Question if a quality PSU provides a wattage very close to its max (in the absence of margin) does it "ruin" the PSU itself or "ruin" the powered components?

[Grealish01]

ex. 460 watt PSU with an i5 12600K and a 6500xt gpu, in this situation the PSU holds up (I know for sure), but it is still in a stressful situation because eg. is supplying 350/400 watts to the build when its max is 460. In this situation what little problems could there be? are my 2 hypotheses or does the PSU gradually degrade and shorten its life, or are the powered components ruined? you think? I hope the second hypothesis is not true, because in the end it is the PSU that is in stress, but the energy it provides is always the same, whether a 460 watt provides 400 watts or a 1000 watt provides 400 watts, again I ask confirmation. Thank you have a nice day

 

[John Chesterfield]

To answer one of your original questions at the top of the page, yes, power supplies, or more specifically the capacitors inside them, age. And when this happens, the device is not able to deliver stable power at higher wattages. So where you say above "The energy they provide is the same", that's not actually true. A good quality power supply will continue to provide the same stable power for far longer than an inferior quality one.

With 460w, sure, it's enough for the system you want to power. As to whether it's a quality unit, no, it's a bag of crap in that regard. Now, with 460w you have little headroom for capacitor ageing. That's why most sensible people who know how important a quality power supply is, often buy about 50% more wattage then they need, so that they have plenty of headroom for capacitor ageing.

Would I use that LC unit? No, it's crap quality, will have poorer quality capacitors and insufficient overcurrent protection. And certainly not a 460w unit given what I said above regarding headroom. And not with the hardware you have.

You've had plenty of good advice on these forums and it's up to you if you choose to follow it. But bear in mind if you don't, the most crucial part in your system is also the weakest point of your system.

 

[Grealish01]

To answer one of your original questions at the top of the page, yes, power supplies, or more specifically the capacitors inside them, age. And when this happens, the device is not able to deliver stable power at higher wattages. So where you say above "The energy they provide is the same", that's not actually true. A good quality power supply will continue to provide the same stable power for far longer than an inferior quality one.

With 460w, sure, it's enough for the system you want to power. As to whether it's a quality unit, no, it's a bag of crap in that regard. Now, with 460w you have little headroom for capacitor ageing. That's why most sensible people who know how important a quality power supply is, often buy about 50% more wattage then they need, so that they have plenty of headroom for capacitor ageing.

Would I use that LC unit? No, it's crap quality, will have poorer quality capacitors and insufficient overcurrent protection. And certainly not a 460w unit given what I said above regarding headroom. And not with the hardware you have.

You've had plenty of good advice on these forums and it's up to you if you choose to follow it. But bear in mind if you don't, the most crucial part in your system is also the weakest point of your system.

thank you very much very clear explanation, just a doubt, in a PSU that I would hypothetically use for 4/5 years, how should I behave in terms of capacitor aging? and is there a way to not age them or age them, but slower?

 

[USAFRet]

thank you very much very clear explanation, just a doubt, in a PSU that I would hypothetically use for 4/5 years, how should I behave in terms of capacitor aging? and is there a way to not age them or age them, but slower?

No.
If you are actually using it, there is no real way to treat it like a baby and theoretically extend its lifespan.

 

[John Chesterfield]

thank you very much very clear explanation, just a doubt, in a PSU that I would hypothetically use for 4/5 years, how should I behave in terms of capacitor aging? and is there a way to not age them or age them, but slower?

No, they'll age regardless. In terms of use for 4 or 5 years, I'll bet the warranty on that unit is less than that amount of time. Either way, use at your own risk.

Would I? No.

 

[Grealish01]

No, they'll age regardless. In terms of use for 4 or 5 years, I'll bet the warranty on that unit is less than that amount of time. Either way, use at your own risk.

Would I? No.

to have a PSU that lasts 8 years, especially that up to the eighth grade can handle heavy overclock loads safely, what should I pay attention to when choosing, what are the things I should take into account? apart from the 10-year warranty

 

[John Chesterfield]

to have a PSU that lasts 8 years, especially that up to the eighth grade can handle heavy overclock loads safely, what should I pay attention to when choosing, what are the things I should take into account? apart from the 10-year warranty

I see you have been banned, most likely because the question you just asked has been answered several times over in previous threads, I'd refer to those if you're still able to. I'm not going to repeat advice already given.