Cheap PSU

[purple stain]

Was wondering if their is any way i can test to see if my PSU "really" runs continuious 500Watts.
My PSU is a: Apevia WIN-500XSPX It says it's 500 watts, but since it's a no-name cheap PSU i have no gurantee that it can actually deliever the power it says it can.So i'm asking is their anyway i can do some kind of test to find that out?

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

well what are the specs of your rig?

Usually a 500watt unit is enough for midrange gaming systems, although I have just killed a 520 watt unit myself, getting replaced soon, and not to mention, Apevia isn't the most recognised in terms of PSU's. They make some nice cases though, and have changed their name to aspire.... some stupid deal with Acer...

 

[delluser1]

Apevia isn't the most recognised in terms of PSU's.

Oh, it's recognized, not for good reasons though.

 

[MechaNintendoMaster]

Oh, it's recognized, not for good reasons though.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=92

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=92

:lol: FAIL
At the end:

The Good: I can't believe it still works

 

[Emperus]

Cheaping out on a critical component like the PSU is downright outrageous.. Its like hoping to maintain a healthy family on cheap bread.. You end up paying bills for the doctor wherein you could've spent it on healthier and much tasty food.. That's where education comes in.. Sticking to the thread, by education, here I mean the right knowledge of how much power your system needs and then selecting a PSU which can supply that much power adequately and preferably have little to spare also.. Its not bad to actually get a stronger PSU as well which can survive through many upgrades and/or system changes making the expenditure an actual future investment.. For example, the first PSU I bought was an Antec 550W True Power 2.0 which has handled by rig and upgrades for close to 7 years now.. Having bought it at about 100$, it has worked out at about 15$/year.. Pretty good IMO..

 

[buzznut]

Was wondering if their is any way i can test to see if my PSU "really" runs continuious 500Watts.
My PSU is a: Apevia WIN-500XSPX It says it's 500 watts, but since it's a no-name cheap PSU i have no gurantee that it can actually deliever the power it says it can.So i'm asking is their anyway i can do some kind of test to find that out?

To address your question, there are a number of power supply testers on the market, here's a page from newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=133&name=PC-Tools

Your power supply never runs continuous 500W, and you wouldn't want it to anyway. That would be terribly inefficient, and a waste of energy. Peak power is a better thing to ask about. With the brand you mention and their reputation, I seriously doubt it can achieve 500W. I can't address the needs of your rig without more detail, however I wouldn't add new hardware to this PSU.

A power supply will pull more watts from the outlet according to its load. Two power hungry components that will increase your load are the CPU and GPU, particularly if you have a discrete graphics card. Gaming is typically the greatest load you'll put on your system unless you are testing with prime95 or 3dMark Vantage or something similar.
So you could test your PSU while gaming or with a synthetic benchmark to see how it performs under load conditions, because we're not to worried about how it perform at idle. I would be careful about stressing that unit too much!

 

[purple stain]

The Phenom x4 965 i have in it use's alot of power i read liek around 140Watts?
Which is double everything else i think.
I ask this question becuase i am planning on getting the 6850 and overclocking it.
I know it has enough Amps on the 12/v but i needed to know if my computer will be ok with power etc.I think after i get the 6850 i'm using around 366Watts or so.Would i have enough room power wise to o.c. my GPU?And theirs no way i can upgrade my psu btw.

 

[buzznut]

You're pushing it. How can you afford an HD6850 but can't upgrade your PSU? You risk damaging some expensive components there. Really, your power supply is no place to skimp.
Can it handle it? Maybe. Will it provide clean power for your quad core and gaming graphics card? No. Should you overclock? Definitely not with that PSU.
Look there are quality units from Antec and Corsair in the 50-60 dollar price range for 500Watts.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

You could try running the OCCT PSU test ... that's one way to find out how good your PU is....then again it might put it up in smoke.

http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download

 

[delluser1]

^ :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Onus]

I have never read a positive competent technical review of any Apevia / Aspire PSU. Most have them melting or otherwise failing; a few survive. At the very least, a quality PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and 80+ certification. Antec, Seasonic, Corsair, Enermax, and XFX are among the better brands, although there are exceptions even there. The 430W Antec Basiq is mediocre, and the new Corsair "Builder" series are not 80+.