Dead PSU after 2 weeks

Dolby

Dolby

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So I bought a cheap PSU 2 weeks back and today I get home - dead.

It's Matrix Warehouse - generally quite good?
Think they'll replace it or anything?
Surely some type of guarantee - or will they say lightening or some other reason?

On another note - do you get SILENT PSU units at all?
 
Can't see your area...

If somewhere inJhb or Pta areas, there was a nasty thunderstorm this afternooon. the lightening could have zapped it, if plugged in.

No manufacturer warrantees against lightening.
 
First off you got a cheap PSU ;)
Matrix warehouse should generally honor warranties, unless there is physical damage or seals broken ect, they are bound by the CPA after all, if you still have your till slip of course.They just have to establish that it is indeed a faulty product, but generally it shouldn't be a problem.

As for a silent PSU there is nothing like a cheap silent PSU, if they do exist they not going to last very long,as a rule of thumb you need to spend a min of a grand on a PSU.

Corsair makes some semi silent PSU's, albeit I would stay away from the their lower end offerings and CWT build units, as they aren't that good, TX range and upwards, do have a slight distaste for for the sirfa based TX range as they are over priced, and the topology used isn't that great. The New RM series is made by CWT (channel well) average performance, soldering is sloppy, and has a minor design flaw on it's 5volt rail which makes it incompatible with older hardware, in particular Mboards that still use 20 pin power connector.

Going to cost you at least 2.5k for a good silent/semi silent solution that won't go up in a puff of smoke in 2 weeks time, only alternatives I can think of, of hand is seasonic based silent PSU's but they are going to cost you, you could go cheaper, problem is often these cheaper silent solutions uses second tier caps, which simply don't take kindly to heat, and often enough the 5volt standby rail cap blows, because of heating issues and poor cap quality.

You best bet is seasonic, as they do have completely silent solutions, albeit corsair uses seasonic in some of their builds, their fan controllers can troublesome and make more noise than a PSU with a larger lower RPM fan,135mm/140mm fans still offer plenty airflow and a much lower RPM.


Other PSU's to consider is Coolermaster slient pro series, general a fair PSU, alebit 5volt rail isn't that great at all, and bequiet, prides them self on their PSU's noise levels, and they are generally good all round.

As a suggestion unless you can temp control your PC room stick to a semi silent solution, temps are going to be your worse nightmare, as PSU's derate as much as 10 watts per degree over the temp threshold.
 
Have a pretty good Corsair tx650 psu in my garage. Should still have a year or two warranty left. You're welcome to it for a couple hundred bucks if you can get it from me. Send me a PM if you're interested. I'm Sandton most days.
 
Venomous said:
If somewhere inJhb or Pta areas, there was a nasty thunderstorm this afternooon. the lightening could have zapped it, if plugged
Click to expand...

That was my initial thought too, as we had the brunt of the storm.

But my electric fence is good and everything that was plugged in - AV amp, preamp, TV, ADSL router (plugged in) etc - what are the odds of only a PC going?
 
wizardofid said:
First off you got a cheap
Click to expand...

Tell me about it - and 2 weeks I bragged on this very forum that the case AND PSU were 300 or so :(

I don't need a silent solution - just quieter. I ran XBMC on an HP microserver and that was pretty quiet. If i could achieve that, I'm happy. The PC only runs XBMC and my media.

On another note - I notice it was only a 230w supplier ... Could I be overdriving it with four HDDs and a cheap GT210 GFX card? So different CPU have different requirements? I ran a Q9300 Core2Quad as well
 
Messugga said:
Have a pretty good Corsair tx650 psu in my garage. Should still have a year or two warranty left. You're welcome to it for a couple hundred bucks if you can get it from me. Send me a PM if you're interested. I'm Sandton most days.
Click to expand...

Pm sent
 
Dolby said:
That was my initial thought too, as we had the brunt of the storm.

But my electric fence is good and everything that was plugged in - AV amp, preamp, TV, ADSL router (plugged in) etc - what are the odds of only a PC going?
Click to expand...
Ouch.

Not impossible, has happened to many others.
 
Dolby said:
Tell me about it - and 2 weeks I bragged on this very forum that the case AND PSU were 300 or so :(

I don't need a silent solution - just quieter. I ran XBMC on an HP microserver and that was pretty quiet. If i could achieve that, I'm happy. The PC only runs XBMC and my media.

On another note - I notice it was only a 230w supplier ... Could I be overdriving it with four HDDs and a cheap GT210 GFX card? So different CPU have different requirements? I ran a Q9300 Core2Quad as well
Click to expand...

Hard lesson learned, eh :p

Seasonic has a 500watt bronze unit, and it's silent, low wattage unit's generally don't pose a problem as they generate little heat to be concerned about.

However 230watt psu, if it a cheap unit, like you say, if you supply a picture of the label, I can quickly tell you what is what, there is the odd chance it's overrated, or peak and continuous ratings are day and night, but sounds like the 5volt standby went poof on the PSU, it's the most common component to go, cheap or expensive ;)

Good luck shopping for a new one :p
 
Dolby said:
Tell me about it - and 2 weeks I bragged on this very forum that the case AND PSU were 300 or so :(

I don't need a silent solution - just quieter. I ran XBMC on an HP microserver and that was pretty quiet. If i could achieve that, I'm happy. The PC only runs XBMC and my media.

On another note - I notice it was only a 230w supplier ... Could I be overdriving it with four HDDs and a cheap GT210 GFX card? So different CPU have different requirements? I ran a Q9300 Core2Quad as well
Click to expand...

Hard lesson learned, eh :p

Seasonic has a 500watt bronze unit, and it's silent, low wattage unit's generally don't pose a problem as they generate little heat to be concerned about.

However 230watt psu, if it a cheap unit, like you say, if you supply a picture of the label, I can quickly tell you what is what, there is the odd chance it's overrated, or peak and continuous ratings are day and night, but sounds like the 5volt standby went poof on the PSU, it's the most common component to go, cheap or expensive ;)

Good luck shopping for a new one :p
 
I would say that all proper branded PSU's are silent, the only mechanical part in a PSU is the fan.
 
First of all...a PSU is much more important than you think, so you going to want to invest in something expensive...This is one of your most important components and should last you 5 to 10 years...invest invest invest in your PSU.

As for silent PSUs, no such thing under R3000. From experience, the Zalman 600HP and Coolermaster sm2 is on point. I don't hear it because my GFX card is louder than both PSUs combined.

A PSU with a fan that is at least 140mm big is what you should also be looking for.
 
CamiKaze said:
A PSU with a fan that is at least 140mm big is what you should also be looking for.
Click to expand...

Guy said the majority are 120 :(

I'm looking for silent - something like my HP microserver is fine ... that enerates noise, but not too much to be intrusive. In fact, I hardly notice it

This PC only runs XBMC - that's it. I don't really want to spend R1,000+
 
Dolby said:
Guy said the majority are 120 :(

I'm looking for silent - something like my HP microserver is fine ... that enerates noise, but not too much to be intrusive. In fact, I hardly notice it

This PC only runs XBMC - that's it. I don't really want to spend R1,000+
Click to expand...

yeah no one wants to spend a lot on a PSU but they don't know how important it is to have an expensive one. Its a worthy investment. If you get a power surge on a cheap PSU then your PSU and Mobo can die at the same time.

I don't know if your warranty covers it but you should add electric damage to your insurance policy as well.
 
Dolby said:
Guy said the majority are 120 :(

I'm looking for silent - something like my HP microserver is fine ... that enerates noise, but not too much to be intrusive. In fact, I hardly notice it

This PC only runs XBMC - that's it. I don't really want to spend R1,000+
Click to expand...

With a quality PSU the fan will spin very little, if at all, FYI. My 1.2kW Antec for example, hasn't ever seen its fan spinning with the load I put it under.
 
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