - just like this PSU. I would suggest a modular PSU for the
> ...



Nice and thanks, but I can't choose for the moment, due to the situaion. The Aerocool (Cylon 500-600 and700W) and the Gamemax (VP 600 650 and 800W, VP 600 RGB, and the GP 500 and 650) PSUs are the only ones available at a reasonable price, probably the Gigabyte also if it's really in stock. Everything else here is ridiculously expensive. I could order from Newegg, Amazon and others but it will take months to get here, if it ever gets here, unbroken, and at from 150% to 200%+ the price.
BTW my current dying (?) Cooler Master is semi modular and yes that's very convenient.
From TT here I can only get the SMART series White and White RGB, then something from Corsair, Seasonic, all at horrible prices.



dirtyferret said:


> It's a cheap fan but they actually use some nippon caps in there.  I would easily take this unit over those other two units if I had choose among the three.



Monday will see if it's actually available.

Today I disassembled my PSU again (only removed the cover, nothing else) and noticed nothing weird, looked at all the capacitors and all look perfect (no bulge, no stain, tops flats and clean), the PCB looks perfect (only from the top), the chips, resistors, chokes, everything looks good. I did removed more dust and other dirt and I tested again, stiil working perfectly, still emitting odor, probably not that strong. But I don't know if it's really less strong or is it just me getting used to it...
I will try to contact some technician to tell me what's that smell.


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## Fergutor (Sep 9, 2020)

Ok today I took out the PSU, removed the cover with the fan, plugged all in and let the PSU outside, on top of the case and tested that way...And apparently the smell is not coming from the PSU but somewhere else  . I have no idea where it's coming from and all is working perfectly. Turns out that the smell is stronger when I stress the computer only because the fans start to move more air, which is what I also thought before because I had the theory that the smell didn't originate from the computer but from something outside that has that smell, it filled the computer and now the smell got stuck in my computer and that's why it's stronger when I turn it on first time everyday...but for a month?! I checked the motherboard and some of the cables and all looks fine, then I will check the rest...At least I don't have to buy a shitty PSU...

Now given that my PSU is 10 years old and one transformer inside is making a not loud coil whine noise that can be noticeable when close to the PSU... do you think I should change it anyway, but for some good one like the Seasonic GM550 (now that the problem those had is fixed)?


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## R-T-B (Sep 9, 2020)

I'd replace any PSU at 10 years as a matter of course, so yeah.


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## sean8102 (Oct 8, 2021)

I'm sorry for bumping a old thread. But when doing research on the Gamemax RGB 850 this is one of the first things that comes up.

I bought one during that period when PSUs were hard to get because everyone wanted a new one for the RTX 3000 series (if only I had known I wouldn't get my turn on EVGA's waiting list till late Sep 2021!). Anyways I got the email from EVGA and bought a RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra. Before that I had a EVGA GTX 1080 SC. I have an 8700K OC @ 4.7 Ghz all core, 2 PCI-E NVME SSD's, 2x 3TB 7200 RPM HDD's, and 3 140MM Be Quiet case fans.

The PSU worked perfectly when I got it. I was never able to hear its fan no matter if I was gaming or running some sort of CPU/GPU burn in program. I was also quite impressed with how quality it felt from the get-go in terms of packaging, presentation, feel etc.

However, once I got my RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra it's now giving me a problem. It gets REALLY loud when I play any game. Within 1 minute of launching a game the PSU fan ramps up to what has to be it's max speed. Every PSU calculator I've used says my system most likely draws about 650W under full load. So 850W should be just fine. But it seems the Gamemax RGB 850 can't handle it.

I couldn't find anything online about others having this issue, and this PSU actually has a good number of customer reviews on Amazon and Newegg. Including people with newer more power hungry CPU's than me and RTX 3090's saying their Gamemax RGB 850 is silent while gaming.

So I email customer service. Don't hear anything for 5 days. Send another e-mail saying I'm updating my Amazon review to let people know that there is no real warranty on this product because customer service simply dose not respond.

Next day I get a reply, they claim that the e-mail where I said I was gonna update my amazon review was the first they have gotten from me which is simply not true. But in order to even get them to make a decision on an RMA I have to do the regular stuff. Order number / image of invoice, computer specs. But they also require me to record a video of the PSU and show how loud it gets. That's just crazy if you ask me.

I actually just remembered that it comes with a card stating if you register the PSU with them (which I did as soon as I got it), you get 8 years of warranty instead of 5 and more importantly 24 months instead of 12 to get "a full refund". So that's what I'm gonna tell them. I just want my money back. I got all the box and all the packaging it came in, every book, card etc. I'll request for them to make good on that guarantee. Won't be surprised if they don't though.

Oh, take the customer reviews with a grain of salt anyways, they include a card asking you to email them your "thoughts" on the product. They reply asking you to give them a review on amazon, include pictures etc. Once you do that, they claim they will send you a free RGB mouse pad. So basically, bribe you for a positive amazon review.


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