Killed a 525W PSU, throwing a 850W at SETI@home

Message boards : Number crunching : Killed a 525W PSU, throwing a 850W at SETI@home

Author	Message
Ryan Helfter Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 7 Jun 00 Posts: 75 Credit: 4,488,605 RAC: 0	Message 1166794 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 21:10:24 UTC Last modified: 31 Oct 2011, 21:11:24 UTC
	I know the answer is not I, but I do wonder how many PSUs an average SETI user has gone through?
	ID: 1166794 ·

Ryan Helfter Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 7 Jun 00 Posts: 75 Credit: 4,488,605 RAC: 0	Message 1166795 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 21:11:12 UTC - in response to Message 1166794. Last modified: 31 Oct 2011, 21:11:51 UTC
	I am at 5 for my SETI career.
	ID: 1166795 ·

Fred J. Verster Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 21 Apr 04 Posts: 3232 Credit: 31,585,541 RAC: 1	Message 1166806 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 22:04:25 UTC - in response to Message 1166794. Last modified: 31 Oct 2011, 22:07:55 UTC
	I know the answer is not I, but I do wonder how many PSUs an average SETI user has gone through? (But why do want to throw 850 at SETI, don't know Watt or what, but a CO2 LASER will certainly do the job?!) Just choose the right PSU for the rig, having 25% overhead is OK. CPU =~ 85 -120W, GTX480 = 220W, Mobo, HDD, fans, 35 -75W = 120+220+75= 415Watt. PSU = 650Watt, doesn't even get warm, 28C. ____________ Knight Who Says Ni N!, OUT numbered.................
	ID: 1166806 ·

Mike Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 17 Feb 01 Posts: 19491 Credit: 21,155,267 RAC: 26,490	Message 1166822 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 22:49:54 UTC Last modified: 31 Oct 2011, 22:50:19 UTC
	I haven´t killed one by now. After 9 years just upgraded but the old one is still running in another computer. ____________
	ID: 1166822 ·

Wiggo Send message Joined: 24 Jan 00 Posts: 1490 Credit: 62,668,663 RAC: 86,657	Message 1166839 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 23:16:40 UTC - in response to Message 1166822.
	I havn't killed any either but as hardware here is upgraded so is the PSU and the old stuff just get handed down through the family then out the door. Cheers. ____________
	ID: 1166839 ·

arkayn Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 14 May 99 Posts: 3089 Credit: 40,334,136 RAC: 66,076	Message 1166846 - Posted: 31 Oct 2011, 23:44:25 UTC
	I have blown up 1 PSU so far, but have a couple of extra's lying around just in case. ____________
	ID: 1166846 ·

Ryan Helfter Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 7 Jun 00 Posts: 75 Credit: 4,488,605 RAC: 0	Message 1166862 - Posted: 1 Nov 2011, 0:57:22 UTC - in response to Message 1166806.
	I have a quad core + GTX570 SOC, 2 SATA drives, 1 CDROM, 2 fans and crunching 24/7 . Besides, it was onsale at Best Buy for $149 for a Thermaltake 850. Can't beat that :)
	ID: 1166862 ·

archae86 Send message Joined: 31 Aug 99 Posts: 871 Credit: 1,565,978 RAC: 50	Message 1166863 - Posted: 1 Nov 2011, 1:00:09 UTC
	I've replaced three supplies in somewhat over ten years of running SETI/Einstein. One was a hard failure that actually blew a puff of smoke out the power supply vent, then made a bit of a flash when the offending component finished the death dance, which I could see as the flash reflected off the smoke. One was a hard failure, but nothing so spectacular, though I think I recall some bulging capacitors. One was disliked enough by my system that it declined to boot, though a simple voltage check suggested it was largely alive. I'll call that a parametric drift, and not entirely sure whether to blame the supply or the motherboard for them not liking each other. I don't know how much the extra load of running SETI/Einstein contributed to the failures. Over that period I probably averaged having four systems running--so my failure rate seems to be roughly one for every 140,000 hours of operation, and I only started spending extra for supplies I hoped to be good in about the last five years. I don't, by the way, define "good" as "having an output rating far over double the input power consumption of my rig" despite that being popular advice here. ____________
	ID: 1166863 ·

HAL9000 Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 11 Sep 99 Posts: 3279 Credit: 76,796,102 RAC: 78,199	Message 1166867 - Posted: 1 Nov 2011, 1:44:30 UTC
	Oddly enough I just smoked one on Saturday. I had not realized the 3.5" to 2.5" PATA adapters I was using had exposed solder joints where the power connector was located. "I'll just set this drive down here on the case where it will be safe & turn it on." Everything was fine at first. Then I heard the drive spinning down and up a few times. Then lots of smoke from everywhere. It still smells of burnt melted plastic & exploded silicone in here. ____________ SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours Join the BP6/VP6 User Group today!
	ID: 1166867 ·

msattler Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 34151 Credit: 344,339,803 RAC: 543,111	Message 1167003 - Posted: 1 Nov 2011, 15:13:42 UTC
	I went through about 6 550w Coolermaster supplies... They were all about the same vintage, and one by one, gave up the magic smoke in one fashion or another. They seemed to have a finite lifespan. Knock on wood, I have not lost any since changing over to premium PC Power and Cooling Silencers....(at least some of the current versions are contract manufactured for them by Seasonics). ____________ ****** "Ask not, what your kitty can do for you. Ask what you can do for your kitty." As it is kitten, so shall it be done.
	ID: 1167003 ·

Cheng Fan Soon Send message Joined: 3 Oct 05 Posts: 61 Credit: 335,701 RAC: 2,387	Message 1167097 - Posted: 2 Nov 2011, 4:34:47 UTC
	I am thinking the other way, that is to use a smaller power supply(but high efficiency one) to reduce the power consumption A desktop with a pentium I5 (less than 100W), motherboard+onboard graphics card+harddisk will not consume more than 150W, take out the DVD drive. So a 250W will be enough. I also running setiathome on a laptop, this laptop's power supply is only 180Watt.
	ID: 1167097 ·

HAL9000 Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 11 Sep 99 Posts: 3279 Credit: 76,796,102 RAC: 78,199	Message 1167147 - Posted: 2 Nov 2011, 12:40:52 UTC - in response to Message 1167097.
	I am thinking the other way, that is to use a smaller power supply(but high efficiency one) to reduce the power consumption A desktop with a pentium I5 (less than 100W), motherboard+onboard graphics card+harddisk will not consume more than 150W, take out the DVD drive. So a 250W will be enough. I also running setiathome on a laptop, this laptop's power supply is only 180Watt. Most computer power supplies have their peek efficiency around 50%. So you may want closer to a 200w for maximum efficiency. One of my systems that used a mobile processor and chipset only pulls 40-50w. So the 350w PSU in that case is running only being loaded about 15%. This is below the 20% load rating for 80Plus. So my efficiency could be awful. Honestly I am surprised the PSU has lived all these years with that low of a load. Switching PSUs don't care to be underloaded just as much as they don't like being overloaded. ____________ SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours Join the BP6/VP6 User Group today!
	ID: 1167147 ·

uli Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 6 Feb 00 Posts: 8028 Credit: 3,752,630 RAC: 3,657	Message 1169054 - Posted: 8 Nov 2011, 1:27:55 UTC
	I smoked two so far. Yep the last one smelled a little bit, but didn't kill anything else. ____________ Pluto will always be a planet to me. Cash Donation Specialist
	ID: 1169054 ·

Paul D Harris Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 1 Dec 99 Posts: 1097 Credit: 25,311,543 RAC: 39,497	Message 1169090 - Posted: 8 Nov 2011, 6:40:51 UTC
	I have wasted 2 psu the first was a 650 and it bit the dust when I put in my 2nd 460 vc. The second last month a 750 cooler master that I have got a rma on it but waiting for postage money to send it back 5 year warrenty ____________
	ID: 1169090 ·

W5DMG - Dave Send message Joined: 19 May 99 Posts: 155 Credit: 23,996,607 RAC: 32,455	Message 1169276 - Posted: 9 Nov 2011, 0:14:51 UTC - in response to Message 1166862. Last modified: 9 Nov 2011, 0:17:50 UTC
	Besides, it was onsale at Best Buy for $149 for a Thermaltake 850. Can't beat that :) Just maybe, NewEgg has their Rosewill 1000watt, 80 plus cert, with 3 year warr. On sale normally $149.99, and now $59.99. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182188&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL110111&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL110111-_-EMC-110111-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17182188-L01D
	ID: 1169276 ·

razamatraz Send message Joined: 23 Oct 07 Posts: 142 Credit: 27,757,315 RAC: 2,724	Message 1169648 - Posted: 10 Nov 2011, 2:55:12 UTC
	I've only killed one, and it was an Enermax Revo 850. Not sure I actually killed it should have been only around 600 Watts, but it did die.
	ID: 1169648 ·

Message boards : Number crunching : Killed a 525W PSU, throwing a 850W at SETI@home