Replacing power supply

Pozzydrive · Mar 14, 2010

Hi all

Since my last post I've found out that a capacitor was blown on the circuit board inside the power supply box on my desktop PC, what I would like to know is, can I replace the power supply with a different make/model, the make I have at the moment is called a Premier Model LC-B350ATX (made in China), if I can replace it, what would be a good make to replace it with, but one thats not too expensive, can I also put a higher wattage power supply in, the computer itself was built for me around 6 years ago by a friend so not sure what other components are in it.

Regards

Pozzy

rjc862003 · Mar 14, 2010

most certainly something like this would do the job nicely
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171031
how every I would recommend you inspect the capacitors on the motherboard as well if the ones in the psu are gone I would be willing to bet that the ones on the motherboard are wearing out

collinsl · Mar 14, 2010

A normal tower PSU is made to a standard called ATX. This ensures it fits within certain dimensions, with certain connectors and voltages supplied.

Please note the PSU is one of the most critical components in your system. If you skimp on this you could loose the whole computer.

The following canned text has been kindly provided for reproduction by Digerati. Please note there is more information below it:

Digerati said:

It is important to ensure power supplies are capable of supporting the demands placed on them. A stressed or overworked power supply can cause stability problems, system lockups and reboots. In worse-case scenarios, a stressed supply can fail catastrophically and damage any device connected to it. Sadly, many computers, especially factory made computers, come with PSUs that are barely adequate to support the existing hardware. Simply adding two more RAM modules (sticks) can overtax them. Therefore is important to consider the greater power demands whenever adding or upgrading hardware. This is critically important with graphics card as they can, and often do demand more power than CPUs.

There are several calculators out there but I have found this to be the best. Note the results indicate the minimum size supply you need. And the default settings do not take into consideration how the computer is used, future upgrades or hardware changes. To ensure your new supply will provide years of faithful service, has enough horsepower to support heavy demands and is ready for future hardware upgrades, please follow the advice below to modify the specified parameters.
Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. To ensure the supply has adequate head room for stress free operation and future demands, I recommend the following settings:

CPU Utilization (TDP) - 100%

Capacitor Aging - 30%

System Load 100%

Motherboard - High End Desktop (optional but recommended)

Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,

Efficiency,

Total wattage.

Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. And don't count on supplies that come included with a case. They are often underrated, budget or poor quality models "tossed in" to make the case sale. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation), as surge and spike protectors are inadequate.
Note: There is often some confusion over buying too big of a supply. It is important to remember that electronics draw from their power supplies what they need and not what the supply is capable of delivering. That is, if the motherboard plus the RAM, drives, fans, and graphics card all need 360 watts of power, they will only consume 360 watts regardless if the power supply is a 400W, 650W or a 1000W supply. And the power drawn from the wall outlet will also only be 360W (plus up to 30% more for PSU inefficiencies). So there is no risk of damage from using too big of a supply, except to your budget. That said, if the calculator says you need a 400 watt supply, a quality 400 watt supply will work, but note it will be working near its peak capacity full time. This will likely cause its internal fan(s) to spin at full speed, and maximum loudness. A 500 - 600 watt PSU will be under less strain, and not require the fans to run at full speeds.
Click to expand...

Please also note that wattage is only an indicator of performance. A much bigger factor to consider is amperage per rail. This needs to be high enough to run all devices connected to that rail. Wattage is an indicator of amperage as wattage is amperage x voltage. Therefore wattage/amperage per rail is a deciding factor in a PSU choice. Good named brands are likely to have good amperage per rail.

Pozzydrive · Mar 15, 2010

Hi

A lot of info to digest, so I've bought a larger power supply than was originally in the computer, waiting for delivery, thanks for all your help.

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Replacing power supply

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