Power supply Options

[Dohc-WP]

ok so due to Eksdom and their powerfailures my psu has conked, in normal usage the pc is fine, i can play full hd movies, browse the web etc, the moment i want to game, the pc shuts down into almost a sleep mode state, im guessing the psu cant supply enough power to the entire system at once.

My current psu is an antec eco power 550w (think thats what its called

my pc according to the coolermaster psu calculator only requires 365w in total (hard to believe)

i have ordered an Antec VP 500 as a temporary solution for the next few months.

what would be an ideal reliable psu that should be able to last a few months and should be future proof for impending gpu upgrades and with high quality components and ballbearing fans that dont fail as quick as some of the lesser brands.

according to the forums alot of the guys suggests not going with corsair ? any specific reason ?

i would probably go R1000 max on my psu

 

[Lothy]

Well to future proof ur machine has more to do with how much u want to scale up. If u see urself goin crossfire/sli and enough HDD to download the internet, while making ur computer room sound like a datacentre, then get some thing big like a 1000w. If however u will probably keep ur machine like u have now only replacing ur components here and there then maybe something marginally bigger. Maybe 700w or there abouts.

Also I have a 1000va UPS to help me against Eskom shedding its load. Its not 100% guaranteed to protect ur machine, but it helps

 

[Dohc-WP]

Well to future proof ur machine has more to do with how much u want to scale up. If u see urself goin crossfire/sli and enough HDD to download the internet, while making ur computer room sound like a datacentre, then get some thing big like a 1000w. If however u will probably keep ur machine like u have now only replacing ur components here and there then maybe something marginally bigger. Maybe 700w or there abouts.

Also I have a 1000va UPS to help me against Eskom shedding its load. Its not 100% guaranteed to protect ur machine, but it helps

there is a 450kva UPS hooked up to it (damn thing is pretty useless if u ask me)

 

[BeoTeK]

there is a 450kva UPS hooked up to it (damn thing is pretty useless if u ask me)

the fact that it's useless is perfect. I have a shot UPS which doesn't provide any backup power but it's there to take the hit when the power comes back on, rather that than my PC.

 

[Lothy]

the fact that it's useless is perfect. I have a shot UPS which doesn't provide any backup power but it's there to take the hit when the power comes back on, rather that than my PC.

That's the reason I have it, also it helps when there is no power. At least the internet stays on for a couple of hours.

 

[Dohc-WP]

the fact that it's useless is perfect. I have a shot UPS which doesn't provide any backup power but it's there to take the hit when the power comes back on, rather that than my PC.

the ups was hooked up to the psu when things went south so thats why i have no real confidence in it.

 

[TBlaar]

If your UPS provides bad power(imitation sine wave), it could actually do more harm. Especially if it's kak like you have both said. I would rather remove it and get a surge protector plug.

 

[Dohc-WP]

If your UPS provides bad power(imitation sine wave), it could actually do more harm. Especially if it's kak like you have both said. I would rather remove it and get a surge protector plug.

also have one of those, kettle plug cable with the red head (that plug is hooked up to the ups)

i was pretty sure i made the correct provisions to prevent such an incident, the ups is an upsilon afaik (matrix warehouse puts their own shitty logo in there)

 

[TBlaar]

A kettle lead with a red plug is NOT a surge protection plug!!!! It's called a dedicated power plug. It has the top part of the earth connection flattened, so that only a red cable can fit into a red plug. These are often because red plugs will have a separate power circuit or connect to a UPS / generator.

A surge protection plug is one with a fuse fitted, so that a large spike in electricity will burn out the fuse and the spike does not hit the equipment on the other side.

I would remove a UPS if it does not have battery left. Read about how a cheap UPS can actually damage your PSU with the square sine wave it creates:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/334655-28-difference-sine-wave-square-wave-inverter

 

[Lothy]

A kettle lead with a red plug is NOT a surge protection plug!!!! [/url]

I think u just got kaked out looool!

 

[TBlaar]

Haha not at all I have just seen this "misunderstood" a few times. You do get a red plug with a fuse in, but it's still not a proper surge protector.

Regarding using a "broken" UPS, you do also realize that you are pretty much throwing money away, or converting it into heat Seeing that you are converting 220 to 12 v, then back to 220? There is loss, and you are making the sine wave look ugly.

Below is a quick pic to show how a real sine wave looks and how a modified one mig

 

[BeoTeK]

Haha not at all I have just seen this "misunderstood" a few times. You do get a red plug with a fuse in, but it's still not a proper surge protector.

Regarding using a "broken" UPS, you do also realize that you are pretty much throwing money away, or converting it into heat Seeing that you are converting 220 to 12 v, then back to 220? There is loss, and you are making the sine wave look ugly.

Below is a quick pic to show how a real sine wave looks and how a modified one mig

Thanks for the info. But...

I don't understrand how or why it could cause more damage. The power coming in is still "clean" and thus going out is as well. When referring to a "broken" UPS I don't mean blown, just that the batteries do not hold charge, but the fuse is still in tact. If a surge should hit (ie when power comes back on), surely it will do damage to the useless UPS over the 1000w PSU or the rest of the computer?

 

[Blazzok]

I am not 100% sure about this, but I think a UPS will only protect you against a surge once. The fuse that does the protecting will burn out and save your PSU, however the UPS will still work afterwards.

Now, when the second surge hits, the UPS won't protect you and will allow the surge to go through to your PSU. Don't have time to google it now so that I can verify this.

As for a quality PSU, I have had my CoolerMaster 800W SilentPro Gold 80+ for 4 years now and it is really great. My PC won't even turn off if there is a quick dip in the power, the PSU will keep my PC on.
Perhaps look at getting the 600W version of this PSU (not sure how much it costs though). Seasonic PSU's are also really good.

I'm not sure why Corsair is not trusted, I thought they were pretty decent.

 

[TBlaar]

I don't understrand how or why it could cause more damage. The power coming in is still "clean" and thus going out is as well. When referring to a "broken" UPS I don't mean blown, just that the batteries do not hold charge, but the fuse is still in tact. If a surge should hit (ie when power comes back on), surely it will do damage to the useless UPS over the 1000w PSU or the rest of the computer?

A square sine wave does damage from day one. The power it creates is never "clean". Regardless of whether the battery is working or not, it outputs current generated by the UPS.

To get "clean" power, you need a pure sine wave inverter / ups or a line interactive UPS. The latter means that normal power is always sent straight through, and only when power cuts you get switched to UPS power, in a short enough time so that no power is lost.

 

[Dohc-WP]

A square sine wave does damage from day one. The power it creates is never "clean". Regardless of whether the battery is working or not, it outputs current generated by the UPS.

To get "clean" power, you need a pure sine wave inverter / ups or a line interactive UPS. The latter means that normal power is always sent straight through, and only when power cuts you get switched to UPS power, in a short enough time so that no power is lost.

thanks for the info we should call you the power guy

 

[Dohc-WP]

I am not 100% sure about this, but I think a UPS will only protect you against a surge once. The fuse that does the protecting will burn out and save your PSU, however the UPS will still work afterwards.

Now, when the second surge hits, the UPS won't protect you and will allow the surge to go through to your PSU. Don't have time to google it now so that I can verify this.

As for a quality PSU, I have had my CoolerMaster 800W SilentPro Gold 80+ for 4 years now and it is really great. My PC won't even turn off if there is a quick dip in the power, the PSU will keep my PC on.
Perhaps look at getting the 600W version of this PSU (not sure how much it costs though). Seasonic PSU's are also really good.

I'm not sure why Corsair is not trusted, I thought they were pretty decent.

apparently they use cheap capacitors in their psu's

 

[PsychoFish]

A square sine wave does damage from day one. The power it creates is never "clean". Regardless of whether the battery is working or not, it outputs current generated by the UPS.

To get "clean" power, you need a pure sine wave inverter / ups or a line interactive UPS. The latter means that normal power is always sent straight through, and only when power cuts you get switched to UPS power, in a short enough time so that no power is lost.

Or alternatively if you have the money a double conversion UPS

 

[TBlaar]

I am hardly the power guy, but thanks!

Been looking at buying UPS for my house recently, just did quite a bit of research so the info is still fresh.

You are often better off buying a power trolley with pure sine wave inverter. You can connect this to your PC at all times. Then when the power does go, you can safely power off your pc, unplug it from the trolley and move the trolley to your TV. Then you can power the TV during load shedding and watch movies until real power is restored.

These trolleys often have more backup time than a UPS, and you can move it around and add batteries to extend the life you get.

 

[maxum]

Having a similar problem. 550w psu that's supposed to have built in surge protection.
Long story short, display seems to go into hibernate mode. This has happened more than once on both occasion, removing the gpu from the mobo for a few mins and re-seating it sorted out the problem. Weird but it works .