Power Supply blew - took out almost everything that wasn't under warantee...

T

tom61

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
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My power supply blew last week. Details: I had just put in a new CMOS battery because I kept getting CMOS errors at startup, then I plugged everything back in, and as I'm walking around to turn on the PC (I have my desk setup so I can walk around to connect wires and such), I hear 'Cra-CRACK!' . I run back to unplug it. No smoke, no weird smells. Plug the power back in, go around to the front, hit power, nothing. :( Tryed the power supply with a different motherboard, nothing.

Ordered new powersupply, Allied 500W (max) with 2 year warantee. Recieved it a few days ago, test it on the other system (oohhh, pretty LED fans), works fine. Plug it in to new system, hit power, everything spins up, but nothing is displayed on screen, and no beeps. Hitting power button doesn't turn it off, even holding it down doesn't work. I flick off the rear switch, and strip everything down to the motherboard, CPU, & RAM. Hit power, beep codes for 'No AGP card found'. Turn off (button works fine now) system, put video card back in, no beep codes nothing on screen, power button doesn't work. I switch it off, and check the seating of the card, it's hot! 10 seconds of power and its hot to the touch. :mad:

I've been testing out stuff for the past few days, and here's the list of what died:

Geforce 2 card, got it from Compgeeks over a year ago, 90 day warantee

10GB HD I had Linux on, got it off the [H]ardforum's FS/T

2x DVD drive, several years old

PS itself was 300W (Max) that was several years old and came with Full Tower case for $50, been mening to replace it for some time. (Was my 'spare' PS until I shorted out the 400W I used to have in my system)

Floppy drive

What survived:
Motherboard, retail box had a several year warantee, probably still valid, though I haven't checked.

60GB HD, retail 1 year warantee, bought less than one year ago

256MB DDR, retail, got for a gift last christmas

DVD+-RW 8x, 90 warantee, less than 90 days old

A bit ironic, considering the 10GB and 60 GB were connected to the same power splitter!
 
Did you plug everything in again? :D lol
Well that sound is synonymous with a blowing PSU, but not necessarily with fried computer parts. But the problem you described is that of a dead or partially dead vid card, my card does the same every now and then. The motherboard waits for the card to boot up, but it doesn't, causing the system to hang. So it isn't mobo, and not necessarily CPU. Time for new Vid card and other components you listed.
 
the motherboard survived? :eek: And you'd better watch/listen to that 60GB hard drive. Disaster could be right around the corner.

seriously, I feel for you. I hate reading these posts, it makes me said :-[
 
Why would you order an Allied 500w? Dont you know your suppost to ask us here on Hard what to order before you order anything, especially a PSU! lol

Allied PSU's are a piece of shit. And since you ordered one of those the second time i'm gonna bet you had a generic PSU running from the start.

Wattage rating doesn't mean anything but brand name does. You buy a generic PSU and your system is going to have problems. Some even as serious as yours. Its inevitable.

Now your going to have to start over, but this time buy an Antec or Enermax 400w PSU.
 
Originally posted by burningrave101

Allied PSU's are a piece of shit. And since you ordered one of those the second time i'm gonna bet you had a generic PSU running from the start.

Wattage rating doesn't mean anything but brand name does. You buy a generic PSU and your system is going to have problems. Some even as serious as yours. Its inevitable.

Now your going to have to start over, but this time buy an Antec or Enermax 400w PSU.
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Lets get something straight here. :mad: The problem he had was probably a sign of age or wear. I have a generic power suppply (i don't even know its name) and it has served me very well, giving me clean power, and very little fluctuation in voltages, a critical part of OC'ing, as well as having a stable computer. Wattage does mean something, name doesn't always mean something though. Think about it, its all very well having an Enermax PSU, but its crap if it pumps out (actually dribbles out) 125W. Think about it.
As i said, i have a no name PSU, and it is great. So name doesn't always matter. Power does.
 
Originally posted by 4keatimj
Lets get something straight here. :mad: The problem he had was probably a sign of age or wear. I have a generic power suppply (i don't even know its name) and it has served me very well, giving me clean power, and very little fluctuation in voltages, a critical part of OC'ing, as well as having a stable computer. Wattage does mean something, name doesn't always mean something though. Think about it, its all very well having an Enermax PSU, but its crap if it pumps out (actually dribbles out) 125W. Think about it.
As i said, i have a no name PSU, and it is great. So name doesn't always matter. Power does.
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I'm sorry but you've got it completely backwards. The name and model of the PSU is everything. Wattage rating doesn't add up to mean anything. Wattage rating is a means to sell to PSU noobs and thats it. Most PSU's ESPECIALLY generic PSU's dont even put out what their rated for. And generic PSU's use cheap parts that cause them to get much hotter then name brand PSU's which results in alot more wattage loss even yet. Just because you havn't had any issues with yours does not account for what happens for the most part. And you could have issues you dont even know about. The PSU is nearly the #1 cause of ALL PC issues and hardware failure. I run and build workstation style machines, not little gaming machines and they dont usually pull more then 300-350w at the very max if everything was drawing its full potential at once which doesn't happen. If you will look over a few of the PSU debate threads we've had here on Hard Forums you'll see all these facts fully supported and true.

I would imagine you even measured your voltage fluctuation through your system BIOS or some software application like MBM correct? Well if it wasn't for the fact that it almost never gives an accurate reading then i'd say maybe you have a descent PSU. You have to use an external hardware monitoring device such as a mulitmeter.
 
What if the PSU only gave 125W? Is wattage the issue there, or would you blindly follow it if it was an Enermax? I'm sorry, but my experience tells otherwise.
 
Originally posted by 4keatimj
What if the PSU only gave 125W? Is wattage the issue there, or would you blindly follow it if it was an Enermax? I'm sorry, but my experience tells otherwise.
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Well im glad your experience tells you need more then 125w even if its a name brand PSU because your right lol. Thats common sense dude. What i said is that name brand and model is whats most important and wattage rating is least. Most people, even noobs, know that 125w is not enough. 300-400w from a quality PSU maker will more then run almost any uniprocessor system even if it has 6 hard drives and 4 optical drives and the works. But the point is, wattage rating DOES NOT make the PSU good at all. You can't judge how good a PSU is from how large it is. A name brand 300w is better then a generic 600w.
 
Originally posted by burningrave101
Well im glad your experience tells you need more then 125w even if its a name brand PSU because your right lol. Thats common sense dude. What i said is that name brand and model is whats most important and wattage rating is least. Most people, even noobs, know that 125w is not enough. 300-400w from a quality PSU maker will more then run almost any uniprocessor system even if it has 6 hard drives and 4 optical drives and the works. But the point is, wattage rating DOES NOT make the PSU good at all. You can't judge how good a PSU is from how large it is. A name brand 300w is better then a generic 600w.
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Yes but what you were saying is that brand name is the most important thing. As i said, i have a no-name PSU that has run for over five years. Its gotten better with age, its now the most stable its ever been. Sure, it may have been through tweaks i've performed, but i put it down also to the PSU. So although name counts, it doesn't always.
 
LOL i just love to watch burninggrave101 flame people into wars.
*sits back with popcorn*

Oh I am going to have to side with burninggrave about the power supply. A good name brand power supply like antec will give you better voltage regulation and clean power than a generic PSU. Of course I too have used generic PSU for years without any problems. The only time I see a need for a GOOD QUALITY PSU is when I am either running ALOT of hardware or I am overclocking.
 
Originally posted by Arkanian
LOL i just love to watch burninggrave101 flame people into wars.
*sits back with popcorn*

Oh I am going to have to side with burninggrave about the power supply. A good name brand power supply like antec will give you better voltage regulation and clean power than a generic PSU. Of course I too have used generic PSU for years without any problems. The only time I see a need for a GOOD QUALITY PSU is when I am either running ALOT of hardware or I am overclocking.
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Thanks, basically what i was trying to say. But i still would take a generic PSU, good experiences there. On the other hand, if i could find one, i would also takeand Antec or Enermax.
I'll try to stay out of his wars, even if he is against me.
 
Originally posted by 4keatimj
Thanks, basically what i was trying to say. But i still would take a generic PSU, good experiences there. On the other hand, if i could find one, i would also takeand Antec or Enermax.
I'll try to stay out of his wars, even if he is against me.
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Just out of curiosity how many generic PSU's have you owned? 1? 2? 3? 5?

That hardly accounts for the millions running in PC's all over the world. When the PSU is traced to be one of the top causes of all hardware failure and system instability i think its safe to say name brand is mission critical. There are too many freaking posts on this board EVERY day about some guy that has a generic PSU and his system isn't working right or all his hardware just blew up. You wont get any knowledgable person that knows alot about PSU's to ever recommend a generic PSU unless its a well known tested brand thats proven its worth which very few do.

I have a few PC's running on generic PSU's because they are OEM built and im not going to waste money buying a brand name PSU for them. But the point is, i dont care about the hardware thats running in them. If i'm going to spend quite a bit of money on a system or if i care about keeping a system running i dont run it on a generic PSU because i know first hand what they do.
 
Originally posted by burningrave101
Just out of curiosity how many generic PSU's have you owned? 1? 2? 3? 5?

That hardly accounts for the millions running in PC's all over the world. When the PSU is traced to be one of the top causes of all hardware failure and system instability i think its safe to say name brand is mission critical. There are too many freaking posts on this board EVERY day about some guy that has a generic PSU and his system isn't working right or all his hardware just blew up. You wont get any knowledgable person that knows alot about PSU's to ever recommend a generic PSU unless its a well known tested brand thats proven its worth which very few do.
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Hmmm, let me see, probably five. To be brutally honest, i don't care about the millions of PCs out there, i only care about mine. And hell, they work fine. Better than that, they work great. This is one post where generic brands work for me, and they have proven their worth. Quality is pretty important, but you don't seem to recognise that there are generics out there that do have quality. They've proven their worth to me, and so i'll keep using them. If i ever post about power problems, it will be because of its age, not its quality.
I'll try not to flame you, but you've flamed me so bad about my beliefs, that is almost as bad as [H] and Infinium... but lets not go there.
 
Originally posted by 4keatimj
They've proven their worth to me, and so i'll keep using them. If i ever post about power problems, it will be because of its age, not its quality.
I'll try not to flame you, but you've flamed me so bad about my beliefs, that is almost as bad as [H] and Infinium... but lets not go there.
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Ok first off, how am i flaming you dude lol? I'm just disagreeing with what your saying. I'm not calling you names or yelling at you which is referred to as "flaming" on a forum.

Second, age has everything to do with quality dont you see that? If a generic PSU goes bad over time which will most likely be sooner then a name brand would then that means the quality of the PSU affected its longetivity. Age = Quality.
 
The Linux drive actually does work, just not when plugged in to the same channel as the 60GB. Very odd, as it still shows up as being slave in BIOS when it's plugged in by itself. However, when it's plugged in at the same time and cable as the 60GB, the BIOS can't find either drive and detection of drives takes much longer.

As far as the PSU, this one has recieved good reviews online, and has a 2 year warranty. The only thing is that it's 500W max not nominal (which would probably make it somewhere from 400W to 450W 'true' nominal). Perhaps a folly in the long run, but 'the long run' in more than two years, thanks to the warranty.

I've already backed up everything I didn't already have backed up on the 60GB to DVD. Also, it's no longer making noise since I've mounted it properly.
 
Basically, what it boils down to is if you can afford an Antec, Enermax or other high-quality PSU, then go for it. If you can't, then you might get lucky with a non-name brand but you're rolling th dice. Best rule is don't skimp on the PSU or the RAM.....save money elsewhere.

Sorry about your system dude, I hope you get it up and running again soon!
 
As much as I love to watch burningrave's uncanny ability to 'flare up a thread' I have to agree entirely with him here. People seem to take for granted that the most important component in their computers is probably going to be the component that powers everything. I have been through a few PSU's myself, and I can attest .. that especially from an overclocking standpoint generic PSU's are GARBAGE (though they do have their purpose, if you're poor and need SOMETHING, a generic PSU is better then nothing heh)! I have had at least 2 or 3 generic PSU's and of those 3 2 have gone up in smoke. Aside from the question of long term reliability the quality of the components in the PSU are extremely important. When running a stressed (overclocked) system a stable 12v rail is needed (im no expert i'll admit it) and NO wattage is NOT everything. A 350W Enermax >> 1000W Generic PSU.

At any rate, it sucks you lost all that stuff, but at least the good things didnt die .. like the dvd burner, and the ram, and the mobo.
 
While I'm by no means afraid of using generic PSU's, I consider brand name to be a more important factor than simple wattage ratings.

Generic PSU's may very well provide their specified power output, but they use flimsier, lower quality parts to do so.

Interested in an experiment? Find some PSU's that aren't mounted in cases. Try and get several of 'em, make sure you have one or two that are high quality PSU's, and make sure you have one or two made by El Cheapo Bandito type brands.

Close your eyes and start picking them up. Arrange them according to weight.

Open your eyes. Voila! All your high quality PSU's are on the heavy side. If you're brave (or just very careful) you can open them up and take a look inside and find out why: It's because they use higher quality parts (and in fact usually have more of them for the sake of proper power regulation). Better quality generic PSU's will also be on the heavy side as well.

Erik
 
Now, I'm not going to get into the war with Burninggrave (I have him on ignore for a reason), but I will say this:

I've always had good luck with Allied PSU, and I've used them exclusively in my low cost systems for some time. They've always had good, reliable power levels (even hooked up to external monitoring equipment), and rarely fluctuate. I've never had one blow either (and only one has slowly died, and just stopped functioning) in the 4 years that I've used them. Allied PSU aren't that bad.
 
this is probally the only thing im scared about when building a computer...

i mean if i build a computer for someone who knows nothing about computers, and in the middle of the night ...BOOM....the power supply explodes on them. would suck tryin to explain to them, these things can happen. and pray i still have business with them. ;)

sorry about your components man :(
 
Originally posted by SkaarjMaster
Basically, what it boils down to is if you can afford an Antec, Enermax or other high-quality PSU, then go for it. If you can't, then you might get lucky with a non-name brand but you're rolling th dice. Best rule is don't skimp on the PSU or the RAM.....save money elsewhere.

Sorry about your system dude, I hope you get it up and running again soon!
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If you can't afford an Antec or Enermax or PCP&C, then by all means get Fortron, Sparkle, TTGI, Superflower, or Enlight PSU... But not an Allied or Deer !
 
I own a generic (I think it's a sparkle actually), an Enermax 450, and an Antec 350 (smartpower, not truepower...came with my Antec case)

Out of the three...I'd have to say the Enermax is my favorite. Rock stable voltages no matter what load I have runnnig on it.

Although, the generic has server well and has been in use since ATX came about...and is actually still in use running a P3 1Ghz @ 1.2Ghz in my kid's system. Great for mickey mouse and nickelodeon games...but I wouldn't trust it on my Oc'd P4 system (besides the fact that it doesn't have the ATX12v connector:rolleyes: )
 
Well, looks like i'm still the only one who believes in giving generic PSU's a fair go...
And its a shame so many people are so easily turned against generics. I mean really, they can be good. Does anyone, anyone agree with me here? :confused:
 
I agree....to a point.

I wouldn't trust the generic to last as long as an Antec, PCP&C, Enermax, etc...

Reason being, I've had the Enermax 450 the longest besides the generic, and I've had two other generics that after about 1 year, the voltage started fluctuating greatly and they had blown caps on the inside. Once I fixed the caps, the voltage came back under control, but the fact remains, the caps blew in those and they didn't in the Enermax.

IMO, you can trust a generic, until it's newness wears off. But if I were to spend the cash on some PC4000, 3.0C, decent mobo, hdd's, and vid card...I wouldn't skimp out on the PSU.

Things can go wrong with even the big boys like Antec and Enermax, but the chances are a LOT less.
 
Close your eyes and start picking them up. Arrange them according to weight.
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By the weight measurement, this Allied is pretty good Power Supplys, heavier than the last two (generic) powersupplies combined.

've always had good luck with Allied PSU, and I've used them exclusively in my low cost systems for some time. They've always had good, reliable power levels (even hooked up to external monitoring equipment), and rarely fluctuate. I've never had one blow either (and only one has slowly died, and just stopped functioning) in the 4 years that I've used them. Allied PSU aren't that bad.
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Cool. I feel better in my decision then.

Well, looks like i'm still the only one who believes in giving generic PSU's a fair go...
And its a shame so many people are so easily turned against generics. I mean really, they can be good. Does anyone, anyone agree with me here?
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Once bitten, twice shy here. Though not shy enough to shell out $80+ for a PS.
 
Can somebody tell me if these rails are any good?
+5V: 35A +12V: 16A +3.3V: 28A

It's an Antec PSU that comes with the case I'm planning on buying. I plan on using it with:

AMD 2500+ mobile
NF7-S 2.0
1x WD 80 gig
1x CD-RW
1X DVD-ROM
ATI 9600 PRO

The 12V is the only actual concern since it's quite a bit less than the other two.
 
um, well... :(

We don't pay much attention to current, only to potential...

I don't actually have a clue what the Amperage of the lines is supposed to be.

/me feels retarded.
 
Meh, it's alright. Its just me worrying about everything being perfect. This is my first PC build and I'm trying to make sure I won't have any problems. Hardocp is the best place to hear about any hardware problems and their fixes.
 
Originally posted by nst6563
I agree....to a point.

I wouldn't trust the generic to last as long as an Antec, PCP&C, Enermax, etc...

Reason being, I've had the Enermax 450 the longest besides the generic, and I've had two other generics that after about 1 year, the voltage started fluctuating greatly and they had blown caps on the inside. Once I fixed the caps, the voltage came back under control, but the fact remains, the caps blew in those and they didn't in the Enermax.

IMO, you can trust a generic, until it's newness wears off. But if I were to spend the cash on some PC4000, 3.0C, decent mobo, hdd's, and vid card...I wouldn't skimp out on the PSU.

Things can go wrong with even the big boys like Antec and Enermax, but the chances are a LOT less.
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Again, i've lasted 5 years with a generic PSU. Really stable, so my experiences are good, and i'd probably trust them again. But don't get me wrong, i would go with a name PSU like Antecs etc., but my experiences say the most to me.
 
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