Don't Be Surprised When Your Cheap PSU Blows Up

[kazki]

With practicality in mind, A true-rated PSU should always be of top priority when assembling a rig. It the first line of defense against electrical damage.

Although, I, personally, don't like the idea of going for an expensive PSU that is only built for basic applications such as mere browsing. I mean, would you put a Php 3000++ PSU on a Sempron/Celeron Rig built for office apps? --- It just isn't Practical.

What do I want from a PSU?
1. Stable Power
2. Overload Protection
3. Decent Efficiency

Once covered with the ones above, My Other Requirements (this is more on the PSU-Rig ratio usage):
1. 12V Amp (How much amp is required for my VCard or other component?)
2. Wattage (How much wattage is assumed to be needed based on PSU Calc?)
3. Cables (How many SATA, molex, PCI-E, etc connectors that I'll be needing?)
4. Cable Length (Need to check this when using large Cases)

Rest are just Optional Features that fall on my least priority such as:
- looks, sleeved cables, finish, etc. (don't really care as long as they work)
- fan noise (A Silent one is good but I just need something not really distracting)
- modular/non-modular (this feature is focused more on aesthetic reasons..not really a biggie unless you really want your wires in order)
- Warranty (true rated PSUs rarely fail unless you misuse it... so, meh; extra warranty is good but not necessary)
- Brand? (I'd throw this one out of the list.. really. But some ppl just value this "too much")


So with all things covered, true-rated PSU should be more Practicality-sided, IMHO. I'd be more concerned on the top3 on my list rather than the ones in the bottom of the pile.

Just my 2 cents.

[ethzneuron]

why generic PSUs causes problems so much, its also because it doesn't have this features:
OVP - over-voltage protection
UVP - under-voltage protection
OCP - over-current protection
TS - thermal shutdown

[rianno^_^]

hehe kasuway na ko 2 times ni blow up ang aqng generic psu ahaha

[werty]

some may be able to get away with using generics on their pc's than even a cheap brand-name ones but there have been more problems out there related to using generic psu. its not always right then and there problems arise related to using one, sometimes its like a cancer building up until you realise that its already too late.

[dmelsie]

Mao ra sab dili sad tanan noon, mag agad sa pag maintain. Pero kanang dili sila mo cater ug bug-at nga games, check kuno black ops ug crysis 2 kung bug-at bana.

Nag trabaho sad ko ug internet cafe, mga 150+ units sad ni akong gi maintain, out of the 3 year na nag operate ang internet cafe (24 hours operations) ka 2 ra ko na gub-an ug PSU. Pero sakto noon ug maintenance. Nya kung sa games, daghan manuwa ug sc2,blackops,gta4,hon.. dili sad ingon nga gaan ra nga mga games.

Ni suggest nako nga dili generic gamiton, sa atong last nga branch nga gi tukod, pero 2 years nalang buyag, wa gyud ma gub-e.

Ang explanation sad sa tagiya nga EE, mag agad man gud na daw sa electric plan, kung hugaw na daan ang electric padung pa sa avr, dako ug change nga ma guba ang psu. Pero kung sakto ug setup, ok ra daw nang generic nga psu.

Bisan ako, branded nga PSU gamit nako sa balai, hibong lang ko aning sa internet cafe nga generic man unta ilang PSU, 24hrs pa ang operation, panagsa raman ma gub-an.

did you, check what videocards gamit? what processor gamit?

most net cafe use, athlon 2 x2, x3, core 2 duo,pentium dual core, i3, i5 , with videocard not above the realm of 4850, 9600gt, 9800gt, 5770,

wala kaayo net cafe nag gamit og quad cores, core i7. with gtx series gpu. or redeon 4870 up 5870, 6870

and on what settings they play crysis, black ops, assasins creed, gta, and other bug-at nga games? if low to mid settings lang detail, minus lang kaayo nag stress sa processor and videocard which equates to lower power consumption. mao dili kaayo mal-mal ang generic power supply, thats why mo disagree ko nga if net cafe ka mal-mal kaayo na ang imong pc, dili kaayo noon na stress ang components kay fix raman tanan na gipang deep freeze tapos mga users dili na makapataas sa details, kay limited ra ang kaya sa hardwares

[jewicked]

mga bro, naa ko nakit.an nga site that calculates CPU power consumption..sakto ba ni ang ilang calculations?..please check it out..thanks

Computer Power Consumption Calculator

[ashrock]

Ang explanation sad sa tagiya nga EE, mag agad man gud na daw sa electric plan, kung hugaw na daan ang electric padung pa sa avr, dako ug change nga ma guba ang psu. Pero kung sakto ug setup, ok ra daw nang generic nga psu.

boss, paki explain ani beh..kay morag nalibog akong utok ani..hehehe..

[werty]

boss, paki explain ani beh..kay morag nalibog akong utok ani..hehehe..

this link may help a bit
What is Electrical Noise

[Vino Kid]

My 7yrs old Thermaltake Purepower 360W PSU blow up last year.. Currently using 550W(daw) Generic PSU from Octagon.

[zurita10]

@dmelsie

did you, check what videocards gamit? what processor gamit?

most net cafe use, athlon 2 x2, x3, core 2 duo,pentium dual core, i3, i5 , with videocard not above the realm of 4850, 9600gt, 9800gt, 5770,

wala kaayo net cafe nag gamit og quad cores, core i7. with gtx series gpu. or redeon 4870 up 5870, 6870

Yes, dili sila mo gamit ug quad cores up kay dili feasible para cafe, you will need a branded PSU for it, and the unit itself will be expensive, dugay ma bawi ang ROI. Pero sa generic PSU side man ang gi sturyahan dri, a 24hrs usage, nya middle to heavy games nga duwa (and the gamers can actually change the settings from low, medium to high even with deepfreeze, ang deepfreeze para raman na ma restore ang karaan settings after restart, pero while using it, you can actually change the settings), nya sa akong experience out of the 150+ units nga generic PSU na gamit namo for 3 year, 2 ray na guba, ok ra ang generic PSU basta sakto ug maintenance ug electrical plan (like centralize avr...).

And who would make a quadcore or i7 rig with a generic PSU, it would be suicide, maka invest naman lang gani ug i7, branded PSU na gyud na ang gamiton ana.