Question Big oversize PSU pay off? (my x3 1600W working since 2006)

[RFC Rudel]

My x3 1600W working since 2006, it have benn used in the most demanding setups (2 dual gpu), 7 scsi disck,raid card, plus oc.
I open it 2 times to clean it, fans still work. it always work in a dust filter based case notmaly with AC on the room.
since 2010 the setups where ultra but not more than 2 gpus and HDs where migrated to ssd and only mechnical for storage.
I buy it becouse I know it was server based hardware,and I always oversize the psu size, here the current is 220v, relative steady.

So who has similar expirience? have oversize psu have lasted longer?

 

[Tech Junky]

I always recommend oversizing the PSU as it puts less strain on it under load and offers room to grow into it since they last a decade or more. I use an 850W as my cutoff due to the prices doubling beyond that typically. I've run dual GPU's as well on occasion and 850W handled it just fine. With newer GPU's pushing 600W though in the near future 850W wouldn't be enough but, I don't typically run a GPU in my system as a server / headless setup.

 

[mindless1]

Yes they tend to last longer, but if you're paying twice as much but not getting double the lifespan, or it isn't as efficient at the average load of the system so you're paying more for power year after year, then it may be a false economy.

Like Tech Junky, I find the sweet spot to be 850W or lower, providing the peak (average not momentary) power is ~600W or lower.

 

[Fallen Kell]

I've been using between 850 - 1000W PSUs for my main gaming/everyday rig for close to 20 years now. The problem (at least in the USA) with going much higher is that you need to know if your system is on a dedicated circuit with no other outlets connected to it, otherwise you risk tripping the breaker. Most home wiring is rated for 15amp @ ~110V so having a 1200W PSU even titanium rated will be pulling around 1333 W from the wall, which is over 11amps. Now if you have 220V (or ran 220V in your home for computer use), the PSU is more efficient, only pulling around 1277 W from the wall for that same titanium rating.

 

[mindless1]

^ but but but... This is a topic about Big Oversize PSU, so if a 1500W PSU Is a big oversize, probably enough margin at 110V as long as there's nothing else especially high power running simultaneously, though personally if I had 1000W of system creating heat, then I'd want a dedicated room A/C to remove that and then say 5K BTU is going to draw ~4A more.

 

[HardWarrior]

My x3 1600W working since 2006, it have benn used in the most demanding setups (2 dual gpu), 7 scsi disck,raid card, plus oc.
I open it 2 times to clean it, fans still work. it always work in a dust filter based case notmaly with AC on the room.
since 2010 the setups where ultra but not more than 2 gpus and HDs where migrated to ssd and only mechnical for storage.
I buy it becouse I know it was server based hardware,and I always oversize the psu size, here the current is 220v, relative steady.

So who has similar expirience? have oversize psu have lasted longer?

I've used a 1200W Corsair AX1200i PSU for 2 years with 0 problems while supporting a WC'd gamer rig with 12-fans. With lower wattage/cheaper PSU's my wife has developed an uncanny ability to sense when one was about to go pear shaped. 😁 We've had some brown-outs lately, but I have an adequate APC unit now which makes things even more stable/smooth.

 

[HardWarrior]

I've been using between 850 - 1000W PSUs for my main gaming/everyday rig for close to 20 years now. The problem (at least in the USA) with going much higher is that you need to know if your system is on a dedicated circuit with no other outlets connected to it, otherwise you risk tripping the breaker. Most home wiring is rated for 15amp @ ~110V so having a 1200W PSU even titanium rated will be pulling around 1333 W from the wall, which is over 11amps. Now if you have 220V (or ran 220V in your home for computer use), the PSU is more efficient, only pulling around 1277 W from the wall for that same titanium rating.

Good break-down! Thanks loads.

 

[biostud]

The question is, why shouldn’t a PSU last very long? The PSU in my receiver is more than 20 years old. I don’t believe it has anything to do about oversizing, but good build quality. We have just come to term with electronics being of crappy quality, not lasting more than 10 years.

 

[mindless1]

^ But is that receiver using a SMPS? It makes a difference whether it's 100/120Hz (rectified mains) linear unregulated PSU that most old receivers used, or a few hundred KHz on a computer PSU.

Then there's the load, my most used system is on 24/7 and even if a fairly low wattage (let's say 70W average) there's no way I'd have an (audio?) receiver as high as 70W 24/7. Any sound system I have, probably doesn't average 5W 24/7.

I agree that quality has something to do with it, but then someone buys quality and states it's 12 years old and the more popular reply to whether they should keep using it is no. Granted it often has to do with the value of the components it's powering, like "time for an upgrade" so risking hundreds in new parts vs only another $100-something for new PSU.

Why the lifespan though, there is some science to it. Look at capacitor datasheets, even from high quality ones, they tend to be rated in the ballpark of 5-10 thousand hours. That is at their max specs so will last quite a bit longer with lower ripple current and temperature, but 10K hrs isn't much more than a year. Even so, the typical computer SMPS puts some of the caps at a higher % of their limits than a linear audio PSU does.

I mention capacitors because I find them to be the most common, early failure point. Take the same family of cap (all else equal as much as the designs allow) and put it in a consumer/home-use audio amp, and it would typically last a lot longer than in a computer PSU.

 

[ElFenix]

The problem (at least in the USA) with going much higher is that you need to know if your system is on a dedicated circuit with no other outlets connected to it, otherwise you risk tripping the breaker. Most home wiring is rated for 15amp @ ~110V so having a 1200W PSU even titanium rated will be pulling around 1333 W from the wall, which is over 11amps.

in that case the PSU wouldn't be bigly oversized, it'd be the correct size.

 

[Golgatha]

I even bought a 330w power supply for my OMEN 17 laptop that came with a 210w. I use the 210w when traveling, but most of the time it stays plugged in and runs nice a cool even when gaming with the 330w I got off of eBay. For my home machines I go for 750-850w depending on cost.

 

[ElFenix]

"laptop"

 

[BoomerD]

Another thing we have to consider nowadays is transient spikes...Steve's video was kind of eye-opening to me.

 

[RFC Rudel]

It just F die!!!!!!!!! in 700w/650 setup, I think my powerd usb hub have something to do with it, providing 5v when shut down........and find the usb hub transformer hot and almost dead.
une curiosity, when pc off and usb 3 hub powered, my ram lights where on......
I will send it to repair shop......here a psu like this 1600W is ultra expensive.


current setup, msi570 goodlike, 2 16g modules, lsi card, 3 8t 3.5 in raid 5, 12 core amd, 2 m2 drives, 5700 gpu (this psu have ben use with with quad gpu in the 2010 era when nothing was low consume) in a Lian Li PC-V2120

 

[igor_kavinski]

It just F die!!!!!!!!! in 700w/650 setup, I think my powerd usb hub have something to do with it, providing 5v when shut down........and find the usb hub transformer hot and almost dead.
une curiosity, when pc off and usb 3 hub powered, my ram lights where on......
I will send it to repair shop......here a psu like this 1600W is ultra expensive.

Must be a really crappy usb hub. Don't worry about the PSU. Probably just a blown fuse.

 

[RFC Rudel]

this known to happen?

 

[igor_kavinski]

this known to happen?

First I've heard. As I said, must be a very badly engineered USB hub.

 

[loope]

this known to happen?

Did have an adapter around 13 years old for modem leak and die so jerry rigged a wd my book adapter to work with it. It was doing interference for all electrics on that circuit, coming thru speakers even, that scared me all the sudden. edit: and monitor maybe picture fuzzy or misremembering

Had an adapter hooked into usb hub for like 10 years but disconnected it like 2 years ago since it works just fine without it.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[igor_kavinski]

The USB power adapter is only necessary if all the ports are getting filled with devices that need power, like portable 2.5 inch drives or enclosures.

 

[loope]

The USB power adapter is only necessary if all the ports are getting filled with devices that need power, like portable 2.5 inch drives or enclosures.

So its possible that a bad adapter could send more than 5v or whatever to usb on pc but then the usb ports on pc should have fuses too i think? Mine didnt break the modem, died of lightning a year later + motherboard.

 

[igor_kavinski]

the usb ports on pc should have fuses too i think?

Nah. Manufacturers save as much money as possible on the ports. Not their problem if the user plugs in a device that is not designed properly as per the USB spec.

 

[loope]

They should have at least 1 per a couple. This was a feature back in like 2014

One Fuse per USB Port

GA-Z87X-D3H (rev. 1.x) Overview | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Australia

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

 

[igor_kavinski]

They should have at least 1 per a couple. This was a feature back in like 2014

One Fuse per USB Port

GA-Z87X-D3H (rev. 1.x) Overview | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Australia

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

I think that's an exclusive Gigabyte feature. Normal mobos won't have that. At least, I don't think so.