Anything wrong with $30 AMD Certfied PSU's?

[Michael Kennedy]

I've had people hassel me about using somewhat cheap AMD certified computer
power supplies.. I was wondering what kind of experience other people have
had with mid range priced power supplies.

I know this is almost completely arbitrary, but I've found that if the psu
has a fan grill instead of just cutting the metal out that is usually of
better quality. I also try to buy psu's that weigh more so they have bigger
heat sinks.

I'm not trying to start a flaming war or anything, I just am wondering if it
is a fluke that my psu's are still working in all 5 of my pc's..

- Mike

 

[Dave D]

I've had people hassel me about using somewhat cheap AMD certified
computer power supplies.. I was wondering what kind of experience other
people have had with mid range priced power supplies.

I know this is almost completely arbitrary, but I've found that if the psu
has a fan grill instead of just cutting the metal out that is usually of
better quality. I also try to buy psu's that weigh more so they have
bigger heat sinks.

I'm not trying to start a flaming war or anything, I just am wondering if
it is a fluke that my psu's are still working in all 5 of my pc's..

- Mike

Looks can be deceiving. QTec power supplies I've come across- they are
finished in an anodised gold finish, have a proper fan grill, a huge fan
for 'better' cooling and a 'proper' iron cored transformer for the standby
PSU. Unfortunately they're utter crap. I've had cheapo PSUs of ostensibly
poor external construction last years, and ones that look solid fail in no
time. I don't trust ones with cheap, pressed aluminium heatsinks, I much
prefer proper bulky heatsinks with proper cooling fins. That's my benchmark
and it seems to work pretty well. Some PSUs have really ropey quality
capacitors as well, and others seem to go for far too small uF ratings.

The most worrying thing IMO is PSUs which don't 'fail safe'. I can forgive a
short lifespan as long as it doesn't take out the rest of my PC. I even had
one PC which had one of the disc connectors with the 12v/5v pins reversed,
which destroyed a hard drive. I check them now!

Dave

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I've had people hassel me about using somewhat cheap AMD certified computer
power supplies.. I was wondering what kind of experience other people have
had with mid range priced power supplies.

I know this is almost completely arbitrary, but I've found that if the psu
has a fan grill instead of just cutting the metal out that is usually of
better quality. I also try to buy psu's that weigh more so they have bigger
heat sinks.

I'm not trying to start a flaming war or anything, I just am wondering if it
is a fluke that my psu's are still working in all 5 of my pc's..

- Mike

The power consumption, measured at the mains input, of a typical PC
will probably not exceed 150W, even at full CPU load. I certainly
don't see more than that from my Athlon XP 2500+.

Having said that, I have a fake 400W PSU that is really only capable
of 175W at best, according to the specs of the diodes on the secondary
side.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Vey]

Having said that, I have a fake 400W PSU that is really only capable
of 175W at best, according to the specs of the diodes on the secondary
side.

- Franc Zabkar

I buy them, too Franc. Doesn't matter. They cost me $10 and last 4-5
years. They fail gracefully and I come out a bit ahead over a $40 PSU
that fails in the same amount of time.

 

[AZ Nomad]

Franc Zabkar wrote:

I buy them, too Franc. Doesn't matter. They cost me $10 and last 4-5
years. They fail gracefully and I come out a bit ahead over a $40 PSU
that fails in the same amount of time.

You won't be saying that the first time the PS fails ungracefully and wipes out
your entire system.

It might happen less than once in thirty power supplies, but it's not a risk
I'd take. (While underemployed in '02, I worked at a small computer
shop and have seen systems where nearly everything got nailed. Worst
cases involved loss of the hard drive as well)

A quality PS still costs <$50 and is will be quieter too.

 

[Vey]

You won't be saying that the first time the PS fails ungracefully and wipes out
your entire system.

My first power supply failure happened like that. I guess it was in
1993. Took the motherboard and the hard drive so I know what you mean.
Still, I do what I do for a reason. I have spent way too much and sen
bad things happen, too. Price is not the telling factor.

 

[AZ Nomad]

AZ Nomad wrote:

My first power supply failure happened like that. I guess it was in
1993. Took the motherboard and the hard drive so I know what you mean.
Still, I do what I do for a reason. I have spent way too much and sen
bad things happen, too. Price is not the telling factor.

When you're talking about $10 power supplies, I assume you talking about
the ones that come free with a $25 case and weigh about 1/5th as much
as a quality supply. I wouldn't use one of those crap supplies
if you paid me $200.

 

[Vey]

When you're talking about $10 power supplies, I assume you talking about
the ones that come free with a $25 case and weigh about 1/5th as much
as a quality supply. I wouldn't use one of those crap supplies
if you paid me $200.

No, no. I know what you mean, though. The ones I buy are replacements
for those.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I buy them, too Franc. Doesn't matter. They cost me $10 and last 4-5
years. They fail gracefully and I come out a bit ahead over a $40 PSU
that fails in the same amount of time.

I replaced the fake PSU with an Antec 350W unit, not because the
original failed, but because the voltage readings were a bit erratic.
There were no system instability issues. I only became aware that the
PSU was fake when my curiosity got the better of me and I peeked
inside. Otherwise I have no problem with cheap PSUs if they are
correctly rated. IME, that old adage, "you get what you pay for",
hasn't held true for quite a while now.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[[email protected]]

I've had people hassle me about using somewhat cheap AMD
certified computer power supplies.. I was wondering what kind
of experience other people have had with mid range priced power
supplies.

AMD certification is such a lax standard it's almost worthless.

I know this is almost completely arbitrary, but I've found that if the psu
has a fan grill instead of just cutting the metal out that is usually of
better quality.

That rule is worthless if the supply is marketed for bling-bling
appeal at all, as most in the retail market are, and I believe two
of the best manufacturers, Delta and Zippy, don't use wire grills.

A better indicator of quality is how the circuit board is attached to
the case. The cheapest supplies have ramps stamped on bottom,
as shown in the supply on the right, while better ones, like the
one on the left, have studs pressed into the case (some quality
supplies instead have slotted ramps stamped into the sides where
the circuit board slides in):

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4984/atxpsubottoms6gj.jpg

But realizethis is only a slightly more reliable indicator of quality
than AMD certification.

I'm not trying to start a flaming war or anything, I just am wondering if it
is a fluke that my psu's are still working in all 5 of my pc's..

It's not a fluke because few computers consume over 100-200W, and
even a Geo Metro is good enough for short trips to the market.

Ask yourself: why would manufacturers of high quality power supplies
sold primarily to the strictest customers, the OEMs, even bother with
better build and internal design and if those factors were irrelevant?

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

When you're talking about $10 power supplies, I assume you talking about
the ones that come free with a $25 case and weigh about 1/5th as much
as a quality supply. I wouldn't use one of those crap supplies
if you paid me $200.

There's no reason to buy crap when high-quality
Fortron-Source/Sparkle/Hi-Q/PowerQ costs only slightly more or when
Antecs are frequently on sale with big rebates, such as the Fry's 350W
SmartPower + case deal for $25 last Thursday. A month earlier almost
the same thing was $15, or you could get a 500W SmartPower alone for
that.