power supply danger

[Squibbies18]

so while attempting to remove an old power supply, one of the metal brackets holding it in has open the side of the psu has cracked open slightly, i was wondering if this is dangerous in anyway?

[LinusTechDips]

Pictures might help i guess.

[Squibbies18]

2 minutes ago, LinusTechDips said:

Pictures might help i guess.

best picture i can get 

[Valley_]

A picture would be nice, PSU's aren't typically that expensive so it would be a good idea to get a replacement anyway. No need to risk damage to anything else

[Squibbies18]

Just now, Squibbies18 said:

best picture i can get 

the metal bracket you can see slid into the side of the power supply and open the back up slightly 

[EthanCGamer]

That PSU looks like it'll blow up even in perfect condition, try comparing that to the PSU tier list, you could have a fire hazard on your hands.

Edit: it occurs to me that it might not even be on that list, in which case I'd replace it ASAP.

Edited January 27, 2017 by EthanCGamer

[Squibbies18]

3 minutes ago, GlynDavies said:

A picture would be nice, PSU's aren't typically that expensive so it would be a good idea to get a replacement anyway. No need to risk damage to anything else

to be honest i'm more worried if there was anything dangerous that i could have inhaled or something and this is the best picture i can get because of the angle it's at 

[Squibbies18]

1 minute ago, EthanCGamer said:

That PSU looks like it'll blow up even in perfect condition, try comparing that to the PSU tier list, you could have a fire hazard on your hands.

 

it's from a dell xps 8100 and has worked well for a while now

[Valley_]

2 minutes ago, Squibbies18 said:

to be honest i'm more worried if there was anything dangerous that i could have inhaled or something and this is the best picture i can get because of the angle it's at 

Looks fine to me man

[EthanCGamer]

Just now, Squibbies18 said:

it's from a dell xps 8100 and has worked well for a while now

The thing is that PSUs like that especially from Dell (or any OEMs) tend to use the cheapest components, which fail a lot faster and worse than something you'd see an 80 plus lable on.

[Biggerboot]

 

1 minute ago, EthanCGamer said:

That PSU looks like it'll blow up even in perfect condition, try comparing that to the PSU tier list, you could have a fire hazard on your hands.

 

He said he's replacing, but regardless, OEM PSUs are held to a different standard.  They're not really meant for parts beyond the ones supplied by dell.

1 minute ago, Squibbies18 said:

to be honest i'm more worried if there was anything dangerous that i could have inhaled or something and this is the best picture i can get because of the angle it's at 

 

If the PSU itself isn't damaged you're fine.  It may just be inconvenient to move/ship the case without properly securing the PSU.

[Squibbies18]

7 minutes ago, Squibbies18 said:

to be honest i'm more worried if there was anything dangerous that i could have inhaled or something and this is the best picture i can get because of the angle it's at 

 

6 minutes ago, GlynDavies said:

Looks fine to me man

i just realised how silly i am for thinking that i could have inhaled something dangerous from an air cooled power supply

[EthanCGamer]

5 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

Nah, you're fine

Dell tends to use Delta units, which aren't actually too bad, and I've seen too many shit 80 plus PSUs to give any weight to the label.

I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but I've personally had an OEM Dell PSU crap out on me while I was using it at school, and those were new computers. Plus, I've heard too many horror stories of total computer loss to recommend keeping those in use.

 

Edit: it says here that the PSU is 350 watt, it's probably time for an upgrade anyway.

Edited January 27, 2017 by EthanCGamer

[Biggerboot]

2 minutes ago, Squibbies18 said:

 

i just realised how silly i am for thinking that i could have inhaled something dangerous form an air cooled power supply

If you smell burning silicon or capacitors, just don't go pressing your nose against the PSU.

 

1 minute ago, EthanCGamer said:

I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but I've personally had an OEM Dell PSU crap out on me while I was using it at school, and those were new computers. Plus, I've heard too many horror stories of total computer loss to recommend keeping those in use.

Crapping out is better than basically catching on fire.  Schools and businesses buy them in bulk so for one or two of them to die is acceptable. 

[Squibbies18]

1 minute ago, Biggerboot said:

If you smell burning silicon or capacitors, just don't go pressing your nose against the PSU.

okay i'll keep that in mind  literally as soon as i started to crack i thought oh god there's probably something posionus that i let out literally just realised how silly that would be for a power supply which is technically always exposed  

[EthanCGamer]

5 minutes ago, Squibbies18 said:

okay i'll keep that in mind  literally as soon as i started to crack i thought oh god there's probably something posionus that i let out literally just realised how silly that would be for a power supply which is technically always exposed  

You're fine, just keep an eye on it. If you hear strange (loud) whines that weren't there before, or if it shuts down on heavy load then get a new PSU. Otherwise, the PSU is electrically fine. If it's worked this long for you, then I don't see any problem to keep using it. It is only 350 watts, so you probably won't be using it in your next build

[alexhelvetica]

14 hours ago, EthanCGamer said:

The thing is that PSUs like that especially from Dell (or any OEMs) tend to use the cheapest components, which fail a lot faster and worse than something you'd see an 80 plus lable on.

Dell (and most real oems) often use great PSUs (often made by delta), that said I am guessing it is probably made by Bestec, so it isn't amazing, but definitely not a bomb. 

 

80plus means literally nothing, I would much prefer a Corsair Vengeance (80plus bronze) than an EVGA NEX-G (80plus gold), because the Vengeance is a beast of a PSU and the NEX-G is mediocre.