[Solved] PSU Question

I have a ~4 year old system that I just ordered a bunch of upgrades for, the system came with PS-109-118 ULTRA LIFETIME SERIES 600WATT PS
and still runs stable on it, my question is how can I tell if the PSU is still ok without having to go the multimeter approach?

I ask cause I noticed the fan for the PSU seems extra quiet, it is a top mounted PSU and so the fan on the bottom doesnt seem to move much air (hand up to it barely feel air movement) though it doesnt feel very hot there but on the back of the computer next to where the power comes into the PSU feels fairly hot (can put hand on it without pain but warmer than just warm) and I feel next to no air comming out from the vents there.

I went into the HW monitor in the bios and the voltage readings seem stable with some slight fluctuations
Vcore 1.42 to 1.44
+3.3 is 3.32 to 3.34
+5v is 4.92 to 4.96
+12v is 12.03 to 12.09

The system is currently stable with no lockups or fails I just would hate to get my new equipment in and installed and have the psu poof on me since my budget for upgrades is used up for the moment

That's a very weak PSU..... if you want to test it for voltage variations you will need to stress it. Use OCCT which will graph all your voltages and temps during the GPU and CPU tests. I would not run the PSU test on an Ultra PSU, it might not survive.

http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_ [...] p?Download

For a 600W to have only 32Amps +12volt.
Ultra is somewhat notorious about using a peak power rating instead of the more realistic continuous power rating.


Here is a the data plate for a budget Sparkle 450W PSU with 30Amps +12volt. (360W / 12v = 30A)

unfortunatly cant see the data plate unless i remove the PSU from the case

I ran the gpu occt test for about 20 min (stopped there cause the psu felt kinda hot in the back)

There were alot of spikes (noise) in the voltages for example the 3.3v never went below 3.3 but did alot of jumping around from 3.30 to 3.34, the 5v started at 4.92 and at 1 min went to 4.95 and stayed pretty steady there with a few drops back to 4.92 and back up to 4.95, the 12v worries me it started at about 12.15 then at 1 min dropped to 11.85 then bounced between 11.8 and 11.9 the rest of the test.

cpu core1 and 2 started at about 34c ramped up to a max 49c and gpu started at 33c at topped out at 75c (fan on auto) with a steady 48-49 fps all test long

The thing that worried me the most was a new GPU going into the system.
Since you've had the GTS 450 in service for a few months already I'm a bit less concerned.
-> It's still a larger risk than I'm comfortable with, due the brand, it's age and a suspicion aging is taking it's toll.
.
The whole +12V amperage is the main thing. Single or multi-rail isnt important.
I'll check the video card and see what the recommendation is like for that class of card.

I allways heard bad things about antec psu's, few friends I have had them and none lasted very long, could you give me a rundown of quality brands for me to look for while I price hunt?

With the 870a g54 mb should I be looking for an 8 pin mb connector or 4 pin? I cant seem to find that info

Im looking around for some PSUs in the 500+550 range too.

Any overclocking plans? future additions?

CORSAIR Builder Series CMPSU-600CX 600W ATX12V v2.3 Active PFC Power Supply $60 $10 rebate and 10% off promo code +12V@40A
A bit less than even the 500CX I think

I'd hate to have you pick the wrong PSU now for a future Crossfire addition.

It would depend on the 2 cards and what power they draw.
It would be OK for 2x HD 5770 or 2x HD 6850 for example. Two HD 5850 & HD 6870 should be OK too.

It claims 48A +12V which is good to see. I couldnt not find any reviews that confirm it's a quality unit.

Thermaltake TR2 W0388RU 600W website The Awards & Reviews tab is blank. Usually, a good PSU has the MFGRs listing the reviews and awards a PSU has received. If the MFGR isnt sending a unit out for reviews they might know it would have trouble getting a good review.

You might want to punt this over into the CPU & Components section of the forum where the PSU guys hang out and see what they know.

Ultra has (some) good and bad stuff.... it's just scary not knowing which is which.
The rep they have makes it hard to feel good suggesting them when there are so many really good units, albeit at higher prices, out there.

Best answer selected by jim45682.