PSU that will not damage other components when it dies

dolfinator

Distinguished
May 28, 2013
31
0
18,540
Hey guys,
I am going to sell my old computer to some friends of mine. Thing is, I need to buy a PSU for it first. I know 400-450 W will be enough, but the wattage isn't what concerns me. I don't need anything fancy, I don't even need a PSU that is unlikely to die, but I DO need a PSU that will NOT damage any other components if it dies. The people I am selling to are friends of mine and the price will be the same, no matter what PSU I put in it. That's why I need to buy a PSU that is both cheap and relatively safe because I don't want the computer to become a pile of junk if I buy a crappy PSU and it dies.
I know PSU have certain types of protection like short circuit protection. Should I look for a PSU that has some specific protections. Will this guarantee anything?
Also if an expensive PSU (like Corsair) has the same protections (for example OCP, UCP and SCP) like a cheap one (like Raidmax), will one of them be more likely to damage other components if it fails? And in general, how likely is it that a PSU will damage other parts when it fails? I've had one PSU die on me once and nothing else blew up.
 

avjguy2362

Honorable
Jun 21, 2012
732
0
11,360
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee as to what part will fail first if a PS is worked past its capacity. I might think a large capacitor is more likely to cause damage than an output transistor, but design and why something blew up or simply dyed would be too hard to predict. However, choosing a brand with a good reputation is really the only way to go. Brands get their reputation, because they choose higher quality parts that they know are less likely to fail. IF a brand has a longer warranty, that may help too, simply because the manufacturer has to pay for the failures. You know that they don't want to pay for warranty repairs and it is to their advantage to use parts known not to fail if they want to warrant there products longer. I couldn't find a comprehensive warranty list, but I did see that one list considered Corsair to be among the best, there were a handful of other good companies, but if you are only getting 90 days or 1 year...Stay away. Most are 3 years minimum. I would recommend a Corsair CX 430: $50 ( $30 after rebate on NewEgg )
http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/838-pc-hardware-warranty-comparison?start=4