Dragon Force DF-530 GT - safe to use?

[KenjiUmino]

I want to build a PC as soon as possible and avoid as many new purchases as i can but the only PSUs i have on hand at the moment are this dragon force ATX unit and a 300W silverstone SFX. 

 

the components will be: 

• core i5 4590
• cheapo asrock H81 board
• GTX 750 ti (without 6 pin connector) 
• 1xSSD + 2xHDD

 

i want a black & orange theme in the Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L case and the dragon force would fit this theme nicely - here's a picture:

 

 

i have dug up some old reviews from tomshardware and the likes about this unit and it seems to be ok-ish.

 

according to these reviews, it has the most important protection features (overload, overcurrent, overvoltage, overheat, short) and the voltages were found to be "well within the 5% tolerance" in different load scenarios. 

 

sounds good on paper but the thing is that i have used this unit recently with a ryzen 2400G and the system was unstable even at stock speeds so i don't know what to do with it. 

 

it was the cheapest of the bunch in any review i found and i never heard of that brand ever so i wonder if it is safe to use at all?

 

[hconverse02]

'Ok ish' Lol please spend like 60 euros on a cx550m or a cooler master masterwatt 550w 

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/B6XnTW/cooler-master-masterwatt-550w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-mpx-5501-amaab-us

or

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/3hkwrH/corsair-power-supply-cp9020102na

[seon123]

A low end 10 year old PSU... The roundup on Tomshardware only tested the voltages at 20%-50% load, and did not mention the load on each rail. And no testing for ripple. Do keep in mind that modern PCs will have pretty much all their load on the 12V rail, which is a problem for group regulated PSUs. The review most likely had an unrealistically high load on the minor rails, which would help the PSU. 

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

No. Not a name brand, 10 years old, shitty even when it was new. Avoid.

[KenjiUmino]

9 minutes ago, seon123 said:

A low end 10 year old PSU... The roundup on Tomshardware only tested the voltages at 20%-50% load, and did not mention the load on each rail. And no testing for ripple.

it was from 20% to 100% actually, but yeah, indeed no mention of ripple or how much load on individual rails in particular. 

 

either way - i guess i better throw that one away then. 

 

but i really don't want to spend more money than i absolutely need to.

how about the SFX PSU? its a SST-ST30SF

[vanished]

I wouldn't worry... through the fire and the flames it carries on

 

/s but actually, I've never heard of this brand before which is usually not a good sign.  Given what others have said, I would avoid it.

[Stefan Payne]

4 hours ago, KenjiUmino said:

I want to build a PC as soon as possible and avoid as many new purchases as i can but the only PSUs i have on hand at the moment are this dragon force ATX unit and a 300W silverstone SFX. 

The 300W Silverstone is better...

 

Just look at that:

https://www.computerbase.de/2015-01/7-billig-netzteile-versagen-im-test/

 

That piece cost about the same as decent 300-350W PSU and doesn't deliver anything more than those!!

 

You would have been better off buying a be quiet Pure Power 350W.

 

They both cost about the same and deliver about the same power!

 

Just one is honestly advertized and the other just lied. Well, if you reverse the first two numbers, its honest...

And also the connectors point to something in the 300W Class...

 

Quote

i want a black & orange theme in the Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L case and the dragon force would fit this theme nicely - here's a picture:

 

Get a be quiet Pure Power.

Those have orange fan rings and are good quality.

My 400W Pure Power CM has an orange ring around the fan.

 

Quote

i have dug up some old reviews from tomshardware and the likes about this unit and it seems to be ok-ish.

You should have googled for Computerbase.de Reviews.
There was a Roundup. Just look above...

 

In short:
It cost as much as a decent quality 350W PSU; has about the same connectors...

But protection fail.

And they lied on the label....

 

Quote

sounds good on paper but the thing is that i have used this unit recently with a ryzen 2400G and the system was unstable even at stock speeds so i don't know what to do with it. 

Throw it away, what else is there to think about?!

 

If it isn't even able to work with that system, how much damage does it have to cause before you throw it away??

[KenjiUmino]

8 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

You would have been better off buying a be quiet Pure Power 350W.

i did not buy the dragonforce - it just "showed up by the doorstep" one day - pulled that out of the half dead computer my brothers GF showed up with - so - i guess i should have thrown it away right when i pulled it out the case - right?

 

i think i'll take the 300W silverstone - for now.