Is anyone here using a Sintek 500SLI PSU?

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
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I don't know whether to send this back as defective and get a refund, or RMA it to Sintek. If they are all like this, I'm getting a refund.

This is a 130 buck PS, and it is apparently a POS!! I saw a bunch of reviews on it and ALL were glowing and praising it! However I don't know if they do the testing I do. I'm checking the voltage logs, and comparing them to other PS's I've hooked up, some only 20 bucks, and this thing's voltage rails have all the stability of a heroin addict on withdrawal!! They look like an EKG!! Other PS's are totally flat! If I put the adjustable 3.3v pot to where it stays close to 3.3v, it spikes up to MORE than the 5% tolerance! It actually went to 7.5%! If I lower the 12v pot (which also slightly controls the 5v rail, and this pot is labeled "PCI express) to where the 5v rail isn't too high, then the 12v rail goes too low. When the 12v rail is ok, the 5v rail is 5.2v.

If anyone has one of these, please check your voltages with a program that can show you a graphical readout and see if this is happening to you.
Thanks.
 

GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
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Methinks a little too much attention was devoted to the outside. It does look well assembled and has good lookin' sinks like an Enermax Liberty. Might want to read this http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/psu-roundup_17.html not your exact unit but dang close. I'm not expert on these matters but rebrands with uber-bling kind of scare me. Most low-bling, non-rebranded PSUs at $50+++ are worth the look imho.


...Galvanized
 

Aepheme

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Sep 12, 2005
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Originally posted by: computer
I'm checking the voltage logs, and comparing them to other PS's I've hooked up, some only 20 bucks, and this thing's voltage rails have all the stability of a heroin addict on withdrawal!!

Hahaha...
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
2,735
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Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Methinks a little too much attention was devoted to the outside. It does look well assembled and has good lookin' sinks like an Enermax Liberty. Might want to read this http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/psu-roundup_17.html not you exact unit but dang close. I'm not expert on these matters but rebrands with uber-bling kind of scare me. Most low-bling, non-rebranded PSUs at $50+++ are worth the look imho.


...Galvanized
Yeah I saw that article a while back, and AFTER I ordered mine. Someone on another thread of mine also pointed it out (may have you), and that was the only negative article I had seen on it, and interestingly under a different name of WIN550XSPX. I saw about t a dozen reviews on it under "500SLI" that were all glowing.

I know someone here is using one of these, but can't remember his name! He got in on a thread of mine and I can't find the @#$% thread now! If he could check the stability on his, that could tell me something.

 

Old Hippie

Diamond Member
Oct 8, 2005
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but can't remember his name!
That would probably be me. I also purchased because of the glowing reviews. I have been using it for @ 6 months and monitor it with the Asus PC Probe I. I'm not pushing it too hard ( A8N-SLI Deluxe, AMD 3500, 74GB Raptor, Two 250GB WD HDs ) but it seems to be steady. My whole rig is feed by a Liebert PowerSure PS1000RT2-120. I haven't actually played around with the voltage adjustments, nor done some real measurements with a meter.
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
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Originally posted by: Aepheme
Originally posted by: computer
I'm checking the voltage logs, and comparing them to other PS's I've hooked up, some only 20 bucks, and this thing's voltage rails have all the stability of a heroin addict on withdrawal!!

Hahaha...

LOL. My "other one" was a "Tijuana crack wh0re on withdrawal". :laugh:
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
2,735
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Originally posted by: Old Hippie
but can't remember his name!
That would probably be me. I also purchased because of the glowing reviews. I have been using it for @ 6 months and monitor it with the Asus PC Probe I. I'm not pushing it too hard ( A8N-SLI Deluxe, AMD 3500, 74GB Raptor, Two 250GB WD HDs ) but it seems to be steady. My whole rig is feed by a Liebert PowerSure PS1000RT2-120. I haven't actually played around with the voltage adjustments, nor done some real measurements with a meter.

Hey, good to hear from ya! Thanks. The ONLY thing that mine is powering right now, the only thing it's connected to, is the mobo and AIW 9800 Pro. I have another PS powering everything else. I'm using a Belkin UPS, their 1200VA unit.

So when you go to the "History" tab and select "Voltage" (on the Asus PCprobe), are your lines straight, or do they resemble an EKG? Could you please PM me your email addy? I want to send you some screenshots of mine to see if yours look like them.
 

Old Hippie

Diamond Member
Oct 8, 2005
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are your lines straight,
Mine are straight. I just started recording with the History function, but the real time function looks straight also. I have the Voltage Polling set at 1 sec. intervals and the thresholds at 3% for the alerts. The actual voltage readings bounce around a little, but the lines are straight. Sounds like maybe you got a bummer.
Could you please PM me your email addy?
OK.
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
2,735
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Originally posted by: Old Hippie
are your lines straight,
Mine are straight. I just started recording with the History function, but the real time function looks straight also. I have the Voltage Polling set at 1 sec. intervals and the thresholds at 3% for the alerts. The actual voltage readings bounce around a little, but the lines are straight. Sounds like maybe you got a bummer.
Could you please PM me your email addy?
OK.
Thanks, that's good to know. Hopefully I just got a flaky one. (Been getting a LOT of flaky hardware lately!!)

 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
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the issue isn`t are your lines straight.

Most of the better brands without being unbder load will have straight lines.

Its what happens under load that you need to worry about!!
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
2,735
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Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
the issue isn`t are your lines straight.

Most of the better brands without being unbder load will have straight lines.

Its what happens under load that you need to worry about!!
Those lines on mine never change. I don't know if I mentioned it, but mine wasn't even connected to any periph's, so it never even saw a load! The only thing being powered by it was my mobo and ATI AIW 9800 Pro! I had my old PS powering the fans and drives. Now could it be that it's not flat because there is no load on it??

Old hippie showed me a screenshot of his and his is MUCH flatter, almost totally flat.
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
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Originally posted by: computer
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
the issue isn`t are your lines straight.

Most of the better brands without being unbder load will have straight lines.

Its what happens under load that you need to worry about!!
Those lines on mine never change. I don't know if I mentioned it, but mine wasn't even connected to any periph's, so it never even saw a load! The only thing being powered by it was my mobo and ATI AIW 9800 Pro! I had my old PS powering the fans and drives. Now could it be that it's not flat because there is no load on it??

Old hippie showed me a screenshot of his and his is MUCH flatter, almost totally flat.

If there is no load and it is not flat then you have issues with your PSU!!!

Becuase to place a load on it will make even less flat.
 

computer

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2000
2,735
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Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
If there is no load and it is not flat then you have issues with your PSU!!!

Because to place a load on it will make even less flat.
Yeah that's what I figure, that's why I'm replacing it. ZipperZoomFly said they'd replace it, but I'd rather get a replacement from SINtek, but those a-holes have ignored more than a dozen emails. So let this be some FYI for others; stay away from Sintek because their supports sucks like a blackhole! I told them if I didn't get a replacement sent out to me by the end of the day today, I'd be "spreading the news" about them everywhere I could.