New power supply produces sparks when turned on

Faulty power supply.
Return under warranty.
Just pray that if did not fry any other components.
BTW try stay away form Antec. Id suggest, EVGA, corsair or Seasonic. They are much more stable and reliable.

I think you must have knocked something loose with one of those non-standard screws like a capacitor or something. Either that or you got the one Antec PSU that doesn't work.



That's both terrible advice and good advice in the same sentence. To clear things up, Antec is one of the best in the Industry, their PSUs are made by Delta Electronics, possibly the best OEM next to Super Flower. EVGA and Corsair have some very good units, like the G2 and AX models respectively, but that also make some poorer models with very mediocre ripple suppression like the Nex and CX models respectively.

Please consult the Power Supply Tier list in my signature for more information on good and bad PSUs.

the might be something (short circuit) somewhere. i suggest you use the proper screws., or if you have the time. remove everything from the case, place it somewhere safe then power it up. or maybe use the psu on its own just to power it up, see if it still sparks

What you experienced could be the result of a bad PSU or it could be the result of a short in your build such as not installing the MoBo standoffs in the case correctly.

As for PSU's and brand names ..... Which of the following do you things is true

1. Antec

a) Antec makes great power supplies
b) Antec makes great crappy supplies
c) None of the above
d) Both of the above

2. Corsair

a) Corsair makes great power supplies
b) Corsair makes great crappy supplies
c) None of the above
d) Both of the above

None of the answers are wholly true because neither makes power supplies, they both sell power supplies made by others. In addition, both sell some excellent power sup0plies and both sell some crappy power supplies.

The key is determining not only who the OEM is but what platform it is based on.

Antec TruePower Classic 750W .... good or bad ?

The unit is based upon the Seasonic G series .... and gets 10 Build Quality Rating and 10 Performance rating from jonnyguru.... question answered

Corsair CX750M .... good or bad ?

This unit is based upon CWT's PUQ B platform which doesn't bode well .... it gets a 8 performance rating and 6 build quality rating from jonnyguru..... question answered.

EVGA B2 750 .... good or bad ?

The unit is based upon the Superflower Golden Green platform which isn't bad, isn't the best .... and gets 9.5 Build Quality Rating and 9 Performance rating from jonnyguru.... question answered

In short, every one of those companies makes PSUs with a wide range of quality. Price, much more so than brand, is usually an indicator of quality more so if within a single brand's offerings but not always so.

The Corsair HX 650 - 850 watters were great but their bigger siblings (1000 and 1050) were dogs. Their AXi series is great but exorbitantly expensive.

The EVGA G2 series right now is probably the best bang for the buck at the moment, and the B2 750 is an extreme bargain at $50, scoring a 9 in performance and 9.5 in build quality. I'm much less enthralled by the GS series (Seasonic GS platform) with the performance coming in at 8.5 and build quality at 9.5....quite suitable if doing much overclocking.

You will find of 10 / 10 ratings but mostly in the upper wattage range. For aggressive overclocking I like the Seasonic X and newer Silent series, the Superflower Leadex Gold Platform (EVGA G2/P2/T2) . There's some Antec HCP series up there, Corsair AXi and even Coolermaster V series. These are up near the $200 range generally, tho you can occasionally find bargains.

As for fryi9ng your components, it's always possible but if it was an internal short in the PSU its not as likely as if it was a short within the system. I'd take it it up with Antec or exchange it with your vendor, ... if choice is limited where you live and Antec is one of the few choices, try and swap it for a TruePower or HCP series.... mentioning that you intend to hold them responsible for other damaged components may encourage them to be more responsive.

The fact that the paperclip thing worked w/o incident implies that the problem was external to the CPU

This is my problem w/ tier lists and why I never look at them.... one review of a good PSU oft results in an entire line of being added to a tier list w/o adequate research and they wind up presenting misinformation

Not all Antec PSUs are made by Delta, the great CP / Signature series was and many older models also .... But THGs list is a bit out of date; there have been some changes in recent months. Delta does still make their better ones. But like every other company, Antec also has some crappy ones. The new Earthwatts 750 platinum coming next quarter will be made by Delta but the 650 PSU in question was made by Fortron and is on their Aurum 92+ platform.... certainly not anything to get comfortable with as FSP quality varies widely.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=120

The Rosewill Fortress is also built on this platform

Antec's Basiq series is now made by CWT GPA Platform / Fortron GLN 60 platform
Antec's VP series is made by CWT GPA / Fortron APN & Hyper
Antec's Neo Eco series is made by Seasonic GB / CWT GPK
Antec's HCG series is made by Seasonic GB & AM / 750 and 900 are made by Delta
Antec's HCP series is made by Delta
Antec's TruePower Classic series are made by Seasonic G series / 850 is Seasonic X KM3S

It's good to see Antec coming back to sending more work Delta's way.... their workmanship is the standard by which all others are measured. But I wish all manufacturer's would get some consistency and stop switching OEMs like it's a fashion trend.