Strange PSU Problems a Year Down the Road

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firewolfsm

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2005
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I've had an XClio 450bl running the system in my sig for almost a year now. It's been great until recently when it started making a high pitched (it's quiet though) noise. I think it's the fan but I can't be sure. The other problem is that I have to hit the power button a few times for the system to turn on. The first or second time some of the motherboard LEDs will light up but nothing else turns on, the third time it actually boots.

If I can safely run with this power supply I'm fine, the issues don't really bother me. But if I'm risking blowing something else then I'll buy a new one. Something very quiet, 400-500W and maybe modular.

I think it's a capacitor leak but I don't know much about them, how long can I run a PSU with one, is it still stable?

Thanks.

 
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pkrush

Senior member
Dec 5, 2005
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XClio's made by the same OEM that makes most Antecs (which tend to have capacitor problems) so I guess it's pretty likely. It's probably going to die soon, but at least supplies with a capacitor problem tend to die quietly, instead of going out with a bang, frying hardware, and setting your desk on fire.
 
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firewolfsm

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2005
1,848
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As long as nothing will fry, thanks. I can tell it's deteriorating because turning it on has been getting harder every month or so. I guess I'll wait it out, any recommendations for a quiet, 4-500W supply? Hopefully under $60?

I love this forum for quick responses, I'll have to help out a little too.
 
SparkyJJO

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
Finding a good PSU for that price isn't going to be easy. The Enhance 500W is recommended a lot by Galvanized for a good budget PSU. It is $67 before shipping so a little more than you were hoping for but I don't think you'll find a better PSU in that pricerange.

Is your current PSU under warranty? If not, if you feel brave you could pop the lid of the PSU to verify that it is the caps going bad. Sometimes you can peek through the fan opening and see the caps from there. If they are going bad you could replace the caps, or if you don't want to I might take the PSU off your hands ;)
 
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firewolfsm

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2005
1,848
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Thanks for the reply, I did say 400 to 500 though, the XClio is considered a good PSU, I'm surprised this even happened.

Do you know which one is quieter, I'm a little crazy about the noise because the computer is pretty close to me on the desk.

edit: reviews are telling me the enhance is loud at loads of over 150W so I think I'll skip on that.
 
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s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
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You've met the dreaded Fuhjyyu problem... Look it up at the badcaps.net forums -- not pretty.
 
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dantonic

Member
Nov 8, 2006
176
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Originally posted by: firewolfsm
As long as nothing will fry, thanks. I can tell it's deteriorating because turning it on has been getting harder every month or so. I guess I'll wait it out, any recommendations for a quiet, 4-500W supply? Hopefully under $60?

I love this forum for quick responses, I'll have to help out a little too.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at this fortron, thinking of buying it to replace my antec neo 480.
It looks pretty stable, with strong rails. Not modular though, and not for SLI
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104954
 
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GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
6,986
0
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Originally posted by: firewolfsm
Thanks for the reply, I did say 400 to 500 though, the XClio is considered a good PSU, I'm surprised this even happened.

Do you know which one is quieter, I'm a little crazy about the noise because the computer is pretty close to me on the desk.

edit: reviews are telling me the enhance is loud at loads of over 150W so I think I'll skip on that.
Click to expand...

400~500W + quiet + $60 + reliability = does not compute. :p

I run a 400W Enhance in Sister's rig and it's pretty quiet.

The real killer for cheap, quiet PSU is high operating temps. High operating temps KILL caps. Did you smell something "funny" when this issue started and it was not you or the dog ;) .
Take Operandi's advice on the Seasonic if quiet is top priority. Buy the Enhance if inexpensive good power is your desire.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=24

Having to hit the power button several times to get a boot is not a good sign. It does sound like a dried out cap needs several nudges to warm-up enough to do business.
It's your choice to keep running a failing PSU... BUT dirty current being sent to the motherboard will work the board's capacitors very hard causing early failure...Called cascading effect. :)

http://www.badcaps.net/faq/ Read please.


 
Boyo

Boyo

Golden Member
Feb 23, 2006
1,406
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Get yourself a good, solid PSU like Seasonic or Enermax. Don't go cheap on one of the most important pieces of hardware for your system. You will fry your mobo the way things are sounding.
 
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firewolfsm

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2005
1,848
29
91
This sucks, and XClio has such a good name.

I know the PSU drill, I've given it to people, I'll look into a better one, thanks for the help.
 
SparkyJJO

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
This thread reminded me to check my 9 month old antec's caps (I can see them through the fan grill). They look fine so far *fingers crossed*
 
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t3h l337 n3wb

Platinum Member
Apr 22, 2005
2,698
0
76
XClio, like Antec (same OEM), really isn't that good. I made the mistake of buying that same PSU myself, and I think it's starting to cause me some problems (well, I shouldn't be trying to power my X1950XT with that thing, but w/e). Antec are known for bad caps and pretty poor reliability. They're still better than generic PSUs, but definitely not up to par with the likes of Fortron and Seasonic. I'm looking to replace mine with the Fortron FSP550-80GLC. 550W, 4 +12V rails @ 22V each, 42A total combined, 80% efficiency, and only $85. It's probably pretty loud though, since it only has an 80mm fan.
 
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imported_AndyT

Member
Dec 8, 2004
121
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Try stopping the fan wit a chopstick befire you turn it on. Don't use a metal object. :)

Listen to see if the noise goes away. If not It's likely the caps as you suspect.
 
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GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
6,986
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Originally posted by: AndyT
Try stopping the fan wit a chopstick befire you turn it on. Don't use a metal object. :)

Listen to see if the noise goes away. If not It's likely the caps as you suspect.
Click to expand...

Yep! Do this and if the noise is still present...You know the drill.
When caps go out of spec they can cause the coils to whine inside the PSU.

 
SparkyJJO

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
7
81
The Fortron AX series are rumored to have the same Fuhjyyu caps in them (I've never verified this, just reporting what I've heard). The FSP series do not.
 
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Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
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Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
The Fortron AX series are rumored to have the same Fuhjyyu caps in them (I've never verified this, just reporting what I've heard). The FSP series do not.
Click to expand...

The AX series dose use Fuhjyyu caps, I can verify that.

I will also say that there is most likely something else that's very wrong with those Antecs that have been failing. I say this because I know of at least 5-6 machines between 4-6 years old running 24/7 that use lower-end Forton-Source PSUs that have Fuhjyyu caps in them.

These are business machines that I built and am responsible for and not a single one of these machines has failed. More to the point I've never even seen or heard of an FSP unit that has failed due to capacitor problems.
 
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GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
6,986
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The fan Operandi, it's the fan. The Antec TP / SP units use low flow fans for quiet.
Then guys install them in poorly ventilated cases. That is a bad combination.
Fuhjyyu is still a very low end / cheap crap cap, that has not changed. Giving it more
cooling air just lets it live longer.
The FSP Epsilon uses OST caps on the output / secondary side. This shocked the blazes
out of those that know and care. The Epsilons go out of ATX ripple spec at near full output.
This is not a good thing. The new Zalman 600W heat piped PSU is built by FSP and the
Epsilon platform was reworked a bit. jonny has it's review up. It uses CapXon caps and has low ripple.

Poor PSUs shorten mainboard life. Read http://www.badcaps.net/faq/

With due respect,
...Galvanized
 
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