How often do you change PSU?

The Old School Gamer said:
Don't change out my power supplies that often.
A VERY important component though, I don't cost cut in this area.
I've always used Seasonic, but other manufacturers have raised their game over the last 10yrs and are just as good now.
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I agree that most other manufacturers have raised their game but Seasonic is a top tier PSU maker a lot of stuff overall isn't in the same league (though Seasonic doesn't have a completely spotless record).
 
There's an Antec Truepower 750W PSU still powering my eldest's rig upstairs. No problems with it, and now just a couple of months shy of its 10-year anniversary.

I was going to save a bit of cash on his birthday upgrade and reuse it in a new Ryzen rig, but just at the last minute I decided against it and got a new Bitfenix Formula instead.

So, not very often is probably my answer to the original question!
 
Yes a well-made PSU is going to last many years without problems, I can't say indefinitely but the only common failure mode will be the electrolytic caps (decent caps last a long time too, cheap PSUs use cheap caps which do not). Heat is the killer of caps and they dry out faster when run hot.
 
Klo said:
Rocking the Corsair HX650 myself, still going strong!
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I'll join your Corsair HX650 club!! This current rig has some components about 10 years old now. When I first built it, it had some XFX PSU which had an 80 plus Bronze rating which went pop very quickly. RMA was a pain so got the Corsair instead. The warranty on that just expired this year and I'm due an upgrade so I'll probably get a new PSU to go with the new build. Thinking about Phanteks, Fractal or maybe Corsair again this time.
 
Yes, this reminds that the only time I've skimped on a PSU was when I was upgrading/building three PCs at the same time for me and the two kids. I used a low-end EVGA bronze-rated PSU in my youngest's Ryzen build to shave some money off the cost.

It lasted about 18 months before giving up the ghost. Thankfully it did so quietly, and without harming any other components. Got a refund and went for a more decent Gold-rated be Quiet! model.

Other than that I've only bought decent units, and they've all seen me through multiple rebuilds, basically until I decided it was time to sell the rig and start from scratch with a new case.
 
I usually look to change my PSU once it's coming towards the end of it's warranty period or with a new build depending on requirements as my son gets the old one.

As others have mentioned in previous posts, Seasonic is my usual brand of choice as I've always found them reliable and feel PSU's are one component you don't really want to scrimp on.
 
Funny enough I've got a good deal on an second hand EVGA 650w G2 for my open workbench to use for general troubleshooting and testing.
This will be my first PSU that hasn't been an Seasonic for many years.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/evga...plus-gold-modular-power-supply-ca-026-ea.html

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/evga-supernova-g2-650/11.html

220-G2-0650-Y1_XL_4.jpg
 
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i used to change psu's all the time in the past, got stuck into buying the minimum required for what was needed, then I'd upgrade and realise i needed more to avoid shutdown or blowup's, safe to say those days are long behind me.
I've realised how important they are and I've had a couple of units to date (corsair mainly, a good 3-4 years before needed to change) my current psu is the corsair hx 1000w platinum, overkill for what i have but i doubt I'll need to change for a long time (fingers crossed)

one of the best back in the day i used was a antec quattro 850w, the racing stripe looked epic and if i hadn't poured water coolant over it i dare say I'd still be using it :)

at the end of the day your putting all your faith in the psu as that is the sole component that powers your whole rig, cheeping out on that will cause serious problems if anything goes pop, always plan ahead and buy a good quality unit
 
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I stick to PSUs from between 550w to the 750w range depending on what I'm planning.
The main reason being the power efficiency curve tends to be more optimal for the typical load conditions.

1000w+ PSUs are really for your dual GPU setups and more power hungry processors like threadripper etc.
 
Grimley said:
I have the 550w version in my everyday rig. One of the very few PSU's to get 10 out of 10 on JonnyGuru. 4 years & counting now.
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Good to know, thanks.
7y Warranty, so hopefully will last for a good few more years yet.

The only PSU that ever went bang on me was an Antec Truepower like 15 years ago.
And to be honest it was my fault, it shorted out because it was full of cats hair lol.
 
Grimley said:
I have the 550w version in my everyday rig. One of the very few PSU's to get 10 out of 10 on JonnyGuru. 4 years & counting now.
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I've also got the EVGA Supernova G2, but the 750w for past 3 years, actually chose it over the G3 as it has a bigger, supposedly quieter fan than the G3, though to be fair the G2 fan isn't that quiet either. I run mine on ECO fanless mode most all of the time, doesn't even come on when gaming as I use way lower than max wattage. I plan to get 10 years use out of it if I can.
 
My current PSU is a few years old (BeQuiet System Power 8) which will be going together with some older components when the replacement arrives (Pure Power 11). I was quite pleased with SP8 as it's quiet and has been reliable and the PP11 has good reviews and was within my budget.
I usually just replace as and when needed, in this case I wanted to make use of old components.

[edit] Called up OcUK and swapped my order for a seasonic focus gx550, should keep me going for quite a few years - bonus is it has a hybrid fan mode for my quiet rig.
 
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Have had my current PSU since I first bought my current PC, although other components have been updated. This has been nearly 11 years now.

It's 1,000W Zalman ZM1000-HP. I think I overspecced in this area, but at the time had an i7 clocked to 4-4.2Ghz and crossfired GPUs, so thought I'd have needed it (which I didn't).

Considering the low power usage I was thinking about using it again if I ever upgraded everything, but as it stands I'll probably get another year or two of usage out of my current PC with perhaps a GPU upgrade.
 
My last Enermax PSU lasted about 10 years from memory and I replaced it purely because it's age made me worry it might send some magic smoke signals out one day. I passed that Enermax on to somebody else thinking all would be fine - it just went bang as soon as they turned it on. :D

Maybe I got lucky or the PSU was damaged in transit. Either way I still find it amusing, even as I post this. :o
 
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