Don't Be Surprised When Your Cheap PSU Blows Up

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Conclusion

To be honest, we didn't expect much from these cheap PSUs. We believe it’s pretty much impossible to manufacture a complex piece of hardware like a 500+ W power supply at the cost of a rib eye steak. As a general rule, you should definitely be wary when a deal sounds too good to be true, undercutting common price points by such a significant level.

Typically, hope dies last, which was also the case in this review. At least we thought we would be able to run the cheapo power supplies reliably for a couple of hours, even if not at maximum loads. With two of the three units dying quickly and none of them coming close to reaching their specified maximum loads, you have got to start wondering.

The retailers’ marketing of these products is more fraud than funny, and understandingly we must caution everyone about purchasing such products. If you are looking for a really cheap PSU, at least we recommend to go for a branded unit. Quality products start at $40 and it’s easily possible to spend five times more money, which is only necessary for the hardcore users out there.

Everyone else: make sure you're purchasing a quality PSU so that you can rest easy knowing your other components (and ultimately, your data) are safe. This test demonstrates one thing: if you buy too cheap, you will probably end up buying twice.

TG Publishing Team
170 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jednx01
    Well, you get what you pay for. I may have spent over $200 on my Corsair HX1000, but this thing has been very reliable. (The first one they sent me was a dud, but they replaced it insanely quickly. My replacement one has run flawlessly for almost three years now, withstanding overclocking and pretty much anything I can throw at it. :)
    Reply
  • WHComp
    This is my favorite article ever. I laughed the entire time I was reading it.
    Reply
  • WHComp
    I don't need much power, I have a 520W seasonic unit that I love. Can barely hear it run.
    Reply
  • rolli59
    In the conclusion, not only buying a PSU twice but other components as well.
    Great article!
    Reply
  • cmcghee358
    This makes me nervous. All of my components BUT my PSU are top tier. I bought my PSU many MANY moons ago when I was alot less experienced. 1000W for $99.99 HELL YES.

    XION isn't as bad as these obviously, Ive run 4890s crossfired with a mild overclock on my 955. But the XION brand still makes me nervous.
    Reply
  • fyasko
    modular is the way to go. i got the 550 watt antec modular with 2 12v rails it is amazingly stable. as someone who bought cheapo PSU's for years and blamed everything else but the PSU for problems, Invest in a great/not good PSU and your comuter will love you for years without fail. then you can spend the rest of your time flaming apple for fun...
    Reply
  • iam2thecrowe
    Thank you Toms for finally doing an article like this. It should be known that most cheap PSU's are just rebranded versions of what you see in this article, so buyer beware. Surely there is some reason why these things are not taken off the market? how can they get away with selling crap like this at all? And labelled way above the actual specs. I've seen some bad PSU's in my time but this is beyond shocking.
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Great article. I just posted a message and a link to the report over in the power supply section of the forum.
    Reply
  • Marthian
    thank goodness I didn't cheap out when I first started building computers. Although I guess I did get a cheap power supply (according to some), it was 550W for $50, and lasted 2 years (first year went through a fan swap), and then shortly after the two year mark it started failing. at least it lasted 1 year longer than the warranty.
    Reply
  • paperfox
    Hope this reinforces the fact that you should get an 80+ Certified PSU the first time or you'll have to buy 2 new computers.
    Reply