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Should I change my PSU at regular intervals?

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  • 02-11-2011 2:09pm
    #1
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭


    Over on the how much is my computer worth thread one poster insists my system is worth less as I have never changed the PSU.
    The PSU is 5 years old and so is the rest of the system(except GPU)

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75255685&postcount=1757

    Do people really periodically changing. If a PSU has powered a pc stable for 5 years is there any reason to doubt it would continue to do so?
    He claims that the PSU should have blown up.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75254720&postcount=1754

    I also have a 13 year old system and have never considered changing the PSU.
    Of course electronics degrade with age but it's not unusual to see 20+ year old systems running on original parts. I just don't see why anyone would change psu every few years unless there were signs of a fault.


Comments

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    #2
    deconduo
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 4,281 Mod ✭✭✭✭deconduo


    That PSU has 32A on the +12V rail. The 260 has a peak draw of about 15A. The CPU will draw ~8A when overclocked. Even with fans and hard drives you aren't coming too close to the limits of that PSU except under full load. While I wouldn't recommend such a setup for someone buying a brand new rig, it shouldn't be a factor for something that's 2nd hand and running fine.

    Your case and PSU should be the components that last longest on a rig. You shouldn't need to upgrade your PSU unless you are getting a new graphics card that has a higher power draw than your current one.


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    #3
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    Thanks I figured it should be fine. I know the 12v rail is the most important and it was 32A which seems ok. I just found his response weird as I have never heard anything like it before so figured I should double check.


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    #4
    Serephucus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,179 ✭✭✭Serephucus


    Well he's right; PSUs do degrade over time, but it's nothing huge. If it's from a good brand, we're talking maybe a 0.5% drop in efficiency over a year or two (very rough estimates) so your PSU is fine.


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    #5
    Sobanek
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,354 ✭✭✭Sobanek


    //edit// nevermind :pac:


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    #6
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    Sobanek wrote: »
    //edit// nevermind :pac:

    Never mind everything you have said or just this last post? :confused:


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