buying a new PSU

[billenium_uk]

Hi

Ive had some problems with my machine and after some investigation
think that it couyld be that the power supply is faulty. I have never
replaced a power supply before and not sure how easy it is.. or which
one i should buy?

My machine is as follows:

AMD Athlon XP 3000
Geforce 5600
1Gb RAM
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS etc

not sure what the mother board is as im new to this... and the power
supply i think is a 350 watt Delta electronics inc one. although not
too sure of the specifics.

Just wondered how easy it is to replace and which one i should buy....
if anyone could help me out that'd be much appreciated.

Thanks

Bill

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Ive had some problems with my machine and after some investigation
think that it could be that the power supply is faulty. I have never
replaced a power supply before and not sure how easy it is.. or which
one i should buy?

My machine is as follows:

AMD Athlon XP 3000
Geforce 5600
1Gb RAM
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS etc

not sure what the mother board is as im new to this... and the power
supply i think is a 350 watt Delta electronics inc one. although not
too sure of the specifics.

It's easy. Just be sure to first unplug the AC cord, and when you
unscrew it, keep your hand on it so it can't fall and crash into the
computer. Also you want the plugs on the new PSU to match the sockets
on the mobo. Some mobos have just a single 20-pin socket, but I'm sure
that yours has have both the 20-pin socket and a separate square 4-pin
socket. Some PSUs have a 24-pin plug, but they should work, too,
because with almost all of them the last 4 pins can be unhooked from
the rest. However don't take that 4-pin section and plug it into the
4-pin socket on the mobo! Its voltages are wrong for it and could
result in damage to the mobo. The mobo's square 4-pin socket instead
needs the separate 4-pin plug on the PSU that has 2 black wires and 2
yellow wires.

Delta PSUs are top of the line, and a 350W Delta is probably built like
some 400W quality PSUs. Also the ones I've seen had Japanese brand
electrolytic capacitors, which can be a lot better than some Taiwan
brands, like OST, JEE, Canicon, and Fuhjyyu. Capacitors vary a lot in
quality, and it's rare to find Japanese capacitors. IOW if your Delta
is bad, don't simply trash it; at the very least give it to someone who
knows how to fix PSUs.

A guide to good PSUs can be found at www.jonnyguru.com. Be sure to buy
quality because power ratings can be so dishonest that some PSUs are
overrated by as much as 100% (see Jonny Guru's review of the 500W
Powmax Assassin -- three samples in a row failed at 200-300W). Makes
like Delta, Zippy, Etasis, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, and
Fortron-Source are very good, but many are sold under several brands,
an example being Antec NeoHEs, made by Seasonic (but Neos are not).
Jonny Guru has a guide to the actual manufacturers. If you want cheap
and good, get something by Fortron-Source.