It appears this power supply is bad. How to fix it?

[Jack0f5pades]

I have a client that I ended up assembling a system for using some old stock I had. It's a good system, but the PSU I used was a unit I've had for a while and wanted to get rid of. It was a 600w unit, with an 80+ rating, and from a reputable company, so I thought it was fine. But I've been told by some others that the unit I used is a very bad one and I should buy the client a new unit and switch it out. The unit I used is a $55 Thermaltake Smart 600W 80+ and I've used this same unit in tons of builds before, but not with the kind of high end components that were used in this client's system. I don't know what, if anything, is wrong with this unit, I've just heard that it's low quality.

 

Is this supposedly bad unit really a big enough issue to contact the client and offer a replacement unit over? I just don't see what the big deal is, and I have no idea if I'll be able to find a better unit for $55 with the current supply shortages due to the virus. Thanks

[Haro]

10 hours ago, Jack0f5pades said:

. It was a 600w unit, with an 80+ rating, and from a reputable company

and non of these are an indication of quality. smart psus from thermaltake are just bad.

 

10 hours ago, Jack0f5pades said:

I just don't see what the big deal is, and I have no idea if I'll be able to find a better unit for $55

what are you powering exactly? 

what about an mwe bronze v2 or a system power 9 unit which are better than the smart psu.

[Mateyyy]

Depends on what components it's powering. If you're talking low-power CPU (like a Ryzen 3100, an i3 or an older locked i5/i7) and a low-power GPU like a 1650 Super or 1660, the hassle of calling it back and replacing it is probably not worth it.

[Jack0f5pades]

Just now, TofuHaroto said:

what are you powering exactly? 

A Ryzen 3 3100, & a Radeon RX 5700XT

[Haro]

10 hours ago, Jack0f5pades said:

A Ryzen 3 3100, & a Radeon RX 5700XT

yea with that gpu, i wouldn't use a smart psu. 

if you need a budget psu. a system power 9 500w or an MWE bronze v2 550w, while not the best, will be a lot better than the smart. 

[Jack0f5pades]

2 minutes ago, TofuHaroto said:

yea with that gpu, i wouldn't use a smart psu. 

if you need a budget psu. a system power 9 500w or an MWE bronze v2 550w, while not the best, will be a lot better than the smart. 

I was recommended a Seasonic S12III (kinda like this one that's on newegg backorder for $60) but I'll take a look at the two you mentioned. I'll have to call up the client and schedule a day to do the replacement, trade the two units out, and just keep the 600w smart unit for the next time someone wants a low end system built.

[Haro]

10 hours ago, Jack0f5pades said:

a Seasonic S12III

better than the smart, but is still a subpart unit.

[Chris Pratt]

27 minutes ago, Jack0f5pades said:

Is this supposedly bad unit really a big enough issue to contact the client and offer a replacement unit over?

Depends on the level of customer support you want to offer/how much you value the relationship. It may end up being fine, and the client may have no issues whatsoever. You can play it by ear, and wait for the client to call in if there's an issue. Though, sometimes people just take to social media instantly and blast you without giving you a chance to respond. Calling them up to let them know there's a potential issue and offering a replacement can engender a lot of good will. People don't mind if you make mistakes, if you're upfront and responsive about it.

 

However, if the client consented to used parts, it's a get what you get situation anyways. If you're even offering warranty on a build like that you're crazy. It should have been sold as-is. If you want warranty and support, as a user, you buy new. If you want to cheap out and get used, then you inherently consent to deal with components going out and such. That's the breaks of the game.

 

The long and short, is that it's really only a question you can answer. How much do you care? Are you concerned with a potential negative review? Do you actually have a relationship with this client? If it's someone you've done business with before and have a report with, then you can probably easily smooth over any ruffled feathers if something does go wrong. By that same token, though, there may be more value in being proactive to maintain or even enhance the relationship.

[Jack0f5pades]

2 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

Depends on the level of customer support you want to offer/how much you value the relationship.

 

However, if the client consented to used parts, it's a get what you get situation anyways.

 

The long and short, is that it's really only a question you can answer. How much do you care? Are you concerned with a potential negative review? Do you actually have a relationship with this client? If it's someone you've done business with before and have a report with, then you can probably easily smooth over any ruffled feathers if something does go wrong. By that same token, though, there may be more value in being proactive to maintain or even enhance the relationship.

There were no used parts in this build. All parts were new in box, but some of them I bought at a previous date and hadn't found a use for them yet. The PSU, case, and SSD were all new, but they came from my stock of parts that I had but didn't have a use for yet. They were just sitting in my store room for some time now.

 

The client is a coworker of a family member, the build is for said client's 12 year old son. I have no real ties with this client, but since I was the one who just wanted to be rid of that unit and gave it without looking into the quality of said unit, I feel like I need to fix it. Plus, if something pops in that system and word makes it back to said family member, I'll never hear the end of it.

[aisle9]

42 minutes ago, Jack0f5pades said:

A Ryzen 3 3100, & a Radeon RX 5700XT

Ouch.

 

So here's how I'd handle it: I'm not a fan of calling a client after delivery and saying, "Hey, so I kind of cheaped out on a really important part." The sad, simple truth about selling used PCs or PCs made of used components is that sometimes you just don't have an RM850x lying around to put in every system you piece together, so you build it with what you have and price accordingly. When discussing the system, I'd probably come out and say that I'd usually charge $X for a build like this, but because I couldn't get one of my preferred components in on time and had to go a step down, I'm only charging $Y. At that point, all of my chips are on the table, and it's on the buyer to do some homework and decide if they're ok with that, want to haggle the price down a bit more, or just want to walk away for something better. I wouldn't say that a certain part is going to go bang because, one, I don't know that. It might run just fine for the life cycle of the system. We're talking about a Thermaltake Smart here, not a Logisys NH4NO3 2750W. And two, it's bad for business to tell someone that you're about to sell them a part that's unsuitable for their system.

 

IMO, there's really nothing you can do about this one unless you want to get really creative with your story--which I don't recommend--or tell a client that you put a low-quality part in their system without knowing it--something else I don't recommend. In the future, if you're not sure about a part's sturdiness or suitability, or just not sure about a part at all, just don't use it. I know it was an oversight this time, but just as a general practice, if you don't know what you've got and aren't certain it's suitable for your build, don't use it. Either put it into a different build or sell it separately as a loose part.

[Chris Pratt]

25 minutes ago, Jack0f5pades said:

There were no used parts in this build. All parts were new in box, but some of them I bought at a previous date and hadn't found a use for them yet. The PSU, case, and SSD were all new, but they came from my stock of parts that I had but didn't have a use for yet. They were just sitting in my store room for some time now.

 

The client is a coworker of a family member, the build is for said client's 12 year old son. I have no real ties with this client, but since I was the one who just wanted to be rid of that unit and gave it without looking into the quality of said unit, I feel like I need to fix it. Plus, if something pops in that system and word makes it back to said family member, I'll never hear the end of it.

Oh, okay. I read that wrong. Still, sounds like you answered your own question.