Can an old Corsair VS650 White 80+ damage my hardware?

[Ixron]

Recently found out that "White" tier power supply units are bad, don't last long and are prone to failure. 

 

Due to inexperience, when I first assembled this setup 4 years ago, I bought the Corsair VS650's 2018 version (black label), which was recommended by PC Part Picker's builds.

 

For context, I primarily use my PC for gaming, but I don't overclock, nor do anything that goes beyond default settings. I also use the Ryzen Balanced power plan and a surge suppressor multi power socket to avoid frying my PSU in case of blackouts.

 

I'm currently experiencing no PSU-related issues whatsoever; the setup worked flawlessly for years.

 

However, given these warnings, I now fear that the VS650 might suddenly break and fry my hardware.

 

Should I be worried that it might damage my hardware if and when it fails? In general, how would I know if a PSU is failing?

 

I'm looking at the Corsair RM 650X Gold 80+ as a potential replacement, but I prefer a "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" approach, especially since these gold tier PSUs are expensive.

 

System Configuration:

• Operating System: Windows 11

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, no overclock

• CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo (installed very recently)

• GPU: Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G

• Motherboard: MSI B450 GAMING PLUS MAX with E7B86AMS.H50 (11/07/2019) BIOS

• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 MHz (2x8), XMP enabled

• PSU: Corsair VS650 (2018) 650 W

• Monitor: BenQ GL2450

• Case: Thermaltake V200 Tempered Glass (modded for proper airflow - front panel removed, mesh filter installed)

• Fans:

  • 3x120mm Arctic P12 PWM PST CO intake front

  • 1x120mm Thermaltake stock exhaust rear

 

[Ryuikko]

It's certainly not a good psu 

https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

But I cant see it directly damaging anything since at least its not the orange label. I do reccommend you replace your psu when you upgrade anything though.

[Ixron]

4 minutes ago, Ryuikko said:

It's certainly not a good psu 

https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

But I cant see it directly damaging anything since at least its not the orange label. I do reccommend you replace your psu when you upgrade anything though.

Thank you for your input. I did recently install a new CPU Cooler (Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo), replacing the Ryzen 5 3600's stock cooler. I was primarily worried as to whether I should expect fireworks from the PSU soon.

 

I take it that PC Part Picker's builds aren't particularly reliable.

[Fasauceome]

The VS isn't the type of PSU to burst into flame, and your specs aren't terribly demanding. You're not in danger unless you decide to upgrade to a 3070

[Ryuikko]

7 minutes ago, Ixron said:

take it that PC Part Picker's builds aren't particularly reliable.

Afaik they just filter to whatever parts fit their wants for a part. Sometimes they make sensible choices and sometimes they choose terrible parts. Mostly mobos on their lower end suggestions 

[Ixron]

9 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

The VS isn't the type of PSU to burst into flame, and your specs aren't terribly demanding. You're not in danger unless you decide to upgrade to a 3070

That's reassuring, thank you very much.

 

Speaking of which, I do plan to upgrade to an RTX 3060 Ti sometime. Should I go for a Corsair RM650x or 750x Gold 80+?

 

7 minutes ago, Ryuikko said:

Afaik they just filter to whatever parts fit their wants for a part. Sometimes they make sensible choices and sometimes they choose terrible parts. Mostly mobos on their lower end suggestions 

About that, I discovered after years that the B450 Gaming Plus Max is supposed to be a "budget" motherboard, as opposed to (for example) the Tomahawk line. What exactly makes a motherboard high end, other than (I assume) PCIe 4.0 slots, better materials and easier installation of new components?

[Fasauceome]

26 minutes ago, Ixron said:

Speaking of which, I do plan to upgrade to an RTX 3060 Ti sometime. Should I go for a Corsair RM650x or 750x Gold 80+?

An RM550X would suffice. A Ryzen 5 and 3060 ti aren't terribly demanding, fortunately the 3060 TI doesn't have nearly the same problem with transient spikes as the 3070 and up

 

26 minutes ago, Ixron said:

What exactly makes a motherboard high end, other than (I assume) PCIe 4.0 slots, better materials and easier installation of new components?

Generally yeah, premium boards will often have features that cheaper boards lack, and will also often be equipped with better power delivery (though the Gaming Plus does have pretty decent power delivery)

[Ryuikko]

20 minutes ago, Ixron said:

What exactly makes a motherboard high end, other than (I assume) PCIe 4.0 slots, better materials and easier installation of new components?

Some of the things I pay attention to on higher end boards is usually just the io and power delivery. At higher end price points I've already assume that their vrm cooling is good enough for top of the line cpus. Of course it's also good to make sure it has the connection you need 

Anything past a b550 taichi for ryzen and a z690 unify x for intel, I can't justify as well though