Antec Neo Eco 450 - PC won't start - SOLVED

[ET]

I just replaced the PSU in my secondary PC with a Neo Eco 450. The PC (Ryzen 3 2200G, ASRock AB350M-HDV, 8GB RAM) now doesn't boot. I know that the system is getting power because if I plug a USB mouse into either a front or back USB port it lights up. However, the power switch doesn't turn the PC on. The case cables are connected as before (the case is an Antec NX100).

Any ideas?

Update: When I remove the 8-pin power connector half from the 4 pin motherboard slot, leaving only the 24-pin connected, the case and CPU fans spin up, although I don't get any video.

Update 2: It turns out that the 8-pin connector can be connected in 4 different ways (two halves, each of them managed to be plugged in two ways, even though they're not fully symmetric). There's one specific half and one specific direction, that of course was the last I checked. That worked.

 

[Sgt. York]

Why did you replace the old power supply?

 

[ET]

Bought this new inexpensive PSU to replace a family member's failed PSU, discovered it was both Bronze and semi modular, so decided to put it in my PC instead, and give the old (non certified and non modular) PSU to the family member. He gets a working PSU for free instead of paying for it, my PC gets a nicer PSU for cheap, hopefully everyone is happy.

Does it really matter?

 

[Gt403cyl]

A PSU is not somewhere you want to cheap out, remember it provides all the power to your system you have to ask yourself “is it worth saving a few bucks?” Risking much much more.

 

[ET]

In my experience, it doesn't matter much. The PSU which died was a cheap one which lasted for maybe 10 years. The one I replaced is similar. Low end PSUs might not be as efficient and might not be able to sustain a high load, but for basic systems I see no reason to go for higher end ones. With 80 Plus certified, active PFC PSUs available for low prices, there's even no need to go for the bottom of the barrel ones, but even those are perfectly capable of keeping a PC powered for many years, if not stressed.

 

[Gt403cyl]

In my experience, it doesn't matter much. The PSU which died was a cheap one which lasted for maybe 10 years. The one I replaced is similar. Low end PSUs might not be as efficient and might not be able to sustain a high load, but for basic systems I see no reason to go for higher end ones. With 80 Plus certified, active PFC PSUs available for low prices, there's even no need to go for the bottom of the barrel ones, but even those are perfectly capable of keeping a PC powered for many years, if not stressed.

While the Neo isn’t a horrible PSU, all I’m saying is there are really big swings in quality when you look at the lower rated output PSUs.

Obviously a lot depends on the use of the PC and the components, but just tossing any old PSU is kinda reckless in my opinion.

80+ rating and wattage output aren’t the only factors that determine a PSU’s quality.

 

[UsandThem]

Update 2: It turns out that the 8-pin connector can be connected in 4 different ways (two halves, each of them managed to be plugged in two ways, even though they're not fully symmetric). There's one specific half and one specific direction, that of course was the last I checked. That worked.

So your PC now works with the new PSU?

Also, it's not surprising that the cable can plugged in multiple ways (even though it shouldn't be done as the pins have specific functions, and a motherboard can be damaged this way). The reason is that lower-end PSUs use really thin plastic on the connectors, and they can easily flex allowing it to be plugged in the wrong way.

There was another user here who reported the same thing in a help thread, so I checked three of my power supplies, and there was no way I could force the connector in the wrong way without breaking something (however, all my PSUs are mid-range and up).

 

[ET]

80+ rating and wattage output aren’t the only factors that determine a PSU’s quality.

While I tend to agree, in my experience the component that fails the most is the hard drive, and that causes most damage (in terms of lost work). PSUs are reasonably high on the list, but not necessarily any more than motherboards or GPUs (except low end GPUs, which in my experience tend to be more resilient).

Sure, a PSU's quality, however you define it (voltage stability?) would certainly vary, and a failing PSU does have the disadvantage of being able to hurt other components, but low end components worked fine for me for many years, and I feel reasonably safe sticking a low end 450W PSU in a PC that's going to be using 50W for 95% of the time and 250W max for the rest of the time.

But perhaps I'm wrong. Feel free to provide more info.