How to tell if an OEM PSU is good just by looking at it?

[rip]

I currently have an OEM Delta PSU. I have read that Delta are regarded to be good manufacturer of PSU.

I am about to get an old prebuilt as an upgrade, as it has proprietary connectors so I would likely use that PSU, most people said that it is also a Delta

 

I don't have any testing equipment in hand like most PSU reviewers do so how can I tell just by looking that a PSU is somewhat decent?

Caps? Solder? Board? Because model number only would probably not useful, most Delta PSU or OEM PSU in general doesn't get much attention and almost never get reviewed at all.

 

How would I compare between 2 PSUs. I am deciding whether to use my current PSU that's working fine but I will need an adapter to convert proprietary connectors to working regular 24 pin for the OEM motherboard. I am skeptical about the cables as I don't want to damage anything (will be powering a RX 470 and Sandy Xeon 1240). (My PSU is a regular ATX Delta 500AB-6A while my new PSU would be coming from a HP Z210 minitower prebuilt, nothing is bought yet).

I am also having hard time finding such cables as most seems to be advertised as not compatible with Z210 but some say it's fine.

 

Sorry for loads of questions and texts, hope to get replies soon. Please do read everything else you miss stuff.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

11 minutes ago, rip said:

I currently have an OEM Delta PSU. I have read that Delta are regarded to be good manufacturer of PSU.

I am about to get an old prebuilt as an upgrade, as it has proprietary connectors so I would likely use that PSU, most people said that it is also a Delta

 

I don't have any testing equipment in hand like most PSU reviewers do so how can I tell just by looking that a PSU is somewhat decent?

Caps? Solder? Board? Because model number only would probably not useful, most Delta PSU or OEM PSU in general doesn't get much attention and almost never get reviewed at all.

 

How would I compare between 2 PSUs. I am deciding whether to use my current PSU that's working fine but I will need an adapter to convert proprietary connectors to working regular 24 pin for the OEM motherboard. I am skeptical about the cables as I don't want to damage anything (will be powering a RX 470 and Sandy Xeon 1240). (My PSU is a regular ATX Delta 500AB-6A while my new PSU would be coming from a HP Z210 minitower prebuilt, nothing is bought yet).

I am also having hard time finding such cables as most seems to be advertised as not compatible with Z210 but some say it's fine.

 

Sorry for loads of questions and texts, hope to get replies soon. Please do read everything else you miss stuff.

Maxxxarcade makes some good videos regarding this. Take a look. 

The issue with using adapters is sometimes things don't line up correctly and cause issues. I tried to get away with using a 20 to 24-pin ATX adapter and it killed a decent Antec PSU I had. Used a molex to P4 adapter and that caught fire while the system was sitting unplugged. Thankfully the adapter only killed itself and didn't take anything else with it.

[rip]

4 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Maxxxarcade makes some good videos regarding this. Take a look.

how dangerous if one attempted to disasemble a PSU?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, rip said:

how dangerous if one attempted to disasemble a PSU?

If you have no clue on what you're doing... very. Those caps can still hold a lot of charge even after the PSU has been unplugged.

[rip]

Just now, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

If you have no clue on what you're doing... very. Those caps can still hold a lot of charge even after the PSU has been unplugged.

I probably just gonna peek inside through the fans then, but I mean out of curiousity and you're just carefully removing everything without touching the internals and then take few photos for reference and then put it all back sure it's safe?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, rip said:

I probably just gonna peek inside through the fans then, but I mean out of curiousity and you're just carefully removing everything without touching the internals and then take few photos for reference and then put it all back sure it's safe?

I'm not going to answer that because I'm no professional on the subject and I'm not going make myself liable if you fry yourself. 

[rip]

3 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

I'm not going to answer that because I'm no professional on the subject and I'm not going make myself liable if you fry yourself. 

I am not worried about that, I am practi cally wortheless...

[ItsTheDuckAgain]

Is your life worth more than ~100$ for a PSU? if the answer is yes then don't open it, Linus doesn'T joke when he says that people can die from it, because people actually did die from said action.

if the answer is no go ahead...

[Gaurav S Rao]

 

22 minutes ago, rip said:

how dangerous if one attempted to disasemble a PSU?

if you do it in a hurry,very likely you will shock yourself,wait and let the capacitors discharge first

 

15 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

I'm not going to answer that because I'm no professional on the subject and I'm not going make myself liable if you fry yourself. 

same thing

 

12 minutes ago, ItsTheDuckAgain said:

Is your life worth more than ~100$ for a PSU? if the answer is yes then don't open it, Linus doesn'T joke when he says that people can die from it, because people actually did die from said action.

if the answer is no go ahead...

Very true.

[Gaurav S Rao]

20 minutes ago, rip said:

I probably just gonna peek inside through the fans then, but I mean out of curiousity and you're just carefully removing everything without touching the internals and then take few photos for reference and then put it all back sure it's safe?

hope when you peek inside the fans... the psu doesn't blow up because it was angry... if it was to  , tho im pretty serious about that.

[Gaurav S Rao]

13 minutes ago, ItsTheDuckAgain said:

Is your life worth more than ~100$ for a PSU? if the answer is yes then don't open it, Linus doesn'T joke when he says that people can die from it, because people actually did die from said action.

if the answer is no go ahead...

not a 100$ PSU (heck even some corsair 750W psus (CXM) are not 100$)... a 10$ PSU

[Stefan Payne]

55 minutes ago, rip said:

I don't have any testing equipment in hand like most PSU reviewers do so how can I tell just by looking that a PSU is somewhat decent?

Caps? Solder? Board? Because model number only would probably not useful, most Delta PSU or OEM PSU in general doesn't get much attention and almost never get reviewed at all.

No, you don't and you can't.
You can guess if the PSU is good or not if you can take a look at the primary bulk capacitors. A 550W should have something around 330µF or more.

 

And of course active PFC....

 

So all you can do is make a picture or two and upload it here to let other people who know a bit more take an educated guess..

[razaldo]

1 hour ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

If you have no clue on what you're doing... very. Those caps can still hold a lot of charge even after the PSU has been unplugged.

Could'nt you stick a screwdriver with a plastic handle and make contact with the pins where the adapter plugs in and discharge the caps ?

 

I think I saw a video by Matt on Tech Yes City where he did something like that.

 

Please note: Do this at your own risk. I do not hold any liability if you fry yourself or your screwdriver attempting this. Observe the aussie do this and try it on your own if you feel brave.

[comicsansms]

1 hour ago, razaldo said:

Could'nt you stick a screwdriver with a plastic handle and make contact with the pins where the adapter plugs in and discharge the caps ?

If you must, that's what you'd do, but I wouldn't recommend anyone pull apart a PSU

Quote

I think I saw a video by Matt on Tech Yes City where he did something like that.

*Bryan

Quote

Please note: Do this at your own risk. I do not hold any liability if you fry yourself or your screwdriver attempting this. Observe the aussie do this and try it on your own if you feel brave.

 

I wouldn't recommend a lot of things Bryan does. He does so many things that just pisses me off, especially what he says and does to PSUs, and it also isn't exclusive to PSUs. (Like going to a Bunnings on a Wednesday, that completely removes the point of going to Bunnings)

[razaldo]

5 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

If you must, that's what you'd do, but I wouldn't recommend anyone pull apart a PSU

*Bryan

 

I wouldn't recommend a lot of things Bryan does. He does so many things that just pisses me off, especially what he says and does to PSUs, and it also isn't exclusive to PSUs. (Like going to a Bunnings on a Wednesday, that completely removes the point of going to Bunnings)

Thanks, I got his name confused.

 

I was shocked when he showered a PSU with a water hose and then sprayed it off with some WD40. It is now etched in my mind - the horror!

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

17 hours ago, razaldo said:

Could'nt you stick a screwdriver with a plastic handle and make contact with the pins where the adapter plugs in and discharge the caps ?

 

I think I saw a video by Matt on Tech Yes City where he did something like that.

 

Please note: Do this at your own risk. I do not hold any liability if you fry yourself or your screwdriver attempting this. Observe the aussie do this and try it on your own if you feel brave.

The only way I know you can discharge them is by putting a load on them like a resistor. Sticking a screwdriver with a plastic handle isn't going to help. In fact, it's even more dangerous as now the screwdriver is charged.