This is WHY You SHOULD NOT run cr@ppy PSUs!

[Shadow703793]

See: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=204

See what happened? This is what you get with a cr@ppy PSU. Next time you think of buying a no name PSU think again. PLEASE get a quality unit from XFX, Antec (most, except Basiq), Corsair, OCZ (most, not all), PC Power & Cooling or SeaSonic.

 

[hellwig]

I'm hoping that was some awful Chinese knockoff, and that legitimate PSU companies (even lesser knowns) don't put out products like that. Scary.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ I know. But the sad thing is there are pretty cr@ppy PSUs out there in the wild. For example, the DiabloTek that Best Buy,etc sells.

 

[hunter315]

Bad news, unless newegg started stocking cheap chinese knockoffs lately its a legitimate company
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817709011&cm_re=sunbeam_580w-_-17-709-011-_-Product

Many of the lower end ones on newegg are similar to that, i believe Wolf almost lost his Brand power meter to a crappy Diablotek a couple months ago.

 

[duk3]

At least this one shut down properly, unlike the 1050w diablotek.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=187
EDIT: Looks like that Sunbeam *580*w PSU has been up since 2006...

 

[Dekasav]

Yeah, for PSUs, I always just do the power search and only pop up Antec, Corsair, etc.

 

[xaigeta]

what i can't explain is how this site stays in business

http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=117

everyone of those PSU are $18 + free shipping (doesn't matter if its 300w or 700w)

its cause they are the lil sister of evertek.com who doesnt supply to consumers

 

[Shaun o]

They would if everyone, got the message about not buying cheap PSU`s.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ Agreed. Mainstream sites like Toms, AnandTech,etc needs to do PSU reviews like these. Apart from the real enthusiasts very few know about JonnyGuru and these PSU testings. Most other reviews out there just call a unit "good" as long as it can hold up to a fully loaded bench run.

 

[buwish]

Wow. That "PSU" was absolutely pathetic. There's no way I would every put a cheap PSU in any system of mine and as mentioned, this is why.

 

[mi1ez]

30A on 3.3V and 36A on 5V?!?

 

[mi1ez]

you find that on old PSU where the 3.3 & 5 had more performance demand

Innexcusable in this day and age though!

 

[hunter315]

^ Agreed. Mainstream sites like Toms, AnandTech,etc needs to do PSU reviews like these. Apart from the real enthusiasts very few know about JonnyGuru and these PSU testings. Most other reviews out there just call a unit "good" as long as it can hold up to a fully loaded bench run.

It would be nice if somewhere like Tom's could fine an older or a cheap load tester, it doesnt have to be accurate it just has to be durable and able to load up to like 500W, get several cheap $20 PSUs from various brands off of newegg, stuff that it seems like your average home user would buy to replace theirs with if their PSU died, and a video camera to watch the sparks fly and see if any of them survive 50%, 80%, and 100% load, not really to see which ones are good but more to find out which ones are crap. For most cheaper units efficiency was never a goal so no need to risk even a Kill-A-Watt meter on it. Call it a public service announcement or something, just some way to convince people to stop selling crappy products that everyone but the poor smuck they are selling it to knows its a fire hazard.

 

[Shadow703793]

Just curious, exactly how much does these PSU testing equipment used by Jonny Guru,etc cost?

 

[hunter315]

A hell of a lot from the sounds of it

SM-268 does 8 loads and is about $2000 USD.

SM-8800 does 10 loads and is about $5000 USD.

These are prices as recent as April. Either they've come down or I'm not taking the falling US dollar into account.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4283

Those are prices from april 2008, i dont imagine they have decreased in price much since then

 

[etk]

what i can't explain is how this site stays in business

http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=117

everyone of those PSU are $18 + free shipping (doesn't matter if its 300w or 700w)

To be fair I doubt any of these PSU's weigh over a pound, so the free shipping isn't as much of an incentive as it would be on a real PSU.

 

[rand_79]

The high 3.3 and 5volt is from way back in the day when the cpu was powered with those voltages (stepped down or whatever) vs now its 12 volt..

pretty much an antique power supply design from about 1998

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psurailhistory/rails.html

they get it pretty correct on that link if anyone wants to geek out and read it

 

[reccy]

This is why you shouldnt look just at the "best" brands either..

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphirepure1250w/7.htm

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/845/pg6/sapphire-pure-1250w-power-supply-conclusion.html#ixzz0STsM44H1

Sapphire Pure PSU, never heard of them before, only heard of them linking to ATI GPU's..
Most reviews ive read say exactly the same, exellent quality and stable wattage.. and does what it says on the tin

 

[Shadow703793]

^ True. But the problem with those one off units is that there either unavailable in the US or very hard to find.

 

[etk]

With so many things to keep up with in the PC world, I'd just assume to buy Seasonic PSU's, and not have to keep up with things. There are a number of second and third tier manufacturers with good power supplies, but often some are great and other models are horrible. It seems like a lot to deal with. If you sell 10 great PSU's and 2 horrible ones, I will not buy any of them, I don't want to have to track down the good ones.

 

[damasvara]

Talk about PSU reviews and the second tier classification, here's a review from my country (the language is local, but just looking at the pictures you'll understand what they're doing):

http://forum.chip.co.id/power-supply-cooling-device/142833-redezvous-sirfa-high-power-plus-650-watt.html

FYI, this is the very reason I bought my current PSU. That salesman is very convincing, I tell you... Must be hypnosis. :lol:

 

[dirtmountain]

A good article. www.hardwaresecrets.com also do great power supply reviews and have spent the money for the proper equipment.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/page/power

 

[damasvara]

^ For translation, my main interest is when the reviewer said something like "Most PSU manufacturers does not allow their product's case to be opened up. But Sirfa sure is confident to let us, literally, tear their PSU to pieces" or something like that.

I don't really know about the other OEMs, but if the statement is true, why would a company forbids reviews on internal components? Do they have something to hide?

Anyway, as a common PC user, I'm glad I bought it for a $2 discount. :lol:

 

[hunter315]

No company forbids reviews on internal components, take a look at any good PSU review like those from hardware secrets of Jonnyguru, any good review cracks them open to look at the internal components and identify the OEM from the layout. All PSUs have the sticker telling you not to open them because if you dont know what you are doing it can kill you.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ Exactly. Those warnings are there to stop idiots who don't know anything from trying to "fix" their PSUs.

FYI: Those caps in the PSU have enough capacitance to kill or hurt you.