Power supply (PSU) concerns

hi just to let you know my crazy dad opened my power supply and soldered a bit of fuse wire across the fuse and what do you know my psu is now in working order.
i know that opening a psu aint a good idea but surely if you know an electrician and your power supply has blown dont buy a new one just yet check the internal fuse first and replace it. if it is soldered onto the board then you can try and identify the correct fuse wire to use and solder a bit linking from one side of the fuse to the other.

just thought id let you guys know im sorted and to say thanks for previous advise

Nick

It is always best to replace a power supply especially in any eMachines rather than just replacing or bypassing a fuse... It's never a good idea to bypass a fuse ever. This practice might start a fire

Start by replacing the power supply, it's cheaper. Then move to replacing the motherboard. There are many posts here to help you do this. Better yet... save for a new computer

power supplies are cheaper now

Old english saying "Buy cheap = buy twice"
Very true for PSUs

Doesn't a 500w power supply use twice as much electricity as a 250w power supply?

I've read that 250w is plenty for desktop use, unless using for high end games.

And shouldn't a 250w power supply last just as long as a 500w?

"Doesn't a 500w power supply use twice as much electricity as a 250w power supply?"...

Under full load, technically yes

"I've read that 250w is plenty for desktop use, unless using for high end games"...

Hi-end games, need hi-end motherboards and hi-end CPU's and hi-end video cards. These in turn need and take more power (electricity)

"And shouldn't a 250w power supply last just as long as a 500w?"...

It will probably last longer. Quality Power supplies built 6 years ago would power most systems of today. I just replaced a 600 Watt cheapo with a 6 year old Antek 150 Watt, and the system ran fine

What if my current PSU has not enough power but i juz juz bought it and not a wise idea to discard it? can i juz buy another say 250W PSU and join it up wif my current 500W to make it 750W?

Not necessarily true. It is true that a power supply with high quality components and clever engineering design will provide better output. But some of those high quality components with narrow tolerances can burn out more quickly.
It all depends upon how you define "quality". Some consider steady output on all rails. Others devine it as "will not fail under load."
The best, but more costly solution is use a power supply with great engineering, high quality components AND higher output. This reduces heat, the major cause of failure.

I am looking to replace my psu soon,i would like to know what you guy's would recommend with my pc spec's =amd 5200 brisbane,asus M2R32-MVP,4gb ram,X1950GT,asus 20X drive,front card reader,2x160gb and a 320gb hard drive's,9x120mm and 1x200mm and a 92mm all with led's. I am using a areocool zerodb 500watt at the moment i am wondering if this is good enough and if i do replace is quad\triple rails better than a single rail with a high amp. PS i will be getting a 3870 in this month and maybe a X3\X4 at the end of the year

Never seen anyone prove multiple rails are better. Single rails with constant power in amps, along with a very quiet fan and motor is what I hope for.
Quality counts, howerver, so look for one with good reviews that has been out for a year or so.
Avoid the real cheap one.
There is a posting on this forum which rates about 75% of the 100+ power supplies sold. I don't agree with everything he says, but it is an all-encompassing list that is very helpful.

Thanks went for the gigabyte odin GT550 .

Please keep us updated on how things go.

It's a good PSU, about identical to the Corsair 550VX in power output but the GT550 is modular and has 41A split across three +12V rails as opposed to the single rail on the Corsair PSU. Both are made by Channel Well, so they're decent enough units. You shouldn't have any problems.

burnt out psu

I need to replace a 520watt(psu).can anyone suggest anygood ones.
i need it to have a 8 pin cpu plug,i have a AMD Athlon 4400+ Duelcore,2gb ram,
Nvidia 8500GT 256mb. A 500GB Hard Drive.

thankyou for any help.

You should be fine with the Corsair 450VX or the Antec Earthwatts EA430.

my psu is replaced

I got a Rocketfish 700watt psu from best buy,for $187.

I hope it works better for you than the one my neice bought worked for her.

Rocketfish Rocks

Not sure what brand they really are but the output on them looks impressive. 4 +12v rails with 70 amps. They are also really heavy. Have one in my sons computer for close to a year and it seems to be holding its own.

Good news is that when I got it close to year ago it was on special at Best Buy for $100 and was a steal compaired to its regular price!!! Unless you need it today RIGHT NOW !!!!! You can get somthing a lot better for $187.

The Rocketfish 700W is overpriced garbage, to say the least. It's a rebranded Huntkey Titan 650W, which itself is able to only output 650W at 25C, the actual power output in real-life conditions i.e. 50C operating temps being 550W. It has a combined total of only 41A on the +12V rails, a very low number for a 700W PSU.

Note: No offence meant, just providing information for others, that's all.