Used PSU with melted SATAs

[Belli]

Hello mates!

Recently I bought a used *Corsair HX1200, when it arrived I figured out that 3 of 6 SATA connectors are melted.

 

So I'm in doubt, considering the huge discount of 2/3 of the price I was wondering if that's worth keeping, but I'm afraid of the possibility that the actual PSU was also damaged, in run test looks like it's working fine.

 

(Problably it was used with risers for mining).

 

Should I keep it?

[Rxkvn07]

if i was u , i'd not keep it , especially if u got a expensive build , i think spending an extra bucks on a new one worth the try

[Spotty]

21 minutes ago, Belli said:

Recently I bought a used Thermaltake HX1200, when it arrived I figured out that 3 of 6 SATA connectors are melted.

Corsair HX1200, not Thermaltake.

Did the seller declare the condition of the unit? If they didn't, get a refund.

 

15 minutes ago, Belli said:

(Problably it was used with risers for mining).

It's the 12V pin that is burnt out on all of them, so that could be the case.
But that power supply comes with 8 PCIe connectors (4 cables, 2 PCIe connectors each cable) with the ability to add another cable (for a total 10 PCIe connectors). There's no reason for anyone to use molex/sata to PCIe adaptors with that power supply.

 

@Mezoxin More examples for you.

[Tristerin]

Im pretty okay with Jank.  This is beyond the Jank I would allow even in a *throw-a-way* rig (I love even my old components to much).  Id rather use a no name PSU than one that's experienced that.  Also note: I could be wrong, just going with my gut feel.

[mariushm]

I'd use it.

 

You could always search for a faulty corsair hx series power supply (or another one that has same pinout) and move the good working headers from that power supply into your power supply.

 

Cables are modular, you can buy new ones as well. If it's 2/3 of the price it may be good enough of a discount to be worth it... if you really have a system that goes over 500-700w of power consumption.

[aisle9]

39 minutes ago, Belli said:

Hello mates!

Recently I bought a used *Corsair HX1200, when it arrived I figured out that 3 of 6 SATA connectors are melted.

 

So I'm in doubt, considering the huge discount of 2/3 of the price I was wondering if that's worth keeping, but I'm afraid of the possibility that the actual PSU was also damaged, in run test looks like it's working fine.

 

(Problably it was used with risers for mining).

 

Should I keep it?

 

There's an old saying: if you have to ask, the answer is no.

[Belli]

 

14 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Corsair HX1200, not Thermaltake.

Lol, I did not notice the mistake, THX!

 

16 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Did the seller declare the condition of the unit? If they didn't, get a refund.

Nope, I already started a refund before this post, but I thought that maybe was worth to keep it.

[Belli]

8 minutes ago, mariushm said:

I'd use it.

 

You could always search for a faulty corsair hx series power supply (or another one that has same pinout) and move the good working headers from that power supply into your power supply.

 

Cables are modular, you can buy new ones as well. If it's 2/3 of the price it may be good enough of a discount to be worth it... if you really have a system that goes over 500-700w of power consumption.

I'm not worried about losing the PSU money, but i'm worried about losing the components and data from my pc, I'm very skeptical of the possibility of it really works fine.

[mariushm]

The power supply is well built, it has to be to push near 1200w on 12v (100 amps)

The connectors didn't melt due to the power supply being bad, they melted due to the video card pulling too much current through connectors that weren't designed for that.

 

SATA connectors are designed for 1.5A per pin, and there's 3 pins inside the connector, so the maximum you're supposed to take through a sata connector is 12v x 4.5A = 54w

They probably used a 2 x sata -> pci-e 8pin adapter, so you basically overload 2 sata connectors that are supposed to do max 108w and push up to 150w through them. Or they used one sata connector to power one of those pci-e x16 riser adapters (so a 54w max connector was forced to push up to 75-80 watts to power the pci-e slot)

 

Also, the header on the power supply ... each pin pair is rated for 9A .. that's around 110 watts, and you have one pair for 12v, one for 5v and one for 3.3v. If they powered more than one video card with the connectors on that chain, they overloaded the connectors.

 

Anything has a resistance, you have contact resistance where two connectors meet and you have wire resistance. The contact resistance can be much higher than wire resistance, so at those points you'll have heat produced, which will heat up the plastic housing of the connectors and that's how you get melted connectors.

A full short would have shut down the power supply because it has built in protections, and in worst case scenario you would have seen the cable insulation on those shorted cables melting.

 

So I'm around 95% sure the actual power supply is perfectly fine. The chains with melted connectors, i would not connect to the power supply.

[Mezoxin]

you have to take into consideration several factors 

•  you have visible damage (fried Pin) in the PSU pinout , and although its a small possibility , there is still  a chance that there is damage internally in the PSU 
• that PSU was most Probably used for mining and Overloaded 24/7 and had 10 x 8 pin  pcie connectors were occupied , and also the user found himself somehow in need of more and added  Molex to PCIe adaptors and i guess at least 3 adaptors were used (if not more )

taking the above into consideration we can safely assume that this is a damaged and abused unit , so it's highly likely that it might damage your PC

 

[Belli]

8 minutes ago, Mezoxin said:

you have to take into consideration several factors 

•  you have visible damage (fried Pin) in the PSU pinout , and although its a small possibility , there is still  a chance that there is damage internally in the PSU 
• that PSU was most Probably used for mining and Overloaded 24/7 and had 10 x 8 pin  pcie connectors were occupied , and also the user found himself somehow in need of more and added  Molex to PCIe adaptors and i guess at least 3 adaptors were used (if not more )

taking the above into consideration we can safely assume that this is a damaged and abused unit , so it's highly likely that it might damage your PC

 

So better refund and get a new one.
THX for the help.

[Guest]

Clearly some idiot used SATA to PCIe adapters with this PSU for their mining rig.

 

Definitely return it.  

[oeci]

Generally I'm a huge fan of used hardware. Not only is it possible to get some outstanding deals on second hand graphics cards etc. but it's also the most ecological and economical way to "recycle" hardware. But I'd never ever buy a used PSU unless of course I know the seller personally and I am sure that he/ she treats hardware properly. Since this is obviously not the case here I'd refrain from using the PSU and ask for a refund. Good and brand new PSUs can be acquired at fairly cheap prices, it's simply not worth the risk. At least that's my opinion.