Grinding Power Supply?

[PawsForThought]

When I first start my computer, there is a grinding/vibrating noise that sounds
like it's coming from the power supply. It's not a constant noise but rather
it comes about every 10 to 15 seconds. Once the computer is warmed up, the
grinding noise goes away. I was hoping it was the case fan so I replaced that,
but no luck. I have an AMD Athlon T-Bird with a Biostar M7VKB motherboard. My
current power supply is a 250.

Can anyone tell me if they think I should just replace the power supply? When
it's making the grinding noise, I can feel the power supply vibrating. If I do
get a new power supply, what would you recommend and what wattage?

Thanks in advance.

 

[kony]

When I first start my computer, there is a grinding/vibrating noise that sounds
like it's coming from the power supply. It's not a constant noise but rather
it comes about every 10 to 15 seconds. Once the computer is warmed up, the
grinding noise goes away. I was hoping it was the case fan so I replaced that,
but no luck. I have an AMD Athlon T-Bird with a Biostar M7VKB motherboard. My
current power supply is a 250.

Can anyone tell me if they think I should just replace the power supply? When
it's making the grinding noise, I can feel the power supply vibrating. If I do
get a new power supply, what would you recommend and what wattage?

Thanks in advance.

The odds are that the power supply has a sleeve bearing fan that has
lost lubrication, and as a result the bearing has worn some. The risk
is that when the fan finally does fail, it will seize, just won't
spin-up at all when the system is powered-on, so no noise to notice.
At that point it will start overheating, begin progressively wearing
due to heat-stress. It is not a good idea to operate the system at
all once the fan has seized.

As an interim measure you may want to oil the fan bearing. A single
drop of heavyweight oil is fine, far better than a light oil or
non-lubricant like WD40, but practically a drop from a car dipstick
will be fine. This should buy you some time, to look around and
decide if you want to only replace the fan (which is a fine option if
the power supply was OK for the system, and if you're inclined to
splice wires or solder, or just find a fan with the right plug).

Obviously a replacement power supply is another option. You might as
well get a 300W since the price-point for that capacity has dropped to
make it the best bang-for-buck, but if you have any desire to reuse
the power supply someday, on a more modern and power-hungry sytem,
then buy an appropriately larger power supply. 400W+ should suffice.
Either way choose a well-known name-brand, not being mesmerized by an
attractive exterior since the interior of a power supply has nothing
to do with how pretty it is outside, is one of the marketing decisions
that helps sell overpriced generics as well as good power supplies.
Generic 550W power supplies are often worse than 300W name-brands.

Popular brands that are easy to find, should be fine for that system
(at 300W rating), include:

Sparkle/Fortron/SPI/AOpen
Antec
Thermaltake/Chieftec/Highpower/Enlight
Herolchi
PC Power & Cooling
Enermax

In general the cheaper power supplies in the above list may have
shortcomings like sleeve-bearing fans or slightly less output
filtration. It's less of an issue on a relatively lower powered
system such as yours, would matter more as the load approaches the
limits. This is of course assuming you have only a moderately
powerful video card, and mid-range T-Brid. A Radeon 9700 and T-Bird
1400 might make a ~350W power supply a good choice for the current
system. Generally, unless you find some low sale prices, the best
performance per $ is found from Sparkle/Fortron.


Dave

 

[Vanguard]

How comfortable are you with removing the power supply and removing its
case screws to open it up? Feel like you are capable of replacing the
fan?

It probably is an 80mm fan. You can remove the screws on the backside
that hold the fan, remove the fan, and replace it. If the old fan has a
2-pin connector, you can usually just slide on the 3-pin connector and
leave the RPM lead disconnected. If the old fan's are soldered onto a
circuit board, clip the wires close to the fan to leave you the longest
length, screw in the replacement fan, and strip the ends of the fan and
circuit board wires to join them (using wire nuts and then silicone the
cup, or solder them and use wire nuts or heatshrink tubing, and make
sure to position the wire so it doesn't get caught in the fan). Make
sure you orient the new fan so it blows out the backside of the power
supply through the grill. There usually are arrows on the fan case to
indicate the direction of blade rotation and also for the direction of
airflow.

You could put in a thermally-controlled fan, like from Vantec, so that
you might end up with it running much slower if it doesn't have a lot of
heat to expel. This would make the fan quiet but still leave it capable
of speeding up if your computer puts out more heat than it can expel at
the slow speed. I just put in a Vantec stealth fan and it runs all the
time, but it is very quiet. However, stealth fans may not have a high
an airflow rate (i.e., they have a lower CFM rating) so you'll need to
monitor your temperatures to make sure you system is getting
sufficiently cooled.

 

[kony]

You could put in a thermally-controlled fan,

<snip>

Installing a thermally-controlled fan in a power supply introduces
another issue to beware of... many power supplies having the typical
off-fan, thermal fan-throttling circuit can't effectively use a fan
with it's own integrated thermal control. Such combinations may not
spin at all, or only spin after the power supply gets VERY hot.

It's possible to do so and can be a very effective way to reduce
noise, but very easy/common to end up with a non-spinning fan. Trial
and error is needed to find the optimal combo.


Dave

 

[Bronney Hui]

Change for a new PSU immediately.

My buddy was lazy and let it grind for 3 months and the heat actually melted
(I don't know how but it did) the PSU plug that plugs into the mobo (white
thing). Dang.

Now he's screwed cuz he can't unplug the PSU plug without breaking his mobo.

-bron

 

[PawsForThought]

From: kony (e-mail address removed)

The odds are that the power supply has a sleeve bearing fan that has
lost lubrication, and as a result the bearing has worn some. The risk
is that when the fan finally does fail, it will seize, just won't
spin-up at all when the system is powered-on, so no noise to notice.
At that point it will start overheating, begin progressively wearing
due to heat-stress. It is not a good idea to operate the system at
all once the fan has seized.

Thank you very much for your responses everyone and thank you, Dave, for a very
informative reply. I greatly appreciate it! I was afraid you'd say something
about it overheating and that's why I've been shutting down the computer
whenever I leave the house. But after reading your post, I see it's time for a
new PSU. I have replaced drives and installed PCI/AGP cards and memory. But
I've never replaced a PSU before. It looks like there are 4 screws and a
ribbon cable to attach to the MB. Is this correct? Do you think it would be
fairly easy for someone with my experience?

As to lubricating the fan bearing, I am assuming this means taking apart the
PSU. I think I'd rather just replace the PSU since I don't have experience
taking apart PSU's.

My video card is just a 32 meg GeForce MX2 agp card. I mostly use this
computer for surfing the net or scanning in photographs. The processor is a 1
gigahertz T-Bird and I have 768 megs of ram. The computer is about 3 or 4
years old and I think instead of upgrading anything else, I would opt for a
whole new system somewhere in the future in a few years. So, with that being
said, and with your advice on brands, I found these:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat12085&type=page&_requestid=3636

I was thinking of the Antec SmartPower 350-Watt, Model: SL350. Or, the
TruePower 330.

I read a review here: http://mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/

What do you think of the smart power idea, and also having dual fans?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[PawsForThought]

From: "Vanguard" (e-mail address removed)

How comfortable are you with removing the power supply and removing its
case screws to open it up? Feel like you are capable of replacing the
fan?

Not comfortable really, especially if there is soldering involved. I've only
soldered once in my life and it was not pretty, LOL.

But thanks very much for your reply. I really appreciate it!

 

[kony]

Thank you very much for your responses everyone and thank you, Dave, for a very
informative reply. I greatly appreciate it! I was afraid you'd say something
about it overheating and that's why I've been shutting down the computer
whenever I leave the house. But after reading your post, I see it's time for a
new PSU. I have replaced drives and installed PCI/AGP cards and memory. But
I've never replaced a PSU before. It looks like there are 4 screws and a
ribbon cable to attach to the MB. Is this correct? Do you think it would be
fairly easy for someone with my experience?

Yes it's pretty straightforward, just unplug the old, unscrew it, then
reverse the process for the new. There are power cables from the
power supply to all drives too, not just the motherboard.

Two things to watch out for are to check the voltage switch on the
back (if it has one) next to the power cord. It should be set
appropriate to the AC in your region (110V vs 220). The other thing
is to make sure the wires are kept secure enough, out of the way so
there's no chance of them contacting the fan blades.

As to lubricating the fan bearing, I am assuming this means taking apart the
PSU. I think I'd rather just replace the PSU since I don't have experience
taking apart PSU's.

It would have to be taken apart if the whole fan label isn't accesible
in the rear. Some power supplies have a chrome grill in back that can
be removed to access the label (which would be peeled back or
completely off to expose the bearingway). Others have a
stamped-in-metal grill, necessitating disassembly of the power supply
and removal of the fan. It's not THAT hard to do, but of course the
pwer supply should sit unplugged from AC for the better part of an
hour to be sure it's drained.

My video card is just a 32 meg GeForce MX2 agp card. I mostly use this
computer for surfing the net or scanning in photographs. The processor is a 1
gigahertz T-Bird and I have 768 megs of ram. The computer is about 3 or 4
years old and I think instead of upgrading anything else, I would opt for a
whole new system somewhere in the future in a few years. So, with that being
said, and with your advice on brands, I found these:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat12085&type=page&_requestid=3636

I was thinking of the Antec SmartPower 350-Watt, Model: SL350. Or, the
TruePower 330.

I read a review here: http://mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/

What do you think of the smart power idea, and also having dual fans?

300W in a name-brand such as those should be fine, with 350W offering
even more reserve capacity. Either of the models you mentioned should
be adequate for your system, but the prices look a bit higher than I'm
used to seeing. You might consider buying online, someplace like
Newegg.com (which also offers a good deal on a 300W Sparkle):
http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.asp?catalog=58&DEPA=0

Dual fans shouldn't be necessary for your system but nonetheless could
help slightly reducet the noise and help remove heat more directly,
especially if your case doesn't have a rear fan under the power
supply. Since your system doesn't need much power (relatively
speaking) you might find a Fortron - P300XFPN to be a good choice for
noise-reduction and similar benefits to dual-fans:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=17-104-979


Dave

 

[PawsForThought]

From: kony (e-mail address removed)

300W in a name-brand such as those should be fine, with 350W offering
even more reserve capacity. Either of the models you mentioned should
be adequate for your system, but the prices look a bit higher than I'm
used to seeing.

Thanks so much, Dave. I was going to buy from the newegg.com site you listed.
However, I had to go to CompUSA for something and I had a $20 gift card. I was
looking at their power supplies but they were pretty expensive. Then the
salesperson said they had some open box ones. I told them I didn't want one
that had been returned. He said these are ones that have been opened in store
and taken out of the box. I had my doubts. But nevertheless I asked to see
what they had. He brought out a 400W with a CompUSA brand sticker on it. It's
chrome and it has 2 fans, one of them being belly mounted. He told me they are
actually made by Antec but that CompUSA puts their sticker on it. I opened the
box and the screws, warranty card and power cable were still sealed in bag and
everything looked new and in good condition. I asked the price. He told me it
was half off the $69.99 regular price. So that made it $35, plus with my free
$20 gift card I had gotten previously, it came out to $15. So, with that in
mind, I decided to get it, figuring that since my computer is 3 years old
already and I don't really want to drop a lot of money into it. What do you
think?

They told me they could install it for me for free but that I would have to
leave my computer for 4 to 7 days. I want to attempt this myself and I see
what you were talking about with the cables for all the drives. Maybe I can
find a website for some more instructions?

Two things to watch out for are to check the voltage switch on the
back (if it has one) next to the power cord. It should be set
appropriate to the AC in your region (110V vs 220).

I looked on the back of the PSU and right now it's in position of 115. Is that
right? I live in the USA.

 

[PawsForThought]

Here is the one I got. It also says this on the box:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292584&pfp=BROWSE

Supports Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon CPUs
Complies With ATX Version 2.03 And ATX12V Version 1.2
Supports Fan Speed Monitoring
Super Cooling! Two Visible Ball Bearing Fans
Protection Circuits For In-Rush Current, Over-Current And Over-Temperature
FCC Class B Approved
UL Approved

Motherboards Supported: ATX
Input Current Type: AC (Alternating Current)
Input Voltage Supported: 115 V
230 V
Power Rating: 400 W

 

[kony]

Thanks so much, Dave. I was going to buy from the newegg.com site you listed.
However, I had to go to CompUSA for something and I had a $20 gift card. I was
looking at their power supplies but they were pretty expensive. Then the
salesperson said they had some open box ones. I told them I didn't want one
that had been returned. He said these are ones that have been opened in store
and taken out of the box. I had my doubts. But nevertheless I asked to see
what they had. He brought out a 400W with a CompUSA brand sticker on it. It's
chrome and it has 2 fans, one of them being belly mounted. He told me they are
actually made by Antec but that CompUSA puts their sticker on it. I opened the
box and the screws, warranty card and power cable were still sealed in bag and
everything looked new and in good condition. I asked the price. He told me it
was half off the $69.99 regular price. So that made it $35, plus with my free
$20 gift card I had gotten previously, it came out to $15. So, with that in
mind, I decided to get it, figuring that since my computer is 3 years old
already and I don't really want to drop a lot of money into it. What do you
think?

Assuming it is a relabeled Antec it was a good deal. I do vaguely
recall hearing that the Compusa PSU were the Antec PP403X series, but
this was at least a year or two ago, more likely they're now the SL400
series:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=17-103-912

They told me they could install it for me for free but that I would have to
leave my computer for 4 to 7 days. I want to attempt this myself and I see
what you were talking about with the cables for all the drives. Maybe I can
find a website for some more instructions?

When it comes to things like these, I'd never let someone else do what
I could myself. You really don't need a website to determine the
drive connectors, just follow the wires coming out of the power supply
(they all come out of the same hole in the power supply case), and
unplug them all from whatever they're attached to. Every plug is
keyed so there's little chance to make mistakes, at worst you would
just forget to plug in a device, which would be obvious since it
wouldn't work until you power-off and plug it in again.

I looked on the back of the PSU and right now it's in position of 115. Is that
right? I live in the USA.

Yes, 110 or 115 is right for USA.


Dave

 

[kony]

Here is the one I got. It also says this on the box:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292584&pfp=BROWSE

Supports Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon CPUs
Complies With ATX Version 2.03 And ATX12V Version 1.2
Supports Fan Speed Monitoring
Super Cooling! Two Visible Ball Bearing Fans
Protection Circuits For In-Rush Current, Over-Current And Over-Temperature
FCC Class B Approved
UL Approved

Motherboards Supported: ATX
Input Current Type: AC (Alternating Current)
Input Voltage Supported: 115 V
230 V
Power Rating: 400 W

I can't ID it based on above specs or the picture on their website.
From the exterior picture it does differ slightly from the Antecs,
though it may be built by Channel Well (who also makes Antecs).
However Channel Well makes both higher-end and low-end power supplies,
sometimes even wearing labels with exactly the same specs on them.

One way I've noticed that you can tell a difference is that their
low-end usually doesn't have the PCB standoff studs embedded into the
wall of the casing as, but instead does without separate standoffs and
stamps a strip out of the metal to form the standoff... so if the
standoffs look like the following picture, it's probably the low-end
version:
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/stamped_junk.jpg



Dave

 

[larrymoencurly]

He told me they are actually made by Antec but that CompUSA
puts their sticker on it.

Here is the one I got. It also says this on the box:
www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292584&pfp=BROWSE

Their website says the manufacturer is FMI, but I don't know who that
is -- Fudin Manufacturing, Inc?

It doesn't look like an Antec, whether one made by Channel Well
(TruePower, SmartPower, Solution Series) or HEC (PP-nnnX series)
because the Antecs I've seen, of both makes, didn't have an 120VAC
accessory outlet on back. Also the grey painted CompUSA PSUs I looked
at several months ago were made by Leadman, more commonly known as
Powmax, Raidmax, or Robanton, confirmed by their fans being labelled
Leadman or Powmax, their main transformers labelled LP-6100 (some
Leadman PSUs have model numbers that start with that). I don't
remember what the heatsinks looked like, but I don't think they were
the long, narrow kind found in SmartPower Antecs or the cut-out ones
found in TruePowers, and I believe the PP-nnnX series have heatsinks
similar to those found in Fortron/Sparkle PSUs. The heatsinks in the
CompUSA PSUs were wider and uncut, like those I've seen in 400W and
smaller Powmaxes (Robanton heatsinks may differ). Leadman and Powmax
usually have the accesory 120VAC outlet on back (I haven't seen it on
Robantons and don't remember Raidmaxes). Back when I checked, CompUSA
also had chrome-plated PSUs that seemed to have been made by a
different company. Maybe www.fcc.gov or www.ul.com can reveal the
actual manufacturer from the FCC ID or UL registration.

 

[PawsForThought]

From: kony (e-mail address removed)

(e-mail address removed) (PawsForThought)
wrote:



I can't ID it based on above specs or the picture on their website.
From the exterior picture it does differ slightly from the Antecs,
though it may be built by Channel Well (who also makes Antecs).
However Channel Well makes both higher-end and low-end power supplies,
sometimes even wearing labels with exactly the same specs on them.

One way I've noticed that you can tell a difference is that their
low-end usually doesn't have the PCB standoff studs embedded into the
wall of the casing as, but instead does without separate standoffs and
stamps a strip out of the metal to form the standoff... so if the
standoffs look like the following picture, it's probably the low-end
version:
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/stamped_junk.jpg

I have no idea what a standoff is but I looked at the picture and at my PSU and
it does not look like what's in the picture. Can you tell me exactly where to
look? Thanks, Dave

 

[Vanguard]

A standoff looks like a short stud that holds the printed circuit board
off of the metal case to prevent shorting of the soldered leads sticking
out the bottom or between the traces on the board. It can be made of
plastic or metal on each end with a ceramic or other insulating material
between (or can be solid metal if the standoff connects signal ground on
the circuit board to safety ground on the case). Some standoffs just
push into a hole while some are screwed in. If you ever mounted a
motherboard, you used standoffs to keep it off the chassis.

On the solid face of the power supply, you won't see any holds for the
standoffs, but you might see what look like ghost nuts (the ends of nuts
that have been welded into the case into which standoff gets screwed
into. But the case should not have holes punched through it for the
standoffs. For the stamped "standoffs", these are where a press ripped
through the case metal to tear out a small tongue of metal which then
gets bent in and hole is drilled through the end of the tongue. This
tongue provides the spacing needed to prevent the snipped ends of
soldered wires on the circuit board from contacting the metal case and
shorting them out. I doubt when using this cheaper technique that there
would be an insulating washer between the "standoff" tongue and the PCB
and instead the ripped standoff attaches to a ground pad on the PCB.

From what I saw in CompUSA's listing for this power supply, they say the
manufacturer is FMI. At first, I thought this might be Fortron which is
a good brand but I couldn't see any Fortron's that said FMI on their
label in any web pages that I visited. I also could not find out who is
FMI that makes power supplies. Even if FMI produced the power supplies
that Antec slaps their name on, that doesn't mean they are of the same
quality. Antec probably has higher specifications for the units on
which their name gets put whereas FMI may be selling models of lower
quality to pander to a overzealous cost-conscious market that cares less
about quality. The Antec PSUs have a large reserve (which means not
only do they supply the rated power but they provide a lot more power
over their rating), so it could be Antec is using a higher wattage FMI
unit and putting on a sticker that shows a far more conservative rating;
i.e., Antec might be using a 480W FMI unit and labelling it a 400W unit
whereas an FMI-branded PSU for 400W might not really even be able to
punch out the full 400W and may only provide 380W.

With Antec, Fortron, Zalman, Enermax, I know that I'll get 100% of the
rated power. With other brands, I usually figure not to load the system
to much exceed two-thirds to three-fourths of the rated power of the
PSU. Do a search at CompUSA on "FMI" and you'll see power supplies and
testers, computer cases, surge protectors, web cameras, LCD monitors,
cases & mods, daughtercards (USB, firewire, serial & parallel, sound,
video), modems, keyboards, and mice. It looks like FMI is a reseller
slapping their name on a repackaged product so you really don't know the
real manufacturer. Hi-Val is a similar brand that repackages other
brand products, so if you know who made the products they put in their
Hi-Val package then you know the quality; for example, Hi-Val was
cheaper than Creative for a CD-ROM drive but the CD-ROM drive in the
Hi-Val kit was from Creative, so you got the name brand product without
paying the name brand price. I tried calling CompUSA to see if anyone
there could tell me where to go get more information on FMI products, in
this case would be to find out how much current each tap in the FMI
power supply could provide, its regulation under heavy load, its reserve
power above the rated power (if any), fan size, and anything detailed.
Nope, they couldn't tell me and no purchasing agents were available to
tell me who they contact for FMI stuff.

 

[kony]

I have no idea what a standoff is but I looked at the picture and at my PSU and
it does not look like what's in the picture. Can you tell me exactly where to
look? Thanks, Dave

The side (top) of the power supply casing facing up when mounted in a
standard ATX mid-tower, is the side to which the PCB is almost always
mounted. The method used to mount that PCB is what I'm talking about.
Most use screws but can differ in what that screw, screws into. The
low-end has two parallel lines "cut" into the same piece of metal used
for the top of the casing, and the resulting strip of metal in-between
those lines is bent inward to form a raised area inside the power
supply. That is what is shown in the linked picture.

No halfway decent power supplies I've seen use the above method, they
either have small round (or hex-shaped) studs, separate pieces pressed
into the metal so it's still flat except possibly for small round
threaded holes, similar to this:
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/psu_stud2.jpg

or by bending tabs in from the side of the base and other slits in
the rear end of the case.


Dave

 

[kony]

Their website says the manufacturer is FMI, but I don't know who that
is -- Fudin Manufacturing, Inc?

It doesn't look like an Antec, whether one made by Channel Well
(TruePower, SmartPower, Solution Series) or HEC (PP-nnnX series)
because the Antecs I've seen, of both makes, didn't have an 120VAC
accessory outlet on back. Also the grey painted CompUSA PSUs I looked
at several months ago were made by Leadman, more commonly known as
Powmax, Raidmax, or Robanton, confirmed by their fans being labelled
Leadman or Powmax, their main transformers labelled LP-6100 (some
Leadman PSUs have model numbers that start with that). I don't
remember what the heatsinks looked like, but I don't think they were
the long, narrow kind found in SmartPower Antecs or the cut-out ones
found in TruePowers, and I believe the PP-nnnX series have heatsinks
similar to those found in Fortron/Sparkle PSUs. The heatsinks in the
CompUSA PSUs were wider and uncut, like those I've seen in 400W and
smaller Powmaxes (Robanton heatsinks may differ). Leadman and Powmax
usually have the accesory 120VAC outlet on back (I haven't seen it on
Robantons and don't remember Raidmaxes). Back when I checked, CompUSA
also had chrome-plated PSUs that seemed to have been made by a
different company. Maybe www.fcc.gov or www.ul.com can reveal the
actual manufacturer from the FCC ID or UL registration.

I think you're right, it's not an Antec or variant of one. CompUSA
has MANY different products offered under the "FMI" name, that are so
varied that it leads me to suspect that "FMI" is just a made-up name
or perhaps a supplier, but not a manufacturer.

If his PSU is anything like a Powmax or Raidmax it ought to be
returned, those are fairly junky. One of the Raidmax PSU I have here
is brand new, doesn't have the AC outlet on it, though it's only 350W.
It'll never be used for anything, any system no matter how little
power neeed, just happened to come with a case... Maybe if I ever
needed a non-computer quick-n-dirty 12V source but that's about all.
Their 400W are "slightly" better IIRC, but not worth their spec'd
wattage or price.


Dave

 

[PawsForThought]

From: kony (e-mail address removed)

(e-mail address removed) (PawsForThought)
wrote:



The side (top) of the power supply casing facing up when mounted in a
standard ATX mid-tower, is the side to which the PCB is almost always
mounted. The method used to mount that PCB is what I'm talking about.
Most use screws but can differ in what that screw, screws into. The
low-end has two parallel lines "cut" into the same piece of metal used
for the top of the casing, and the resulting strip of metal in-between
those lines is bent inward to form a raised area inside the power
supply. That is what is shown in the linked picture.

No halfway decent power supplies I've seen use the above method, they
either have small round (or hex-shaped) studs, separate pieces pressed
into the metal so it's still flat except possibly for small round
threaded holes, similar to this:
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/psu_stud2.jpg

or by bending tabs in from the side of the base and other slits in
the rear end of the case.


Dave

Thanks, Dave. Mine looks like this picture at the link, with the hex shaped
studs that are flat. So hopefully this will be a decent PSU. I'm going to be
installing it shortly. I just wish the connectors were labeled. Wish me luck!
:-X

 

[kony]

Thanks, Dave. Mine looks like this picture at the link, with the hex shaped
studs that are flat. So hopefully this will be a decent PSU. I'm going to be
installing it shortly. I just wish the connectors were labeled. Wish me luck!
:-X

Keep in mind that i was only recounting the mounting method which
seems to be isolated to poor power supplies (the first link, not
second). That doesn't mean that the 2nd type implies quality.

If you are bold enough to void your warranty by opening up the power
supply and linking to a good picture of the inside (top-down) it's
more likely I or someone else could make a positive ID or at least
give a general idea of how it compares to the alternatives. Even if
it's halfway decent I'd be a little peeved that the salesperson
implied that it's an Antec, which it certainly doesn't seem to be.

One thing to definitely watch out for is the fans... even a junky
power supply can power some systems ok, but if the fan is a cheap
sleeve-bearing type which is much more likely to fail, it's that
failure that can produce further faults in the power supply, making
the protection circuits it may or may not have, all the more
important. In other words, a PSU sleeve-bearing _exhaust_ fan is
often the first failure point on a PC.


Dave

 

[PawsForThought]

From: kony (e-mail address removed)

If you are bold enough to void your warranty by opening up the power
supply and linking to a good picture of the inside (top-down) it's
more likely I or someone else could make a positive ID or at least
give a general idea of how it compares to the alternatives. Even if
it's halfway decent I'd be a little peeved that the salesperson
implied that it's an Antec, which it certainly doesn't seem to be.

In their defense, he said he thought it might be made by Antec, but said he
wasn't really sure. Now, here's the problem, before I installed the new PSU, I
looked at every connector from the old PSU and saw it was connected to my CDRW
drive, my DVD drive, and my hard drive, and the MB. That was it. So, I
installed the new PSU but unfortunately none of the connectors were marked P1,
P2, P3, etc. So, I had no idea where any of them went. So I took the
connectors that had 4 pin holes and connected to my CDRW, DVD and hard drive,
then I connected the one to the MB. Then I closed up everything and powered
up. So far, it was sounding good. However, my monitor will only stay in
standby mode and the screen stays black. I have absolutely no clue what I'm
doing wrong. Do you have any advice you can offer me? I guess I could take it
to CompUSA but if it's something simple, I would rather fix it myself. Right
now I'm on my old HP pentium and the monitor works with it, so I know it's not
my monitor.

Thanks so much for all your help.