$7 Refurbished 400w power supply

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tundrawolf86

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Oct 2, 2013
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Hi, I'm a first time builder, probably going to learn by building a cheap htpc (I tried the geo mini-x, which just didn't cut it).

Net of rebates, I got a 400 w PSU for $7. I was wondering, is this power supply (statistically) a serious threat to my motherboard, cpu, and components? I don't mind it blowing, I just mind it killing everything else. The manufacturer's web site lists overvoltage protection as the sole safety feature.

Is there some device like a UPS or surge protector that could protect me against these sorts of threats?

I was thinking I should get a cheap thermaltake PSU that is loaded with safety features (over and under voltage protection, short circuit protection, overload, etc etc) -- it's only $25 after rebate. What do you think?
 
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Jaxem

Jaxem

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Jul 22, 2013
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^+1 for the cx430 or cx430m, these are frequently $20 and $25 respectively after rebates and are higher quality than anything you can get for that price and have plenty of safety features.

A PSU is one thing i would definitely never get refurbished.
 
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tundrawolf86

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Oct 2, 2013
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I know it's not recommended, but I have an any2psu adapter that lets me use 2 power supplies at once. Since extra watts seem to become very expensive once you hit 500-600, I was thinking of eventually having two high-quality, low wattage PSUS (like Corsairs, as you say).

It seems like a cheaper, better way to a 1000+ watt power supply, and if one of the power supplies ever fails in the future I can just disconnect that second graphics card or something.

I read some threads on this site where people really pooh pooh the idea, but I saw a forceful response from the company that makes any2psu. The video on their web page makes it look like it's dumb not to use multiple psu's. Any thoughts?
 
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dwatterworth

dwatterworth

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Dec 5, 2012
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I'd say it's not a good idea still. Of course the manufacturer is going to have all kinds of data to support their product, it's not like they'll come out and say 'oh, you got us, it's junk'.

Different PSU's, even the same make and model will behave differently, supplying minutely different voltages with different levels of noise etc in each. If you need a large power supply, creating one from two power supplies just increases the likelihood that it will fail, and if you need the large unit in the first place it's not like the computer can limp along on half the required wattage.
 
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tundrawolf86

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Oct 2, 2013
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Basically I'm doing everything to maximize flexibility, expandability, and value. Since wattage seems scalable via the add2psu chips, my plan was to start with a good motherboard and cpu, quality lower-watt power supply, and eventually start crossfiring/SLIing graphics cards, adding hard drives for RAID, and increasing the RAM, and getting an ssd for the OS and core programs.

For now, however, I'm looking at a single mid-level graphics card, amd fx cpu, 8 gb RAM, and one hard drive. For now, my cooling plan is to simply leave the side of the case open.

 
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