Question Replacing PSU ?

simmyx

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Currently have a Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite 500W 80 Plus with my RX580 which works fine.
Is 500w enough for most GPUs ?

Also

Is it possible to replace a psu without having the disconnect the cables from the mobo or not, as I'd have no idea where all the cables plug into the mobo? Thanks
 

4745454b

Titan
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"Most" PCs do need a 450-550W PSU. There are a lot of exceptions however. AMD had the 290 and 390 not to far back which needed 300W alone. CF/SLI midrange cards and you are again looking at 300W+ just for the GPUs. Planning on OCing that CPU? Bigger CPUs can go from 95-125W to 175W+. If you are planning on OCing everything you can add another 150W total. Mid range parts all around and you are looking at a draw of ~300W. But if you start going crazy with things then no, it's not enough.

No, you can't just unplug the PSU cables from the PSU and leave everything attached at the device end. While the end where they plug in is standard, the end at the PSU is not. If you tried this its very possible that you'll kill the new PSU. Never share cables between PSUs.

I'm not that familiar with your PSU, but from what I remember the MW lite wasn't very good to begin with. Depending on model the 580 is between 150-200W, so if it's working with that I'd try to keep any new card in that range.
 

DSzymborski

Titan
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Currently have a Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite 500W 80 Plus with my RX580 which works fine.
Is 500w enough for most GPUs ?

Also

Is it possible to replace a psu without having the disconnect the cables from the mobo or not, as I'd have no idea where all the cables plug into the mobo? Thanks

1. That's a low quality power supply that I would never pair with an RX 580. You don't actually know it's working fine; the damage a power supply does to components is usually invisible up to the point something crashes or dies. Someone who dies of a heart attack did not have a healthy heart the day before.

2. No, you have to replace the cables. What's needed is fairly standard and labeled. There are easily thousands of detailed build videos on Youtube that can show how to install a power supply.
 

simmyx

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1. That's a low quality power supply that I would never pair with an RX 580. You don't actually know it's working fine; the damage a power supply does to components is usually invisible up to the point something crashes or dies. Someone who dies of a heart attack did not have a healthy heart the day before.

2. No, you have to replace the cables. What's needed is fairly standard and labeled. There are easily thousands of detailed build videos on Youtube that can show how to install a power supply.

I don't feel comfortable changing the PSU though unless its necessary, I have had this setup for months with no problems and low temps however you are more experienced than me.

How does the PSU damage components ?
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
I don't feel comfortable changing the PSU though unless its necessary, I have had this setup for months with no problems and low temps however you are more experienced than me.

How does the PSU damage components ?

Poor voltage regulation, filtering, indirect things like inadequate safety equipment. This is one of the most cheaply made PSUs by a major brand, only really intended for basic PCs. It uses some of the lowest-end capacitors around.

Again, you do not know you have no problems. All you know is that you haven't had an obvious disaster.

I would call replacing it necessary.

I recently had an issue with a raccoon getting into my attic. It cost me $300 for the guy to track down and trap the raccoon, another $200 for cleanup, $400 for the roof repair, and $1200 to replace the rain gutters (a section was bent, causing water damage at one spot which allowed the raccoon to get in).

I very much would have preferred to spend the $2100 on literally anything else. I could have shrugged and crossed my fingers and hoped the raccoon didn't do too much damage in the attic before it moved on elsewhere or got hit by a car. But I didn't.

Because it was necessary.

You're presumably an adult and own the PC, so the risk is yours. If you prefer to roll the dice and have to replace the GPU and/or another component earlier than you would otherwise have had to, that's your business. But I'm not going to paper over the risk when asked.
 
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simmyx

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Ok thanks. Once I have the money and found a PC repair specialist I may buy it

The other thing that needs to be clarified regarding my current PSU are the models, Mine is a V2 as it has braided cables
Does anyone know the difference between V1 and V2

On the specs for my current one it says
Full protection (OCP/OVP/SCP/OPP) with built-in Over Temperature Protection (OTP). Minimizes the risk of damage from power outages. electricity. Features • 80 PLUS Certified with up to 85% Efficiency. • Single +12V Rail.

Is that no good ?
 
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4745454b

Titan
Moderator
The G2 was an excellent PSU all the way around. When the G3 came out, testing showed it had issue here and there and in many cases was a step back from the G2. I'm sure over the years they have made upgrades to the G3 and now there is a V2. (Version 2.) Getting the V2 is a good idea, I agree that you don't need 850W.
 

simmyx

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Ok so far it's the G3 then ( V2 )
If you look here, the G3 is also " potentially dangerous " in the same category as my current one....

Any other suggestions are welcome, preferably from ebuyer

Should I change it ASAP or can it wait ?

Heres a good one....
https://www.ebuyer.com/882007-corsair-vengeance-750m-semi-modular-750w-power-supply-cp-9020176-uk
 
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ThilakRoX

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Nov 17, 2019
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I don't feel comfortable changing the PSU though unless its necessary, I have had this setup for months with no problems and low temps however you are more experienced than me.

How does the PSU damage components ?
bro i have the same psu masterwatt lite 500w and i reccomend u to get the corsair cx450 or 550
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
The G3 is only a concern if you're going to or over the PSU's capacity, which ought not to be a problem because you shouldn't be buying a PSU without sufficient wattage in the first place.

Notice that the reviewer here that discovered the OTP issue (Aris), still had no problem, even knowing the issue, of calling the G3 "one of the best 850W 80 PLUS Gold-rated PSUs you can buy." He also strongly recommended the other two. Oklahoma Wolf over on JonnyGuru still gave it a 9.8/10.

I wouldn't take the issue too seriously. If the G3 is on the same tier as a MasterWatt Lite on a list, that's more of a reflection of the quality of the list in question. I'm a PSU snob and I have no qualms whatsoever using a G3 on my main rig.
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
Just done some more research
Here https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/power-supplies/masterwatt-lite-230v/masterwatt-lite-230v-500w/

It states it has
Code:
    OCP, OVP, OPP, OTP, SCP, UVP
at the bottom

Is this not enough ?

No. It's an awful PSU. That tells you nothing about the rest of the parts or the quality of the protections themselves.

One of the most respected PSU reviewers out there, Oklahoma Wolf from JonnyGuru's site, found "hardware breaking crossload voltage regulation."


The Corsair you chose is far, far, far better. The Masterwatt Lite is mostly for if you want to buy an early Christmas present for your garbage can.
 

simmyx

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I'm not a heavy gamer or an overclocker so i'm sure it will be fine.
It wouldn't come with a 3 year warranty if it was poor

There are hundreds of reviews on google from customers themselves, not one of them said it's a bad PSU.

I appreciate your advice and if I was to get a more powerful GPU in future i'd definitely go for the RM750X

Thanks :)

Out of curiousity, have you heard of any actual cases whereby this PSU ( my current one ) packed up or damaged anything ?
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
I'm not a heavy gamer or an overclocker so i'm sure it will be fine.
It wouldn't come with a 3 year warranty if it was poor

There are hundreds of reviews on google from customers themselves, not one of them said it's a bad PSU.

I appreciate your advice and if I was to get a more powerful GPU in future i'd definitely go for the RM750X

Thanks :)

Out of curiousity, have you heard of any actual cases whereby this PSU ( my current one ) packed up or damaged anything ?

We get constant problems here with people breaking components due to wanting to save money and use junk PSUs. It's been tested to be dangerous. For a PSU, three years for a warranty is embarrassingly short. And good luck getting them to replace any parts that break other than the PSU.

Consumer reviews are absolutely worthless for a power supply.

JGTesting1.jpg


If this isn't what a review uses, then it's not a review.

Thankfully, you're endangering your equipment, not mine. So I'll wish you luck; most drunk drivers don't actually crash head-on into a tree or driver over a line of elementary school kids. Maybe you'll luck out and only shorten your 580s life rather than ending it!
 

simmyx

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Have you heard any specific cases of the PSU I use failing or causing damage though ? Because nowhere on the internet has anybody said that its a poor psu except jonny guru ( even then. the one he reviewed is different to mine )

I'm keeping an eye on the stats of the 12v rail closely and if it drops to low or high i'll immediately change it
 
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DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
Have you heard any specific cases of the PSU I use failing or causing damage though ? Because nowhere on the internet has anybody said that its a poor psu except jonny guru ( even then. the one he reviewed is different to mine )

I'm keeping an eye on the stats of the 12v rail closely and if it drops to low or high i'll immediately change it

Software monitoring doesn't actually work all that well and it tells you nothing about the crossload. The only way you can actually monitor this is by running it on a load tester that costs a few thousand dollars (and not hooking it up to a PC).

Regardless, you've made your choice.

(No need to reply as I'm taking this off my watch list. There are other threads from people here who actually want to build responsibly)