Can non 80+ certified PSU's be bad for my PC ?

[Ak7J]

So my current PSU has been making some weird buzzing noise when the power cable is facing downwards, and my PC will turn on and off then on again when I turn it on. I'm pretty sure these issues are caused by the PSU so I'm considering doing a RMA or buying a new PSU. I'm currently using a EVGA 400w PSU. It isn't 80% certified and I was looking up some info about it, and someone mentioned that some non 80+ certified PSU's can be bad for the PC in the long run. Is that true, and would I be better off spending more money on a more efficient PSU ?

[Ja Krispie]

13 hours ago, Ak7J said:

So my current PSU has been making some weird buzzing noise when the power cable is facing downwards, and my PC will turn on and off then on again when I turn it on. I'm pretty sure these issues are caused by the PSU so I'm considering doing a RMA or buying a new PSU. I'm currently using a EVGA 400w PSU. It isn't 80% certified and I was looking up some info about it, and someone mentioned that some non 80+ certified PSU's can be bad for the PC in the long run. Is that true, and would I be better off spending more money on a more efficient PSU ?

When it comes to power supplies it is always best to spend more on better quality ones.

 

PSU Tier List

 

You should want to get a PSU from tier 3 and up. Just find one with the wattage you need. (450 to 550 should suffice from what I gather) and one in a decent price range.

[Ak7J]

3 minutes ago, Psybadek said:

When it comes to power supplies it is always best to spend more on better quality ones.

 

PSU Tier List

 

You should want to get a PSU from tier 3 and up. Just find one with the wattage you need. (450 to 550 should suffice from what I gather) and one in a decent price range.

Do you know which one on that list would be the best 400-450watt on a budget ?

[Ja Krispie]

12 hours ago, Ak7J said:

Do you know which one on that list would be the best 400-450watt on a budget ?

If it were me I would likely go with a Corsair CMX model. (Grey label)

[Ak7J]

Just now, Psybadek said:

Corsair CMX model. (Grey label)

Seems like a 650 watt PSU, which for me is a bit overkill.

[Ja Krispie]

13 hours ago, Ak7J said:

Seems like a 650 watt PSU, which for me is a bit overkill.

They have a 450 watt variant.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Bronze-Certified-Modular-CP-9020101-NA/dp/B01B72VXE6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549507426&sr=8-3&keywords=corsair+450w+power+supply

[Ak7J]

1 minute ago, Psybadek said:

They have a 450 watt variant.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Bronze-Certified-Modular-CP-9020101-NA/dp/B01B72VXE6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549507426&sr=8-3&keywords=corsair+450w+power+supply

huh,didn't see that. Thanks ! Besides cable managing is there any reason to go for a semi modular vs the modular ? Since its a whole $10 difference.

[Ja Krispie]

12 hours ago, Ak7J said:

huh,didn't see that. Thanks ! Besides cable managing is there any reason to go for a semi modular vs the modular ? Since its a whole $10 difference.

Fully modular makes it easier if you want to add custom sleeved cables. Other than that you won't see any other benefit. I don't do custom sleeved cables so I've always just gone semi modular.

[Quadriplegic]

4 hours ago, Ak7J said:

huh,didn't see that. Thanks ! Besides cable managing is there any reason to go for a semi modular vs the modular ? Since its a whole $10 difference.

Regarding that particular model, CXm has 2x PCie connectors, regular 450W has a single 6+2 PCIe connector 

[Stefan Payne]

11 hours ago, Ak7J said:

So my current PSU has been making some weird buzzing noise when the power cable is facing downwards, and my PC will turn on and off then on again when I turn it on.

 The Buzzing might be bad connection of the power connector. Might be looking into it.

The on/off/on shit is the Motherboard, NOT the PSU!

Some Intel things do that for no reason.

 

11 hours ago, Ak7J said:

I'm pretty sure these issues are caused by the PSU

No, they're not.

You're wrong.

 

Just replace the Powercord and see if th at fixes it.

The other thing is NOT PSU Related!

11 hours ago, Ak7J said:

I'm currently using a EVGA 400w PSU. It isn't 80% certified

Then its a good idea to buy a new one that is better than that thing.

You don't need no more Watt.

You need a better PSU. 

 

11 hours ago, Ak7J said:

and someone mentioned that some non 80+ certified PSU's can be bad for the PC in the long run. Is that true, and would I be better off spending more money on a more efficient PSU ?

Thing is that  nobody does non 80plus certified PSU in good quality usually.

So there is some truth to it, yeah.

[Stefan Payne]

10 hours ago, Ak7J said:

Do you know which one on that list would be the best 400-450watt on a budget ?

Depending on availability:

be quiet System Power 9 (or if available the U9), if you really want it cheap, wich I don't recommend.

So I'd say get a better quality unit like  a Bitfenix Formula.

[aisle9]

11 hours ago, Ak7J said:

So my current PSU has been making some weird buzzing noise when the power cable is facing downwards, and my PC will turn on and off then on again when I turn it on. I'm pretty sure these issues are caused by the PSU so I'm considering doing a RMA or buying a new PSU. I'm currently using a EVGA 400w PSU. It isn't 80% certified and I was looking up some info about it, and someone mentioned that some non 80+ certified PSU's can be bad for the PC in the long run. Is that true, and would I be better off spending more money on a more efficient PSU ?

The system power cycling is probably a motherboard issue, not the PSU. Power down and unplug the system. place it on a static-free surface (like a kitchen counter) and check it for anything placed in the wrong connector, aligned incorrectly or anything in direct contact with the mobo's PCB. If that checks out, go into BIOS and make sure your PC is set to remain off after a power loss. I have had PSUs where the power supply itself is shorting, but that's much less likely than a mobo issue.

 

80+ certification is about efficiency, not build quality. There's lots of 80+ junk out there. Hell, even Logisys, a well-known manufacturer of arson boxes, makes an 80+ gold unit. That being said, a PSU with no 80+ certification at all is likely either ancient or garbage. Even the lowest-end PSUs from reputable manufacturers these days comes with an 80+ white or bronze. There might be a good non-80+ unit out there somewhere, but considering how cheaply built a PSU would have to be to not even hit 80+ white these days, I doubt it. The EVGA 400W unit you have, btw, is absolute junk. I've used their 500W and 600W W units on many occasions, but always in low-power builds where their iffy quality won't be put to any real test. I wouldn't use those in a gaming PC.

[Ak7J]

On 2/7/2019 at 5:53 AM, aisle9 said:

The system power cycling is probably a motherboard issue, not the PSU. Power down and unplug the system. place it on a static-free surface (like a kitchen counter) and check it for anything placed in the wrong connector, aligned incorrectly or anything in direct contact with the mobo's PCB. If that checks out, go into BIOS and make sure your PC is set to remain off after a power loss. I have had PSUs where the power supply itself is shorting, but that's much less likely than a mobo issue.

I bought a new Corsair 550watt PSU and it appears to still haven't solved this issue....

[hello_there_123]

1 hour ago, Ak7J said:

I bought a new Corsair 550watt PSU and it appears to still haven't solved this issue....

Motherboard issue then. 

[aisle9]

1 hour ago, Ak7J said:

I bought a new Corsair 550watt PSU and it appears to still haven't solved this issue....

Unplug your system and remove the CMOS battery. Count to 30, holding in the power button the whole time, then reinsert the CMOS battery into the board. Check your motherboard manual and make sure all of your jumpers, pins and cables are in the right place. A CMOS jumper out of place, for example, could leave your board in a constant state of wiping the CMOS, and it would go batshit crazy when you tried to boot it. Disconnect everything from the board and reconnect just the 24-pin cable and the 4/8-pin cable, making sure each connection is firm and snapped in as you go. Take off your cooler and remove your CPU, looking underneath it to see if any pins are bent. When you reinstall the CPU, check your cooler mounting and make sure the backplate isn't backwards and touching the board anywhere that it shouldn't be.

 

Test your RAM next. Remove all of the RAM from the system, along with the GPU and any drives, and place a single stick in the DIMM farthest from the CPU socket. If the system boots, move in to the next socket and test there. If it power cycles, put that stick of RAM to the side and try again with a different stick. If you test every stick and every DIMM in that way, any problems with the RAM or the board DIMMs will immediately show themselves.

 

If the RAM and DIMMs all pass testing, reinstall the GPU, connect any PCI-E adapters you need, then fire the system up. If it boots right up, you're good. If it power cycles, pull out the PCI-E cable you have in there and use the other PCI-E chain. If it boots up, you have a bad PSU. If it still power-cycles, your motherboard is probably the issue. Drives would have very little chance of causing a power cycle.

 

If you're sure that the jumpers are all set correctly, there's nothing touching the motherboard that shouldn't be, there are no bent pins on the CPU socket, there are no scratched traces, and experimenting with RAM and the GPU doesn't get you a POST, then it's probably time to RMA the motherboard.

[Ak7J]

On 2/13/2019 at 5:03 PM, aisle9 said:

Unplug your system and remove the CMOS battery. Count to 30, holding in the power button the whole time, then reinsert the CMOS battery into the board. Check your motherboard manual and make sure all of your jumpers, pins and cables are in the right place. A CMOS jumper out of place, for example, could leave your board in a constant state of wiping the CMOS, and it would go batshit crazy when you tried to boot it. Disconnect everything from the board and reconnect just the 24-pin cable and the 4/8-pin cable, making sure each connection is firm and snapped in as you go. Take off your cooler and remove your CPU, looking underneath it to see if any pins are bent. When you reinstall the CPU, check your cooler mounting and make sure the backplate isn't backwards and touching the board anywhere that it shouldn't be.

 

Test your RAM next. Remove all of the RAM from the system, along with the GPU and any drives, and place a single stick in the DIMM farthest from the CPU socket. If the system boots, move in to the next socket and test there. If it power cycles, put that stick of RAM to the side and try again with a different stick. If you test every stick and every DIMM in that way, any problems with the RAM or the board DIMMs will immediately show themselves.

 

If the RAM and DIMMs all pass testing, reinstall the GPU, connect any PCI-E adapters you need, then fire the system up. If it boots right up, you're good. If it power cycles, pull out the PCI-E cable you have in there and use the other PCI-E chain. If it boots up, you have a bad PSU. If it still power-cycles, your motherboard is probably the issue. Drives would have very little chance of causing a power cycle.

 

If you're sure that the jumpers are all set correctly, there's nothing touching the motherboard that shouldn't be, there are no bent pins on the CPU socket, there are no scratched traces, and experimenting with RAM and the GPU doesn't get you a POST, then it's probably time to RMA the motherboard.

So I'm still having the issue, and I've contacted Asus for this and they're working on it, but another issue, is my new Corsair PSU makes this buzzing noise when playing games or under load. its not like the previous PSU where is made the noise cause of the cable. Any clue for the PSU making noise ? 

[aisle9]

55 minutes ago, Ak7J said:

So I'm still having the issue, and I've contacted Asus for this and they're working on it, but another issue, is my new Corsair PSU makes this buzzing noise when playing games or under load. its not like the previous PSU where is made the noise cause of the cable. Any clue for the PSU making noise ? 

Coil whine. It's an issue I run into frequently with Corsair PSUs. It's not hurting anything, just mildly annoying.