Can I use existing power chord with new psu

sunshinewelly · 13 Aug 2023 at 10:08

I know that the actual cables need to be changed but what about the actual lead that power's the psu ie the kettle type lead.

Armageus · 13 Aug 2023 at 10:09

Absolutely fine to reuse

nft_99 · 13 Aug 2023 at 11:54

I use my old one i thought it was a better cable than the one supplied with my new PSU

Mcnumpty2323 · 13 Aug 2023 at 16:47

as long as you dont
get a new psu thats much more powerful
the gauge/and amp rating of the kettle lead can vary
anywhere from 18 awg/10A
to 12 awg/20A

lemming3k · 13 Aug 2023 at 17:05

I'd use the one supplied with the PSU. They should almost always be the same, but why have an entirely new system and risk an old cable? Unless it's a budget system or you have a special length, keep them for spares.

Quartz · 13 Aug 2023 at 17:21

sunshinewelly said:
I know that the actual cables need to be changed but what about the actual lead that power's the psu ie the kettle type lead.

Check the fuse rating. You don't want to be using a 800W PSU with a cable that has a 3A fuse. The reverse holds too: if you're moving from a 2kW PSU to a 300W PSU you don't want the new PSU to be able to pull 13A

Armageus · 13 Aug 2023 at 17:23

Mcnumpty2323 said:
as long as you dont
get a new psu thats much more powerful
the gauge/and amp rating of the kettle lead can vary
anywhere from 18 awg/10A
to 12 awg/20A

"Kettle" leads are normally rated 5A, 10A or 13A there are no 20A ones.

Even 5 Amps is good for 1150 watts.

Quartz · 13 Aug 2023 at 21:18

Armageus said:
Even 5 Amps is good for 1150 watts.

I wouldn't push a 5A cable that far on even an infrequent basis.

sunshinewelly · 14 Aug 2023 at 11:13

going from 750w to 850w

iron_monkey · 14 Aug 2023 at 11:15

sunshinewelly said:
going from 750w to 850w

It'll be fine my dude.

Armageus · 14 Aug 2023 at 11:15

sunshinewelly said:
going from 750w to 850w

Should be absolutely fine then, but might just be worth checking what fuse you power cable has for future reference

lemming3k · 22 Aug 2023 at 14:31

Armageus said:
"Kettle" leads are normally rated 5A, 10A or 13A there are no 20A ones.

Even 5 Amps is good for 1150 watts.

Glad I found this thread the other day as I never considered the Amp rating before and my cables are all over the place. Turns out Amazon sent me an EU product so now I have to find a cable with the right Amps to fit! Going to assume 5A is plenty for 850W, then I just need to sort out why my monitors have 10A cables...

Armageus · 22 Aug 2023 at 14:35

lemming3k said:
Glad I found this thread the other day as I never considered the Amp rating before and my cables are all over the place. Turns out Amazon sent me an EU product so now I have to find a cable with the right Amps to fit! Going to assume 5A is plenty for 850W, then I just need to sort out why my monitors have 10A cables...

I'd go for 10A for an 850W PSU (850W being what it can supply - it will draw more than that from the wall)

Apex · 22 Aug 2023 at 18:27

sunshinewelly said:
I know that the actual cables need to be changed but what about the actual lead that power's the psu ie the kettle type lead.

If you're supplied with a new lead with your PSU, then it makes 100% to use it, and no good reason not to.

lemming3k · 22 Aug 2023 at 23:16

Armageus said:
I'd go for 10A for an 850W PSU (850W being what it can supply - it will draw more than that from the wall)

Oh that is a good point, it's the supply not the demand. That might explain why the EU plug was 16A. Seemed excessive but at 80% efficiency it's going to be over 5A.

I'll swap the 5A with the monitor 10A.

Bubo · 24 Aug 2023 at 12:31

Unless you work where I work where any cable has to be PAT tested to within an inch of its life, doesn't matter if it's brand new or owt.