How long can a PSU last?

[ihaveaname]

Hey guys, I was wondering how long I can use the same power supply before changing to a new one? I've had my (Coolermaster 550W) PSU for about three years now. I've been thinking of doing a major upgrade soon; should I buy a new PSU with the new parts or would it be okay if I just stuck with the old one? I should mention that 550W is all I can ever see myself using in the near future, so if I did change it wouldn't be a higher wattage model.

 

[red1776]

The components of power supplies breakdown over time from the charge discharge cycle. Its commonly called capacitor aging, and should be factored into the purchase of a new power supply. I have seen them last for 20 years, but personally three years is about my limit. The reason being that a new 650w psu is no longer a 650w psu after a few years of use. I would purchase new one for a new build unless all you are doing is browsing the net.

 

[Tmagic650]

Power supplies in the early expensive PC's were built better than the power supplies of today. I have some that are 11 years old and still work well. Bestec are not good, LiteON seems to be better in a 6 to 7 year old PC. Around 3 to 5 years is a safe bet. I usually upgrade my entire system every 2 years. So my supplies are changed every 2 years. It's time to replace the Coolermaster 550!

 

[red1776]

. Bestec are not good,

Uhg T,,,Bestech...you made me shudder!:haha:

 

[Tmagic650]

Right red1776,
I replaced 3 in the last 2 months...

 

[ihaveaname]

Okay, thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Lokalaskurar]

Also, PSU's are affected (somewhat greater than other components) by sublimation. Even having a PSU laying around in a normal room temperature will degrade it with time, most of the materials used for soldering all the components of PSU's tend to undergo a phase transition and end up as oxidized goo.

I'm using a PSU from Chang-Wo manufactured in (reading) October 1991, for testing components compatible with the standard Molex 4-pin connector like optical drives and HDD's without having to use a PSU-starting device. The PSU itself works, but :gasp: the power fluctuation! Probably a good idea to evict that spider family...

I also know from personal experience that PSU's tend to last between 3 to 5 years depending on usage. - I recently replaced a 6 year old PSU that went bad, although the owner of the PC in particular did not use it very often. Same goes for the PSU mentioned above, the one from '91.

 

[treetops]

1 million years, my last 600w one lasted around 4 years. It died a month or two before its warranty was set to expire. Now I have a free 750 watt replacement!

 

[klepto12]

i would say no more than 5 years i have had 3 that lasted over 5 years and one that has been going strong in a computer i built for my grandmother in 1998 so they can last longer than you think but in general for a mid to highend computer i would say 5 years max but i always seem to buy a new one when i build a new computer so around every 3 years or so.

 

[nismo91]

i have 5yo 400W AcBel PSU. very seldom to no gaming for the PC i guess.

 

[arkantos]

HEC Raptor 500

Im using my hec raptor 500w for almost 3yrs now working for 24/7 and have no problems with it. work load are for video editing and minor games only.

 

[DelJo63]

NEVER had one to fail

 

[Tmagic650]

After how many years use so far Jobeard?

 

[Mizzou]

Think it depends on how major the upgrades are that you're planning. If you will be replacing a large percentage of the existing components it's probably a good idea to go ahead and get the power supply now.

 

[TorturedChaos]

I go with the rule of a new PSU if I'm doing a major computer upgrade, so thats every 3-5 yrs for me. Plus usually seem to need more power.
As for having them not work anymore I have had some last quite a while. Several custom built computers at work are running Antec 550w PSU that are about 6yrs old now and so far no troubles. (Knocks A LOT on wood - I don't want to spend next week replacing PSU....). Always pays to start with a good name brand product for PSU.
As others have mentioned- Bestech ./shudder are pretty crappy, along with a lot of the PSU that come with pre-built off the self computers.

 

[captaincranky]

. Several custom built computers at work are running Antec 550w PSU that are about 6yrs old now and so far no troubles.
As others have mentioned- Bestech ./shudder are pretty crappy, along with a lot of the PSU that come with pre-built off the self computers.

A while back, Antec was victimized by faulty capacitors. This manifested itself in their "Smart Power" series,(you should have seen the horrific reviews on the "Smartpower 450s"), and in my "Smartpower 350" in particular. No problem though, Antec mailed me a new EA-380 under the warranty. It seems to still be going strong, after about 4 years.

As to Bestec, turds indeed. A 300 watt Bestec in my Emachine lasted all of 5 or 6 months, crapping out on the first really hot day in July.

 

[Tmagic650]

Yeah captaincranky,
I saw the Antec problems too. I just refurbished an 11 year old PC with a 350 Watt Antec supply that still functions. I used to use Antec supplies in my builds. After the cap problems, I now use Corsair and Thermaltake 650 watts or better supplies

 

[captaincranky]

I don't think that Antec has the "street cred" in larger wattage supplies. I may be that they're shooting themselves in the foot so to speak, with the multiple 12 volt rail designs

It has to be said Antec smartened up quite a bit, and their mainstream EA models are Seasonic and or Delta rebrands. (At least they were, I haven't checked in a while). No reliability issues with the 380 and 430 watt units that power my PCs. I'm just not rabid enough about gaming to need anything with more than 500 watts max. The Antecs surely fill the need at these outputs.