Power supply making funny noise ... time for a new one?

evildre · 06-23-2007, 10:18 PM

Hi all, I just moved into my new place and am having a bitch of a time getting my main box to work

The system has an Antec Neo480 that I got back in March of '05 (I think). When I plug it into the UPS (same UPS it was plugged into at my parents' house) it's dead silent for about 3 seconds, then a progressively loud "squeal" starts coming out of it. The thing will not turn on. This behavior also occurs when the power supply isn't connected to anything -- that is, when I disconnect all of the modular cables, and disconnect both connectors from the mobo.

Funny thing is, the power supply worked just fine this morning. Really, the only thing I did was load the computer into the back of my car (which was parked in my parents' driveway all day while I made trips back and forth with a van and a trailer), and then I tried to start it up about an hour ago and got the above symptoms.

Other specs:
Asus A8N-SLI
Opteron 180
Radeon X800 Pro 256MB
nVidia DualTV
HighPoint RocketRAID 2300
2x 500GB Seagate SATA drives
1x 160GB Seagate SATA drive
1x 120GB Seagate SATA drive
1x 250GB Seagate PATA drive
1x Lite-On DVD burner
1x Lite-On DVD-ROM

I've tried plugging it directly into the wall, into a surge protector, etc. but no dice. I plugged my TV into the surge only outlet on the back of the UPS (the one normally used for printers) and it works fine. I tried my MacBook Pro on the same outlet I tried the computer on, and still nothing.

So ... will I be celebrating my first night in my new house by going to Fry's tomorrow morning to get a new power supply, or can my Neo480 be saved?

anomaly95 · 06-23-2007, 10:44 PM

It's dead jim.

2 years out of a power supply isn't bad, although they usually last longer. Sometimes they fail after 6 months.

evildre · 06-23-2007, 10:51 PM

I've seen DOA power supplies before, but this (worked for 2+ years, then dies while in transit to its new home) makes me sad

I hope Fry's has something good & reliable for me ... I use this thing to record TV shows, I don't want to wait for a new power supply to be shipped

KorruptioN · 06-23-2007, 10:54 PM

Bad capacitors, RMA it.

evildre · 06-23-2007, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KorruptioN

Bad capacitors, RMA it.

I don't have any of the original paperwork anymore

Or, if I do, I'm not sure which box it's in, as I just moved into my new place

Is it even possible to RMA a 2+-year-old Neo480, when they don't make it anymore?

BBnet3000 · 06-23-2007, 11:25 PM

seagate and lite on, right on.

anomaly95 · 06-24-2007, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evildre

I don't have any of the original paperwork anymore

Or, if I do, I'm not sure which box it's in, as I just moved into my new place

Is it even possible to RMA a 2+-year-old Neo480, when they don't make it anymore?

It couldn't hurt to try and RMA it. Just ask them if it's ok to do it without the box, packaging, etc. before you send it in. They'll more than likely send back something that's comparable if the RMA is a go.

KorruptioN · 06-24-2007, 07:27 AM

They might ask for a reciept at the very least. You'll get back a NeoHE 500W, that's what my buddy got. His Neo480 died because of bad capacitors also.

evildre · 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KorruptioN

They might ask for a reciept at the very least. You'll get back a NeoHE 500W, that's what my buddy got. His Neo480 died because of bad capacitors also.

Hmm ... bad caps a common problem, eh?

What's the verdict on Thermaltake power supplies? I just want my system to work, and I don't want to worry about it blowing up ...

<edit> The reason I'm asking about Thermaltake is that I don't think Fry's carries Seasonic ... from what I've read Thermaltake has a pretty low failure rate, and I kind of need a PSU pretty quickly

evildre · 06-24-2007, 09:06 AM

Found a SeaSonic S12 650W power supply

They had 3 of them left. w00t

evildre · 06-24-2007, 12:30 PM

It took the fucking motherboard with it ... son of a fuck

evildre · 06-24-2007, 10:05 PM

...ok, replaced my mobo with a P5K-E/C2D E6600/4GB Corsair RAM, ran passes of Memtest86+, loaded OS/updates/antivirus, and now the thing fucking took a shit again.

Fuck this ... everything's getting returned tomorrow.

KorruptioN · 06-25-2007, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evildre

Hmm ... bad caps a common problem, eh?

What's the verdict on Thermaltake power supplies? I just want my system to work, and I don't want to worry about it blowing up ...

<edit> The reason I'm asking about Thermaltake is that I don't think Fry's carries Seasonic ... from what I've read Thermaltake has a pretty low failure rate, and I kind of need a PSU pretty quickly

Their old OEM, Channel Well Technologies used some capacitors that didn't react well to heat. Combined with the low-noise fans that went into the PSUs, they died within a year or two. Antec is all Seasonic now - good stuff.

It is pretty funny because Thermaltake's "high-end" OEM is now Channel Well

BBnet3000 <ABlix> I WANTED TO BE WITH HER	seagate and lite on, right on. __________________ irc.genmay.net #genmay
06-23-2007, 11:25 PM	#6

anomaly95	It's dead jim. 2 years out of a power supply isn't bad, although they usually last longer. Sometimes they fail after 6 months. __________________ 79a96dce31c4881073ac049fea1f752f
06-23-2007, 10:44 PM	#2

evildre	I've seen DOA power supplies before, but this (worked for 2+ years, then dies while in transit to its new home) makes me sad I hope Fry's has something good & reliable for me ... I use this thing to record TV shows, I don't want to wait for a new power supply to be shipped __________________ It doesn't make a bit of difference, guys. The balls are inert.
06-23-2007, 10:51 PM	#3

KorruptioN	They might ask for a reciept at the very least. You'll get back a NeoHE 500W, that's what my buddy got. His Neo480 died because of bad capacitors also.
06-24-2007, 07:27 AM	#8

evildre	Found a SeaSonic S12 650W power supply They had 3 of them left. w00t __________________ It doesn't make a bit of difference, guys. The balls are inert.
06-24-2007, 09:06 AM	#10

evildre	It took the fucking motherboard with it ... son of a fuck __________________ It doesn't make a bit of difference, guys. The balls are inert.
06-24-2007, 12:30 PM	#11

evildre	...ok, replaced my mobo with a P5K-E/C2D E6600/4GB Corsair RAM, ran passes of Memtest86+, loaded OS/updates/antivirus, and now the thing fucking took a shit again. Fuck this ... everything's getting returned tomorrow. __________________ It doesn't make a bit of difference, guys. The balls are inert.
06-24-2007, 10:05 PM	#12