[geeks] PC Hardware (Power Supplies)

[Phil Stracchino]

Lionel Peterson wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I just swapped out the broken power supply in my main desktop machine (an older Intel D805 Pentium box used for basic web *stuff* and light desktop use), and it occured to me that this was the first power supply I ever had to replace, in either a PC or other platform, after all these years. Have I been lucky, or do power supplies just work? (I suspect the latter is the case, but I'm curious about others exp.)
> 
> I know Mr. Bill likes PC Power & Cooling units, but I have never had any problems with Antec (except for one DOA unit, which was quickly RMA'd by Antec, no problem). The unit that failed today was from an Asus chassis that I am sure I bought because it was cheap.
> 
> I threw an Antec Basiq 350 watt PS in the chassis in about 15 minutes (I tried very hard not to remove the MB or other bits to make the swap), and the system seems fine. I think the PS just died, it was up for probably 2+ years *nearly* constantly, and I doubt most desktop PS are designed for that kind of duty cycle (though they certainly should be).

It was a random failure.  I think I've only once ever had to swap out a 
power supply because it failed.  I swapped out vorlon's power supply in 
2006 because I thought I might be trying to draw too much power on it. 
babylon5 has been up essentially 24/365 except for moves, with its 
current power supply, since I rebuilt it in 2003.  Before that, its 
prior incarnation was up equally continuously since ... about 1997 I think.

-- 
   Phil Stracchino, CDK#2         ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
   Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
   alaric at caerllewys.net            alaric at metrocast.net
           It's not the years, it's the mileage.