4th PSU will now probably fail in 2 years... -.-

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BigBadBeef

BigBadBeef

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Okay, I am willing to entertain the notion that I might have bad house power. I've had ASUS anti-surge trigger on my 4th power supply by now, granted, this one has lasted the longest by now, but is nevertheless surged for the first time.

This is all wank! I've had half a dozen PC's, all cheapo junk, now I have what was top of the line last year and now its causing trouble?:kaola:

So I need to try and compensate for bad house power, I am thinking UPS, am I correct?
 
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BigBadBeef
Yes this happens, but very rarely, outages are also rare, a few times a year, recently our wires have been upgraded from multiple ones, to knitted wires, granting even additional stability.

I am reluctant to engage in purchasing UPS however, because the flow itself is quite constant. Although my room is in the old part of the house (upgraded house multiple times) which is pre-world war 2! If I could, I would just buy a regulator...

Also this is not the first computer that keeps blowing PSU's. My previous pc blew 2 of them in a row, but they were shitty ones, black power or something, first one lasted 3 days, second one 3 hours! After which I got pissed off and bought the highest quality 600W PSU I could find in my country... still...
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i7Baby

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photonboy

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Not a UPS necessarily.

That's a battery backup, and while most contain some surge protection what you want is a quality VOLTAGE REGULATOR.
http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=LE1200

I bought one to protect my dad's Plasma as we had power issues. Every time the light turned YELLOW it tells me that the power is out of tolerance coming into the unit but is regulating it to the attached devices.

There are pros and cons to every method but I'd start with a Voltage Regulator first. The APC Line-R 1200VA has been around for many years and is very reliable.

*BTW, most of the UPS units don't even function with modern power supplies in computers. The "PFC" (Pulse Forming Circuit) can't work if the sine-wave isn't good enough and most UPS units use cheaper circuitry that approximates a sine wave; that's good enough for most AC devices but not for any "80-plus" rated PSU.

So if looking at a UPS make sure it supports PFC.
 
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photonboy

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BigBadBeef

BigBadBeef

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No, this happens from time to time:
RbMzQQp.jpg



As for your question - there was no discernible surge, however some time ago, I've had some measurements done, and my house voltage tends to fluctuate +/- 1V. It is why I'm asking the question.

And as for your "quality PSU" advice - the other 3 that had failed, those were all XFX 650W PSU's the ones recommended by this community, these all together didn't last as long as the one i've got now!
 
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westom

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Normal voltage variation between a breaker box and receptacle can be more than 2 volts.. That +/-1 is a zero voltage change.

Observe incandescent bulbs. Normal voltage for all computers can be so low that incandescent bulbs dim to 40% intensity. Is your voltage varying that much?

Voltage variation (especially low voltage) does not harm a power supply or other hardware. If you had four failures and a tech has not identified the failed internal component, then you need a new tech.

Nobody can provide assistance without hard facts. Incandescent bulb powered from the same receptacle is a useful fact. Voltage measurements using a meter on specific wires (as defined by requested instructions) will identify or exonerate many suspects.

Apparently you are shotgunning. Replacing good parts until something works. Why did you suspect a PSU? Did you know the PSU only power cycles when ordered to by another 'system' component - a power controller. Why not suspect the power controller?

What measures PSU voltages? A meter on the motherboard. Did you calibrate it with a digital multimeter? Do surges (which have no relationship to what power strip surge protectors do or what is on AC mains) really exist?

Your assistance is only as good as provided facts with numbers.
 
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BigBadBeef

BigBadBeef

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Yes this happens, but very rarely, outages are also rare, a few times a year, recently our wires have been upgraded from multiple ones, to knitted wires, granting even additional stability.

I am reluctant to engage in purchasing UPS however, because the flow itself is quite constant. Although my room is in the old part of the house (upgraded house multiple times) which is pre-world war 2! If I could, I would just buy a regulator...

Also this is not the first computer that keeps blowing PSU's. My previous pc blew 2 of them in a row, but they were shitty ones, black power or something, first one lasted 3 days, second one 3 hours! After which I got pissed off and bought the highest quality 600W PSU I could find in my country... still works today, powering a converted car stereo into house radio! :D
 
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westom

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You are assuming a name means quality. Again, if a PSU is damaged, an informed tech (they are hard to find) can say what inside failed. Did the power supply fail? Or did you only assume that because a replacement supply worked?

You are currently combining speculation with observation. Hard fact is that multiple PSUs physically fail (apparently). Whatever is causing the problem has not been identified or repaired. And incandescent bulbs are not changing intensity.

Power offs and brownouts do not cause hardware damage. That power off is the only purpose of a UPS (or regulator) - to protect unsaved data. Zero reasons eixst to believe buying solutions (without first identifying the fault) will cure anything.

Does not matter how old wiring is. Even 1930 wiring is perfectly good for today's appliances. However you may have a wiring fault (that can exist in 1930 wiring or 2015 wiring) that has not been identified or addressed. Again, the dead body is your best evidence. Autopsy: what inside the PSU failed? What results is, first, a reason for the failure. And second, a soution that actually fixes something.

Otherwise just keep replacing parts until something stops failing. That is your only other solution IF you do not first identfy what specifically failed and therefore the reason for that failure. Sorry. A useful recommendation is not possible without those necessary facts (with numbers). No magic product or brand name can be purchased to solve a problem that was not first identified.
 
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Blueberries

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You must have bought some really bad ones before. :)

In any sense, lasting less than 2 years (1 year?) isn't good either. If you have a surge protector it likely isn't house power, so investigate other possibilities.
 
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westom

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Because it is a magic box, then it will cure all anomalies? Long before fixing anything, a good diagnostician first identifies the problem. Instead, you have repeatedly done what hearsay recommends. And not once separated useful replies (that always say why with numbers) from speculation recommended by hearsay.

What does the Power Walker do? Did you again ignore the only relevant fact (numerics specifications) to wildly speculated this must be a solution? I do not see even one reason to believe any previous supply failed.

Swap a supply. Then the system works. That proves the original supply was defective? Of course not. It may have only temporarily cured a symptom.

What determines whether a supply powers on or off? A power controller? Why not accuse a power controller? How many did you replace?

Please learn how to fix a problem. First a defect must be defined. Noted was one way that could be defined. Currently you have posted no definitive facts to obtain a useful answer. I do not see even one reason to believe any previous supplies failed. Maybe they did. But your replies will only be as good as the facts you provide. Not provided is one good reason to believe any of those four supplies were defective. So your assistance is only based in wild speculation.

Exactly what failed? Why did you know each one failed? What inside each one failed? If you cannot answer those questions, then we move onto simple layman techniques to obtain useful answers. Only then can a useful solution be recommended much later.

Meanwhile, some of the 'dirtiest' power (worse than from AC mains) may be generated by that magic box when in battery backup mode. Why is that a good solution?
 
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BigBadBeef

BigBadBeef

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Okay then, lets do it your way:

FACT #1 - 4 power supplies dead across 2 computers;
FACT #2 - 2 of which were german build quality XFX power supplies with capacitors way superior to these;
FACT #3 - most of the other power supplies had trouble cooling down after going off load, a clear sign of PSU struggling to manage unstable power;

Now could we please move on?!?
 
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westom

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A 'not working' PSU does not mean a dead (or defective) PSU. To be dead, an internal part must have failed. Normal is for a perfectly good supply to not work because, for example, a power controller does not let it work.

Please state why each 'not working' supply is defective. A 'not working' supply does not mean it is defective.

Unstable power is another subjective claim that is technically irrelevant. Unstable power can make incandescent bulbs dim and brighten often. Even that 'unstable' power is perfectly ideal for all power supplies. And does not cause PSU heating.

What can make a PSU hottest? Operating at only 50% power levels. That same supply is much cooler at near zero or near 100% power output. This contradicts popular urban myths. But that is how some supplies work.

If power is 'unstable', then the particular 'unstable' is defined. Most every condition called unstable never caused any power supply to get warmer or fail. I designed and built supplies even 40 years ago. And never saw 'unstable' power cause heating or failure. I have seen some 'unstables' cause a PSU to do a normal and not destructive power off.

I have done this stuff for a very long time. I see no reason to believe any 'not working' PSU is defective. I see no reasons to believe power is unstable. I see a popular urban myth that unstable power makes a supply hotter.

Unstable power is not +/-1 volt. Even +/-10 volts is perfectly stable power. The Asus surge has no relationship to AC power or a surge protector. These are also conclusions based only in observation and speculation. Not tempered by numerical facts. And due to what so many urban myths promote. You have no numeric facts that say you have unstable power or had an AC mains surge.

Even that 'superior capacitor fear is based mostly in myth. A so called low qualtiy cap might fail after 30 years. The better one might last 90. To a consumer, both are perfectly good.

Return to the acutal problem. You are conbining observation with speculation. A useful reply is always based in perspective and hard facts. That means numbers. 1) Incandescent bulb powered from the same receptacle provides a useful fact. 2) Voltage measurements using a meter on specific wires (as defined by requested instructions) will identify or exonerate many suspects. 3) A dead body is your best evidence. Autopsy:what inside each PSU failed. What results from any of those hard facts is, first, a reason for the failure. And second, a soution that actually fixes something.

No reason was provided to believe any of those supplies are defective. Just because you think a PSU is defective does not mean it failed. A defective power controller would also make multiple supplies work intermittently or "unstable". Did you replace the power controller? Did you even what a power controller is before automatically accusing the PSU using only observation?

Please understand that I am not criticizing you. Please do not take offense. Your logic is flawed due to conclusions based only in observation, without numbers, and by not knowing how the power 'system' works. A PSU is only one part of tha much larger 'system'. Provided were at least three ways to learn what exists before accusing anything.
 
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westom

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1) Incandescent bulb powered from the same receptacle provides a useful fact. 2) Voltage measurements using a meter on specific wires (as defined by requested instructions) will identify or exonerate many suspects. 3) A dead body is your best evidence. Autopsy:what inside each PSU failed.

Details have been posted previously.
 
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westom

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At least three suggestions were made. Replying to only one as it that proves all is not possible is disingenuous.

By far an easiest and most successful solution involves a meter. A task that any layman or junior high school science student can perform.

If under warranty, then they do an autopsy. After all, why would they keep replacing supplies without solving the problem? That is simply a formula for bankruptcy.

Of course, a (fourth) solution that teaches nothing is also available. Take it to a shop. Have them fix it. And keep fixing it for free until they solve the problem.

Rather than argue what cannot be done, instead, start trying to do any one recommendation. Then learn if that suggestion has merit - after you try.
 
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