My PSU Popped~

[bing_raga]

Hi there. I have this PSU - Zumax ZU 625w modular PSU. It just popped a few seconds after I turned on my surge strip where my PC is plugged in (The PC was not turned on yet). The blow was a bit loud and produced a burnt smell that vanished quickly. I waited for about an hour to test it again, I plugged it and nothing happened, but observing the mobo led, it is flickering and some sparking sound is coming from the PSU. It is no longer working with the paperclip test. It is still under a 1-year warranty, it worked for me well for the past 11 months. The problem now is, one of the two warranty stickers was badly scratched due to my frequent chassis cleaning and chassis switching. So, I can no longer have it RMA'ed. I had no choice but to take a chance and check the inside for any burned component. Unfortunately, I cannot find any, no bloated caps or anything, just slightly fried soldering on the board of the two wires coming from PSU switch. Fortunately, none of my hardware was damaged. I checked the surge strip and it's working properly.

Could the blow have been caused by some external power failure, since the PSU popped without the PC being turned on? Did my strip fail to do its job? Should I try having it repaired by an electronics tech? I now use my old generic PSU and old UPS (just to be safe if ever the fault is in strip) for the mean time just so I could visit Hexus, now I had to down clock everything, use only 1 of my 4 HDDs, disconnect some fans and my ODD. Oh, it's a crap. My budget is currently set aside for graphics card and SSD upgrade, so, I cannot spend for a new PSU yet.

[ehhhhhhh]

I wouldn't get it repaired. it's better to buy a PSU from a reputable company like Corsair, Seasonic, etc.

[scaryjim]

If there's burnt solder in the PSU then something has popped badly. If it did it without the PC being on, that suggests that there's some sort of short in the PSU to me, or at least that something isn't quite right. Also, it means that the PSU doesn't have proper protection for overcurrent/overvoltage - something has caused a component to overload and the PSU hasn't dealt with it cleanly, it's just let it blow up. If you got it repaired you'd just be sitting there waiting for it to blow again. Have a read through the rest of the PSU subforum - you'll see a lot of recommendations for good quality PSUs that you can use to inform your new purchase. And frankly, you're far better off spending any money you have now and a good PSU, because it will last you for years - then get the other upgrades later when you've been able to save more money. It's a huge false economy to buy a cheap PSU just so you can upgrade other components - sometimes when cheap PSUs blow they can take other, more expensive, components with them, and it'd be a crying shame for you to buy an expensive gfx card and SSD and then have them fried by a cheap PSU blowing up...

Don't forget that your "surge protected" power strip will only trip if there is a surge that is above standard mains current - in the UK that means it would have to be above 13A (~ 3kW of power draw). Those power strips are intended to stop external factors, like a lightning strike, from driving an excessive input current/voltage to your equipment. They won't help much if the equipment itself is faulty.

[bing_raga]

Thanks guys for the recommendations. Actually, I was also thinking that pushing through my SSD and graphics card upgrade would actually be useless without a good PSU. So, right now, I am thinking of getting TX or AX Corsair PSU and a higher capacity UPS (Since mine can only hold up to 300w). What is really driving me nuts and why I am so desperate in getting my blown PSU repaired, is that by the time that I purchased it, my actual order was a Corsair VX550. The store have no stock of VX550 and I had to wait for 2 freaking months for it to arrive. So, I had to settle for what is in the shelf. They've got this ZU-625w, and it is priced just slightly cheaper than the VX550, so I assumed that I'm gonna get somewhat a decent PSU performance. That time, my UPS needed a replacement battery, so, I chose to use my strip instead. So now, I can see that I really made a really bad decision back then, about the PSU, about the strip, about my impatience, about everything that happened that day I purchased the PSU, hehe. So, maybe you see why I am so desperate about the PSU repair, LOL. I might get it repaired but I'm only gonna use it with my old Sempron system for my nephew. I really am gonna get a new one for my rig. Thanks for the help, guys!

[Pob255]

I've never heard of a Zumax before, does it have a 240v/110v red switch on the back? the one thing that springs to mind is that it was switched to the wrong mains voltage this is the main thing I know of that will cause a psu to go bang when you turn the mains power on but not the pc.

Is this your psu? http://www.abee.co.jp/Product/PSU/ZU...425N/spec.html it's the only zumax 625w I can find.
only 38a combined on the 12v ans 78% efficiency, shows it's an old design and you should treat it as at least 100w lower than listed a modern 500-550 watt psu will be 34-42a on the 12v.

[bing_raga]

I've never heard of a Zumax before, does it have a 240v/110v red switch on the back? the one thing that springs to mind is that it was switched to the wrong mains voltage this is the main thing I know of that will cause a psu to go bang when you turn the mains power on but not the pc.

Is this your psu? http://www.abee.co.jp/Product/PSU/ZU...425N/spec.html it's the only zumax 625w I can find.
only 38a combined on the 12v ans 78% efficiency, shows it's an old design and you should treat it as at least 100w lower than listed a modern 500-550 watt psu will be 34-42a on the 12v.

Hi, Pob! I followed the link you posted, and, nope, that's not my PSU. And it doesn't have that red switch for input voltage selection. I was trying to find some other sites featuring my PSU, and I found this: http://portal.cbn.net.id/cbprtl/cybe...ech|8|0|5|1132. Well, actually I haven't seen this site before when I tried to find some reviews or anything about the PSU before I got to purchase it last year. But, I actually did manage to read some good stuff about the PSU on local websites that I found that time. So, these sites somehow made me comfortable with the PSU. It was indeed a mistake that I still bought that PSU without finding any reputable review about it. I'm only running an Athlon II x2 on it with just a 4600 series graphics card, so it wasn't much of a power hog. I wasn't expecting it to deliver its labeled rating, so it was only meant to give ample headroom, in case I must treat it, like you said, a PSU that is 100w lower than what is on the label. Anyway, I already learned from my mistakes, and I will never use a surge strip. And, just this morning, I was able to borrow an unused 2-year old CX430 from my friend. This should help while I'm waiting for the AX850 that I ordered to arrive. And, yes, I'll be patiently waiting for it, LOL. Well, I still have time to have the order cancelled, in case you guys have any other recommendations... Thanks a lot for the reply, Pob.

[scaryjim]

If you're on an Athlon II X2 with a HD4600 don't buy any higher than a 400W PSU unless you're planning on upgrading very soon. Your rig will draw at most 200W (probably a lot less most of the time) and your PSU will be sitting in its least efficient area if you get a high power one. Not sure about prices in the phillipines, but I'd guess a 400W PSU from a reputable brand name (OCZ, Seasonic, Antec, Corsair etc.) should cost at least US$60, or whatever the local equivalent would be. If you see anything much cheaper that that there's probably something wrong with it

[bing_raga]

If you're on an Athlon II X2 with a HD4600 don't buy any higher than a 400W PSU unless you're planning on upgrading very soon. Your rig will draw at most 200W (probably a lot less most of the time) and your PSU will be sitting in its least efficient area if you get a high power one. Not sure about prices in the phillipines, but I'd guess a 400W PSU from a reputable brand name (OCZ, Seasonic, Antec, Corsair etc.) should cost at least US$60, or whatever the local equivalent would be. If you see anything much cheaper that that there's probably something wrong with it

Yes, I am planning to upgrade soon. My priority was the graphics card and the SSD, but I had to ditch the plan for this two and should get the new PSU first. Here's my plan that I posted before: http://forums.hexus.net/review-my-bu...gaming-pc.html. I'll be shifting to Intel setup, and I might be getting an AX 650. I'm also considering the GS series, but I will have to do the homework first and find out if GS600 will be a wise choice for the original plan for an i5-setup. I might be getting an i7 maybe a year after I get the rig finished, though, will the AX 650 still able to handle it? Or should I go straight to 750/850? Or should I get the GS 600 to save some more money for a new UPS? Haven't checked the price of AX 650, but the HX 650 is already priced at $125 (PHP 5,400).