PSU test to detect silent PSU problems?

Is there a way to test an ageing PSU that seems to be working well, but that will reliably catch subtle problems (rather than huge, obvious ones) ?

I just built my first computer, and it works great! No problems at all, it runs well under idle and gaming, but I used an old PSU I had in left over from a prior computer that broke down. It is an Enermax Liberty 620w modular PSU that seemed to always run well in the past, but I recently looked it up in old newegg reviews and though it was highly rated in 2007 (when I bought it), the ratings dropped significantly after that due to electrical problems.

I also did not realize how old the PSU was when I put it in the new computer. Is there a way to see if this PSU is having voltage or current fluctuations which might harm my new computer?

Of concern, the last computer the Enermax was in did die, but it was an ancient P4 dell I think I bought in 2001, and the hard drives kept failing (but I was buying the HDDs used).

My new build is a i3-3240, gigabyte b75m-d3h mobo, asus hd7790 1gb, wd caviar blue 500gb, gskill ripjaws 1333 2x2gb, windows 7 64bit.

 

Long story short, you should be OK for now.

Depending how much you used the PSU since 2007, it may no longer have a max. output of 620 watts. This is because, on average, a PSU's max output drops by about 5% per year of use. Based on this formula, you may actually be getting a max output of around 425 watts.

If you need an excuse to upgrade, look for newer PSUs that are rated 80 PLUS bronze or gold. If you leave the PC on 8 hours a day, the new one may save you about $20 per year off your electric bill and run a bit cooler versus your old one.

Hope this helps.

 

You could try a program like Everest:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/everest_free_edition.html

Depending on the sensors your board has, you can sometimes see real-time voltage information the board is detecting. I used it a lot with XP, and in fact replaced a PSU when I saw very high/low fluctuating +12V values.

I did upgrade that computer to Windows 7, and I found that the program gives me less information then it did under XP, on the same motherboard? But, worth a try. There may be decent free programs that work better under 7 or 8.

You motherboard may actually come with a utility that does this, as well.