Need new PSU...

[UKFX]

I ordered this: Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply as part of a "budget" rig a few years ago. About 2 years 3 months. The warranty was 5 years I believe, but since 2 years has passed, according to CoolerMaster I cannot get a replacement from the retailer and must send it to them? However, with shipping costs and the PSU only originally costing £45... I'm not going to bother. Should I?

So basically, it's reached the point where if I play games using my 500w PSU which is probably drawing no where near that now, it cuts out and the PC turns off. Happens in demanding games, which is no surprise, so I figured this may be a suitable, non-modular replacement.

Thoughts?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-004-SF&tool=3


I know it has plenty of juice and is efficient and Super Flower seem to have a good name in quality, but anyone think I'll have issue cramming the remaining cables into the Zalman Z9 Plus?

I don't want to spend a bomb because I hate this damn computer. Never again will I get a lower end Gigabyte board!

Thanks

 

[UKFX]

Core i5-2500K @ 4Ghz.
HIS 7870 IceQ X @ 1100/1250.
8GB RAM - 2x4GB 1600Mhz DDR3.
4 Case Fans with multiple LEDS. Thermal readout, etc (Zalman Z9 Plus basically).
1 TB Seagate Barracuda.
...and although I'm not sure how much it effects the draw but a ludicrous amount of USBs are used and a external USB 3.0 HDD.

Gaming for ages has been fine but I imagine the efficiency has dropped because of it getting older and as such it has reached the point where it simply cannot provide enough juice to the components on demand. After I lowered settings on my game earlier to lower the demand and power draw, I had no cut outs. I got my 1st cut out in a few days today (2nd one overall) so I decided to try other demanding games and sure enough they caused the system to cut out under heavy load.

I might beef up this computer another time and throw another mobo in there in future so I'd probably be better off with this 650, or even more. I know everything is supposed to be more energy efficient these days but they're not. Like the R9 series of AMD cards... nom nom nom power hungry. Plus I don't want to keep changing my power supply when they get 2-3 years old and their efficiency drops when I'm not far from scraping the power requirement bar in the first place. The only negative I can say about this computer is this horrific Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H rev 1.0. However if I upgrade in future, Intel have a really annoying habit of switching sockets and chipsets every 5 minutes...

I can't see ampage of the PSU on this site? Anyone know?

Edit: Nevermind... 54 Amps on the +12V - plenty.

 

[UKFX]

So you have a 5 year warranty and the part has failed after 2 years 3 months? If so then send it back and get a replacement!!!

Yeah but it was only £45 quid and I have to send it to whatever country... I can't imagine that'll be cheap, but in a year or two I'll run into this problem again with my components (if by some chance I'm still using this system). At the moment, I see no logical upgrades because my Core i5-2500K is plenty for now and my 7870 plays almost everything on the highest settings. I'll see what happens in the gaming / computing world in the next year or so, but for now I'll keep it as a spare.

If I send it to them and wait for a replacement that is no PSU for... several weeks? Usually ends up being the case with RMAs.

 

[UKFX]

Ah, I forgot to mention I had V-Sync on with the lowered settings, so there was no pointless creation of super high frames.

I don't think it's the card or any of that. Any OCs I have had are on stock voltage and have been stable for 2 years. There is no reason for me to wonder why it'd cause a crash. I wouldn't of thought an entire power cut out would be caused by anything else if it was.

As for the Gigabyte ZA-Z77-D3H there are a number of things I don't like and I've gone through every single BIOS update there has been, up until F22.

The things I hate? No Windows? No rear USB port functionality until the drivers are installed. Strangely though they work if Linux is the only OS on here (at the moment I'm running Windows 8.1). Other problems include flakey functionality over Windows 7 undoubtedly due to chipset drivers and for those HORRID USB drivers. Seriously, the rear ones are Etron I think which are evil... EVILLL. EVILLLL. Seriously. The front ones I think are on Intel. Also, then there is the fact that regardless of OS I can turn my computer on by pressing my Space or Mouse (except it doesn't on Linux because strangely this board loves Linux and hates Windows). The settings in BIOS are set so that doesn't happen but it ignores it anyway. Messing around with various boot types, for example, Windows 8 WHQL or just Windows 8 will sometimes cause one row of the 2 USB ports on the back of my computer to malfunction on boot. Shutting down hangs on Windows 7, probably a problem with Windows 7 but that's probably because it just hates this board. Then there are sleep issues on Windows 8, and this is probably Windows but HATES this board. These sleep issues = turn PC to Standby, it instantly wakes up. Requires putting into standby again to stay that way. Same thing happens when turning the computer off... sometimes it will boot up immediately after.

Makes me wonder why there are 2 other revisions of this board. I know it got awards but over 2 Windows OSes and practically every chipset driver, USB driver, update, BIOS upgrade etc, there is always a problem of some kind. However since Intel can't make their mind up and stick with ONE thing for more than 5 minutes and that my Z77 board with my 2500K is more than enough for the time being, the only thing I want to upgrade/replace is the PSU and that's obviously because it is misbehaving... oh and I don't want to buy another copy of Windows for using a different mobo.

 

[UKFX]

I did check actually and I made sure as well that the card (upgraded from 6870 to a 7870 a while ago) was fine and originally when this system was built I was suggested the parts from this community - those parts may have been good enough at the time... but the PSU isn't anymore. Plus I checked the ampage/wattage for the 7870 and it worked fine for over a year.

Currently I have no intention of changing the 7870 as I personally think there is little reason.

Not sure if I want to get a modular PSU or not. Airflow isn't a major deal after all... my HIS Radeon 7870 IceQ X has some very awesome cooling. I think the highest (on stock OC) it ever reached on a hot summers day was 72°c.

 

[UKFX]

Edit: Ordered the SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650w 80%+ Gold / Non-modular. I should have enough room between the PSU and the front bays for the bundle of cables. Temperature is never an issue for me so the impact on airflow shouldn't be a problem.

 

[UKFX]

Cooler Master UK RMA is based in Manchester.

It does not cost a lot to post if you use parcel2go website, cost as little as £5.48 for Hermes courier to pick up from your house and deliver to Manchester.

I think you should sent it then when you receive replacement and you can sell it on ebay cos people are watching for same model. Sell it for £45 or less with free postage? = profit.

I didn't realise it was in the UK.

The model is discontinued, so if they have some old stock lying around for the sake of replacements then indeed I will sell it.

This is of course if Cooler Master cover for efficiency drop when the product ages. At least that is what I think is the problem since it's only recently started happening. I'm fairly certain it isn't my card and I can play non demanding games fine. Once I crank it up and need a higher draw, it doesn't take long for it to just turn off.

I've been on Guild Wars 2 for hours on end tonight (this morning lol) and no issues because I have it on low / medium mix of settings and windowed. However before I had it on all medium and it powered off the PC every so often and then when I had it on high/max settings it didn't take long at all.

I'm pleased with my order of the non-modular golden green though. Blue LEDs will suit my Zalman Z9 Plus as well.

Now all I need to figure out is why Windows 8.1 refuses to save my settings. Stupid thing.

 

[UKFX]

I figured it was the PSU. Changed it yesterday and so far nearly 24 hours and playing plenty of demanding games on max settings and nothing has happened. Problem solved so far (touch wood).

 

[UKFX]

No idea. In any case, I do have the warranty, so I can apply for RMA and hopefully they can replace it. Then I can ebay whatever I get in return.