PSU has blown (i think)

Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
edited July 2008 in Hardware
Yo guys, Im guessing my PSU's blown because nothings turning on even though powers going in. I went to a computer shop and looked at it and gave me a load of info (:confused:) so I can buy a new one off the net. Somewhere around £40 (around $80), unless thats not enough for a decent one? The info he gave me is:

Variable Power output
300-500w
Two port.

Any ideas? Speed is appreciated.:bigggrin:

Comments

  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2008
    Can you gives us some specs on the components in your computer? Because what you are trying to run will determine what size power supply you will need.
  • Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
    edited July 2008
    Erm... these spec are off the top of my head and may not be entirely accurate but I will post any changes as they come.

    AMD Athlon XP 2.2 Ghz
    Gigabyte G-Power fan
    Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB SATA150 HDD 3.5 series (I can give power requirements as well as they are on the HDD (I think))
    GeForce 4600 ti AGP
    ABIT AN7 nForce2 motherboard Socket A.
    NEC DVD drive

    EDIT: A Mitsumi floppy drive aswell.
    A light-up fan on the front outer case( although I think it uses a cable that goes into a DVD drive power lead)



    PM me if thats not enough info and Ill renew my efforts to get them right, as I didn't build the machine and obviously I can't get the specs cause the PC won't work.
  • Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
    edited July 2008
    If it helps, the current PSU in their is a Hiper HPU-3S425.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2008
    OK, so you are trying to get a psu for an older machine then. Those old machines pull a lot of their power from the 3.3 and 5v rails, unlike the more modern stuff which get the majority of their power from the 12v rail. You should be able to use a 350-450 watt psu for that system with no problems.

    I'm in the USA, so any links to UK online vendors would help me out with seeing what is available for you. :)
  • Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
    edited July 2008
    www.overclockers.co.uk -You'll be best off going to this site I think.
    Im looking for anything around £40 ($80) from there.

    Please post some links guys if you know any other good sites in Blighty.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2008
    With your old board, you are probably best off getting an older ATX 2.01 design as they have a higher rating on the 3.3 and 5v rails than the newer spec psu's.

    This Antec Basiq 500 should fit the bill for you. Their site doesn't show the specs, but Newegg shows this psu to be rated at 30 amps on the 3.3v and 30 amps on the 5v rail.

    If you want to try a psu that is ATX 2.2 compliant, then I would recommend the Corsair 450VX. According to the specs listed at Newegg it only has 20 amps on the 3.3v and 20 amps on the 5v rail, but this psu is independently regulated on the rails so it doesn't suffer from crossloading like a group regulated ATX 2.2 model suffers on an older system. It could also very easily be used on the next upgrade to that machine, if you would decide in the future to upgrade the board and cpu to something more modern. This psu is also a better quality unit than the Antec, but the Antec isn't bad by any means. The Corsair also comes with a 5 year warrantee and is built with Japanese made capacitors instead of cheaper Chinese ones.

    And I believe that both of those psu's are in your price range.
  • Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
    edited July 2008
    So you would buy the Corsair? Sorry, its just I don't know the differences between an ATX 2.01 and an ATX 2.2.
    Also, is it quite efficient? And is a higher amp on the rails better and what difference does it make?
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2008
    It's kind of a tossup in your position. Your machine is a bit long in the tooth and the Antec does provide more amps on the rails most used by your system. But the Corsair is a better psu overall and would be the better choice if you plan to do a motherboard/cpu upgrade to that machine in the future. If you don't plan to upgrade it in the future, then the Antec is probably a slightly better choice due to it having a higher rating for the 3.3 and 5v rails.

    Another point to consider here; what if your problem is not the psu being bad, but rather the mobo packed it in? Do you have access to another psu that you could use to see if the system powers up? I would hate to see you buy a new psu and then it turns out to be a board problem instead. You know that you can test the present psu to see if it turns on by jumping the green wire in the ATX plug to a black (ground) wire. Do that and then check voltages on the various wires on the ATX plug. You can plug a few fans and such into the molex connectors to give yourself a little load on the psu while doing this.
  • Whizzkid_amerWhizzkid_amer
    edited July 2008
    Thanks for the advice, and I know someone who can check it expertly for me.
    I'm hoping it isn't the mobo, because all the parts are too old really for upgrading without buying a whole load of kit first, like new mobo, and then new CPU, and then other stuff aswell, if I wanted to make a worthwhile upgrade.
    Also, how is better amps on the rails going to help?
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2008
    With your old kit there, the higher amp capacity on the 3.3 and 5v rails could give you more stable running, especially if you overclock it. If you are running it at stock speeds though, I would get the Corsair as it is much more future proof than the Antec, if you plan on upgrading in the future. I have that Corsair I linked you to personally, and it is running an overclocked Q6600 processor on a Gigabyte P35-DS3L mobo just fine. I did have an 8800GTS (G92) video card in it also until a couple of weeks ago. The 8800GTS is going into my main rig and I replaced it with a 6600GT I bought used off another forums. That machine is a dedicated Seti cruncher and runs at 100% load 24/7/365.
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