Psu heats up while playing games.is this a sign of dying?

[logdirects181]

ok,a few days back,i got a low branded psu of 500W for this rig:
intel c2duo e4500 2.2ghz
sapphire hd 5670 512mb
intel dg33fb motherboard
2 gb kingston ram
1 250gb seagate hdd
1 dvd writer
1 simple case fan
it delivers:+3.3V-25A,+5V-25A,+12V1-17A,+12V2-17A,
as indicated by it's cheap price,you can assume that it may be 60% efficient atleast,now calculating,3.3V@25A=82.5W,
+5V@25=125W,totaling,207.5W,+12V@17A x 2=408W,NOW if it's 60% efficient,it delivers 300W at full load...


NOW the problem is that it's heating up while playing games,i bought it a month ago btw,and working normal while doing other works.....
SO is it a sign that it's dying?

 

[loneninja]

Gaming puts a large load on your cpu and gpu, the 2 most power hungry parts of your computer. Power consumption goes up than so does power drawn from the wall and the work the PSU has to do, the more work/power consumed the more heat out put there will be.

 

[logdirects181]

i understand you both but to clarify,i have heard that heating psu means that it can blast at any time......is it true?

 

[jsc]

And you are calculating the efficiency wrong. A PSU rated at, say, 400 watts at 80% efficiency, will produce 400watts (assuming, of course, that the ratings are realistic ) from the PSU while pulling 480 watts from the wall.

 

[logdirects181]

i have bought it a month back,at that time,it didn't heated up and this heat is increasing with time passing,is this also normal?

 

[logdirects181]

You measure heat with thermometer.Increase in heat depends upon ambient temp.

i know that but ambient is stable as comparison to increase in heat..and of course there is no need of thermometer,actually i have felt it clearly by touching it...

 

[4745454b]

Wow.

First, as JSC pointed out you're figuring the efficiency all wrong. If it says it can output 500W, then it should output 500W. The efficiency of the rig doesn't mean it outputs less. What does a PSU do? It converts the AC power from the wall into DC power your computer will use. What this means is that at 60% efficiency, the PSU will pull 834W from the wall. 70% would be 714W, 80% would be 625W, etc. The more efficient your PSU the less power you'll pull from the wall, so the lower your bill.

You also obviously have an error with your math. 207.5 + 408 = >500W. You normally can't add the two rails together like that. Each rail by itself might be able to handle 17A, but the single source feeding both can't usually output that much. For example the Dell 305W PSU has two rails rated at 17A each (or is it 18A?) but can only do 22A combined. Look at your PSU to see if it lists a max for both rails.

So onto your heat questions. Because no PSU is 100% efficient at converting AC to DC electricity SOME energy will be lost as heat. This can't be helped until we develop room temp super conductors. The more power the PSU is trying to provide, the more it will heat up. ALL PSUs do this. A "heating" PSU doesn't mean its about to "blast" at any time. A hotter PSU can blow a cap sooner then a colder PSU if the heat inside the PSU is higher then what a capacitor can handle. For example if a quality PSU is using a primary cap rated at 105c and a lower quality PSU is using one that rated at 90c the 90c one might blow sooner then the 105c cap due to the lower rating/higher heat. I'm not sure about your claim that it wasn't heating up a month ago. If I had to guess I'd say you were busy enjoying your new rig and weren't paying attention.

If it is a lower quality PSU do your best to keep it cool. Check to make sure the rails are within 5% of where they are supposed to be. But as long as things are good I wouldn't worry about the heat.

 

[logdirects181]

If it is one of those cheap indian brands then there is a good chance of your nightmare becoming reality.

i have already told at first post that it's a low branded psu...i got it just for Rs.750

 

[logdirects181]

Wow.

First, as JSC pointed out you're figuring the efficiency all wrong. If it says it can output 500W, then it should output 500W. The efficiency of the rig doesn't mean it outputs less. What does a PSU do? It converts the AC power from the wall into DC power your computer will use. What this means is that at 60% efficiency, the PSU will pull 834W from the wall. 70% would be 714W, 80% would be 625W, etc. The more efficient your PSU the less power you'll pull from the wall, so the lower your bill.

You also obviously have an error with your math. 207.5 + 408 = >500W. You normally can't add the two rails together like that. Each rail by itself might be able to handle 17A, but the single source feeding both can't usually output that much. For example the Dell 305W PSU has two rails rated at 17A each (or is it 18A?) but can only do 22A combined. Look at your PSU to see if it lists a max for both rails.

So onto your heat questions. Because no PSU is 100% efficient at converting AC to DC electricity SOME energy will be lost as heat. This can't be helped until we develop room temp super conductors. The more power the PSU is trying to provide, the more it will heat up. ALL PSUs do this. A "heating" PSU doesn't mean its about to "blast" at any time. A hotter PSU can blow a cap sooner then a colder PSU if the heat inside the PSU is higher then what a capacitor can handle. For example if a quality PSU is using a primary cap rated at 105c and a lower quality PSU is using one that rated at 90c the 90c one might blow sooner then the 105c cap due to the lower rating/higher heat. I'm not sure about your claim that it wasn't heating up a month ago. If I had to guess I'd say you were busy enjoying your new rig and weren't paying attention.

If it is a lower quality PSU do your best to keep it cool. Check to make sure the rails are within 5% of where they are supposed to be. But as long as things are good I wouldn't worry about the heat.

so you are trying to say that heat is normal,but how much a capacitor can handle is deciding factor in blowing up of a psu...
that means every psu blows up because of capacitor or are there any other factors?

 

[logdirects181]

does everyone agrees with this point over here?do you agree with 4745454b,dipankar?

 

[logdirects181]

Yes,i agree with 474.

thanks dipankar,so the whole story is about burning of the capacitor in blowing of a psu,i got it now

 

[Randomacts]

thanks dipankar,so the whole story is about burning of the capacitor in blowing of a psu,i got it now

Just don't come crying to us when your computer catches on fire....

 

[4745454b]

There are many ways a PSU can fail, I simply listed one. It could be something as simple as a blown fuse, or worse like a Bridge rectifier. They all have a voltage or temp max, and if you go over it then it will die. Heat is normal however. Every PSU will heat up as the power output increases.

 

[Randomacts]

There are many ways a PSU can fail, I simply listed one. It could be something as simple as a blown fuse, or worse like a Bridge rectifier. They all have a voltage or temp max, and if you go over it then it will die. Heat is normal however. Every PSU will heat up as the power output increases.

Pffft my cosair PSU is so godly when you trow power at it...

IT COOLS DOWN!

:O

One time it started to freeze. :lol:

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Pffft my cosair PSU is so godly when you trow power at it...

IT COOLS DOWN!

:O

One time it started to freeze. :lol:

Yeah, couse it's corsair.. pirate ship caught the wind!

 

[logdirects181]

Best answer selected by harsh117711.