How long will my power supply last?

[incapacitance]

I just got a new Fortron FSP400-60PFN power supply. I opened it up (there was no sticker saying that I'd void the warranty) and checked to see what kind of caps it has. I saw a few CapXon, a few Teapo, and some others but I couldn't tell what brand they were (too many wires and other things in the way).

I notice both CapXon and Teapo are on the bad cap manufacturers list. How long should I expect this PSU to last?

I'm thinking it might be a good idea to buy another FSP400-60PFN as a backup. I have an Athlon Tbird system that primarily draws power on the 5v rail, and most PSUs nowadays supply most of their power on the 12v rail. So if this PSU fails in a year or two or three, and I still want to use my current system, there won't be any PSUs around that deliver the 5v power it needs.

BTW, anyone know what the warranty on Fortron PSUs is? I checked their web site and even the manual, but can't find that information.

[Newbie2]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

I had two power supplies, one had CapXon caps, the other Teapo caps. The one with CapXon was a generic, the one with Teapo was a Delta (came out of old Compaq). Both provided years or service. The Delta, it was in use for 6 years before I gave it away and it still worked when I gave it away, and none of its Teapo caps were bad. The person I gave it to was my neighbour, and he isn't having any problems. The generic, it provided 4 years of service (pretty long for a very light power supply), and the CapXon caps in it were still okay. It still have the generic and it currently powers an old Pentium III 450 system.

You can expect years of service from your new Forton power supply.

[incapacitance]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

When did you first get those PSUs? Sounds like they may have been manufactured before the "bad cap" problem came into existence.

[willawake]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

i have a FSP460-60PFN running for over a year. they are great psus. CapXon and Teapo is not too bad. i would expect it to run for a few years.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

BTW, anyone know what the warranty on Fortron PSUs is? I checked their web site and even the manual, but can't find that information.

Three years on retail boxed units, 1 year all others if my memory is good.

My 530W is all Teapo - no problems at all after a year and a half except the Yate Loon 80x20mm exhaust fan needed bearings recently. The new 600W is all Capxon and OST - I hope recent OST is better than I've heard. Couldn't find replacements for those 2200uf 16v 10mm diameter caps.

[PeteS in CA]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

It would be convenient, for discussion anyway, if it could be said that XYZ brand's caps are unsuitable for any use. Reality is that even the worst of what are commonly called "crap caps" on this board could probably survive long term if the ripple current and temp the caps are subjected to aren't too stressful. Also, one of the problems crap cap mfrs probably have is process control. This means they may occasionally produce batches that are pretty good.

If a P/S mfr uses crap caps conservatively, they may fail to live down to their potential.

[arneson]

Re: How long will my power supply last?

they may fail to live down to their potential.

Two negatives do make a posetive .