PC Hardware Help (PSU)

[Njugle]

Hi guys,

 

Being more mac fluent than PC, i'm hoping some of you tech savvy gurus could please give me a bit of steerage.

 

I think the PSU on my PC has failed, might be the motherboard, but i'll go for the PSU first since it's cheaper.

 

I know (from looking) that it is a 300W unit, but what else do i need to know for ordering, or are they all relatively the same?

 

(Its a Mesh PC, about 3-4 yrs old)

 

Thanks.

[Pooks]

Nearly all are ATX and nearly all will do the job. It doesn't matter if you go for a higher powered PSU. 300w is basically the lower end of the line now and most machines need a little more oomph.

 

It is actually kinda worrying how many Power Supplies fail in Shetland. I have often wondered if it has anything to do with the quality of the mains supply or not. When people come to me with computers that have failed PSUs, it tends to be around the same time. I'll get a surge (excuse the pun) all at once.

[Mario]

Agreed, my PSU decided to go on fire recently... cue flames and the most god-awful stink in the world.

 

Managed to extinguish the blazing inferno and replace it with a better PSU. That's what I get for buying a PC off eBay.

 

However, I must admit, it's the 3rd outta all my 3 PCs that have failed.. all in Shetland... v strange. Maybe I should try buying better quality PSUs.

[Ally]

In the uni where I work PSU failure is the most common hardware fault. I think it's cause the ones they use have a fairly low voltage rating, yet are powering CD-RWs, a HD, a floppy and a Zip drive.

 

The advice I got online was to get a fairly powerful PSU if you're going to be attatching a lot of storage devices to it. I forget what mine is, but it powers a DVD-RW, a CD-RW, a floppy and two HDs. The last one I had only lasted a week after I'd installed the 2nd HD, then it kinda died.

[Njugle]

Thanks guys. Very much appreciated.

 

The spark of intelligence in your blinking eyes is not unlike the glow from the teeth of an electrocuted axe-murderess.

*

[Ally]

Thanks guys. Very much appreciated.

 

The spark of intelligence in your blinking eyes is not unlike the glow from the teeth of an electrocuted axe-murderess.

*

 

No bother

 

"Your aquiline senescence implores me to generalize within the relms of a starfish's lifelong hallucinations of gelatin pools and of actuaries floating upon the Rhine"

 

That surrealist compliment thing will now be the soul source of inspiration for all my valentines & anniversary cards from here on in!

[BigMouth]

I think that they are just making them out of cheaper components.

 

I have had them fail within 18 months whereas 10 year old PCs were still happy with their original power supply.

 

My advice is never run your PC sat on the floor. I have had so many apart that have spent their lives like this and they are just full of dust.

 

I have had a RAID box catch fire once. It was in my server room which was protected by a gas suppresion fire system to put out fires immediately. I am just glad that I wasn't there when it went off. You only get a few seconds to get out of the room.

 

My mate was just about to open up the office when suddenly the fire alarm triggered. The sudden burst of gas caused pieces of paper laying around the room to fly in the air triggering the burglar alarm. As it happened, Plod was walking past at the time (there was a cake shop nearby ) . He thought my mate was up to no good and was about to arrest him.

 

I hoped we would finally bin it, but no, it was repaired. It always ate disks 2 at a time, which caused mayhem and if memory serves me correctly had eaten 8 of them in 18 months.

 

I began to see why RAID 10 wasn't such a stupid idea after all.