Question about what my PSU tester is telling me...

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tj89890

Honorable
Feb 29, 2012
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10,530
Hi everyone. I ran into a problem with my computer recently. My computer decided not to post and display any image. It seems to power up most things, but the video card would rise in power, then lower, and repeat. It seemed the PSU was faulty but I wasn't sure. I just got my PSU tester in today and ran my PSU through all the tests. Everything passed, HDD, 4/6/8 pin, SATA, floppy, except the 24pin connecter. When I plugged that in, i got +3.3v, -12v, PG, +5VSB, +12v and +5V to light up. The one that didn't light up was the -5V. Does this indicate that my PSU is faulty and causing my computer not to post by not providing the right power to the motherboard? Thanks.
 



Thanks for the link. At the moment I'm at lest 90% sure it's the PSU. I unplugged everything from the motherboard, including taking out the ram and gpu. I plugged in the 24pin connector and on start-up the cpu fan was spinning at full speed. Now when I shut it down and plugged in the 8pin connector to power the cpu on and started it up, the cpu fan was spinning at 1/4 of the original speed at most. I'm pretty positive it's not putting out enough power. The psu was also the only item to get knocked around while being shipped. So I really believe that is the problem. If not I'll get that case speaker.
 
So I called up Rosewill tech support to get an RMA on this PSU. The guy asks me what video card I use and I said a 5870. He then tells me my PSU has four rails at 20amps each and that the GPU i was using required 40amps. He said my warranty was voided because it is under the category of being mis-used. Does this sound rediculous to anyone else? The PSU was working fine for over a year and a half. Maybe I should just call back and say a different story, that I was using a cheaper gpu? lol. Anyways, can anyone recommend me a good PSU to buy around $60? Thanks.
 
I just went on newegg and checked out the product details of the PSU I have and no where does it speak of amps. All it says concerning rails is that it has four 12v rails. Nothing mentioned about amps. So what rosewill tech support is telling me if that I have to do a search for the product manual and read everything carefully, as with my gpu. That's rediculous. He seemed like he was buding a little when I explained I had to be a tech expert to not mis-use this thing. He then told me I'd be better off buying a psu with two rails at 40 amps anyways. I explained to him if I can RMA this psu and get a new one that I could sell it and buy the proper PSU. He kind of agreed with me but still went down hill from there. He really seemed like he was tyring to find any technical reason to make my warranty voided.
 

NVidia recommends a minimum 500W with 40A total on the 12V rails - it does not require 40A on a single 12V rail. This is absolutely ridiculous. You could try changing the story, but I would push th issue. I'm surprised that their customer service is giving you this type of runaround and misinformation. Let me know how they treat you....if they don't take care of you, then I'll think twice before I recommend their Capstone PSUs again!

Outstanding PSU...Seasonic S12II-520W at $10 over your budget. 40A on the 12V rail, great build quality, 80+ bronze, 5 year warranty.

Edit: Link to S12II 520W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&Tpk=s12ii%20520w
Other option: Antec Earthwatts 500W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 44A on (2) 12V rails, 3 year warranty about the same price as the Seasonic.
Corsair Builder CX 600W; has a 15% discount code that ends 3/7 and a $10 MIR; Will cost you $59.50 at checkout and you get another $10 from the MIR. Only 80+ (not Bronze certified), 40A on the 12V rail (same amount as the 520W Seasonic. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
 



I have a rx850 d-b. Thanks, I'll look into that PSU you suggested. I was reading on rosewill website that my warranty is also voided if the item is damaged through shipping and/or has any physical damage to it. Either way, there goes that. Still made me mad the tech at rosewill treated me like that. After he said I needed a PSU that had 40amp on one rail and that it was a mis-use of product, I told him it's the same thing except it's split up into four rails at 20amp and just combines what it needs. He just ignored that and kept saying it was a mis-use. His logic is flawed, because no PSU will last forever. So if I had a gpu that used 20amps, it will still wear down the PSU over-time. I don't see what's different from using a 40amp gpu and having the psu use two rails of 20amps to power it. It'll just wear it out over time like any other. Now 40 amp is max load, so it won't always be using that much.
 
Also...is there a cheaper PSU you could recommend? I plan on selling this computer again once I fix it. So I don't want to invest too much more money after losing a PSU over the first try. Just something that will work just fine, nothing special. Thanks.
 


Thanks :)

I found the S12II 520W for $59 + shipping + $5 off coupon at Super Biiz. I might just end up getting that. Newegg is also doing a deal on all Corsair PSU's right now so might look into that. Either way thanks for all the help. Much appreciated!