In need of expert advice!

[Djhouseblend]

Hello,

We are having issues with power supplies from Enhance, model ENP-5150GH. We just had 3 total failures, and the other 10 had the "Power Good" testing portion of a small p/s tester go out after 10 to 15 seconds, and the alarm would sound on tester.
We tested 6 different power supplies and none of them failed the "PG" part. We even found another ENP-5150GH that also didn't fail that test.
Is the "Power Good" test a good enough testing means to warrant an RMA?
How significant is that test?
I tried to find this model on New Egg, but only found a link thru google stating that it was "deactivated".

Thanks!

Djhouseblend

 

[jonnyGURU]

No. The power good signal is typically a short signal. It's a signal that tells the motherboard that it's ready to deliver power. After a second or two, the signal isn't even needed. Some PSU's leave the signal live while others reset the signal.

How did the other three die? Were they confirmed dead as having no voltages as per your power supply tester?

EDIT: FYI, here's a link to the ENP-5150GH on Enhance's website: http://www.enhance.com.tw/cgi-...action=searchdbdisplay

 

[Djhouseblend]

Hey JonnyGuru,

Check this out:

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/pow...p/funcPowerGood-c.html

The other 3 that died were in systems that were running 3 days max. The weird thing is, there was one ENP-5150GH that held the power good signal; all the other power supplies tested (5 different brands and different voltage outputs) also had no trouble holding the signal.

I do need to get a better p/s tester, though. An oscilloscope would be great; but not for 3 grand.

 

[Ken90630]

You may already be aware of this, but if not, know that a PSU tester is not always a 100% barometer of whether or not a PSU is good. A friend of mine recently asked me to take a look at a friend of her's computer (clone PC) 'cuz it wouldn't start up. The machine would shut off completely after being on for about one second, and I suspected the junky no-name PSU ("Austin" brand :roll: ) as being the culprit. My CompUSA PSU tester indicated the PSU was good, but I wasn't sold. Sure enough, I popped in a known-good PC Power & Cooling PSU and the computer fired right up. I left it in as a loaner and ordered a new Seasonic for her. Replaced it a couple weeks ago and she's very happy.

Presumably the tester doesn't test the PSU under load the way a fully-functional PC would (how could it?), so you could have a bad PSU that shows "good" on a tester but fails as soon as a significant load is placed on its rails. That's my admittedly-unsophisticated impression, anyway.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Ken90630
Presumably the tester doesn't test the PSU under load the way a fully-functional PC would (how could it?), so you could have a bad PSU that shows "good" on a tester but fails as soon as a significant load is placed on its rails.

The opposite may also be true. Some PSUs may not function without a load, or may not run as well (evidenced by cross load tests).

Also, a lot of PSU testers "fail" modern PSUs that don't have a -5v line even though the PSU is fine.

 

[Djhouseblend]

Ola!

I did create somewhat of a load; I used 4 hdds, 2 fans, and the tester does fine without the -5v.
Is Seasonic the choice brand of power supplies these days?

Thanks!

 

[Ken90630]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: Ken90630
Presumably the tester doesn't test the PSU under load the way a fully-functional PC would (how could it?), so you could have a bad PSU that shows "good" on a tester but fails as soon as a significant load is placed on its rails.

The opposite may also be true. Some PSUs may not function without a load, or may not run as well (evidenced by cross load tests).

Yeah, I've read that. Some PSUs need a good 'match' between their output capacity and the load put on them in order to attain their rated efficiency spec (i.e, putting a 500-watt PSU in a system that only draws 200 watts at peak can in many cases yield worse results, efficiency-wise, than using a quality 300-watt PSU). There's a good article over at SPCR that discusses this in detail; I haven't looked at in a while, however, and I don't know if the issue is as significant now (as it was then) with all the new 80+ certified PSUs. I haven't kept up on this in the last year or so.

 

[Ken90630]

Originally posted by: Djhouseblend
Is Seasonic the choice brand of power supplies these days?

Thanks!

It is for me, but I'm not a high-volume system builder (except for myself and a couple friends). I like the S12 series because they perform really well, have sleeved cables and 5-year warranties, and are quieter than most (if not all) comparable PSUs on the market. And Seasonic has been making PSUs since the dawn of time (well, at least since the '70s IIRC). But there are other good PSUs out there (including some made by Seasonic and rebadged). I haven't had my head in the PSU game for the last year or so, so I really can't say with much authority which brands/models are the best right now. I also used to like PC Power & Cooling, but I haven't kept up with how they're doing since they got bought out awhile back. Fortron Source used to be a good brand as well (and may still be).

Like with a lot of things these days, it's often best to look for a specific model rather than just a brand name because some brands have good models and bad models within their lines. I rarely buy any kind of significant electronic component or device these days wiithout finding a credible review or two on it first.

Good luck.