Just how bad is a cheap power supply?

[Fasauceome]

Recently I've seen some recommendations that a cheap power supply isn't so bad. I have the PSU tier list linked in my signature because when I first built my brother's PC a few years back, I used a $15 power supply that crapped out and took his motherboard with it. Plugged into a surge protector and all, still failed catastrophically. I have heard my fair share of PSU flaming and sparking horror stories, but I'd also like to hear from the "there aren't really any unusable PSUs" crowd. And to be clear, I do support electronics recycling, so I'm also not of the camp of just ditching old or cheap units into the garbage piles.

[mxk]

My grey antec thats around 10-11 years old, is still pretty good. I thought it was broken because it would shut off, but it was really just a bunch of dust that had to be blown out.

 

 

[RayMurr]

I'd rec. a 80+ Certified unit if your looking to buy new.

 

[Mephi00]

A really cheap power supply can blow and take your whole system with it. If you want a cheap and recycled psu get it on the used market

[Fasauceome]

4 minutes ago, RayMurr said:

I'd rec. a 80+ Certified unit if your looking to buy new.

 

I mean, 80+ can only take you so far. In fact, I'd never get something below 80+ bronze, but mostly because that just so happens to be attached to the cheapest good PSU models I can think of. Single rail, low noise, that's what I'm after. 

 

Even still, people have said they work with uncertified power supplies and absolute crap quality but they still perform just well enough.

[RayMurr]

Just now, fasauceome said:

I mean, 80+ can only take you so far. In fact, I'd never get something below 80+ bronze, but mostly because that just so happens to be attached to the cheapest good PSU models I can think of. Single rail, low noise, that's what I'm after. 

 

Even still, people have said they work with uncertified power supplies and absolute crap quality but they still perform just well enough.

What I've seen is you don't want to cheap out because it might fail and take a few components with it.

[Fasauceome]

Just now, RayMurr said:

What I've seen is you don't want to cheap out because it might fail and take a few components with it.

Yes I am aware, I stated that in my original post.

[BobVonBob]

Power supplies can do a lot of damage, this is just as much of a risk with something like a Corsair PSU as it is with a no name brand from China, the only deciding factor is if you're willing to trust that the PSU won't take out everything it's powering.

[mxk]

Just now, RayMurr said:

What I've seen is you don't want to cheap out because it might fail and take a few components with it.

I totally understand where you're coming from, but if my shitty antec with no 80+ and no actual model name can last over a decade, I guess it really depends on how lucky you are.

[Fasauceome]

Just now, BobVonBob said:

Power supplies can do a lot of damage, this is just as much of a risk with something like a Corsair PSU as it is with a no name brand from China, the only deciding factor is if you're willing to trust that the PSU won't take out everything it's powering.

So the rate of failure is similar, but the actual fallout of the failure is what differs?

[SolarNova]

Long sotry short, for them ost part if its 80+ certified, it will work.

The cheaper they are the more likely it could blow and take other components with it, but its by no means common.

 

Avoiding cheap PSU, be them 80+ cert or not, is more ofr peace of mind, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.

 

Cheap PSU's are nto as bad as they are made out, they are not garanteed to blow you entire PC.., BUT they do have a higher chance of going wrong than more expensive models.

 

Also cheaper models tend not to have as 'clean' power, which can affect overclock stability.

[Exaco]

It will die fast possibly and has higher chance to damage other components if the protections are bad or none at all, also it can cause lack of performance ( e.g. lower framerate ) even there's enough Watts.
Other issues are like loud fan, bad efficiency maybe even more BSOD's etc.

I am not an PSU expert tho, but thats just some info i've gathered over time.

[RayMurr]

With cheaper units I guess it does depend on luck but just dont go Walmart on us lol

[BobVonBob]

Just now, fasauceome said:

So the rate of failure is similar, but the actual fallout of the failure is what differs?

Not necessarily, it effectively comes down to are you willing to trust that any given power supply won't blow up your computer if/when something goes wrong.

[Fasauceome]

4 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

Long sotry short, for them ost part if its 80+ certified, it will work.

Well, even if something isn't certified it might work just as well as something that is. I personally don't see anything special attached to the 80+ white label, the 80+ bronze is a mixed bag, and the only truly bad 80+ gold power supplies just outright like about combined load. 

[LukeSavenije]

just how bad are we talking? diablotek level or vs level?

[Dissitesuxba11s]

I also take into account the company behind the PSU. Larger companies like Corsair, EVGA, etc would be able to replace a faulty PSU compared to some off brand one. That being said, those companies are not without fault.

[Fasauceome]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

just how bad are we talking? diablotek level or vs level?

To be honest, VS is high end compared to what some people were talking about. I heard specific mention of "third work country repairs with no quality control" power supplies lasting a decade or more, makes me wonder.

[SenKa]

Before my current build, I used sub-80+ PSU at about 80-90% capacity and it never blew. I wouldn't do it again, but the thing wouldn't die. I sold that entire system off on CL and last I heard it was still running.

 

It was a cheap DiabloTek I got from Goodwill, and was surprisingly quiet even fully loaded.

[CharminUltraStrong]

24 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

-snip-

The video I've linked might answer your question. Ultimately, most PSU providers get their units from a common supplier. People used to freak out about Corsair CX power supplies I think? I can't remember but several years back on this forum, 2014(I have an old alt acct) or so, a main point of contention was the PSU people would pick on a pc part picker list of all things lmfao. People used to fight like cats and dogs, "this Corsair (Whatever the fuck) PSU WILL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN" "Are you stupid? That EVGA psu is basically a nuclear reactor melt down waiting to happen!". Nowadays I see less people worrying about PSU's in pcpartpicker lists and hardly did you ever hear about PSU's melting a system down esp. the ones people complained about. There was a lot of unnecessary paranoia that stemmed from rumors and misinformation. 

 

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, fasauceome said:

To be honest, VS is high end compared to what some people were talking about. I heard specific mention of "third work country repairs with no quality control" power supplies lasting a decade or more, makes me wonder.

that sounds even worse than some QC's they do on those kind of psu's. whatever you do. don't even think about one. 

the vs is fine for what it's meant for, but that isn't gaming nor productivity

[seon123]

Worse electrical performance can be detrimental to the lifespan of the parts you power. HDDs failing strangely frequently? That can be a bad PSU. 

Lower end components can also fail earlier. It can make the PSU completely unusuable, or e.g. make the ripple skyrocket. Sleeve bearing fans also won't last as long as fans with fancier bearings. 

Higher end PSUs will often use nicer fans and will be quieter. For example the RMx Vs the TXM. I guess a semi passive mode is also a thing. 

And lower end PSUs often lack protections. OTP, UVP, OCP. Even many higher end, higher wattage PSUs lack multi rail. Which is as silly as having a single breaker for the entire house, instead of having them for each room. 

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, CharminUltraStrong said:

The video I've linked might answer your question. Ultimately, most PSU providers get their units from a common supplier. People used to freak out about Corsair CX power supplies I think? I can't remember but several years back on this forum, 2014(I have an old alt acct) or so, a main point of contention was the PSU people would pick on a pc part picker list of all things lmfao. People used to fight like cats and dogs, "this Corsair (Whatever the fuck) PSU WILL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN" "Are you stupid? That EVGA psu is basically a nuclear reactor melt down waiting to happen!". Nowadays I see less people worrying about PSU's in pcpartpicker lists and hardly did you ever hear about PSU's melting a system down esp. the ones people complained about. There was a lot of unnecessary paranoia that stemmed from rumors and misinformation. 

nah... that only happens with diablotek level psu's. the 750 watt+ cx greens weren't actually THAT bad.

 

btw, I didn't watch the video, but those cx's were made by great wall.

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, CharminUltraStrong said:

The video I've linked might answer your question.

Yeah I've seen that one, what it shows is that the power delivery is accurately labelled, but I have no clue as to the reliability and lifespan of that Walmart unit. The facts that they opted not to paint the outside coat even though it's so cheap seems very telling to me, but like I said, maybe it means really nothing.

[Fasauceome]

5 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Even many higher end, higher wattage PSUs lack multi rail. Which is as silly

Interesting that you bring that up, usually when I hear someone mention single rail over multi rail it's a good thing, but perhaps under different circumstances?