Using a 6 year old 1200W PSU for a new build

[Edgar_S]

Just about to order the parts for my new build. So, i posted some old stuff that was lying around for sale and i found a Chieftec Nitro 2 85+ 1200W PSU from my old Antec 1200 case. Its roughly 6 years old, was in use for the first 2 and just stood there for the next 4. Thought id take it to the nearest repair shop and let them run some load and output voltage tests, if it passes ill just throw it in there. Should be enough to run my new 9900k and a 2080 Ti combo...

Or maybe I shouldn't risk it?

[Shimejii]

should be fine as long as its in good condition

[Bananasplit_00]

I don't think that's a unit I would trust with my main rig. Especially not after six years.

 

@LukeSavenije

opinion?

[LukeSavenije]

5 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

opinion?

 

i vote for buy a new one

[jaslion]

These were the budget friendly unit for the people that didn't want to spend the money on the higher quality units from that era. You can use it but a budget friendly 1200w psu from 2012 doesn't really sound like the best choice for the system you are going for. It's up to you but I would replace it for peace of mind.

[toobladink]

I don't see why you would need to buy a new one. Power supplies are relatively the same. Any differences are in regards to circuit protection and efficiency. A power supply is the type of electronic device that can age fairly well. In terms of your computer, they're not as complex as the other components. You can think of it like pipes in your house, and the components are the faucets and shower heads. You might replace the shower head to something newer over time as it starts to look dated,  but the copper pipe running to it still works great. It does its job - it supplies the shower head with what it needs.

 

So keep it for now. Replace if you're scared. Most modern day components have surge protection in them, so if the power supply doesn't have it, it's likely not a huge deal.

[flibberdipper]

They're acceptable. Not the best design but not the worst.

[LukeSavenije]

9 hours ago, toobladink said:

don't see why you would need to buy a new one. Power supplies are relatively the same. Any differences are in regards to circuit protection and efficiency

you're already conflicting here

 

and they don't age well... because new atx specs exist

[Edgar_S]

Thanks guys for pitching in here. Any factual or experimental data to back up your suggestions? I don't mind buying a new one, I could pull the 750W unit from my Alienware GA and use that as well etc. I just lack the understanding of what are the risks here. Anyone with PSU servicing experience around here?

[Kralken]

4 hours ago, Edgar_S said:

Thanks guys for pitching in here. Any factual or experimental data to back up your suggestions? I don't mind buying a new one, I could pull the 750W unit from my Alienware GA and use that as well etc. I just lack the understanding of what are the risks here. Anyone with PSU servicing experience around here?

HardOCP retested a power supply after 10 years and compared with the original review:

 

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/03/12/cooler_master_real_power_pro_1000w_psu_10_year_redux/4

 

Website appears to be down for maintenance at the moment.  IIRC, the performance had degraded slightly but was still well within spec.

 

Considering most PSU warranties run for 2 to 10 years, are you comfortable using a 6 year old power supply with such nice parts?

 

 

[toobladink]

5 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

you're already conflicting here

 

and they don't age well... because new atx specs exist

New atx specs meaning what? The amount of current they need? Does the voltage change? Connectors change? ATX power specifications conveniently haven't changed in six years, from what I can tell. And it looks like the revision was regarding size in cases, which won't damage anything. You just may have to use an ancient case, modify one, or maybe even modify the power supply.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, toobladink said:

Power supplies are relatively the same. Any differences are in regards to circuit protection and efficiency. A power supply is the type of electronic device that can age fairly well. In terms of your computer, they're not as complex as the other components. You can think of it like pipes in your house, and the components are the faucets and shower heads. You might replace the shower head to something newer over time as it starts to look dated,  but the copper pipe running to it still works great. It does its job - it supplies the shower head with what it needs.

I'm making this my signature.....  Out of irony.

 

[Mr.Humble]

17 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

 

Spoiler

 

 

i vote for buy a new one

I'm stealing that

Also @Edgar_S get a new reputable PSU such as Corsair RMx 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Edgar_S said:

Just about to order the parts for my new build. So, i posted some old stuff that was lying around for sale and i found a Chieftec Nitro 2 85+ 1200W PSU from my old Antec 1200 case. Its roughly 6 years old, was in use for the first 2 and just stood there for the next 4. Thought id take it to the nearest repair shop and let them run some load and output voltage tests, if it passes ill just throw it in there. Should be enough to run my new 9900k and a 2080 Ti combo...

Or maybe I shouldn't risk it?

The Chieftec Nitro 2 is a fairly decent PSU.  It's pretty much the same platform as the old Corsair HX (Bronze/Silver) and the original Thermaltake Toughpower Bronze.  It's based on the CWT PUC1200.  Dated.  But solid.

 

That said, such an old PSU platform may be problematic with a 2080 Ti.  Even though 1200W is "enough power" it may not like the fast and high transient loads the 2080 Ti is capable of.  The PSU may shut down during games, benchmarks, etc.  

 

To use toobladink's ignorant analogy:  It's like when the pipes in your house are too small.  They can deliver all of the water you need, untill someone flushes the toilet and the water is diverted to another pipe, leaving the person in the shower without any water.

[Fasauceome]

16 hours ago, toobladink said:

Power supplies are relatively the same.

Hmm, diablotek or Corsair RMX? Well the diablotek is cheaper and since they're relatively the same I guess it's fine.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Hmm, diablotek or Corsair RMX? Well the diablotek is cheaper and since they're relatively the same I guess it's fine.

Dude.  They have pipes.  That's all that matters.  Pipes.

[LukeSavenije]

1 hour ago, toobladink said:

New atx specs meaning what?

needing to meet certain efficiencies at certain loads, crossloads, everything

 

7 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Dude.  They have pipes.  That's all that matters.  Pipes.

well... i don't want my voltages with just two pipes, i want 3 pipes for my 3.3, 5 and 12v water

[toobladink]

11 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Hmm, diablotek or Corsair RMX? Well the diablotek is cheaper and since they're relatively the same I guess it's fine.

I should have been more clear - I was implying that because the Cheiftec appears to be a decent unit, the difference compared to the average modern power supply wouldn't be very large. I can see how this can be taken to "just buy the cheapest one," because obviously some of them might not have any sort of protection at all.

 

@jonnyGURU does the 2080 Ti have significantly different loads than something similar to a 780 Ti? I understand the performance per watt may change, as that's literally the whole point of hardware upgrades - but I'm genuinely curious if a 780 Ti may have different transient loads. That's something I honestly might not expect to change too much - and actually figure it may get better with newer gen cards.

[toobladink]

4 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

needing to meet certain efficiencies at certain loads, crossloads, everything

Could you find me a source on this? The only source I found earlier that might affect the power supply in question is a size spec from 2013.

[LukeSavenije]

6 minutes ago, toobladink said:

Could you find me a source on this? The only source I found earlier that might affect the power supply in question is a size spec from 2013.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/guides/power-supply-design-guide-june.pdf

[LukeSavenije]

13 minutes ago, toobladink said:

does the 2080 Ti have significantly different loads than something similar to a 780 Ti

way higher on peak for example

 

this had the ocp trip on the focus line (seasonic)

[Akira Shimazu]

vote for better PSU.

[Spotty]

35 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Dude.  They have pipes.  That's all that matters.  Pipes.

Does your PSU not have pipes?

https://www.fsplifestyle.com/PROP18c003453/

[toobladink]

2 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

way higher on peak for example

 

this had the ocp trip on the focus line (seasonic)

But ocp protects the components. We won't know if the power supply is usable until its installed and it's put under load, to see if it will trip. If by way higher you mean, a difference of at least ten amperes, then that might be problematic, but we won't know for sure.

 

6 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/guides/power-supply-design-guide-june.pdf

Thanks. When you mentioned ATX specs, I immediately went to this. Since there are no changes in here from 2013, either the article needs to be updated, or there haven't been any changes to document, other than safety, environmental requirements, etc. I really don't think they're going to change anything drastic that would make a power supply completely unusable and unstable.

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, toobladink said:

But ocp protects the components. We won't know if the power supply is usable until its installed and it's put under load

so if it kills the card, we know it's bad?

 

2 minutes ago, toobladink said:

at least ten amperes

yep, we're above that

 

2 minutes ago, toobladink said:

either the article needs to be updated

it does, as you can see, intel has a way newer one (yes, atx spec is from intel themselves)