Power Supply Rant... (long)

Funky D · 08-31-2002, 10:10 PM

I need to let off a bit of steam... I'm sure a lot of you can relate with the following story, so I'll just let the steam flow right here! (sorry if it gets long)

Given that CPU prices dropped last week, I decided to splurge on my dream system. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for all the parts, I finally got a chance to assemble it all yesterday:

Asus P4T533 mobo
P4 2.53GHz
512 (2 256) megs of PIMM 4200 memory
2 40 gig hard drives
Dedicated 3ware PCI RAID controller
Plextor 40/12/40 CDRW
Pioneer slot DVD
Antec Plus660 case
Gainward GF3, SB Live, and 60GB hard drive out of my old system.

Got up and running without a hitch, played around a bit with overclocking (couldn't get above 2.7Ghz, probably a limit of the memory), ran some benchmarks and burn-in tests, and went to bed a very happy gamer.

This morning she was still chugging right along... Until I bumped the side of the case with my chair. System shuts off instantly, but when I look down the power light is still on... hmmm, interesting... I wiggle around the power cord a bit and turn the system back on.

Back up and running fine, until I accidently hit the case again. This time I get a blue screen. So, I rip the case apart, check the mobo and HD power connectors, and start her back up.

I start chugging along again, until I try copying some files off the CD-RW. File copy error; I check the event log and see it lost contact with the IDE interphase. Ah-hah! Power down, reconnect the CD-RW power and IDE cables, and power back up.

Thats when it happend....

BZZZSTTTTT!!!!!
"F#$@K!!!"
<unplug power cable>
<smell of burnt electronics fills the room>

I unplug everything and put it on my workbench. I noticed I was in the dark because the machine tripped the breaker. Pulled everything out, sniffed around, and my nose lead me to the power supply. I checked out the mobo and peripherals; everything seemed free of blown components.

So, I rip out the power supply (Antec "TruePower" 330W) and run to CompUSA. All they had were cheap-o CompUSA brand powersupplies and... yep! More Antec "TruePower" 330's (overpriced at $70, of course)! So, I grabbed another Antec, popped it into my system, prayed to the computer gods, and luckily I'm writing this message to you all on my new system.

What floors me is these Antecs are SUPPOSED to be good power supplies... Enermax, Antec, and PC Power and Cooling, that's what everyone praises. Well, after today, and after doing some google groups searching, I'm not sure if I trust any of those "good" power supplies. I don't care if it's a $150, 500W top-of-the-line Enermax. They just don't make these power supplies like they used to. I still have a working PS out of a 286, and this damn Antec can't even last a day without some solder joint coming loose (I'm guessing thats what happened). What exactly does that $70 go for? An extra $15 80mm fan that sucks a bunch of hot air over already hot PS components?

You would think after all these years, power supplies would be a little more sophisticated. Maybe some solid state electronics to monitor the voltages, or some built-in surge and brownout protection. I deal with at least one blown power supply every other month at work, and thats only among 70 or so computers. I wonder what the national average is? lol....

Anyways, I'm done ranting... Time to throw a few dead power supplies out a window!

Paul

Brad · 09-01-2002, 12:35 AM

you probably got one in a million. my antec 550w is a beautiful piece of engineering

Funky D · 09-01-2002, 01:39 AM

Yup, that sounds like my luck

I'll put Antec back on my good side if I can arrange something out of the warranty...

bigben2k · 09-01-2002, 02:07 PM

Did everyone miss the obvious? The PSU was overloaded (it's only 330 Watts), it overheated and then BZZT and F#$%K.

I'd bet than you raised the voltage on everything: the CPU, RAM and even the AGP slot. When you burned a CD, the most power hungry function, the PSU couldn't take it anymore.

That's why I'm going for a 430 Watt PSU: I'm not dealing with being short of power, and I will not overheat a PSU.

Once in a while, we get lucky and get a 330W PSU that can take a little more. Not always though...

WebMasta33 · 09-01-2002, 08:08 PM

Yeah...

I had a 365watt enermax, when I was running a Tbird 1.4, Abit KG7raid, 2 IBM 60GXPs, DVDrom, CDrw, and 512mb of ram on one stick, it ran fine... but I had two more HDs to add... the second I added a third HD, it would reboot when it went detect a bootable CD.

So now I have a 430, and I can run everything, and I have no problems at all. I think Ben's right here, you're just 50 watts short of a perfect comptuer

FRAGN'STIEN · 09-01-2002, 08:43 PM

Yep it had to be overloaded. I run the 430 model. Overclocked all my rails are steady as can be.

Funky D · 09-02-2002, 10:01 PM

I highly doubt it overloaded... I've been running the replacement fine ever since. An overloaded power supply wouldn't shut down if it was knocked on the side... it WOULD shut down if one of the components inside was loose. Also, I wasn't overclocking when it blew, and when I did overclock it was only the FSB, not AGP or PCI.

According to my motherboard monitor, the new power supply is running within spec. If I stick in some 15000RPM SCSI drives I may think about going with a larger power supply. Until then, I think 330W will cut it...

Paul

DarkEdge · 09-03-2002, 12:47 AM

Overloaded? Don't think thats even possible. On my 300watt sparkle I had a Athlon 1.4@1.6, 2 30gig seagates, 2 40 gig maxtors, my dvd player, and my burner. Not to mention, an external 20gig drive.

Only problem I had was trying to overclock anymore and going under load conditions, or trying to burn/watch dvds the voltage would drop to much and cause the system to reboot.

Samething happens to my p1 100mhz Compaq. It only has a 1gig drive, and when I tried to add another hard drive it wouldn't stop rebooting on its self.

I believe something was actually wrong with the PSU. From the sounds of it to, the solder joint sounds like the culprit, considering everytime he bumped the case its spazzed.

bigben2k · 09-03-2002, 09:22 AM

For what it's worth: if you use a PSU that's rated a little above your power usage, it will run cooler. I happen to know that electronics will die over heat cycling, so I'm gonna stick with 430 Watts, wether it's too much or not.

Also, solder joints don't come loose: they overheat THEN they come loose.

Funky D · 09-03-2002, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bigben2k
Also, solder joints don't come loose: they overheat THEN they come loose.

Unless they were never soldered correctly at the factory and/or damaged during shipping, which is likely when the power supply is under 2 days old.

Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree that bigger is better, but it's not always necessary...

Paul

bigben2k · 09-03-2002, 10:11 AM

I'd rather think that the PSU has been assembled correctly, at least if it comes from a reputable manufacturer. The shipping damage is far more likely (to me). It's unfortunate...

Brad · 09-03-2002, 02:16 PM

I don't beleive it was overloaded.

I've assembled tons of P4 1.6A - 2.0A computers at work with a 180w power supply. One of these computers had two hdd's in it, cd-rw and a normal cd-rom drive. All worked ok, that system was sold about 4 months ago and hasn't come back.

so don't tell me 330w can't handle that setup

jtroutma · 09-04-2002, 07:39 PM

I kinda agree with Brad on that point. The P4 doesnt suck the amps that the Athlon does and even with a nice decked out system like the one you had Funky, a 330W SHOULD have been enough.....

I could be wrong though

Again bigger does tend to leave a bit more breathing room for additional components.... hence the reason why I went with 550W Enermax. Then again I also have 5 HDDs, 1 DVD, 1 CDROM, 1 Burner, and OC GF3, a OC Athlon........... I felt I needed the juice

bigben2k · 09-04-2002, 09:02 PM

Hum... different views and experiences...

I'm going to file the 180Watt PSU as lucky, unless (Brad) you can tell me that it's not running hot.

As for FunkyD, He was running the CPU overclocked, and he did have 3 HDDs (read it again), a RAID controller, a CD-ROM as well as a CD-writer. As Paul (FunkyD) indicated, the PSU fried when he was burning a CD, although he did have a damaged-from-shipping PSU.

jtroutma: there's nothing like trying to make a point, and doing the opposite! I think you see what I mean: a bigger PSU will not only make sure that a power shortage is not a problem, but it'll also help prevent the PSU from dying of thermal cycling. I've seen it too often, and I'm not going that route again. I've even seen fans die from the heat load!

jtroutma · 09-04-2002, 11:51 PM

The only point I was trying to get across was that a P4 does require a bit less power than an equivical Athlon system. It's just that with all the extra "stuff" we throw into our cases these days that the power difference is getting closer to nill.

Also I agree that an Athlon system will benefit much better from a "larger than actually needed" power supply. Personally, I am a bit nervous about building an Athlon system with "only" a 300W PSU.

Sorry that it sounded like I was contradicting myself

it happens................

fastfred · 09-05-2002, 01:32 AM

When a supply overloads, it should burn it's fuse should'nt it?

When you pull to much amps => burn fuse => power off => replace fuse => you'll be running your PSU without damage. (thats what fuses are for)

Do these "overpriced" PSU's have fuses anyway? If they don't they are really overpriced.

So i'll have to agree with the statement that it broke on the way to U.

fastfred · 09-05-2002, 01:45 AM

When a supply overloads, it should burn it's fuse should'nt it?

When you pull to much amps => burn fuse => power off => replace fuse => you'll be running your PSU without damage. (thats what fuses are for)

Do these "overpriced" PSU's have fuses anyway? If they don't they are really overpriced.

So i'll have to agree with the statement that it broke on the way to U.

bigben2k · 09-05-2002, 08:20 AM

Fuse? What fuse?

fastfred · 09-05-2002, 09:07 AM

exactly my point.

I should explain myself and my previous post better: what i mean that a "good" PSU should blow it's fuse when it's get overloaded.

then i asked "do these supply's have a fuse at all", i don't have experience with these heavy PSU's, only PSU's on a professional level.(at work i mean) and then ofcourse in my own box, but never had a problem, never suspected that there would not be a fuse.

So......

I ment : if they don't have a fuse to prevent overload, these PSU's are overpriced indeed.

bigben2k · 09-05-2002, 09:52 AM

Actually, the PCP&C have thermal and overload protection, but there's no spec on the website, and how it works is not explained.

A fuse is not the only type of protection available.

iceheart · 09-05-2002, 11:15 AM

Pretty much every PSU I've ever seen has been electronically protected (I think the newest PSU I've had that had a Glass fuse was for a 386 AT box).

The most common thing this applies to is when we overclockers/modders short circuit the PSU wires and you have to wait 30 secs for the PSU to start again, I did this to an old one and the glass fuse EXPLODED quite violently, killed some components (in the psu) too.

fastfred · 09-05-2002, 03:46 PM

hmm..

when your right your right,

did'nt think of that,

i like a glass fuse though, you see what has happened, and ofcourse i have them, thats the same reason why electronically is easier. (not everybody has access to lots of fuses)

learned some more..........

Funky D · 09-06-2002, 05:04 PM

I wish I could've cracked the PS case to see what actually happened... of course that would've voided my warranty and I wouldn't have gotten my $70 back...

As for those of you talking about fuses and protection, I sure hope these more expensive units have protection! I've seen way too many power supplies take the motherboard with them (then again, maybe it was the other way around... most were old K6's with generic PCChips mobos).

Funky D · 09-07-2002, 10:22 PM

A little off topic:

For the last 3 hours or so I've been arranging the cables inside my case... here's the finished result for anyone who wants to take a look!

http://www.geocities.com/funky_d_/comp002.jpg

You may need to copy and paste the link for it to work.

Paul

08-31-2002, 10:10 PM	#1
Funky D Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 8	Power Supply Rant... (long) I need to let off a bit of steam... I'm sure a lot of you can relate with the following story, so I'll just let the steam flow right here! (sorry if it gets long) Given that CPU prices dropped last week, I decided to splurge on my dream system. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for all the parts, I finally got a chance to assemble it all yesterday: Asus P4T533 mobo P4 2.53GHz 512 (2 256) megs of PIMM 4200 memory 2 40 gig hard drives Dedicated 3ware PCI RAID controller Plextor 40/12/40 CDRW Pioneer slot DVD Antec Plus660 case Gainward GF3, SB Live, and 60GB hard drive out of my old system. Got up and running without a hitch, played around a bit with overclocking (couldn't get above 2.7Ghz, probably a limit of the memory), ran some benchmarks and burn-in tests, and went to bed a very happy gamer. This morning she was still chugging right along... Until I bumped the side of the case with my chair. System shuts off instantly, but when I look down the power light is still on... hmmm, interesting... I wiggle around the power cord a bit and turn the system back on. Back up and running fine, until I accidently hit the case again. This time I get a blue screen. So, I rip the case apart, check the mobo and HD power connectors, and start her back up. I start chugging along again, until I try copying some files off the CD-RW. File copy error; I check the event log and see it lost contact with the IDE interphase. Ah-hah! Power down, reconnect the CD-RW power and IDE cables, and power back up. Thats when it happend.... BZZZSTTTTT!!!!! "F#$@K!!!" <unplug power cable> <smell of burnt electronics fills the room> I unplug everything and put it on my workbench. I noticed I was in the dark because the machine tripped the breaker. Pulled everything out, sniffed around, and my nose lead me to the power supply. I checked out the mobo and peripherals; everything seemed free of blown components. So, I rip out the power supply (Antec "TruePower" 330W) and run to CompUSA. All they had were cheap-o CompUSA brand powersupplies and... yep! More Antec "TruePower" 330's (overpriced at $70, of course)! So, I grabbed another Antec, popped it into my system, prayed to the computer gods, and luckily I'm writing this message to you all on my new system. What floors me is these Antecs are SUPPOSED to be good power supplies... Enermax, Antec, and PC Power and Cooling, that's what everyone praises. Well, after today, and after doing some google groups searching, I'm not sure if I trust any of those "good" power supplies. I don't care if it's a $150, 500W top-of-the-line Enermax. They just don't make these power supplies like they used to. I still have a working PS out of a 286, and this damn Antec can't even last a day without some solder joint coming loose (I'm guessing thats what happened). What exactly does that $70 go for? An extra $15 80mm fan that sucks a bunch of hot air over already hot PS components? You would think after all these years, power supplies would be a little more sophisticated. Maybe some solid state electronics to monitor the voltages, or some built-in surge and brownout protection. I deal with at least one blown power supply every other month at work, and thats only among 70 or so computers. I wonder what the national average is? lol.... Anyways, I'm done ranting... Time to throw a few dead power supplies out a window! Paul

09-01-2002, 12:35 AM	#2
Brad Thermophile Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Nuu Zeeelin Posts: 3,175	you probably got one in a million. my antec 550w is a beautiful piece of engineering __________________ 2x P3 1100's at 1400, Abit VP6, 2x Corsair 256mb PC150 sticks, 20gb 'cuda ATA-III, 2x 40gb 'cuda ATA-IV in raid 0. 20" Trinitron. No fans 2x 2400+ at 2288mhz (16.0 x 143), Iwill MPX2, 2x Kingmax PC-3200 256mb sticks, 4x 20gb 60gxp in Raid 5 on a Promise SX6000. Asus Ti4200 320/630. Cooled by Water

09-01-2002, 02:07 PM	#4
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Did everyone miss the obvious? The PSU was overloaded (it's only 330 Watts), it overheated and then BZZT and F#$%K. I'd bet than you raised the voltage on everything: the CPU, RAM and even the AGP slot. When you burned a CD, the most power hungry function, the PSU couldn't take it anymore. That's why I'm going for a 430 Watt PSU: I'm not dealing with being short of power, and I will not overheat a PSU. Once in a while, we get lucky and get a 330W PSU that can take a little more. Not always though... __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-01-2002, 08:08 PM	#5
WebMasta33 Cooling Savant Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Nebraska Posts: 526	Yeah... I had a 365watt enermax, when I was running a Tbird 1.4, Abit KG7raid, 2 IBM 60GXPs, DVDrom, CDrw, and 512mb of ram on one stick, it ran fine... but I had two more HDs to add... the second I added a third HD, it would reboot when it went detect a bootable CD. So now I have a 430, and I can run everything, and I have no problems at all. I think Ben's right here, you're just 50 watts short of a perfect comptuer __________________ ========== --Soyo KT333 DRAGON Ultra (Platinum Edition) --AMD 1.4 @ 1.54 (11x) --768mb of PC2100 (@140FSB) --Asus v8200 GeForce3 @ 210/490 --Maxtor 40gb Quiet + 2 IBM 40gb 60GXPs (removable) + 8gb WD --Audigy --Maze 3, DD Gf3 block, 2x BIX, Eheim1250 ===========

09-01-2002, 08:43 PM	#6
FRAGN'STIEN Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2002 Location: Rathdrum, ID Posts: 380	Yep it had to be overloaded. I run the 430 model. Overclocked all my rails are steady as can be. __________________ This space for rent

09-01-2002, 01:39 AM	#3
Funky D Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 8	Yup, that sounds like my luck I'll put Antec back on my good side if I can arrange something out of the warranty...

09-02-2002, 10:01 PM	#7
Funky D Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 8	I highly doubt it overloaded... I've been running the replacement fine ever since. An overloaded power supply wouldn't shut down if it was knocked on the side... it WOULD shut down if one of the components inside was loose. Also, I wasn't overclocking when it blew, and when I did overclock it was only the FSB, not AGP or PCI. According to my motherboard monitor, the new power supply is running within spec. If I stick in some 15000RPM SCSI drives I may think about going with a larger power supply. Until then, I think 330W will cut it... Paul

09-03-2002, 12:47 AM	#8
DarkEdge Cooling Savant Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Sugar Land, Tx Posts: 176	Overloaded? Don't think thats even possible. On my 300watt sparkle I had a Athlon 1.4@1.6, 2 30gig seagates, 2 40 gig maxtors, my dvd player, and my burner. Not to mention, an external 20gig drive. Only problem I had was trying to overclock anymore and going under load conditions, or trying to burn/watch dvds the voltage would drop to much and cause the system to reboot. Samething happens to my p1 100mhz Compaq. It only has a 1gig drive, and when I tried to add another hard drive it wouldn't stop rebooting on its self. I believe something was actually wrong with the PSU. From the sounds of it to, the solder joint sounds like the culprit, considering everytime he bumped the case its spazzed.

09-03-2002, 09:22 AM	#9
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	For what it's worth: if you use a PSU that's rated a little above your power usage, it will run cooler. I happen to know that electronics will die over heat cycling, so I'm gonna stick with 430 Watts, wether it's too much or not. Also, solder joints don't come loose: they overheat THEN they come loose. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-03-2002, 10:11 AM	#11
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	I'd rather think that the PSU has been assembled correctly, at least if it comes from a reputable manufacturer. The shipping damage is far more likely (to me). It's unfortunate... __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-03-2002, 02:16 PM	#12
Brad Thermophile Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Nuu Zeeelin Posts: 3,175	I don't beleive it was overloaded. I've assembled tons of P4 1.6A - 2.0A computers at work with a 180w power supply. One of these computers had two hdd's in it, cd-rw and a normal cd-rom drive. All worked ok, that system was sold about 4 months ago and hasn't come back. so don't tell me 330w can't handle that setup __________________ 2x P3 1100's at 1400, Abit VP6, 2x Corsair 256mb PC150 sticks, 20gb 'cuda ATA-III, 2x 40gb 'cuda ATA-IV in raid 0. 20" Trinitron. No fans 2x 2400+ at 2288mhz (16.0 x 143), Iwill MPX2, 2x Kingmax PC-3200 256mb sticks, 4x 20gb 60gxp in Raid 5 on a Promise SX6000. Asus Ti4200 320/630. Cooled by Water

09-04-2002, 07:39 PM	#13
jtroutma Cooling Savant Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SLO, CA Posts: 837	I kinda agree with Brad on that point. The P4 doesnt suck the amps that the Athlon does and even with a nice decked out system like the one you had Funky, a 330W SHOULD have been enough..... I could be wrong though Again bigger does tend to leave a bit more breathing room for additional components.... hence the reason why I went with 550W Enermax. Then again I also have 5 HDDs, 1 DVD, 1 CDROM, 1 Burner, and OC GF3, a OC Athlon........... I felt I needed the juice __________________ Athlon64 X2 4200+ @ 2.5Ghz (250FSB x 10) OCZ VX 1GB 4000 @ 250FSB (6-2-2-2 timmings) DFI LANParty nForce4 Ultra-D SCSI Raid 5 x (3) Cheetah 15K HDDs LSI Express 500 (128MB cache) OCZ PowerStream 520W PSU ATI X850XT PE (Stock) DTEK WhiteWater + DTEK Custom Radiator Eheim 1250

09-04-2002, 09:02 PM	#14
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Hum... different views and experiences... I'm going to file the 180Watt PSU as lucky, unless (Brad) you can tell me that it's not running hot. As for FunkyD, He was running the CPU overclocked, and he did have 3 HDDs (read it again), a RAID controller, a CD-ROM as well as a CD-writer. As Paul (FunkyD) indicated, the PSU fried when he was burning a CD, although he did have a damaged-from-shipping PSU. jtroutma: there's nothing like trying to make a point, and doing the opposite! I think you see what I mean: a bigger PSU will not only make sure that a power shortage is not a problem, but it'll also help prevent the PSU from dying of thermal cycling. I've seen it too often, and I'm not going that route again. I've even seen fans die from the heat load! __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-04-2002, 11:51 PM	#15
jtroutma Cooling Savant Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SLO, CA Posts: 837	The only point I was trying to get across was that a P4 does require a bit less power than an equivical Athlon system. It's just that with all the extra "stuff" we throw into our cases these days that the power difference is getting closer to nill. Also I agree that an Athlon system will benefit much better from a "larger than actually needed" power supply. Personally, I am a bit nervous about building an Athlon system with "only" a 300W PSU. Sorry that it sounded like I was contradicting myself it happens................ __________________ Athlon64 X2 4200+ @ 2.5Ghz (250FSB x 10) OCZ VX 1GB 4000 @ 250FSB (6-2-2-2 timmings) DFI LANParty nForce4 Ultra-D SCSI Raid 5 x (3) Cheetah 15K HDDs LSI Express 500 (128MB cache) OCZ PowerStream 520W PSU ATI X850XT PE (Stock) DTEK WhiteWater + DTEK Custom Radiator Eheim 1250

09-05-2002, 01:32 AM	#16
fastfred Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Netherlands Posts: 17	When a supply overloads, it should burn it's fuse should'nt it? When you pull to much amps => burn fuse => power off => replace fuse => you'll be running your PSU without damage. (thats what fuses are for) Do these "overpriced" PSU's have fuses anyway? If they don't they are really overpriced. So i'll have to agree with the statement that it broke on the way to U. __________________ At the moment Air cooling 7 fans, working towards watercooling

09-05-2002, 01:45 AM	#17
fastfred Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Netherlands Posts: 17	When a supply overloads, it should burn it's fuse should'nt it? When you pull to much amps => burn fuse => power off => replace fuse => you'll be running your PSU without damage. (thats what fuses are for) Do these "overpriced" PSU's have fuses anyway? If they don't they are really overpriced. So i'll have to agree with the statement that it broke on the way to U. __________________ At the moment Air cooling 7 fans, working towards watercooling

09-05-2002, 08:20 AM	#18
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Fuse? What fuse? __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-05-2002, 09:07 AM	#19
fastfred Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Netherlands Posts: 17	exactly my point. I should explain myself and my previous post better: what i mean that a "good" PSU should blow it's fuse when it's get overloaded. then i asked "do these supply's have a fuse at all", i don't have experience with these heavy PSU's, only PSU's on a professional level.(at work i mean) and then ofcourse in my own box, but never had a problem, never suspected that there would not be a fuse. So...... I ment : if they don't have a fuse to prevent overload, these PSU's are overpriced indeed. __________________ At the moment Air cooling 7 fans, working towards watercooling

09-05-2002, 09:52 AM	#20
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Actually, the PCP&C have thermal and overload protection, but there's no spec on the website, and how it works is not explained. A fuse is not the only type of protection available. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

09-05-2002, 11:15 AM	#21
iceheart Cooling Savant Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Yonder Posts: 318	Pretty much every PSU I've ever seen has been electronically protected (I think the newest PSU I've had that had a Glass fuse was for a 386 AT box). The most common thing this applies to is when we overclockers/modders short circuit the PSU wires and you have to wait 30 secs for the PSU to start again, I did this to an old one and the glass fuse EXPLODED quite violently, killed some components (in the psu) too.

09-05-2002, 03:46 PM	#22
fastfred Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Netherlands Posts: 17	hmm.. when your right your right, did'nt think of that, i like a glass fuse though, you see what has happened, and ofcourse i have them, thats the same reason why electronically is easier. (not everybody has access to lots of fuses) learned some more.......... __________________ At the moment Air cooling 7 fans, working towards watercooling

09-06-2002, 05:04 PM	#23
Funky D Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 8	I wish I could've cracked the PS case to see what actually happened... of course that would've voided my warranty and I wouldn't have gotten my $70 back... As for those of you talking about fuses and protection, I sure hope these more expensive units have protection! I've seen way too many power supplies take the motherboard with them (then again, maybe it was the other way around... most were old K6's with generic PCChips mobos).

09-07-2002, 10:22 PM	#24
Funky D Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 8	A little off topic: For the last 3 hours or so I've been arranging the cables inside my case... here's the finished result for anyone who wants to take a look! http://www.geocities.com/funky_d_/comp002.jpg You may need to copy and paste the link for it to work. Paul

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