10 years old PSU

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by elkosith, Feb 2, 2020.

  1. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    Hi,

    I have an old PSU, Vantec Ion2 460W, bought around 10 years ago. But It was used only for a year or two, after that it just sat in the storage along with the PC.

    I'm going to use the PSU for a new build, and already checked its voltages using a voltmeter. It seems to be working normally, all of the voltages are correct.

    Should I buy a new one or just use this old one? I'm on a tight budged.

    Thanks for the advice...
     
  2. Undying

    Undying Ancient Guru

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    The psu have 30a on a single 12v rail so basically gpu should be in gtx1650 range nothing more power hungry. PSU is a key component and if it goes bad it can make all sorta of problems.
    I know how its to be on tight budget so if voltages are correct and psu works go for it.
     
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  3. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    Thanks for the advice. I already bought an RX 570. It's cheaper than GTX 1650 but draws more power. The cpu is Ryzen 5 1600. I hope the PSU can handle them. The minimum requirement for a 570 is 450W
     
  4. Undying

    Undying Ancient Guru

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    hm, rx570 is a better card but it does draw more power. You'll be right there on the edge with that psu. If system restarts or shutdowns durring gaming you'll know psu is the issue.
     
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  5. Astyanax

    Astyanax Ancient Guru

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    a 10 year old psu might still work depending on util and grade of components used in it.

    but usually 5v and 12v will be seeing drop off by then.
     
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  6. warlord

    warlord Guest

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    Enable all eco things on bios to save some electricity and keep everything stock or power saving to be on the safe side of your story.
     
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  7. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    Thanks for the heads up

    Thanks for the info

    Thanks for the tips. No overclocking for now :(
     
  8. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    You're not going to get much in the way of overclocking anyway. Around 3.9 to 4.1....if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, like me, 3.8 is max and not worth the effort.
     
  9. Hyderz

    Hyderz Member Guru

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    i'd clean your psu, just to make sure it gets adequate cooling
     
  10. fr33k

    fr33k Ancient Guru

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    you are basically playing with a bomb that can ruin your entire pc, basically maxing it out and stressing the coils etc. not a good idea imo. a friend used his old PSU once when he upgraded to a new gpu himself. after a week he heard a squeak and a pop... probably a capacitor blowing up. i would not trust a new build to old parts.
     

  11. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    Yea, last time I did an overclock was years ago on an ATI GPU. Not into overclocking that much

    Thanks for the tip

    I understand PSU is one of the important parts, that's why I asked for opinions first before using that old PSU. Thanks for your input
     
  12. AsiJu

    AsiJu Ancient Guru

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    You can try the old PSU or use it for a while but do get a new and higher capacity one as quickly as possible, I'd say.

    Electronic components degrade over time even when not used and chances are at least slight condensation has taken place in storage (if cold).

    Skimping on the PSU can cause higher costs.
    You know the saying a poor man can't afford to be cheap ;)
     
  13. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    I know electronic components degrade over time, especially electrolytic capacitors. Bad capacitors usually have distinc appearance, but from what I can see, the capacitors on this PSU are looking fine

    It's working stably, the voltage reading is stable under heavy load

    I also set the Radeon Chill to 60 FPS max to reduce the GPU power draw
     
  14. Mufflore

    Mufflore Ancient Guru

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    It will be suck it and see.
    Caps not only degrade such that they can start to conduct DC (instead of storing it) or leak but they reduce their capacitance as well resulting in the PSU not being able to deliver the rated power.
    The older the caps the way worse this gets.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2020
  15. airbud7

    airbud7 Guest

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    is this your psu?...Vantec Ion2 460W

     
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  16. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    So cool, damn I wish my PSU started burning and sparking when I am on killing spree and landing headshots :cool:
    Like PSU can't catch up to process my TRUE PAWA!

    OP, if you noob, replace your PSU asap! This PSU for pros only :D
     
  17. 386SX

    386SX Ancient Guru

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    From what you wrote ... get a new one.
    The chance something inside oxidated and will blow up is relatively high if you didn't put the psu in an airtight plastic bag, sucked out the air and closed the bag so no oxygen can come through.
    You say a minimum of 450w is required, so if you run the rig with this old psu, the psu will be almost completely on load, completely at its capacity limit (not good for a new one either). If you have more than 1 HDD the current wattage already may not be enough to power all components under load.
    All in all a high risk. Better "keep it low" until you can afford a better psu. Probably some undervolting may help you some bits.
     
  18. Tiny_Clanger

    Tiny_Clanger Guest

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    get a new one ta tight sod :D
     
  19. elkosith

    elkosith Maha Guru

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    Yup, that's the same model with mine. Nice share, but makes me scared a bit...

    Yes sir! o_O

    Yea, I keep the CPU at stock, no boosting. Also I turned on Radeon Chill, and set my demanding games to medium settings to reduce power draw. I always monitor the GPU power draw with after burner.

    May be next month I'll be able to buy one
     
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  20. Chess

    Chess Guest

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    I'd make sure you disable every feature you don't use untill you buy a new one.
    features like external SATA controllers , RGB... Do you still have spinning drives?
     

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