Is Raidmax PSU OK?

[zzmurray]

While asking questions on another site about my computer I had several people tell me to buy a new power supply because the one I have is really lethal and my computer will catch on fire. Others told me it was fine. Now I am nervous and I need opinions, I really don't have the money to replace it. I am using a Raidmax 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply.


My setup:

Asus Z97-A motherboard

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Mushkin 1TB SSD

EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card

NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case

Raidmax 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

AOC e2752Vh 60Hz 27.0" Monitor

BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor

 

[pjstar30]

Corsair used to have a hilarious video on their site that included three "500W" PSUs self-destructing under 375W loads; they were later identified as Raidmax units; I refer to such ..."devices" by the generic moniker "Chokemax."
I learned the last lesson I needed on cheap PSUs back in 2002 or so after an apparently solid cheapie I'd had for a couple of years blew chunks for no apparent reason, taking a motherboard, CPU, and modem with it into the fiery abyss.
Pjstar30, I highly suggest you review some of the tutorial articles at HardwareSecrets on PSU internals, then read some of jonnyguru's "Gutless Wonder" reviews. It is possible that Raidmax is doing better (if they've got some 80+ units), but 80+ is no guarantee of quality either (read HardOCP's review of the Coolermaster GX-650 for a great example). The 80+ tests are run at the unrealistically cool ambient temperature of only 23C, but they do run the units for half an hour at 100% load, and they remain efficient; if they were about to croak, they'd likely be starting to wander out of spec.

It's funny that people STILL keep referencing that ONE Raidmax PSU that was apparently an epic failure for them. It's ALWAYS the "500W" PSU when the fact is that Raidmax makes so much more than just that one. One bad product by a company is not a good indicator of the quality of the rest of the products that company makes.

I'm not so sure it's that "Raidmax is doing better" but rather that they were never as bad as everyone would like to think to begin with except for that one and only 500W example that keeps popping up everywhere.

 

[herrwizo]

Best of luck, sir.

 

[pjstar30]

A good PSU will also last you through multiple PCs.

My Raidmax has been in 2 different PCs over the last 6 years so I guess that makes it's a good PSU by your statement. 😉

 

[pjstar30]

Here you go OP .... here's a good way to look at it....

at the same time, you have to allow for the parrot effect - plenty of people will repeat the same thing on the internet without actually owning and having direct experience with the product. basically, if one guy has a problem, 3 others talk about it, and eventually 600 others talk about the dozens of people who have talked about the problems - but at the end, it's still JUST ONE GUY who had the problem.

then you gotta factor in the elitists. the people who are happy with mid-range power supplies get drowned out why those who are elitists (but refuse to admit it) and tell you to ONLY buy the absolute top of the line from this one or two particular brands, because everything else is unequivocally junk (because, well, they heard 600 others say it). these elites will NEVER attempt to own or try out a lesser product FOR THEMSELVES. sure, the top-flight products are great, but there could be a whole lot of mid-range that are good too but will never get recognition.

this isn't just for power supplies. this goes for EVERYTHING on the planet, even popsicle sticks.

 

[Matt Dobe]

Pj, you may have a great little PSU that lasts forever. Heck, even my OCZ which, at the time, I thought was good quality. I have had zero issues with my OCZ over the years however I DO agree with buying a better than average PSU for a brand new rig.

I know some people won't care and fight against the red PSU badge wearers, but there are a lot of others who have had their PSU die and take their rig with it... It's better to advice the building newbies on the 'tier one/two' PSU's simply because they have a lower chance of failing so quickly. Sure, you have to spend 10-20 dollars more, but that 10-20 dollars is nothing compared to the 1% risk your motherboard/cpu/gpu getting wrecked when the cheaply made PSU's die. This would be 100-200 dollars more...

I can throw your parrot effect back at you in reverse by saying just because you, individually, has not experienced a problem with your PSU doesn't mean no one else will.

 

[Onus]

The parrot effect is a very good analogy; I have frequently been critical of parrots myself. Many of us here though, have years of experience devouring competent PSU reviews, and learning about the "typical" quality of specific manufacturers. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions, but we make the recommendations that we'd follow ourselves. I personally will not buy an Andyson-built Raidmax PSU in the absence of a competent technical review. Maybe it is fine. Heck, with a confirmed 80+ label, at least it was run at full labeled rating (although at only 23C). I'd say the odds are in your favor.
When we recommend Seasonic though (as an example), we are recommending a company that at least in my memory has NEVER released a stinker; they're ALL good. There are no "odds" to worry about (other than the extremely rare DOA which applies to everyone if only due to package handling).

 

[ccampy]

Is this guy for real? You think raidmax make good PSUs? I've seen of people who have there PSUs due hell I blew one up simply turn a machine on with one it shot blue sparks out of the back of it

 

[pjstar30]

hell I blew one up simply turn a machine on with one it shot blue sparks out of the back of it

I met the Dalai Lama once and had a friend that time traveled 30 minutes into the past.

See, I can make up extravagant stories as well.

Oh and by the way, I'm from the Show-Me State ..... don't believe it unless I've seen it for myself.

 

[Onus]

YouTube is full of videos of cheap PSUs dying violent deaths. That's not saying any of them are necessarily Raidmax, but a PSU is such a critical component to overall health and safety of a system that it is never a wrong answer to suggest a known high-quality unit over trusting an unknown.

 

[toyftw]

YouTube is full of videos of cheap PSUs dying violent deaths. That's not saying any of them are necessarily Raidmax, but a PSU is such a critical component to overall health and safety of a system that it is never a wrong answer to suggest a known high-quality unit over trusting an unknown.

You can lead him to water, but you can't make him think!

And some of those you tube video's of PSU's exploding are Raidmax, pretty sure
blackbird has posted some in the past.

 

[pjstar30]

YouTube is full of videos of cheap PSUs dying violent deaths. That's not saying any of them are necessarily Raidmax, but a PSU is such a critical component to overall health and safety of a system that it is never a wrong answer to suggest a known high-quality unit over trusting an unknown.

You can lead him to water, but you can't make him think!

And some of those you tube video's of PSU's exploding are Raidmax, pretty sure
blackbird has posted some in the past.

Funny thing about videos is that they can be manipulated. I'm not saying ALL of those videos are fake but you have to ask yourself how many of those units were rigged to blow on purpose just to make a youtube video and get lots of likes. Some of those videos don't show what's hooked up to the PSUs even. I mean, if you apply 1000w to a 500w PSU or apply too much voltage to it, it's going to explode. I personally find it extremely hard to believe that you can predict that a PSU is going to explode, under normal circumstances, in advance enough to pull out a camera and record that moment. The majority of those videos are just too ridiculous to even believe.

 

[Onus]

...you have to ask yourself how many of those units were rigged to blow on purpose just to make a youtube video and get lots of likes. Some of those videos don't show what's hooked up to the PSUs even. I mean, if you apply 1000w to a 500w PSU or apply too much voltage to it, it's going to explode...

Not so, and this is precisely our point. If overloaded beyond its capacity, in any number of ways, or air flow choked off so it overheats, a quality PSU will gracefully shut down; it will not smoke, explode, catch fire, or do anything else remotely interesting to YouTube viewers. As far as I know, there is no country on earth that does not have mains power in the 90V-240V range all acceptable to a modern PSU. If you've plugged it in to a 440V line somehow (requiring deliberate effort to mis-wire something), then quite frankly plugging in a computer may not be something you should attempt without a technician's supervision.

 

[nostall]

I may be mistaken, but Blackbird may have found this one, I just don't recall. Not worth using an inexpensive low quality psu.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/26/exploding_computer_vs_reg_reader/

 

[ccampy]

hell I blew one up simply turn a machine on with one it shot blue sparks out of the back of it

I met the Dalai Lama once and had a friend that time traveled 30 minutes into the past.

See, I can make up extravagant stories as well.

Oh and by the way, I'm from the Show-Me State ..... don't believe it unless I've seen it for myself.

Try running both furmark and prime 95 if you dare and screenshot the voltage's from something such as hwinfo won't show ripple ect but will at least show us voltage levels at load

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Motherboard voltage sensors are notoriously useless. Multimeter or ideally oscilloscope.