Review

Power Supply Unit (PSU) Modding

Power Supply Unit (PSU) or more often called SMPS (switching-mode power supply) is the most important component of a Computer system. Reducing high voltage from your wall plug to lower operating voltages for all the pc components inside your PC.

For every PC purchase, a good PSU should be on top priority. But most of the times it is the least considered part. Most of the time PSU is considered as a “free-be" that comes with the PC cabinet.

50% or more running PCs or a new purchased PC is having a cheap PSU in it. And whenever I suggest anyone to change to a decent PSU, always I get the same reply “for last 2 or more years I am using the PC with this cheap SMPS and I didn't faces any issue at all, so why to upgrade ?" And I am sure many of you also have same answer for me.

So now through this article I am not convincing you to purchase a new PSU. I will just try to clear why your cheat PSU is not good for your PC components and your data. Even after if you still want to stick with your cheat PSU, than following is a guide which can help you mod your cheap PSU to make it little stable and can give a new life to your PC.

What is a cheap PSU and Why it's not good for my PC ?

All cheap PSU are

  • Over rated. All cheap PSU have a label saying 450W or 500W watts, but really they are within a range of 150-200 Watts. A 150-200 Watts of power is ok for an office or home PC with entry level hardware.
  • Have high voltage ripples and noise in their output voltages. These high voltage ripples slowly kill motherboard's VRM section and power filters. High voltage ripple is also the main reason of Hard-disk failure.
  • Poor efficiency. This type of PSU uses old switching-mode technology which results in about 50-60% efficiency.
  • Low quality components. As the word “Cheap" says by itself that these PSU use all type of low quality components as possible. From noisy fan to thin wire cables and connectors, poor quality electronic components on PCB.
  • More heat. Lower efficiency means more heat and with a poor fan this heat remains inside the PSU case slowly cooking other components too.
  • No protection circuitry. These PSU have just a main fuse in the name of protection. Over load, under load, Main Surge, thermal, etc .. you name any protection technology and I am sure you will not find any inside these PSU.
  • Fake CE, FCC, RU and other certification labels.

So a cheap PSU is like a time-boom inside your PC ready to die without reason, along with killing one or more PC components too.

My suggestion is don't buy these cheap PSU or if you have one try to get a decent PSU.

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