Computer Experts.. I need your advice about "Power Supply"...?

Question

I'm planing to buy a computer from a friend.. But it seems like he had a problem with the power supply.. Recently he changed the power supply.. Will the computer face any problem in the future because of this?? Thanx for the advice guys! Appreciate it!!

Answer 1

The problems with power supply are various.
The PS may be too weak for the system. Go for higher ones, like 400+ W, especially for recent computers.
Or maybe the PS is faulty, and could even spark a fire.
Or maybe the fan in the PS is not cooling it enough. You should tell more details.

But anyway, don't buy $20 PS because they are more important than you think. IF you use a cheap shitt you risk to burn all your computer -- processor, mobo, drives, etc.
It is about pure raw power in there, so you must be careful what you buy and what you use.

You can use an online PS calculator to get an idea of the minimum / recommended power you need from your PS
http://www.journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator_popup.php
.

Answer 2

I don't think you'll any problems with the new power supply. Power Supplies as well as all other computer components can go bad at any time. The most common reasons for a power supply going bad are power surges and low wattage. So make sure you get a surge protector and also it would be a good idea to find out the wattage on the new power supply. I would not recommend anything less than 300 watts, or it could burn out again and even burn out some of the other components along with it. You can open the computer and check the label of the power supply to find out the wattage.

Answer 3

All three answer I see are correct. The 3rd even more so. After 27 years in Avionics, Radio Teletype, Security Equip I can state for certain that time is the only thing that will determine if there is a problem. If it works fine for a few days likely there is nothing wrong. As long as the new PS is not acting as a toaster because it is not large enough (wattage) it might just be a good buy.

On the other hand new PCs are pretty cheap, Cheaper than building your own at this time. Depending on the age and OS in this PC it may just be obsolete.

You know why you might want it. If it meets your requirement make it a contingent purchase that it survives a certain time then ink the deal.

Answer 4

The power supply is normally just bolted to the case, with a small number of standard plug in connections - if the PSU really WAS the only problem & the new one is OK, it may not have any other problems.

BUT the components sometimes have issues. Compare what hardware is detected in the BIOS with an eyeball of what hardware is actually installed.

Then check in the control panel > System option > Hardware > Device manager & look for warning indicators like a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark, or a red X through the icon - for example, the laptop I'm using now has a red X through several network adaptors - 1394 firewire, Cisco VPN Adaptor & Wireless PCI adaptor. In my case they are all fine. But if you had something similar, that MIGHT be a problem, that you could get your friend to explain.

Answer 5

The first thing I would check is what actually happened when the PSU failed, if it caused any surges, etc.

There is a remote risk that there was some damage, personally I would not buy a computer which has had a power problem, as you could end up buying a lemon.

Its best to get someone with technical knowledge to look at it first to see if it indeed cause any other damage to the main board or memory chips.

Answer 6

Re-formatting will wipe all the information (properly not probable yet installation something afterwards notably plenty will) with out having a 2nd laptop, installation linux on it, and working some packet inspection application (Wireshark) on it you is in simple terms not waiting to tell a hundred% if he's doing something, yet installation a userspace firewall (Comodo/zonealarm) might paintings if he calls himself a hacker (reason no-one calls themselves a hacker) of path with the aid of the time you examine this, he in all probability already would have so he would be enforcing countermeasures. different than catching him interior the approach you're able to deploy linux (Ubuntu to illustrate) which to be truthful he in all probability won't comprehend a thank you to apply in no way strategies hack. A lock on your door would not harm the two.

Answer 7

do not worry power supply wont go bad so easily. so make sure that you have a power surge at home for your safety.