Question Why is it so bad to use "mediocre" or even worse PSUs ?

[veeljko23]

Basically everyone i ask for a psu upgrade or recommendations recommends me something thats like $150 which is like half of my upgrade budget. Now ALL of my friends have some cheap 30-50$ power supplies that have been working without any problem for a long time, and it makes me wonder why shouldnt i get something like that or maybe a little better? Like i said no one i know had a single issue throughout many years for example my friend is running gigabyte pb500 for over 3 years which is considered something that u shouldnt be using for longer than a month or 2

For example i was running r9 380 4gb msi and i7 870 for over a year on chieftec gps400 aa until the gpu stopped shutting down the pc whenever it starts any kind of higher load. In the service they said that its chip is probably dying after a troubleshoot

 

[Colif]

They lack protections that help keep other parts in your PC from dying. And from possible fires. - https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supplies-101,4193-21.html

Before I took any notice of what PSU I had in case, I killed about 4 hdd in the space of 6 months. I blamed the drives at the time, but its only years later I realise it was probably the PSU.
Since taking notice of the PSU and making sure it s a good model, I have had no hdd die.

You might think its cheaper to buy cheap but you may end paying more in replacement parts.
It can depeend on power draw of the parts. If your equipment isn't very demanding, it might work. But I don't like risks.

 

[USAFRet]

Fire death, destruction.
The running and screaming.....

A bad power supply often does not have sufficient protections built in.

Also, they lie quite frequently on the power rating. You'd see something advertised as "700 watts", but when looking at the actual outout, it is only 240 watts.
So someone might use that with their shiny new GPU.
And, not really being 700 watts, it may die.
And in dying, it may take other components with it.

 

[TerryLaze]

Also power efficiency, a 90 rated PSU will draw about 10% more power from the wall than what it needs a 80 rated one 20% more and so on.
While this doesn't matter that much for low end systems for the ones that draw a lot of power it's a big difference.

But yes, safety for your system and also your home and yourself is the number one reason not to be cheap on the PSU.

 

[--SID--]

Also power efficiency, a 90 rated PSU will draw about 10% more power from the wall than what it needs a 80 rated one 20% more and so on.

You mean 11% and 25%?

In the service they said that its chip is probbably dying after a troubleshoot

Yeah, killed by the PSU.

A PSU is more than a box of capacitors. Quality, topology, build in protections, voltage regulation, ripple suppression etc are much more important than the wattage on the label of the PSU.

 

[Phaaze88]

They can cost you more money in the long run.

 

[DSzymborski]

Basically everyone i ask for a psu upgrade or recommendations recommends me something thats like $150 which is like half of my upgrade budget. Now ALL of my friends have some cheap 30-50$ power supplies that have been working without any problem for a long time, and it makes me wonder why shouldnt i get something like that or maybe a little better? Like i said no one i know had a single issue throughout many years for example my friend is running gigabyte pb500 for over 3 years which is considered something that u shouldnt be using for longer than a month or 2

For example i was running r9 380 4gb msi and i7 870 for over a year on chieftec gps400 aa until the gpu stopped shutting down the pc whenever it starts any kind of higher load. In the service they said that its chip is probbably dying after a troubleshoot

Here's the basic problem, in addition to things others have accurately replied with. "Functioning" does not mean "without any problem." Like eating a pound of bacon for breakfast every day, using a junk PSU doesn't only mean it might not turn on or explode, it also means that long-term, slow damage is done to every component getting poor voltage regulation and ripple. Exactly zero of your friends actually know that their cheap, junk PSUs are actually working "without any problem" unless they're regularly testing using a load tester and oscilloscope, which cost the amount of many quality PSUs.

Most drunk drivers never kill anyone. They get home safely, and nobody gets hurt. That doesn't mean drunk driving isn't dangerous, without significant risk, or a remotely good idea.

 

[Vic 40]

Basically everyone i ask for a psu upgrade or recommendations recommends me something thats like $150 which is like half of my upgrade budget.

There is already something wrong with this. If people do know you have a budget of $75 should they be able to find a psu that is suitable for your pc and be of decent quality.

 

[shADy81]

They lack protections that help keep other parts in your PC from dying. And from possible fires. - https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supplies-101,4193-21.html

Before I took any notice of what PSU I had in case, I killed about 4 hdd in the space of 6 months. I blamed the drives at the time, but its only years later I realise it was probably the PSU.
Since taking notice of the PSU and making sure it s a good model, I have had no hdd die.

You might think its cheaper to buy cheap but you may end paying more in replacement parts.
It can depeend on power draw of the parts. If your equipment isn't very demanding, it might work. But I don't like risks.

Here's the basic problem, in addition to things others have accurately replied with. "Functioning" does not mean "without any problem." Like eating a pound of bacon for breakfast every day, using a junk PSU doesn't only mean it might not turn on or explode, it also means that long-term, slow damage is done to every component getting poor voltage regulation and ripple. Exactly zero of your friends actually know that their cheap, junk PSUs are actually working "without any problem" unless they're regularly testing using a load tester and oscilloscope, which cost the amount of many quality PSUs.

Most drunk drivers never kill anyone. They get home safely, and nobody gets hurt. That doesn't mean drunk driving isn't dangerous, without significant risk, or a remotely good idea.

There is already something wrong with this. If people do know you have a budget of $75 should they be able to find a psu that is suitable for your pc and be of decent quality.

Here they are! Just because its not blown up doesnt mean it isnt damaging all your other components gradually. You also don't have to buy some expensive Titanium unit either, efficiency isnt always 1:1 with quality, and there are always decent less expensive options.

 

[Tac 25]

to the OP.

after the life lesson of a psu dying and causing the "end of life" my first windows 7 pc years ago... I don't go cheap on psu anymore.

pretty much all psu I buy nowadays are branded good, for happier gaming and peace of mind.

 

[Unolocogringo]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6snWfd1v7M

This is why we do not suggest cheap power supplies.
When they die they usually kill other components.
I saw my old TI 4200 world record holder go up in smoke from a NEW power supply. On its first power on.
Never go cheap on the power supply.
It will cost you more in the long run.

 

[USAFRet]

Additionally, I had a "mediocre" PSU kill a motherboard.

Corsair CX600 (green label)

Was in use for a couple of years, then sat on the shelf for a couple of months.
Putting together a new system....first power on - Poof. PSU died, taking the motherboard with it.

 

[Colif]

I had a PSU go bang once but it was 7 years old. Turn on PC, bang... unplug PC.
I think it killed my GPU at same time. Pretty sure its warranty had run out.
It wasn't really a cheap one, just old. Antec Tru power 650 from memory

Now when I make a PC, the PSU is one of the 1st things I choose, not an after thought.
Its possible my priorities are different to most though.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you're throwing together a bunch of relatively high power, complex components, the last thing you want to do is skimp out on the PSU. I would argue it isn't just the protections, but just that the PSU is built using quality components and a design that can handle said parts. And even then, just because you have protections, doesn't mean they're infallible. They need time to react to the problem. For instance excessive current doesn't catastrophically blow something up if the event is short enough (otherwise there would be zero traces of people being hit by lightning)

However if you're throwing together a low-end project box or something with cheap components, I wouldn't freak out over using a mediocre PSU.