When To Change The PSU?

TheMailMan78 · Feb 7, 2012

When do you guys change your PSU? I've had mine for about 5 years. Just curious.

entropy13 · Feb 7, 2012

Mine are still months old. :laugh:

I have no idea when they would be replaced.

PaulieG · Feb 7, 2012

I generally switch out power supplies once a year, but considering how good this XFX 750 black and Corsair TX650 have been, I've held on to them for a year and a half so far.

TheMailMan78 · Feb 7, 2012

Paulieg said:
I generally switch out power supplies once a year, but considering how good this XFX 750 black and Corsair TX650 have been, I've held on to them for a year and a half so far.

That seems to be the case with the TX series.

PaulieG · Feb 7, 2012

TheMailMan78 said:
That seems to be the case with the TX series.

I'm surprised though. I really prefer modular. However, the TX is in one of the family rigs which doesn't get messed with much. Nothing but modular for my bench rigs.

AlienIsGOD · Feb 7, 2012

I voted 5 years, as my Corsair HX 1000 is still running strong after 4 years of usage

Totally cleaned it out and dusted the innards out too, so its almost as good as new. That and there has never really been a stress on the PSU, i purposely bought a 1000w so i wouldn't need to replace it for a good long time.

_ALB_R3D X · Feb 7, 2012

I trade a lot and this includes the PSU too
PSU won't reach 6-12 months at most but for the moment I think i'm settled with my CM Silent Pro 850W.
Maybe I'll switch it before 6months if I smell a good deal or I'll wait until it burns down the whole building...

yogurt_21 · Feb 7, 2012

I have an enermax liberty 620w that's still running one of my rigs, almost 7 years old now, I have several much older than that.

Now for my main rig, I buy the beefiest one I can find and hang onto it until it's no longer powerful enough to handle the load My current one is 5.5 years old and still going quite strong. In fact the next time I upgrade my rig it will likely be overkill to the extreme based on the current power trends.

Get a quality, highly efficient, large psu and then set it and forget it.

TheMailMan78 · Feb 7, 2012

Well if you look at my system specs I dont think I am even pushing what I have. I'm just wondering when I should do a preemptive strike and replace it.

sneekypeet · Feb 7, 2012

when you "feel" it is time

I usually find myself replacing them after they go, but I have an extra PSU or two on hand at any given time. If you are looking for preemptive approach, I will rephrase my first reply. When you and your wallet "feel" it is the right time. Don't forget, if the old PSU isn't dead it's sell-able. That can help offset the cost rather than waiting for it to die and be worthless to everyone.

Another good way to go by is when the warranty status is up. Even if the PSU is still good, you have no other option then but to buy a new one rather than working with the warranty for an RMA if it does go belly up.

Solaris17 · Feb 7, 2012

Considering the quality of todays caps My HX1000 will last awhile. I think its important to change lower end PSUs under high load ~2 years in. but the higher the quality I would push about 5. Personally. I take amps into consideration. Know how your PSU works. it may only be drawing 200watts. but if your continuously pulling 80amps from the same rail your going to wear it out.

WhiteLotus · Feb 7, 2012

When ever I feel I need more power to power my computer.

m1dg3t · Feb 7, 2012

Keep it clean and working within spec and it should last a long, long time. Having owned and owning several piece's of vintage audio/electronics i can safely assume that. Of course initial build quality is a factor as well, if you start with crap you end up with crap.

That being said i would only upgrade if neccessary, thing's like hardware change's may call for more capacity.

DRDNA · Feb 7, 2012

I only replace them when I need more power otherwise they stay unless they fail which my ToughPowers don't seem to do. :toast:

TheMailMan78 · Feb 7, 2012

I've been thinking about changing it just because its hitting that 5 year mark. Not for any other reason honestly. I mean I don't want it to go and it take the rest of my rig with it ya know? I mean at the VERY most it has 43800 hours on it. That's if I ran it 24 hours a day for 5 years......which I haven't. It has 100,000 life on it according to Corsair.

Sasqui · Feb 7, 2012

I pulled out a 10 yr old 420w PSU (20 Pin ATX) for a bench build 2 days ago. Worked like a charm. I'd only change for an upgrade, like others have said.

Solaris17 · Feb 7, 2012

TheMailMan78 said:
I've been thinking about changing it just because its hitting that 5 year mark. Not for any other reason honestly. I mean I don't want it to go and it take the rest of my rig with it ya know? I mean at the VERY most it has 43800 hours on it. That's if I ran it 24 hours a day for 5 years......which I haven't. It has 100,000 life on it according to Corsair.

look at the caps then. if their flat and not bulging or venting roll with it.

ChristTheGreat · Feb 7, 2012

I voted 5 years, but my server has an enermax 350w PSU for about 7 years 24/7!

m1dg3t · Feb 7, 2012

Isn't MTBf calculated using the PSU @ 90% capacity and a given temp? So if you run it lower than 90% and keep it cooler it would last longer?

Solaris17 said:
look at the caps then. if their flat and not bulging or venting roll with it.

And if you are sooooper paranoid bust out the DMM and check the main's to see if they are still in spec

TheMailMan78 · Feb 7, 2012

m1dg3t said:
Isn't MTBf calculated using the PSU @ 90% capacity and a given temp? So if you run it lower than 90% and keep it cooler it would last longer?

Yeah. No way have I pulled 750w for any period of time. And I keep it blown out of dust. I mean honestly I'm not gonna "upgrade" I was just wondering how people on TPU handle older PSU's.

Could I pull it apart and check the caps? Sure. But its been going good for 5 years now and they are Japenese caps. Good stuff. Pulling it apart might even CAUSE an issue. Had that happen once with an old amp. :laugh:

Krazy Owl · Feb 7, 2012

I change them when they begin to be whinny, when the computer begin to strangly shut down or refuse to start when its humid in the house, and when the fan begin to be noisy. I still have an older psu that i have put in older p3 rig and its from the 90's 250w.

brandonwh64 · Feb 7, 2012

I have a 1994 AT (not ATX) PSU around here some were that still works, its 125W I believe.

Norton · Feb 7, 2012

My 600w Strider has been running fine for at least 3 yrs now :toast:

As many have said, I will consider replacing if my power requirements change... will definitely stay with modular units :cool:

dude12564 · Feb 11, 2012

I still have a 350W running, probably should upgrade though.

LAN_deRf_HA · Feb 11, 2012

Upgrade when it fails, or if it can't run your shit, or if it's so old there's 4 degrees of efficiency between it and current models.

System Name	TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
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Mouse	SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software	Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
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Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 7600
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Memory	Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-5600 16GBx2
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Display(s)	AOC 24G2 + Xitrix WFP-2415
Case	Montech Air X
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Mouse	Logitech G304
Keyboard	Redragon K557 KAIA RGB Mechanical Keyboard
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Processor	5800x(2)/5700g/5600x/5600g/2700x/1700x/1700
Motherboard	MSI B550 Carbon (2)/ MSI z490 Unify/Asus Strix B550-F/MSI B450 Tomahawk (3)
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Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite/32 GB TridentZ/16GB Mushkin Redline Black/16 GB Dominator
Video Card(s)	Asus Strix RTX3060/EVGA 970(2)/Asus 750 ti/Old Quadros
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB/WD Black M.2 NVMe 500GB/Adata 500gb NVMe
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Case	(2) Lian Li Lancool II Mesh/Corsair 4000D /Phanteks Eclipse 500a/Be Quiet Pure Base 500/Bones of HAF
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 850G(2)/EVGA Supernova GT 650w/Phantek Amps 750w/Seasonic Focus 750w
Mouse	Generic Black wireless (5)
Keyboard	Generic Black wireless (5)
Software	Win 10/Ubuntu

System Name	TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
Processor	RYZEN 1700X / Intel i7 2600k @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard	Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4 / Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155
Cooling	MasterLiquid PRO 280 / Scythe Katana 4
Memory	ADATA RGB 16GB DDR4 2666 16-16-16-39 / G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 1866: 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s)	MSI 1080 "Duke" with 8Gb of RAM. Boost Clock 1847 MHz / ASUS 780ti
Storage	256Gb M4 SSD / 128Gb Agelity 4 SSD , 500Gb WD (7200)
Display(s)	LG 29" Class 21:9 UltraWide® IPS LED Monitor 2560 x 1080 / Dell 27"
Case	Cooler Master MASTERBOX 5t / Cooler Master 922 HAF
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec / SupremeFX X-Fi with Bose Companion 2 speakers.
Power Supply	Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-750PX 750W Platinum / SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
Mouse	SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software	Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Benchmark Scores	Benching is for bitches.

Processor	5800x(2)/5700g/5600x/5600g/2700x/1700x/1700
Motherboard	MSI B550 Carbon (2)/ MSI z490 Unify/Asus Strix B550-F/MSI B450 Tomahawk (3)
Cooling	EK AIO 360 (2)/EK AIO 240, Arctic Cooling Freezer II 280/EVGA CLC 280/Noctua D15/Cryorig M9(2)
Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite/32 GB TridentZ/16GB Mushkin Redline Black/16 GB Dominator
Video Card(s)	Asus Strix RTX3060/EVGA 970(2)/Asus 750 ti/Old Quadros
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB/WD Black M.2 NVMe 500GB/Adata 500gb NVMe
Display(s)	Acer 1080p 22"/ (3) Samsung 22" 1080p
Case	(2) Lian Li Lancool II Mesh/Corsair 4000D /Phanteks Eclipse 500a/Be Quiet Pure Base 500/Bones of HAF
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 850G(2)/EVGA Supernova GT 650w/Phantek Amps 750w/Seasonic Focus 750w
Mouse	Generic Black wireless (5)
Keyboard	Generic Black wireless (5)
Software	Win 10/Ubuntu

System Name	Aliens Ryzen Rig \| 2nd Hand Omen
Processor	Ryzen R5 5600 \| Ryzen R5 3600
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite (F61 BIOS) \| B450 matx
Cooling	DeepCool Castle EX V2 240mm AIO\| stock for now
Memory	8GB X 2 DDR4 3000mhz Team Group Vulcan \| 16GB DDR4
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 8GB \| GTX 1650 4GB
Storage	Adata XPG 8200 PRO 512GB SSD OS / 240 SSD + 2TB M.2 SSD Games / 1000 GB Data \| SSD + HDD
Display(s)	Acer ED273 27" VA 144hz Freesync \|TCL 32" 1080P w/ HDR
Case	NZXT H500 Black \| HP Omen Obelisk
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek \| Onboard Realtek
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650w 80+ Gold \| 500w
Mouse	Steelseries Rival 500 15 button mouse w/ Razor Goliathus Chroma XL mousemat \| Logitech G502
Keyboard	Logitech G910 Orion Spark RGB w/ Romer G tactile keys \| Logitech G513 Carbon w/ Romer G tactile keys
Software	Windows 10 Pro \| Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Red and Green,mean machine!
Processor	AMD RYZEN 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro
Cooling	Arctic eSports Duo
Memory	16GB DDR4 Corsair 3600Mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RTX3070 Gaming
Storage	Couple ssd , nvme etc
Display(s)	AORUS FI25F 240hz
Case	Cooler Master HAF X
Audio Device(s)	OnBoard
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower 750W
Software	Win 11 64bit

System Name	Thought I'd be done with this by now
Processor	i7 11700k 8/16
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Pro Wifi
Cooling	Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4, 9x aigo AR12
Memory	32GB GSkill TridentZ Neo DDR4-4000 CL18-22-22-42
Video Card(s)	MSI Ventus 2x Geforce RTX 3070
Storage	1TB MX300 M.2 OS + Games, + cloud mostly
Display(s)	Samsung 40" 4k (TV)
Case	Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic EVO Black
Audio Device(s)	onboard HD -> Yamaha 5.1
Power Supply	EVGA 850 GQ
Mouse	Logitech wireless
Keyboard	same
VR HMD	nah
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	no one cares anymore lols

System Name	EVA-01
Processor	Intel i7 13700K
Motherboard	Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO EVA Edition
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Memory	PAtriot Viper Elite RGB 96GB @ 6000MHz.
Video Card(s)	Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24GB OC EVA Edition
Storage	Addlink S95 M.2 PCIe GEN 4x4 2TB
Display(s)	Asus ROG SWIFT OLED PG42UQ
Case	Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s)	Realtek on board > Sony Receiver > Cerwin Vegas
Power Supply	be quiet DARK POWER PRO 12 1500W
Mouse	ROG STRIX Impact Electro Punk
Keyboard	ROG STRIX Scope TKL Electro Punk
Software	Windows 11

System Name	Rocinante
Processor	I9 14900KS
Motherboard	EVGA z690 Dark KINGPIN (modded BIOS)
Cooling	EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB
Memory	64GB Gskill Trident Z5 DDR5 6000 @6400
Video Card(s)	MSI SUPRIM Liquid X 4090
Storage	1x 500GB 980 Pro \| 1x 1TB 980 Pro \| 1x 8TB Corsair MP400
Display(s)	Philips Evnia 49M2C8900
Case	Lian Li o11 Evo Dynamic White
Audio Device(s)	Moondrop S8's on Schiit Hel 2e
Power Supply	Bequiet! Power Pro 12 1500w
Mouse	Lamzu Atlantis mini (White)
Keyboard	Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Akko Crystal Blues
VR HMD	Quest 3
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	I dont have time for that.

System Name	Vintage
Processor	i7 - 3770K @ Stock
Cooling	Scythe Zipang II
Memory	2x4GB Crucial DDR3
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Display(s)	Samsung SM223BW 21.6"
Case	Generic
Power Supply	Corsair HX 520W
Software	Windows 7

System Name	m1dg3t \| DeathBox \| HairPi 3
Processor	3570k @ 4.0 1.15v BIOS \| q9550 @ 3.77 1.325v BIOS
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Case	BitFenix Prodigy - m0dd3d \| Antec Fusion Remote MAX
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Toslink > Yamaha HTR 6290 \| Xonar HDAV1.3 > Yamaha DSP z7
Power Supply	Ocz mXp700w \| Ocz zx850w \| Cannakit 5v 2.5a
Mouse	Logitech G700s \| Logitech G9x - Cable Repaired
Keyboard	TT Meka G1 - Black w Cherry Blacks\| Logitech G11
Software	Win7 Home \| Xp sp3 & Vista ultimate \| Raspbian
Benchmark Scores	Epeen!! Who needs epeen??

Processor	INTEL CORE I9-9900K @ 5Ghz all core 4.7Ghz Cache @1.305 volts
Motherboard	ASUS PRIME Z390-P ATX
Cooling	CORSAIR HYDRO H150I PRO RGB 360MM 6x120mm fans push pull
Memory	CRUCIAL BALLISTIX 3000Mhz 4x8 32gb @ 4000Mhz
Video Card(s)	EVGA GEFORECE RTX 2080 SUPER XC HYBRID GAMING
Storage	ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB 3D NAND NVMe,Intel 660p 1TB m.2 ,1TB WD Blue 3D NAND,500GB WD Blue 3D NAND,
Display(s)	50" Sharp Roku TV 8ms responce time and Philips 75Hz 328E9QJAB 32" curved
Case	BLACK LIAN LI O11 DYNAMIC XL FULL-TOWER GAMING CASE,
Power Supply	1600 Watt
Software	Windows 10

System Name	Senile
Processor	I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard	MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling	Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory	16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage	Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s)	34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (34401440) FREE_SYNC*
Case	Rosewill
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply	Corsair HX750
Mouse	Logitech G5
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software	Win 10

System Name	CTG Computer
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 7600
Motherboard	Asrock B650M PRO RS WIFI
Cooling	Thermalright PA120 SE
Memory	2x 16gb G.SKILL F5-6000J3038F16GX2-FX5
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RX6800XT Gaming OC
Storage	WD Black SN850X 2TB
Display(s)	MAG274QRF-QD \| Asus vg248qe
Case	SAMA IM01
Audio Device(s)	Creative SoundBlasterx G6
Power Supply	Corsair SF750
Mouse	Logitech G pro Wireless
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB MK2
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64

System Name	HTPC-Cube
Processor	AMD Athlon 64 skt754 3200+ 1M cache
Motherboard	Foxconn Winfast K8S760MG-6LRS
Cooling	Stock
Memory	2 gigs DDR400
Video Card(s)	HIS IceQ 4670 AGP 1gig DDR3
Storage	White label 80gigs sata
Display(s)	Polaroid 19 inches 1366X768 LED
Case	Chenming cube
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Raidmax RX-500S
Software	Seven Pro 64bits

System Name	Main PC- Gamer- Main Cruncher/Folder and too many crunching/folding rigs
Processor	Ryzen 5900X- Ryzen 5950X- Ryzen 3950X and etc...
Motherboard	Asrock X570 Extreme4- MSI X570S Tomahawk MAX WiFi- MSI B450M Bazooka Max and etc...
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S (dual fan)- EK 360 AIO with push/pull fans- Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT and etc...
Memory	2x16GB GSkill FlareX 3200/c14- 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance 3600/c16- 2x16GB Team 3600/c18 and etc..
Video Card(s)	MSI Gaming RX 6800- Asus RTX 3070 TUF OC- MSI Ventus GTX 1660Ti and etc...
Storage	Main PC (1TB WD SN850- 2TB PNY CS 3040- 2TB Seagate Firecuda) and etc...
Display(s)	Main PC (2x24" Dell UltraSharp U2414H)
Case	Phanteks P600s- Seasonic Q704- Fractal Meshify C and etc...
Audio Device(s)	Logitech Z625 THX 2.1 speakers
Power Supply	EVGA 750 G3- SeaSonic DGC 750- EVGA P2 850 and etc...
Mouse	G300s
Keyboard	Corsair K65
VR HMD	N/A
Software	Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores	Why sit on the Bench when you can get in the game and Crunch!!!

System Name	Dell Studio XPS 8100 / Current PC
Processor	Intel Core i5-750 @ 2.66 GHz / i5-3570K @ 3.4 GHz
Motherboard	Dell Stock H55 / ASUS P8Z77-VLK
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Hynix 8GB DDR3-1333 / Kingston HyperX Blu Black 8 GB DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	MSI Radeon HD 7770 / EVGA GTX 560 Superclocked
Storage	1TB Western Digital Caviar Black / 128 GB Crucial m4 + 2TB Seagate Barracuda
Display(s)	Samsung 19'' LCD / Dell 24'' LCD
Case	Dell Studio XPS 8100 / Bitfenix Merc Alpha
Audio Device(s)	Realtek Integrated
Power Supply	Dell Stock 350W / OCZ ModXStream 700W
Benchmark Scores	Dell Keyboard + Dell Mouse / Azio Levetron Clicker + Razer Lachesis

System Name	Obelisc
Processor	i7 3770k @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V
Cooling	H110
Memory	16GB(4x4) @ 2400 MHz 9-11-11-31
Video Card(s)	GTX 780 Ti
Storage	850 EVO 1TB, 2x 5TB Toshiba
Case	T81
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply	EVGA 850 T2 80+ TITANIUM
Software	Win10 64bit

When To Change The PSU?

When do you change your PSU?

Every two years.

Every five years.

Every ten years.

When it burns down the house.

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