- Joined
- Mar 2, 2001
- Location
- Seattle, WA
So I was shutting down my desktop as usual after a nice hard session of Oblivion/Shivering Isles. Actually, I've been pounding my current, almost 2 year old box with O/SI for about 2 weeks now. It's entirely possible that Oblivion killed my PSU. Anyways, Windows said now shutting down, then the screen went black and I heard a loud POP! 
and I smelled a burning smell as the PC blinked out.
The first thing I did was cut power from the surge suppressor, then I waited a few minutes and opened my case. Well, nothing looked visibly burned or scorched, which gives me hope that my motherboard didn't just get destroyed and my hard drives didn't just get torched. But plugging power back in and hitting the power switch does nothing. He's dead, Jim.
RIP Fortron/Sparkle FSP550-60PLG, just under 2 years old. Sigh. It wasn't a cheap PSU either, it cost me $110 from Newegg almost 2 years ago. Too bad Newegg and Sparkle both have a 1 year return policy, which I'm now outside of.
I hope the rest of my computer still works when I get a replacement PSU for it.
Does it really seem like I was overloading a rather beefy PSU with this box? (See sig, the PSU was rated for 36A on single +12V rail.) I wonder if it was really Oblivion that killed my PSU, or was it dying for a long time and I just broke it's back with a really demanding game? Does anybody happen to have any suggestions for a good new PSU? It seems Fortron/Sparkle Power are now off of my 'good list', so perhaps another brand which is good? Maybe with a warranty longer than 1 year? And what are the chances that anything else in my box got burned when the PSU finally gave out?
Anyways, I was at Newegg and I saw these:
Here's a Seasonic model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151028
Meanwhile Silverstone has this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256006
I wonder which one would be better for me. Outside of the $20 price difference, of course. I hear Antec sources their high-end PSUs from Seasonic now, after years of using Channel Well previously. The Seasonic models tout minimum 80% efficiency at all load levels, something which appeals to me as right now this box is like a space heater in my smallish apartment and it sucks unbelievable quantities of juice.
I'm not going to buy another Fortron/Sparkle Power PSU. That ought to seem obvious as I just killed one stone dead, but please don't suggest another FSP product. 1 year warranty just doesn't cut it anymore.
and I smelled a burning smell as the PC blinked out. The first thing I did was cut power from the surge suppressor, then I waited a few minutes and opened my case. Well, nothing looked visibly burned or scorched, which gives me hope that my motherboard didn't just get destroyed and my hard drives didn't just get torched. But plugging power back in and hitting the power switch does nothing. He's dead, Jim.
RIP Fortron/Sparkle FSP550-60PLG, just under 2 years old. Sigh. It wasn't a cheap PSU either, it cost me $110 from Newegg almost 2 years ago. Too bad Newegg and Sparkle both have a 1 year return policy, which I'm now outside of.
I hope the rest of my computer still works when I get a replacement PSU for it.
Does it really seem like I was overloading a rather beefy PSU with this box? (See sig, the PSU was rated for 36A on single +12V rail.) I wonder if it was really Oblivion that killed my PSU, or was it dying for a long time and I just broke it's back with a really demanding game? Does anybody happen to have any suggestions for a good new PSU? It seems Fortron/Sparkle Power are now off of my 'good list', so perhaps another brand which is good? Maybe with a warranty longer than 1 year? And what are the chances that anything else in my box got burned when the PSU finally gave out?
Anyways, I was at Newegg and I saw these:
Here's a Seasonic model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151028
Meanwhile Silverstone has this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256006
I wonder which one would be better for me. Outside of the $20 price difference, of course. I hear Antec sources their high-end PSUs from Seasonic now, after years of using Channel Well previously. The Seasonic models tout minimum 80% efficiency at all load levels, something which appeals to me as right now this box is like a space heater in my smallish apartment and it sucks unbelievable quantities of juice.
I'm not going to buy another Fortron/Sparkle Power PSU. That ought to seem obvious as I just killed one stone dead, but please don't suggest another FSP product. 1 year warranty just doesn't cut it anymore.
and deadeyedata has solid deals on all silverstone PSU's generaly.
