What is the likely fate most cheap PSUs will suffer and their consequences.

[gonvres]

Basing a follow on thread from this topic on Aerocool powersupplies and a reply I made to it about people using them. Now i'm not recommending people use them or saying I would, but I do work on systems for families and that for fun and they're often custom built computers from stores with what I consider rubbish power supplies (often just bundled Thermaltake or Coolermaster ones that come with a cheap case) and they do get years of use with no perceivable problems. Now over the years I've gotten into the habit of never including cheap PSUs even in office builds, so my case+psu budget will often end up being something like $130-140 (Australian) as opposed to cases with case+psu that sell for half of that.

 

The question is realistically for low power office systems, what is the likely outcome of this for them? As in, what type of failure rates are you seeing in that type of power supply. 

 

For me the two cardinal sins of cheap 'custom' pcs are bundled power supplies and also cases with large vents that have no sort of dust filters, so they inevitably clog the entire computer in dust over a few years. However neither of these things seem to affect them running that badly.

[ZetZet]

I mean. I ran my PC with E8400 and HD3870 on 15 eur Inter-tech 500W PSU for 5 years until the fan died. PSU was still alive it just kept shutting down on high loads. 

 

 

It's just random.

[Narnash]

For me it's most likely a no go.

 I had to "fix" a buil in PSU for a friend (I even tried to to it seriously) a cheapo coolermaster built in PSU, 2 condensators explode (big bang and spark =D ) prodective ciruit prevent him from fire. 

The PSU wasn't licensed Germany back in the day, if the rented apartment or the building burned completly he had to pay for building any injury and maybe get sued. So 40 - 60 euro are a worth insurance.

[User1868]

I've been using a Chieftec A80 500 W PSU with 80+ rating for over 6 years and everything has been fine (even tho the brand isn't well known)

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

Here in the land of "Bees and Honey" every electrical device sold needs to pass the "N-tick" regulation so there is a kind of bias lending in favour of you the purchaser.

However that does not mean that the ratings of output are always on par with the advertising blurb. Some retailers (like Mwave) refuse to sell a PSU if there is not a ratings chart available from the Chinese manufacturer.

So taking that into account running the PSU constantly at the upper end of its capacity would lead to premature wear on capacitors, just make sure you leave more headroom.

Then you can just blame a surge from the grid if or when they fail  

[spellmanuk]

overheating is the main thing not having components that a well engineered with a weak fan will make it overheat and die as for the effects is all dependent on what your doing at the time obviously its not healthy for any computer especially one with a hard disk to just be shut off without proper shut down so its ultimately the same as turning your pc of a the wall without shutting it down that is the only problems ive ever seen with a psu other than the same thing happening because it was sat right on a carpet and was smothered 

[Narnash]

12 minutes ago, SydneySideSteveSomewheres said:

Here in the land of "Bees and Honey" every electrical device sold needs to pass the "N-tick" regulation so there is a kind of bias lending in favour of you the purchaser.

However that does not mean that the ratings of output are always on par with the advertising blurb. Some retailers (like Mwave) refuse to sell a PSU if there is not a ratings chart available from the Chinese manufacturer.

So taking that into account running the PSU constantly at the upper end of its capacity would lead to premature wear on capacitors, just make sure you leave more headroom.

Then you can just blame a surge from the grid if or when they fail  

Same or nearly the in Germany, but cheap parts from anywhere in the EU can blow up your rig, since rules are made to brake and seal lables to copie them everwhere