Symptoms of an aging PSU/bad quality capacitors?

[chris10123]

I have the Corsair CX500M, and it's just under 3 years old now. I've been told in various places that it isn't exactly the best quality PSU, budget at best, and I was wondering if there are any noticeable signs of capacitor degradation that I could look out for?

My motivation for this comes from an audio issue I've had for a while now - I get way too much white/static/whateverit'scalled noise on my microphone input with onboard sound as well as a dedicated PCIe sound card (and different microphones). I've done the whole 'take everything out' thing and 'different power socket' thing and the noise persisted, so at this point it's either my motherboard or PSU causing this issue.

I'm happy to invest in something like the EVGA Supernova G2 750W since I've heard they are far superior in quality and the 10 year warranty is appealing, but before I do that I want to figure out whether it really is the PSU causing issues. I haven't had any issues with freezing/dead PC which seems to be a common symptom, but I'm really at a wit's end as to where this interference is coming from.

Side note: An external sound card sitting on top of my PC got rid of the noise for me so the interference is definitely inside the PC, but that's just masking the problem and I'd rather get to the bottom of it before my PC is fried by a faulty PSU.

So I guess the question is: What are the symptoms of a rubbish/dying PSU, when should I buy a new one, and is the EVGA model mentioned above worth its £115 price tag?

Thanks!

 

[Lutfij]

1| You may want to see if the house you're living in has proper grounding. To my understanding a lack of a proper grounding can lead to static noise over the headset.

2| If your PC undergoes a reboot when subjected to load then it's a sign that the PSU can't handle the load/power draw.

3| Good uality PSU's won't take out your other hardware.

4| From the way you're stating it it's possible that the unit you're referring to is the one with the green CX label on it, correct?

If you want to pick out a reliable unit, you should look at one that is as close to Tier 1 as possible. You forgot to mention your full system's specs which will dictate how much your entire system draws and your subsequent headroom from the PSU.

 

[Barty1884]

What are your full system spec?

Static can be a result of any component really, so not that simple to identify as the PSU.

An aging/poor quality PSU would present itself through system instability, shutdowns etc more often than not.

Depending on your system spec, you don't need to jump to a 750W G2 - a great PSU, absolutely. ... but overkill for most people.

G2 550W @ 78
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/qYTrxr/evga-power-supply-220g20550y1

G3 550W @ 80
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Y3X2FT/evga-supernova-g3-eu-550w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-220-g3-0550-y3

Rosewill Capstone G650 @ 81
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/HkdFf7/rosewill-power-supply-capstoneg650

SeaSonic Focus+ Gold 550W @ 81
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/bkp323/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-550w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fx

 

[JalYt_Justin]

Since this is probably the older version of the CXM series, it is definitely not out of the question that it's reaching the end of its lifespan. They were fairly low quality PSUs in that time. The newer CXMs aren't bad, obviously still budget-oriented, but not nearly as bad as they used to be.

Does the PSU make any sort of electrical noise itself? Can you use a flashlight to see inside? You could potentially see some corroded capacitors if that's the real problem.

After 3 years with a PSU like that it may be worth upgrading your PSU to the G2 750W if that's what you're looking at. You'd be set for a good long while with a PSU like that.

 

[chris10123]

As requested, I've posted my PC specs below:

- PSU: Corsair CX500M (yes, the green one)
- Mobo: Gigabite Intel Z97P-D3
- CPU: i5 4690k
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060
- RAM: 16GB HyperX Fury 1600MHz
- SSD: Kingston V300 240GB
- HDD: 2 x WD Blue 1TB

The reason why I'm looking at the 750W is that I'm saving up for a full high-end PC refresh, but this will only happen in the next two years or so, so I'd rather overestimate the wattage that I'll need rather than having to splurge on another PSU down the line.

I have had this static issue in multiple houses now, so I've ruled that out as a potential cause. The current house is a fairly recent build as well.

JalYt_Justin - What does a corroded capacitor look like (or, rather, a healthy capacitor)? I'm not very experienced with low-level electronics I'm afraid.

Thanks for the quick feedback so far!

 

[Barty1884]

Even for a future, powerful build, 750W is likely to be overkill (for single GPU setups anyway).
Components are getting more and more efficient.

As for capacitors, it can be tough to judge by eye.
For example, these would be *slightly* bulging caps.

Extreme bulging:

Completely blown:

With a PSU, it's even more tough; as you have to be extremely careful if you choose to open it up to get a good look (there can still be charges held). You're not likely to see much more than any extreme cases, just looking through the openings with a flashlight.

 

[JalYt_Justin]

As requested, I've posted my PC specs below:

- PSU: Corsair CX500M (yes, the green one)
- Mobo: Gigabite Intel Z97P-D3
- CPU: i5 4690k
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060
- RAM: 16GB HyperX Fury 1600MHz
- SSD: Kingston V300 240GB
- HDD: 2 x WD Blue 1TB

The reason why I'm looking at the 750W is that I'm saving up for a full high-end PC refresh, but this will only happen in the next two years or so, so I'd rather overestimate the wattage that I'll need rather than having to splurge on another PSU down the line.

I have had this static issue in multiple houses now, so I've ruled that out as a potential cause. The current house is a fairly recent build as well.

JalYt_Justin - What does a corroded capacitor look like (or, rather, a healthy capacitor)? I'm not very experienced with low-level electronics I'm afraid.

Thanks for the quick feedback so far!

Any faulty or corroded capacitors will usually either be discolored (usually orange-ish, have seen blue before), or the tops will be swollen. Usually if it ever gets to the point of discoloration or even full corrosion, it would be shocking to see it still functioning properly. At work otherwise I would provide picture examples, but you can see a few of them on Google images.

 

[jankerson]

Best just to place the PSU as it is a green labeled unit and they are questionable at best especially once they are a few years old.