need new power supply for older pc

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asiancivicmaniac

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My family has a computer that we bought in 2003 and about 1.5 years ago the video card gave out and I installed a new card. The new card is an ATI that needed a to be connected to the power supply while the old one didn't. Shortly after, the computer wouldn't turn on. I suspect the factory 300w power supply gave out. Could my suspicion be correct?

The computer is old now but when we bought it, it had the newest stuff at the time so I think it will still work competently. It would be a waste to throw it away so my dad wants to get it working again. Since I'm not 100% sure that it's the power supply I don't want to go buy it yet. Also, I don't know what exactly I'm looking for. I mainly want a ps with a higher wattage. I think 450w would be sufficient.

This is what the ps I took out of the computer looks like http://www.power-on.com/at30atpow.html and this is what I'm looking at but I don't know if it is compatible with my pc http://www.power-on.com/ea450p.html .

Can someone who knows computers compare the two and let me know? And if you think that it could be something other than the power supply then please also let me know. Thanks
 
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I'd stick with a more well known brand. This would be a much better choice:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017

The mystery manufacturer power supplies (usually from China) are a very mixed bag.

As far as troubleshooting your problem, it could be any number of things...bad motherboard, for starters. However, if the PC just refuses to power on, it's usually the power supply.

Lastly, a 6 year old computer is pretty long in the tooth. For about $350 you can buy a brand spanking new one like this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9175064&type=product&id=1218045567985

That will likely run rings around even the best computer you could have purchased in 2003 so it might make more sense than blowing $50-100 on a power supply that may or may not solve your problem.

Good luck.
 
Yes, that will work fine but I don't understand your reasoning so maybe I'm missing something.

I'm not sure if you need a different video card, or a new PSU. If you have 300 watts, that should run most video cards and a HDD/mainboard. How do you know the video card isn't bad?

You had a working computer. The video card went bad??? So you replaced it. Does the computer even POST now?
 
Like I said, I don't know much about computers. The new video card was working fine after it was installed. I'm assuming it's the power because the system doesn't even turn on.
 
Originally Posted By: Familyguy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9175064&type=product&id=1218045567985

That will likely run rings around even the best computer you could have purchased in 2003 so it might make more sense than blowing $50-100 on a power supply that may or may not solve your problem.

Good luck.


While that is true, the whole point is to not waste the thing as long as it can be fixed with something simple like the power supply.
 
Now I'm 95% sure it is the power supply after I opened it up. One of the capacitors (?. cylindrical thing with a wire poking out)looks blown.
 
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
If a cap blew, you would hear and smell it.


It was a year or so ago and I wasn't home to hear or smell it. I can see it now.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Tigerdirect.com sent me a flyer a while back and had Diablotek power supplies on for cheap.

I bought one for a neighbours PC and it is still going strong. I would use this brand again.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1361838&CatId=1078

The link above is to one that will fit your application.


That looks like a great price, but it seems like 1/4th of the reviews said it died within a month.
 
Keep in mind that usually people that have a great experience don't report their experience where as people who have a bad experience will report it.

They could have sold thousands of these with a handful that went bad.

I have had 2 DOA's from Power-On, but I still deal with them because they are a great source to get hard-to find OEM specific power supplies for Dells/IBM etc.

Take my word, this power supply is fairly well built and you should be more than fine with it. I wouldn't recommend a brand that I had little confidence in but the kids computer that I fixed with it is on 24/7 and is heavily used.
 
I have that exact Corsair PSU in my Linux box. It's got a Tyan server motherboard in it with a P4 3GHz.

That Corsair PSU and the Antec PSUs are apparently made by the same company. The Earthwatts 380 and the Corsair 400 are apparently identical inside. I have both, but I didn't compare them.
 
I would second the recommendation of Corsair & Antec. Never had a problem with either branded units, they are more expensive but worth it if you intend on keeping the computer for a while.
 
My main reasons for getting the 400W Corsair is that there was a $20 MIR on it and it has an 8-pin CPU power connector, which matches what's on the server motherboard. (You can snap it apart for a motherboard that has a 4-pin CPU power socket).


Seasonic is the OEM on the Corsair and the Antec.
 
A six year old computer is pretty OLD from a repair investment standpoint. When they go down at that age, I usually tear them down and start over.

Still, if you want to fix it, it's hard to cut price corners on getting a good PS. A cheap one can cause a lot of problems and headaches (like data corruption). There are a lot of cheap PSUs out there. Quality costs. Efficiency costs. And advertised ratings can be very misleading.

So rather than go cheap and buy problems, buy a good one that you can recycle in a year or two to a new or newer system. A really good PS is one component that can survive through several builds and a number of years, and contributes to a more stable system. Cut features, gimmicks and mega watt capacity if you must first.

One example:

http://www.pcpower.com/products/description/Silencer_420_ATX/index.html

There are others, as have been mentioned.
 
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