Do I replace PSU at every new build?

[rivbyte]

Hello,

I have been told that it's smart to replace your PSU at every new build, about 5-7 years. Are their specs that the newer boards require out of a PSU, than they did let's say, seven years ago?

I have a 7 year old Thermaltake Toughpower 700w, I bought seven years ago, and I was going to replace it, when a few fellow posters told me WHY would I want to, as long as it's going strong? Someone mentioned that the new board better be certified or require some new board support, which the older PSU's did not have.

Basically, is there any reason why, I could not use an old PSU along with my new board?

They also told me that 700w is way too much power overkill, but at the time of the last install, I did not know how many HDD's, GPU's, or Memory I was going to end up with. They tell me 500-550W is perfect, but I don't want to spend any more than I have to for this build, so I would like to keep what I can.

In fact, I was also going to replace my CM690, because my case has the 2 x2.0 USB, Audio/Mic on the top of the case, but the MSI B85-G41 has the ALC'887 audio chipset, whereas my P-35 Platinum had AC'97. The question was if I could use those old top connectors on my CM690 with my new board, or not be able to. Someone mention NON USB headers? What are they for?

Thanks!

 

[PCunicorn]

Its very rare that a new power requirement becomes standard on a mobo. Motherboards have required a 4 (or 8) Pin 12V header and 24 pin for over a decade now. However I highly reccomend against still using that PSU. How are you able to tell its still going strong? Just because its powering stuff fine, doesn't mean its still in good shape. If you don't give a crap about the components in your PC, go ahead and keep using that PSU which has a moderate chance to blow and take stuff with it. That doesn't mean it WILL, it could last another 7 years. But its a chance personally I'd never take.

 

[silicon]

Hello,

I have been told that it's smart to replace your PSU at every new build, about 5-7 years. Are their specs that the newer boards require out of a PSU, than they did let's say, seven years ago?

I have a 7 year old Thermaltake Toughpower 700w, I bought seven years ago, and I was going to replace it, when a few fellow posters told me WHY would I want to, as long as it's going strong? Someone mentioned that the new board better be certified or require some new board support, which the older PSU's did not have.

Basically, is there any reason why, I could not use an old PSU along with my new board?

They also told me that 700w is way too much power overkill, but at the time of the last install, I did not know how many HDD's, GPU's, or Memory I was going to end up with. They tell me 500-550W is perfect, but I don't want to spend any more than I have to for this build, so I would like to keep what I can.

In fact, I was also going to replace my CM690, because my case has the 2 x2.0 USB, Audio/Mic on the top of the case, but the MSI B85-G41 has the ALC'887 audio chipset, whereas my P-35 Platinum had AC'97. The question was if I could use those old top connectors on my CM690 with my new board, or not be able to. Someone mention NON USB headers? What are they for?

Thanks!

Its my opinion that power supplies can wear out over time and it is good idea to use a new one for every new build. The electronic components age over time especially the capacitors and will fail eventually although they do last a long time. Something that is not done is to condition a new supply before installing in a new build. No one that I know ever does this. The new supply usually goes straight into the new build. The better quality supplies with japanese caps are the best to use and those inferior supplies should be avoided as any money caved will be spent very soon to replace MB's and other components that break.

 

[thedosbox]

I have a 7 year old Thermaltake Toughpower 700w, I bought seven years ago, and I was going to replace it, when a few fellow posters told me WHY would I want to

It's a Thermaltake, a company known for exaggeration when it comes to PSU specs.

If that's not reason enough, it's a 7-year old PSU whose warranty expired years ago. It might be fine, but is it really worth saving ~$100 when it might fail on you with unknown consequences for the rest of your system?

And yes, 700W is overkill for any system with a single GPU.

 

[Puffnstuff]

As a general rule of thumb you don't want an old ps especially if it isn't from a reputable brand with quality components. I just had a 4 year old corsair hx1000 fail on me even though I wasn't using its full capacity. I suspect that it has been failing for some time and only recently became unable to provide what my system required uncovering it's true condition. This is why I run headroom on my ps's. I replaced it with an enermax platimax 1350 watt unit which has even more headroom.

What ever you decide to buy I would suggest that you leave yourself some margin on the output. Electronics wear out like anything else with use over time and as they age they lose output capacity.

 

[smitbret]

5 years is a good life on a good PSU. I replace them on the next rebuild/upgrade once they reach that anniversary. It could be another year or two before the next upgrade so it may be 7 years old before it gets swapped out but I don't think I've ever gone longer than that with a PSU. Most die before then, anyway.

 

[Charlie98]

This is why I run headroom on my ps's. I replaced it with an enermax platimax 1350 watt unit which has even more headroom.

Time to retire that PSU...

My 750w PSU is absurd overkill for my single GPU build. I measured the watt draw at the wall for my PC and I'm lucky if I can pull 430w in benchmarks (at the wall vs what the PSU is actually delivering: 430w x 80% efficiency rating= 344w.) I could have easily gone with a 550w PSU.

Headroom is iffy... each PSU has a different efficiency curve, some are better than others. 550w, 750w, 1350w... at normal operation the 550w is more likely running more efficiently than either the 750w or 1350w. Your best bet is to determine what the likely maximum draw of your rig will be and find a suitable PSU to match that power demand... don't just buy a big watt PSU and figure that's the best thing to do... just my .02 worth.

 

[rivbyte]

OK....I GOT IT... I WILL DISPOSE OF THIS PSU AND GET A GOLD CERTIFIED 550W. They also have Bronze Cert., so would I be concerned NOT getting a GOLD CERT.?

Now what do I do with his PSU?.....Take it to recycling center?

I also have older 2.8GB DDR2 2x8GB PC2700, ( and lots of older Ram sticks I've saved, but don't ask why I did.

I have an extra HP monitor,keyboard,mouse, that belonged to my neighbor, before he died, and it's a shame that I can't sell this already built system, abeit, it's seven years old, but I have WIN7 64/8GB DDR2 Ram,Q6600 Intel Core duo Quad 2.4GHz/ one 500 GB HDD, Coolermaster CM690 Case, and I would buy a new PSU for it, if someone wanted to buy it cheap, so I could take some of that money and use it towards my new build....I hate removing and trashing a good Mobo, Q6600 CPU, Geforce 8600GT GPU, when it seems to be running fine..

...And i know what youre thinking.....LET IT GO JIM, LET IT GO!

 

[rivbyte]

I also have heard MANY MANY suggestions from people about what's good, and what's trash, but I think I narrowed it down to these...otherwise, I'll never finish picking out parts, and if I do not soon, then the DDR3 memory will then be DDR8.

Mobo - MSI B85-G41 PC_Mate ATX 1150 $ 70.00 (Newegg)
PSU - Seasonic Gold Certified 550W $ 75.00 (Newegg)
CPU Cooler - CM Hyper 212 EVO $ 35.00 (Fry's)
SSD - Samsung EVO MLC 550GB $ 157.00 (Newegg)
CPU - 4th Gen. i7 4770 3.4 GHz LGA 1150 $ 240.00 (Micro center)
.....Fry's replaced this with an i7 4771
4th gen. $318.00 (Frys)
RAM - Corsair XMS 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $ 170.00 (Fry's)

Thank you!

 

[TemjinGold]

Do you have a video card in there? If you plan on using the onboard video, that PSU is major overkill...

 

[Charlie98]

then the DDR3 memory will then be DDR8.

Mobo - MSI B85-G41 PC_Mate ATX 1150 $ 70.00 (Newegg)
PSU - Seasonic Gold Certified 550W $ 75.00 (Newegg)
CPU Cooler - CM Hyper 212 EVO $ 35.00 (Fry's)
SSD - Samsung EVO MLC 550GB $ 157.00 (Newegg)
CPU - 4th Gen. i7 4770 3.4 GHz LGA 1150 $ 240.00 (Micro center)
.....Fry's replaced this with an i7 4771
4th gen. $318.00 (Frys)
RAM - Corsair XMS 2x8GB DDR3 1600 $ 170.00 (Fry's)

Thank you!

HawHaw!!! :biggrin:

No, you don't need a Gold PSU, Bronze is fine. It's hard to justify the cost, but I won't deny that's a nice PSU you have listed.

As far as the old parts... you can list them here on FS/FT and see if you can move them, including the RAM. As far as retaining the old system, drop in a $20 Corsair CX430 PSU and it's alive again!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

OK....I GOT IT... I WILL DISPOSE OF THIS PSU AND GET A GOLD CERTIFIED 550W. They also have Bronze Cert., so would I be concerned NOT getting a GOLD CERT.?

Now what do I do with his PSU?.....Take it to recycling center?

I always keep a spare PSU on hand so if one of mine dies, I can keep running while I wait for a new PSU to arrive.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I will always err on the side of overkill with my ps's.

 

[rivbyte]

Hello,
I have posted many posts about suggestive parts for my new build computer, and have graciously received many replies, and thank you! Now, I have all my parts, and need some clarification on the step-by-step process. And yes, I have turned to Newegg and Youtube videos for tutorials on "how to build a PC from scratch", but it seems there are many differences from one video to the next.

It has been seven years since I built my last MSI P-35 Platinum 775, and after reading most of these part instructions for this build so far, seems to have way more warnings and processes to follow, than my last time...knock on non-conductive wood, but I guess I did something right the last time, because this present computer is running top shape, other than the 7 year old intel Q6600 2.4, the 8GB DDR2, a 7 year old Thermaltake toughpower 700w...but I need to upgrade.

SSD: Samsung 250GB SSD

PSU:
To clear this all up, Does it matter exactly when I should install the PSU...anytime, or after everything is ready to be powered up? Because of the STATIC ISSUE, I DO I have an ANTI-STATIC Wrist band. Some say to install the PSU first, then don't plug the computer's power to on, another site, said to install the PSU with temp ground install screws, then when done, replace the regular install screws in. ( I bought a Seasonic S12G Gold Plus-80 550W ) I don't know if the factory PSU has any electric charge that can ruin any components.

I was going to install EVERYTHING FIRST, then INSTALL the Power Supply LAST....is this WRONG?

CPU FAN:
I have a Coolermaster HYPER212 CPU HeatSink, and I will install the underside Mounting bracket, should i do this FIRST, then install CPU,then attach the Cooler on top of the CPU, then continue with the build?

RAM:
According the MSI manual, I am to place each of the DDR3 8GB Ram ( I only have two ) in DIMM #2, and DIMM #4 BLACK, but on another site, it said to install in DIMM #1, then 3, BLUE, or else the computer won't boot.

If anyone knows of a "Step by Step" new PC Desktop instructional Video, or text, please let me know.

If there are any other precautions on setting up this board, like any changes in the Bios, also let me know.
Thank you for everything?

 

[mindless1]

One issue is whether or not the PSU seems compatible, and whether it does actually run the new system stably.

The other issue is money saved vs system risk. If the PSU is old enough that you feel it is a significant risk, it may be the same risk running your old system so you need to assess the value of the system regardless of whether it's the old or new system and weigh that against the savings of not buying a new PSU.

Then there's the wildcards, how much you depend on the particular system be working, how long a downtime you can suffer, and whether you are able to repair PSU yourself. There is no one answer that is right for every situation.

 

[mindless1]

HawHaw!!! :biggrin:

No, you don't need a Gold PSU, Bronze is fine. It's hard to justify the cost, but I won't deny that's a nice PSU you have listed.

Looks like I'm a few days late to the party, Newegg had a XFX Core 550W (basically a relabeled Seasonic S12II) that was $26 after coupon & rebate last Friday and maybe into the weekend but that $25 rebate expired yesterday!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207013

It seems to have a new rebate and code dropping it down to $30 or less after rebate every 3rd month, so another option for the OP is to use the PSU he already has until a good sale price comes along again.

... this coming from someone who has a 700W PSU powering a system with only integrated video, because the price was right at the time.

 

[rivbyte]

Thanks anyway,

I hope by getting the 550W S12G will be enough to power,since this last one was the 700W, but it's 7 years old, and needs to be replaced, and given that I spent about $700.00 on the new parts, I would hate to blow all that on a aged PSU.

My new question now would be about getting a GPU, or just use the i7 HD 4600 graphics. That thread is titled, "Still need a GPU, with an Intel i7 4770 for VIDEO EDITING?"

Thanks!

 

[angminas]

One important thing about installing the power supply last is, if it's top-mounted, you need to be careful to keep from dropping it onto your video card and such. You'll need to put the case on its side with the far side cover on to protect the motherboard.

 

[mindless1]

^ And often when it's last, an aftermarket heatpipe based CPU heatsink gets in the way, must be removed for PSU installation.

 

[piasabird]

It depends how much dust and dirt and guck are collecting in your power supply. A power supply sucks air and dust across all of its components. This cant be a good thing. Electronic components can and will go bad. This includes power supplies. The power supply is connected to your expensive equipment and can cause damage if it burns up. Even if all a power supply does is lose efficiency, that alone can cause file corruption and cost you extra money for power usage.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

I have a 7 year old Thermaltake Toughpower 700w

Throw it in the trash..........

 

[Blain]

I will always err on the side of overkill with my ps's.

You are very wise.
False economy when dealing with PS's can be real component killers.

 

[Torn Mind]

After a certain amount of headroom is reached(300, even 200 watts is enough), then it becomes foolish to spend any more on a PSU and not on other things of what I call "circuit modifiers" since they add functions to the circuit that a PSU does not, such as stabilizing AC output(line conditioners) or preventing sudden shut downs due to power cutoffs(uninterrupted power supplies). Up to a point, the PSU is not going to have many more features to add to it.

It's going to be capacitors that die first most of the time, random killings due to AC transients, or defective parts upon manufacture that die prematurely.

The "cleanest" AC power is power made from a power regenerator, but that is a bit overkill for non-audiophiles or any other task that requires a perfect sine wave. The cost for those devices expensive as hell and more electricity is consumed since the electrical waveform has to be completely regenerated.