Fried My Friends PSU. Did I Replace it with Equivalent? Cooler Master Masterwatt Lite 500w vs. EVGA 500w

[Hobbyist77]

So my friends computer was acting weird in that the fan would get really loud for a few seconds, then stop for a few seconds, then go on high again. I did some googling, and decided to take the computer outside and blow the dust out. Unfortunately, I turned it over on the wrong side, broke one of the external wifi antennas, and it caused a visible spark. I go back inside, and the computer no longer turned on.

Thank god I isolated the problem to only a power supply issue. The one in the computer was a BFG LS-450 450 watt watt. It was my fault, so I paid for the replacement power supply out of my own pocket. I grabbed the cheapest 500 watt PSU at Micro Center from a brand that i recognized.

I ended up with a Cooler Master Masterwatt Lite 500w (80+) for $34.99. I hooked it up and everything works fine. But I'm regretting not getting them to price match Amazon and getting the EVGA 500w 80+ white (100-W1-0500-KR) that was selling for $6 more in store, but would have been the same price if I price matched. I asked the salesguy if i should spend the $6 more for the EVGA and he said "it's all the same stuff".

The EVGA has been out a couple of years, so it has a ton of reviews and is rated pretty highly on Amazon. The CoolerMaster is relatively new (just came out in the US within the last 6 months). It only has one review on the Micro Center site, and it was bad, but it's only the only review I can really find.

Are these power supplies really both "the same," or should I go through the trouble of returning, and swapping the two units?

From what I can see, they're very comparable, but EVGA claims that they're rating is "true power". I think the EVGA uses 40 amps at 12v, and the Cooler Master uses 38 amps at 12v. I read speculation that the Masterwatt Lite series is a replacement for the Coolermaster B v2 series?

These are the computer specs from what I can remember (I got it for him used a CL, so I remember most of it).

AMD FX-8150 Octacore (I think)
16 GB DDR-3 RAM
AMD Radeon 6850
256 Kingston SSD
DVD-RW Drive

I forget MOBO but I think it's MSI or Asus. I think it has a Zalman CPU cooler on it if that matters.

When he bought it, it was originally for playing SC2 and DOTA. I don't think the system gave him any problems. But he got a new job that keeps him busy, and just had a baby, so he doesn't really have time to game anymore. He just uses the computer for internet and MS Office for work these days. I'm just worried that if he chooses to game, that he could blow up the PSU. Zero chance of overclocking in the future.

So did I get him a PSU that was at least equivalent to the one he had before? And should I not lose sleep over going with the Cooler Master over the EVGA?
I've literally already spent hours researching this, but the Cooler Master is so new that it's hard to find info on it.
This isn't my computer, and of course I'd like to keep the price as low as possible considering it's coming out of my own pocket for a stupid mistake. He'll probably never notice the difference either way, but I'd have this obsessive guilt if I got a crappy PSU when I could have gotten one that was good enough for the same price.

Thanks in advance.

Oh yeah, for easy linkage:

Cooler Master Masterwatt Lite 500w: http://www.microcenter.com/product/479133/MasterWatt_500_Watt_80_Plus_ATX_Power_Supply

EVGA 500w: http://www.microcenter.com/product/457414/500_Watt_80_Plus_ATX_Power_Supply

And in case you're wondering, the fan still does that loud cycling even with the new PSU, but it's a tad bit quieter IMO. I've tried turning off auto fan control in the bios, and the AMD fan control, but it just defaults the fan to the highest setting which is loud as crap. It didn't do this before. Could have been a Windows 10 thing, but his computers are always doing weird stuff.

I'd really love to get an answer soon so I can get this off my mind. I think I saw on another site that both these power supplies are tier 4 anyways.

I've used a couple of PSU calculators. Newegg didn't have my video card, but I put a 7700 in instead of a 6850 and it said something like 470-490 watts. I used the Outervision/Seasonic calculator, and it came up with 334 watts continuous with 384 watt psu recommended. So watt wise, I guess I should be good with either unit. Just wondering if the EVGA is a better unit worth going through all this trouble.

 

[Aeacus]

To put it short, you cheaped out on PSU and got your friend far worse build quality PSU than he originally had.

His original PSU, BFG LS-450 is good quality unit that came with 5 years of warranty.
review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=135
further reading: http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5416

The Cooler Master unit you got for him is low quality unit with only 3 years of warranty. Cooler Master PSU is even that bad that it doesn't achieve the 16ms hold-up time set by the ATX PSU standard since it has only 11ms of hold-up time.
specs: http://www.coolermaster.com/powersupply/masterwatt-lite-series/masterwatt-lite-230v-500w/

EVGA 500 W1 unit is better than Cooler Master unit by being mediocre quality unit. But since EVGA unit also comes only with 3 years of warranty, it doesn't match the build quality of BFG unit.
specs: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=100-W1-0500-KR#
review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=384

Since the PSU is the most important component inside the PC, you do not want to cheap out on a PSU if you care about the PC. That being said and to give him the same build quality PSU he originally had, you're looking towards good build quality PSU. Anything from Seasonic will do just fine, e.g S12II-520, M12II-520 EVO, S12G-550 or G-550,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/TgW9TW,gYMFf7,fZyFf7,DPCwrH/

All 4 Seasonic PSUs come with 5 years of OEM warranty.
S12II-520 is fully wired and 80+ Bronze, review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=185
M12II-520 EVO is fully modular and 80+ Bronze, review: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=nl&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expreview.com%2F26961-all.html
S12G-550 is fully wired and 80+ Gold, review: https://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/02/18/seasonic_s12gseries_s12g550_power_supply_review/
G-550 is semi modular and 80+ Gold, review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=373

All my 3 PCs: Skylake, Haswell and AMD are also powered by Seasonic. Full specs with pics in my sig.

 

[Hobbyist77]

Thanks for your answer Aeacus. I had been doing a ton of reading today about PSU's and all everyone ever says is Seasonic. Unfortunately, I was kind of in a bind at the time and had to get something that day. I didn't have a computer to use, so I couldn't do any research. I don't think Micro Center sells any Seasonic brand anyways.

I'm surprised that a power supply that came out 8 years ago and cost about $60 would be that much better than a $35 power supply that came out less than 6 months ago.

I looked at the specs, and the BFG was only drawing 29 amps at 12v. This Cooler Master draws 38 amps at 12v. The BFG was only 80 plus white too, so I thought I matched up the specs decently. Anything bronze rated would be higher than the one he had in there. This particular Cooler Master is made by Enhance I think. Not sure if they're a good PSU maker or not.

Personally, I have some guilt with essentially borrowing a PS and returning it to Micro Center. With the way B&M is getting punished right now by Amazon, I like to support my local store. Plus I know the salesguy, and I don't really want to put a return on his account even if he's making less than a dollar on it.

I asked my friend today if he planned on doing any gaming, and he said he doesn't have time for it anymore. Can we get back to the Cooler Master vs. the EVGA? Is it worth the trouble to go to the store, buy it, go to my friends house and swap it, and go return the Cooler Master? Like i said, another site said they were both tier 4 PSU's anyways.

So this Cooler Master 500w really won't suffice for a system that is drawing 332w continuously according to Seasonic's calculator?

 

[Hobbyist77]

The Seasonic S12II 620 Bronze is on sale for $34.99 AR at Newegg right now. I assume that makes the list of good power supplies. Maybe I can get that, but I'd have to return the old one to Micro Center. Just wish the one I got originally was good enough so I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.

 

[Aeacus]

As far as PSUs go, it's not only the wattage that counts. Voltage regulation is another thing that matters. And so do the hold-up time and ripple noise.

By the ATX PSU standard, the hold-up time should be at least 16ms (preferably more); ripple noise less than 120mV on +12V rail and less than 50mV on +5V rail; and voltage can vary up to 5% on all rails (10% on -12V and -5V rails).
In other words, on +12V rail, voltage can vary between +11.4V and +12.6V. If it's any lower or higher than specified by ATX standard, the PSU isn't safe to use in the PC since PC components are very sensitive to voltage variations.
Here's also ATX PSU standard in in-depth if you're interested in it,
link: http://paginas.fe.up.pt/~asousa/pc-info/atxps09_atx_pc_pow_supply.pdf

Lower build quality PSUs can be out of ATX specs and while wattage vise they are enough, they still can damage the internal components by other means (e.g under voltage or over voltage). That's why it's vise to use good quality PSU.

Just because PSU is much newer doesn't mean it's also better. To keep the PSU retail price low, 2nd grade PSU OEMs (Enhance Electronics, HEC Compucase, Channel Well Technology, High Power/Sirfa) use cheap components and far less safety circuits inside their PSUs. Two giveaways of low quality PSUs are: cheap retail price and low weight of the PSU itself.
When low quality PSU dies, usually it also fries other components as well due to the lack of internal protections. At worst, PSU can even catch on fire and there have been several houses that have burned down due to this.

In CPU world, two best/biggest are Intel and AMD. In GPU world, two best/biggest are Nvidia and Radeon. While in PSU world, two best/biggest are Seasonic and Super Flower.
Seasonic is the oldest PSU OEM in the world (by being in business for over 40 years) and they also make PSUs to other known brands. To name the few: Corsair AX series, EVGA SuperNova GS and PS series, Cooler Master V series, XFX Pro series, Antec Edge series are all made by Seasonic.

For PSU wattage calculator, use the Outervision's since it's the most accurate one. Though, don't take it's results spot on since no calculator can give you the true power consumption,
link: https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

As far as Cooler Master vs EVGA goes, both units are low end ones. While they are cheap, and wattage vise they are enough, don't expect them to last more than few years.
Seasonic S12II-620 is good quality PSU with 80+ Bronze certification. Only downside of S12II units is that they are fully wired and give a nice headache in cable management. My AMD build is powered by S12II-520 PSU. My PSU is about 3 years old and still going strong. S12II-520 even powered my Skylake build for a few weeks before i bought better PSU for it.
I suggest that you return the Cooler Master unit and get the Seasonic unit for your friend. As far as going through all this trouble, i have this to say: "Live and learn.".

I hope you've learned about this experience to stay away from "budget" PSUs in the future. Here's also one good and short video about "budget" PSUs,
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk9OA7aKOE

Since i know how vital the PSU is, in my high-end Skylake build, my PSU is 3rd most expensive component inside my PC. Costing even more than my full-tower ATX case. Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium PSU, which powers my Skylake build, has the best efficiency (94%), tightest voltage regulation (0.5%), lowest ripple noise (15mV on +12V rail and 12mV on +5V rail), highest hold-up time (30ms) and longest warranty (12 years) there is, since it's the best 650W PSU money can buy at current date.

 

[synphul]

Another thing to consider, you're trying to replace what your friend had in their pc. By the looks of those parts, ddr3, an fx 8150, hd 6850, those all appear to be older parts. Was his psu brand new or was it 3yrs old already? If it were a brand new psu then sure, an equal quality 5yr unit would make sense. Otherwise if it's a 3yr old 5yr unit they only have 2yrs left on the warranty (more or less depending on age). A 3yr unit would be suitable so long as it has the same power output (practical, not just rating on the sticker), connectors etc. I wouldn't consider that 'cheaping out'.

You also don't need to replace it with some super premium titanium diamond model with a 30yr warranty. Regardless of warranty length, capacitors still age. Warranty length doesn't mean everything and neither does efficiency. There's a happy medium between the cm lite psu for $30 and mega premium psu's.

Seasonic isn't the only option but they do make solid psu's and they actually manufacture them. Coolermaster buys theirs from other companies and slaps their name on it. Evga does as well, many of evga's psu's are using seasonic guts. Not every model put out by a company is fantastic, evga offers good psu's and they also offer budget models with lesser quality components. Usually their b2/g2 units are better quality than their b1/g1. Bronze, silver, gold etc are efficiency ratings, not quality standards. It refers to the efficiency of the psu in terms of how many watts from the wall make it to the components.

 

[Hobbyist77]

Thanks, I appreciate the replies. We bought the computer used off Craigslist. The guy was moving so we got a great deal, but the parts seemed relatively new and current at the time. I assume it was only a couple of years old at the time. I think that was 3-4 years ago. I'm pretty sure he'd be fine running a 330 continuous load with a 500 watt PSU when he's only doing internet browsing and MS office 100% of the time right now.

I just would feel bad if the PSU somehow took out his components, either from a short or maybe a lightning strike or something.

I went ahead and ordered the Seasonic 620 watt because it was $34.99 AR on sale at Newegg. Quality component, and no offense, but I think on a performance forum like this there may be an overreaction for a computer that would be rarely used to game, if anything, that's running stock clocks with zero chance of ever overclocking.

This is a newer PSU, so I'm curious to see what kind of reviews come out in the future. The salesguy at MC said I would be fine cuz I wasn't buying some cheap $15 Diablotek power supply. It was obviously not my intent at the time to "cheap out," and I was choosing from CoolerMaster and EVGA which are known brands.

CoolerMaster has a mediocre rep from previous power supplies, but they've only been making them for a few years. Who knows, maybe they got better? Kinda like Hyundai and Kia have gone up in reliability, while Hondas have dipped. It's a new line, so who knows? The 1200 watt tank that's in this same line was said to have excellent build quality, but that PS costs $500, so comparisons wouldn't exactly be fair.

But I can get it off my mind once I swap this PS out. There's plenty of reviews of the Seasonic blowing out after short periods of time though, so it's not bulletproof or anything. Probably has just as many defects as any other mainstream brand.

 

[Hobbyist77]

Just out of curiosity, what exactly is "hold-up time," and why is it so important?

 

[Aeacus]

Hold-up time is time in ms (milliseconds) where PSU can maintain output within the specified voltage range after loss of input power.
Having good hold-up time is vital since the system can continue to run without resetting or rebooting during a power interruption.

Power supplies that also include a battery to maintain power in the event of a power outage are called an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
Systems that can't have power outage are usually backed up by UPS. UPS is also common in less developed areas where power outages are more common.