PSU went bad

[bassfisher6522]

I think my PSU crashed on my pc so I going to replace it. My question is; when I replace it I want to upgrade from it's current wattage of 300 (OEM), to at least 500 watts. With that in mind, all that I can find are those with the large fans on top. Can I flip and mount it upside down? Would that hurt it or my system? My current psu has just one fan and it's on the back and vents out. What kind of suggestions do you guys have?

 

[thepizzaman]

hm... first you have to be sure it would fit in your case, second it should flip upside down and work

 

[smarteyeball]

Can I flip and mount it upside down? 4

Is it a top mounted PSU?

By flipping it, do you mean that the intake fan would be pointing downwards? If so, yes. As long as it fits your case as PM mentioned.

 

[bassfisher6522]

how do I check to make sure it fits my case?

 

[smarteyeball]

You could measure your current PSU's dimensions. However PSU sizes are pretty uniform, so you shouldn't have any issues in replacing it.

The exception to the rule are usually the larger wattage PSU's, which can be longer.

Where are you looking at purchasing from?

Also, is it just to replace your current one or are you looking to upgrade a few other things (video card etc) down the road as well?

 

[bassfisher6522]

You could measure your current PSU's dimensions. However PSU sizes are pretty uniform, so you shouldn't have any issues in replacing it.

The exception to the rule are usually the larger wattage PSU's, which can be longer.

Where are you looking at purchasing from?

Also, is it just to replace your current one or are you looking to upgrade a few other things (video card etc) down the road as well?

Yes, it's a top mounted PSU.

actual measurements: L 5 1/2" x W 6" X H 3 3/8" with clearance of 3" to the length. So if it was a little longer I'm good.

I'm looking at tiger-direct and new-egg.

My current (dead) PSU is 300 watts max. I'm thinking of going to a min. of 500 watts just in case I do want to change out some components.

My problem that I'm running into is; I have 4 SATA powered devices, my PC case will only allow me to use an 80mm rear exhaust fan.

I'm not wanting to spend a lot on this PSU, but it looks like I may have to spend more than I want because of my PC case specs. I did find one on new-egg, a Rosewill model RD500-2DB, Stallion Series for $49.99 that will work I think. The reviews on it are not the great. I do like the blue LED on the fans. I appreciate your help and any suggestions on a PSU that you prefer would be great.

 

[thepizzaman]

hm.... i would try to get a better brand of psu..... the only house brand i trust on a psu is ultra, they are a good brand.... um something like corsair, thermaltake, or pc power and cooling would be good also....
somethign along the lines of this anyway....
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932371&CatId=106

 

[lil domii]

Newegg.com - Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies
not a well known company i am sure.
just thought that if you need 500 watt or more, i would go for 100 watt more to have a decent psu.

 

[thepizzaman]

personally.... i'd stay away from rosewill....

 

[bassfisher6522]

Newegg.com - Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies
not a well known company i am sure.
just thought that if you need 500 watt or more, i would go for 100 watt more to have a decent psu.

I would use that type but the fan is too big and it's exhausted through the top of the case. Mine is setup to be vented from the rear and max fan size I can have is an 80mm and need at least a min. of 4 SATA connectors. So I'm stuck kind of. I did find an Antec EA 500 on newegg. even the dimensions are almost a perfect fit. What do you think.
Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

 

[thepizzaman]

antec is a good band go for it :D

 

[smarteyeball]

I did find an Antec EA 500 on newegg. even the dimensions are almost a perfect fit. What do you think.
Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

These have a decent reputation.

And just to clarify, PSU's with the fan on top aren't exhaust fans - they are actually an intake fan. The heat still exhausts out of the rear of the case

 

[bassfisher6522]

I did find an Antec EA 500 on newegg. even the dimensions are almost a perfect fit. What do you think.
Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

These have a decent reputation.

And just to clarify, PSU's with the fan on top aren't exhaust fans - they are actually an intake fan. The heat still exhausts out of the rear of the case

Thanks for the clarification, but I still can't use a top mounted fan on the psu. I only have about a 1/4" of clearance of space between pc case and psu if that. I could turn it to where the intake was at the bottom, right. I still didn't see the exhaust on the rear of that psu. Must have over looked it. I'll check it out again.

 

[bassfisher6522]

PSU update:
I ordered the antec psu from newegg finally. After many weeks of research and shopping, I committed to a buy. So now, today is the day of arrival and then the install. I will post back with progress. This will be my first psu replacement. This is almost as bad if not worse than when your car brakes down for a week and you cant go any where.

 

[bassfisher6522]

PSU update:
I ordered the antec psu from newegg finally. After many weeks of research and shopping, I committed to a buy. So now, today is the day of arrival and then the install. I will post back with progress. This will be my first psu replacement. This is almost as bad if not worse than when your car brakes down for a week and you cant go any where.

On a personal note; I am convinced that retail PC's are OK for the weekend users but as I'm finding out the hard way, repairs and upgrades are a pain in the but and a custom build is the only way to go. I've started my parts list.

 

[CrucialHoax]

I agree. Most HP, Dell, etc. pc's are good for the normal user, but as soon as it needs to be used heavily and things fail, very hard to upgrade. Is your next build going to be insane? :D

 

[usasma]

I've built computers for my family over the years - slaving to provide a balanced, stable system that performs well for them. I've finally realized that I can purchase a good quality system for a lot less - and they'll be just as happy with it.

I'll continue to build my own system - not so much for the performance, but for familiarizing myself with the use of the latest technology.

 

[roy69]

I've built computers for my family over the years - slaving to provide a balanced, stable system that performs well for them. I've finally realized that I can purchase a good quality system for a lot less - and they'll be just as happy with it.

I'll continue to build my own system - not so much for the performance, but for familiarizing myself with the use of the latest technology.

I totally agree and do alot of other sytem builder I know.
The only difference betwen building and buying is knowing it is cutomised for you, but then you can do that on line.

 

[bassfisher6522]

Well....that was a big waste of time. I got my knew power supply today and installed it. To my surprise, the new psu is doing the exact same thing as the OEM psu.{I would turn on psu and the fan would move (spin) about a quarter inch to a half inch and then stop.} This leads me to believe that there is some other underlying problem. Any suggestions because I have no clue now. Any trouble shooting tools I can try.

 

[usasma]

Most times this happens (at work) when a switch is bad. Do you have the front panel switch connected to the motherboard properly?

Try unplugging everything (keep track of where it goes) and then trying it with only the large connector on the mobo and the 4 prong connector on the mobo. If the fan on the CPU cooler works, then you're getting power to the mobo.

Lot's of suggestions on testing the PSU: http://www.google.com/search?q=powe...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a