Need Power Supply Recommendation

[dreamspinner3]

The power supply in my husband's PC, an old HP xw6400 workstation, went dead last night. It overheated to the point that the power cord has fused to the power supply and can't be removed. The power supply in the the machine is one made by Diablotek and it is a model PSEL500 500 watts.

I know this PC is old, but up until now it has ran fine, and we can't afford a brand new PC for him right now. I also know that this brand of power supply isn't very good but it is still available for only $19.99 from Microcenter. I don't know if I should buy a more expensive one in case other components in his computer were damaged when the power supply went out.

Should I just buy the same one? Or can you all recommend a slightly more expensive power supply that will work for around $30?

Thanks!

 

[clutchc]

Unfortunately, you're not going to get any better PSU for $30 than what you have now. That "500W" PSU wasn't a true 500W PSU. Total wattage ratings are heavily fudged. One has to go by the +12V rail specs. If he added extra components (like a gaming gfx card) the cheap PSU probably was over-loaded. It will help if you can find out about the possible gfx card he might have added... or if he is simply using integrated graphics.
If the PC is using integrated graphics, then a good quality 300W is probably enough. But with the addition of a discrete gaming gfx card, you may need better.

The fact that the PSU melted the power cable may mean it died catastrophically and may have damaged the motherboard. Buying a new PSU will not fix that.
Here's an example of the lowest end 500W PSU I would recommend, if indeed that much is required with a good PSU.

 

[cryoburner]

I disagree about there not being "decent enough" power supplies available for around $30. At the very least, you can be sure that the companies building pre-built mainstream computers like HP are putting cheaper PSUs than that in their systems. Diablotek is one of the "off-brands" known for producing questionably-built power supplies though, so I would avoid replacing it with another one of those, if at all possible. That does seem to be a fairly old computer though, so I agree that it might not be worth spending a lot on a PSU for it.

If you're willing to deal with sending in mail-in rebates, even some of the better PSU brands have units that can be had for around $30. Seasonic often has rebates for some of their power supplies that bring the final price down to around $30 after rebate, for example. Currently, their 520 watt M12II is available for around $55 online at Newegg, but with a $20 rebate that brings the final cost down around $35...
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

Corsair also has a PSU with a rebate available, that works out to around $10 less. The VS500 is about $45 at Newegg (the same price as the CX500 that Clutchc linked to), but a $20 mail-in rebate there brings this model to just $25 after rebate...
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139196

I'm not sure if you're comfortable with sending in rebates, but I find they usually work without much trouble so long as you carefully follow their directions, send them in on time, and cash the rebate in within its designated time period. You typically have to wait a while for the rebate to arrive though. If you're not willing to fill out a rebate, it's still possible that you might be able to find a relatively decent power supply on sale for not much more than $30, but most PSUs in the sub-$30 range will generally not be particularly good. Most will technically work, if your computer's power needs aren't too high, but it might be kind of hard to recommend anything in that range. They might be prone to failure, or unstable, or may potentially damage other components when they fail.

 

[clutchc]

...but most PSUs in the sub-$30 range will generally not be particularly good.

Isn't that basically what I said?

 

[dreamspinner3]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll be getting a PSU and trying to see if I can get his PC up and running again. If not, well, it had a good run!

 

[cryoburner]

...but most PSUs in the sub-$30 range will generally not be particularly good.

Isn't that basically what I said?

Well, technically, you said "Unfortunately, you're not going to get any better PSU for $30 than what you have now", while I pointed out that if you look for rebates, it is possible to find some relatively decent PSUs in that price range. And honestly, while a PSU that normally sells for $30 might not be great, it's most likely better than a PSU that normally sells for $20. : P