Using old power supply on new rig

May 13, 2018
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My last build (almost ten years ago) had a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750. My system went belly up and I wasn't able to really diagnose the problem source. So now I'm (haven't got all parts yet) about to build a new one and am wondering if the power supply was the culprit; would I be risking damage to new components by trying the old power supply.
 
Would you be at risk? Potentially... though perhaps not. The question you need to ask yourself is this: Is it worth the chance that an old PSU could flame out and take my new system with it or is it more worth it to absorb the added cost of a new PSU and mitigate the risk?

I'd buy a new, quality unit if I were in your position.
 
If you are handy at all at reading a meter, and have one, the rails are not hard to check on your PSU...however, 10 someodd years old it's probably time anyway. I wouldn't push anything near what it was rated if I were trying it. With that said, I use old power supplies often in low cost "friend build/giveaways". I have come to find that many of the old Dell server style ATX supplies work pretty well at about half the rated.....YMMV
 

That was my thought and yes I do actually have a 550 PS on order. My wife and I (she especially) try not to contribute to landfills ad recycling.

 

Yes I'll use a new one and hang onto the old for possible future needs. Thanks all.

 
That model PSU has a 60-amp 12-volt rail. Should be plenty to power a decent graphics card and CPU.

PCP&C were very good. Have a 425w unit that I bought in 2003 that still holds 1-2% tolerance under heavy load in my WinXP gaming rig.