[mythtv-users] Re: Quiet Power Supplies/Quiet PC's

Shirley, Mark R MarkRShirley at eaton.com
Thu Jul 10 16:40:08 EDT 2003



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ray Olszewski [mailto:ray at comarre.com]

> As you say, "[M]MMV". That's very different from "Cheap power 
> supplies 
> ALWAYS die after about a year or two". I don't doubt your personal 
> experience, only the generalization you make from it.

Forgive me, I sometimes overstate my case.  Let me restate:
Cheap power supplies ALWAYS die ON ME after about a year.

> 
> And surely "die" means something more drastic than "still 
> power up, but 
> aren't stable", at least the way I usually use words.

For me, if there is a glitch, or an unexplained crash, then the product
has become unreliable, and has died.  As I age, I become less and less
tolerant of technology that doesn't work correctly.
> 
> But my real interest in responding is to explore the details 
> of your actual 
> experience a bit more, now that I understand a little more 
> about what you 
> are really observing. I too have had what I would call 
> stability problems 
> (most commonly spontaneous reboots) with some of my cheap 
> power supplies. 
> Replacing the power supply always (actually only 2 or 3 
> instances over the 
> last 5 years) fixed it.

I have replaced perhaps 6-8 power supplies in the last few years.
Mostly since the ATX became available, and since the push for 
lower cost, and continual outsourcing to asian countries.
A $30 case cannot contain more than a $5-10 power supply, since you
can't pay for the tooling for the stamped cases without charging
at least $20 or so.  In each case, (pun not intended) I had increasing
levels of unexplained crashes after perhaps a year of continuous 
operation.  These problems were solved with replacing the psu.
Only two psu's have outright completely failed, in one instance, 
taking the motherboard with it.  I don't have unrealistic demands on
my systems, usually containing a P2-P3-AMDK6 with a single HD and CDR.
One case fane, and a cpu fan.  A couple of cards.  A lower power Graphic
card.  No modems.  Until the myth box I just built, I did not deem it 
necessary to go over 250-300W power supplys.  I tend towards the other
spectrum from you, I believe that transient demands may be lower than
some in the industry.  I know it's not uncommon for someone to buy a 
500W power supply and put it in their new computer, but think about
that - 500W!!!!  What in the hell are they trying to do with that much
heat?

> Does this sort of pattern at all match your actual observations (as 
> distinct from your interpretation of them)? My impression is 
> that people, 
> me included, tend to underestimate *transient* demands on 
> power supplies 
> very often, though they (we) usually get the steady-state 
> requirements 
> about right.

I would say I match your pattern, up until I started spending more money
on decent power supplies, BUILT IN THE USA.  I've almost fallen in
love with the nicer Sparkle power supplies.  They seem to be much nicer
built than the previous import jobs.


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