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View Full Version : Is this PSU safe?

TheForumTroll
10-20-2009, 07:23 AM
Hi everyone.

Well, I have been using a NorthQ Black Magic Flex 650W (http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=114) for some time now but after getting GPU and RAM errors I found the review on this site. I'm one of the many geeks who know a lot about PCs but doesn't think much about the PSU except not buying the cheapest one. Stupid I know - now! So now I got this crappy NorthQ PSU with nothing to do and I was thinking about putting it in my girlfriends PC as it i more silent than what she got now. Now my question is if the PSU could do any damage to the other components? Her PC doesn't need near the 650W at all so it wouldn't stress it as she only use it for www and mail in linux.



After i read the review I started reading up on PSUs here and on Hardwaresecrets. Now I'm using a Corsair CMPSU-750HXEU in my gaming PC and a Corsair CX400W in my Intel Atom server/gateway (yeah overkill I know). So thanks for all the great info! :beer:
davidhammock200
10-20-2009, 07:27 AM
Performance (40% of the final score) - onwards and downwards I go. While I would like to say some good things about what is clearly a decent 500W design, the Black Magic 650W is not a 500W unit. But, I can't quite call it a piece of crap either. Still, with voltages going out of spec, the overrating, the loud fan, the questionable capacitors, and the blowing up in the hot box there's no way this thing isn't losing points here. Yeah, it aced the new overshoot tests and the ripple suppression was nice, but there's just not enough there to turn a turkey into a goose. However, I have tested units lately that did much worse, so I'll hand out a 5.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=114Yes, it can damage equipment, hell it could burn your house down!:wtf:
TheForumTroll
10-20-2009, 07:46 AM
Isn't those problems you highlight only at high loads above what it is actually made for (500W)? :confused:

The way I read the review it should be OK when used with a PC with low power consumption. It is only an AMD 3500+, 2 disks and a Nvidia 7800 card and it isn't even used for 3D apps.
davidhammock200
10-20-2009, 08:21 AM
Isn't those problems you highlight only at high loads above what it is actually made for (500W)? :confused:

The way I read the review it should be OK when used with a PC with low power consumption. It is only an AMD 3500+, 2 disks and a Nvidia 7800 card and it isn't even used for 3D apps.I "believe" that of it was tested as a sub-500W PSU it would "probably" pass most of the test. It is also very inefficient by today's standards.

I personally would not run it, but if lightly loaded it "should" be ok for a while, as you can get "known good" 450W to 550W PSU's for under $50,
that is my recommendation.
Smirnoff
10-20-2009, 08:21 AM
Well, with that small a load on it, it'll be just fine.
davidhammock200
10-20-2009, 08:23 AM
Well, with that small a load on it, it'll be just fine.Make sure Smirnoff writes your home-oweners policy!:lol:
TheForumTroll
10-20-2009, 09:55 AM
I was allowed to open up her beloved PC and I found a Chieftec hpc-420-302 DF PSU inside. Is this better or worse than the NorthQ for her system?
Smirnoff
10-20-2009, 09:59 AM
If it's specced like this:

http://www.tomshardware.pl/howto/20021021/images/chieftec3.jpg

...then the NorthQ is probably the better option.
TheForumTroll
10-20-2009, 10:02 AM
Yeah that's the one. The two 80mm fans are not as silent as they used to be so if nothing else the NorthQ isn't quite as noisy.
Zero82z
10-20-2009, 10:22 AM
A mediocre 500W PSU labeled as a 650W is still better than a crappy Chieftec. Go for it.
davidhammock200
10-20-2009, 11:16 AM
We are really scraping the bottom of the PSU barrel here!:rant:
TheForumTroll
10-20-2009, 12:30 PM
Yeah one is sold with a case the other (the NorthQ) is sold as a quality product and actually costs USD 150 in the very same country as it is from (Denmark) :crazy: