ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

[JEDIYoda]

I not one to mince words when it comes to PSU`s. But before i bought my last 2 PSU`s which are installed in both my riggs I was like most people who have a computer.

You buy a case that comes with a PSU installed and your off to the races for the most part.

Quite a few people who of course would never admit it who post on these forums as well as other forums use cases that came with a PSU installed.
You say prove it...thats would be rediculous who is going to admit such a thing?
Yet we all know thats the truth!

Or you see people buying sub $20 PSU`s. Then again to each there own.

Yet quite a few people probably the majority of PC owners have no idea whats inside there case.
Other than the fact that it powers up and works just fine.
These cheap PSU brand such as OKIA , etc all have had a place in the PSU world for a very long time! Alot of them are working just fine after quite a few years.

My point is simply put - its real nice to do research and say well such and such a brand is lousy.....and even start threads about low quality brands.

Yet those who use them don`t care that posiibly a TEAPO cap went bad in another unit or that there was even a rash of bad caps.

The bottom line is....for any given person a PSU is just that a PSU.

So you use a Zippy. I use a PC Power & Cooling. Joe Blow over there uses a OKIA or even Antec.

What exactly make anybody`s PSU better than anybody elses-
In terms of that person being a happy camper using the OKIA verses the Zippy or the PC Power & Cooling or even a Antec PSU for that matter?


We can say that person is not wise for using an OKIA but can we really say that?

After all they are having no issues with there PC.

I would think that was all that mattered in the end?

any discussion...

[Topcat]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

Both my servers are using Zippy double redundant PSU's, 3 years and running, never had an issue with them. PC power and cooling is way overpriced IMO, but then again, anything quality will be expensive..... I don't care for Antec's, I've seen too many of them fry. I've had good luck with Sparkle PSU's, but many seem to disagree with that....... in the end, it comes to personal choice a lot of the times, just like the age-old debate on what motherboard maker is better, or which CPU is better.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

We can say that person is not wise for using an OKIA but can we really say that?

After all they are having no issues with there PC.

I would think that was all that mattered in the end?

Problem is, on some of these less than good brands, you can't tell which will stay working and which won't.

I was perfectly happy running a 250W Deer six years ago. Then it started killing my hard drives. After that, I wasn't so happy anymore

[jonnyGURU]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

Problem is, on some of these less than good brands, you can't tell which will stay working and which won't.

I was perfectly happy running a 250W Deer six years ago. Then it started killing my hard drives. After that, I wasn't so happy anymore

Good point.

Now... I admit that an Okia is probably the best quality you're going to get for your money. It actually has overload and overvoltage protection that works. Unfortunately, they tend to be rated about 50% higher than what they actually should be, have zero support through BCC and lousy efficiency. That said, it's still better than a Powmax or Deer.

Like OKW said, a good power supply is preventative maintainence. I don't brush my teeth BECAUSE I have cavities. I want to prevent them. A bunk power supply is going to cause more magical mystery problems than any other component. Why not head it off at the pass?

[kc8adu]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

the last okia i saw was a first class POS

[jonnyGURU]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

the last okia i saw was a first class POS

Perhaps.

I have two different friends that work at two differernt vendors. One sells BCC cases with Okia PSU's (Okia == BCC) and the other sells aftermarket Okia PSU's.

I haven't taken apart one of the Okia's that come with the BCC case, but the case is very flimsy and costs all of $30. So I'm willing to be the power supply in there wasn't much of a gem.

The aftermarket Okia I saw was ok (ok at best. About as mediocre as a Cooler Master 430W or Ultra V-Series 350W.) But when I load tested the "450W" it consistantly tripped at just over 300W. Never did blow up though.

[kc8adu]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

the cooler masters we sell at the store are hipro.
look decent for a psu to sell to the average joe.

[jonnyGURU]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

the cooler masters we sell at the store are hipro.
look decent for a psu to sell to the average joe.

Not all of the Cooler Masters are HiPro. In fact, they're all different and to my knowledge only the eXtreme Power 430W (both the RS-430-PMSR and RS-430-PCAR) are made by HiPro: http://www.jonnyguru.com/PSU/eXtremePower430W/ And it is a VERY decent power supply for the money.

The eXtreme Power 600W is a fairly decent unit too: http://www.jonnyguru.com/PSU/eXtremePower600W/ But it's not a HiPro. It's made by Seventeam. Unfortunately, it's a Seventeam 500W that Cooler Master slapped a 600W label on, so it is a VERY POOR value.

The Real Power's are made by Acbel Polytech and are very good units and with the 550W being only a little more money that the eXtreme Power 600W should be considered over the 600W any day of the week: http://www.jonnyguru.com/PSU/RealPower550W/

[axlmastr]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

I've mentioned in other posts that the HIPRO brand is bad news from my experiences. I posted about the many proprietary PSUs used in the IBM NetVista 6648 Series small form-factor that I had to re-cap for a customer. The fans are cheap sleeve bearing types of the 20mm thick (not common) variety and the caps are G-Luxons. The PSUs can be had on the web for $30 or so but they are pulls with the same potential if not already existing problem. The caps leak, the fans are cheap, and I had to fix them because these machines perform better afterwards than some of the newer stuff made today. I have since found and posted previous that the Dell Optiplex GX series clamshell models use this brand of power supply as one of it's suppliers. I am starting to re-cap these for people as well. The fans are 80x20mm in typical odd fashion and you can't get away with the more available 25mm "case fan" as a replacement. So I say think twice about HIPRO with that "HP" part number prefix. It may say DELL in the instance of Optiplex machines, but in many cases it is a HIPRO, not the better Foxconn units.

[jonnyGURU]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

Well, the PSU's that HiPro make for Cooler Master have ADDA fans and Teapo caps if that matters.

[kc8adu]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

the hipro units were likely built cheap to get the dell contract.you get what you pay for and its biting them in the ass.
the hipro's are just fine with a recap and if needed a good fan.

[axlmastr]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

It certainly does matter and only strengthens the statements made in my post. If you check the part number on that ADDA you will see that it is a Medium speed Sleeve bearing piece of crap that has the width of 20mm. The width is only important when dealing with OEM proprietary PSUs (i.e. Dell & IBM) The sleeve bearing is a cheap alternative usually because it is deemed quieter than ball bearing but at what price? When your fan slows or stops working because the "oil", which acts as the bearing, dissipates over time and temperature the PSU thermally fails shortly thereafter unless you catch it at the moment. Try doing this in enterprise environments (commonly using Dell or IBM and the like) with multiple machines and locations with different ambient environments. For the inital cost of the machine (which are pretty high) this is not good, because the unknowing helpdesk will only replace the failed units with the same replacement as what's in it continuing the viscious cycle and driving the cost of the machine beyond its value. The companies who sell the replacement PSUs for many of the branded machines (IBM for example) are assest brokers who sell spare parts as refurbished, when in fact they are used, removed from off-lease machines, and re-sold without knowing whether the unit is really good. I know this first hand. They just know it responds to power. At $30 a pop that's pretty damned expensive if you have to replace two or three a year per machine as the components give way to their impending death.
In response to your mention of Teapo in the Cooler Master- that's not saying much. If you check the Bad Caps Manufacturers list on this site- Teapo is on it. It's much worse to have these in a PSU than a MB because of the heat. I would be concerned. My post was meant to inform the many helpdesk people who are members of this forum and have the machines I mentioned. If you read the posts these people are going to have to deal with 100's or 1000's of these machines over time and need to know what they are facing. Dell wrote over 300M off in service last year based on the MB issue without any mention of the PSU problem I address and repair. IBM walked away from its users so what now. At least I offer the information and know how to remedy the problem with longevity in mind. 'nough said.

[jonnyGURU]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

I didn't mean to put you on the defensive.

I'm aware of the "reputation" of Teapo caps on these forums. But I also know of a lot of quality power supplies that use Teapo.

And I know you checked the part number on that ADDA fan, but I have it right in front of me and there's nothing non-standardard about it's width. I could easily switch this fan out for another 120MM I have here if I had to.

Look, I'm not even questioning that the HiPro's you've found in Dells is crap. Those Hipro Dells could be the crappiest on Earth for all I know. And the truth is, I really don't know what the lifespan of this Cooler Master power supply is either. But there's a lot of "reputable" power supplies out there with "reputable" components that blow up too, if not sooner, because poor thermodynamic design can not really compensate for good frame design in most applications.

I can hardly wait for all of these "low noise" power supplies to belly up just outside of warranty because they overheated, burned up, swollen caps, etc.

All I'm saying is any manufacturer is capable of a full range of product. And many "re-branders" will widen that range even more. I suppose only time will tell with these Cooler Master units.

[JEDIYoda]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

"If you check the Bad Caps Manufacturers list on this site- Teapo is on it. It's much worse to have these in a PSU than a MB because of the heat. I would be concerned. "

Why would you be concerned? In all honesty I don`t get it.
Maybe I am missing something. But I have 2 PC Power & Cooling PSU`s.
Supposedly they use TEAPO Caps?
I ask you if TEAPO Caps are soo bad how has a compant like PC Power & Cooling been able over the years to build a reputation for reliability and quality?
let alone they have a 5yr warranty?

Correect me if I am wrong but perhaps your concern about TEAPO Caps is misplaced?

I`m not trying to start an argument but just because a company uses TEAPO Caps is not really a cause for concern!
Unless they have a very high percentage of there PSU`s bite the dust due to bad caps.

Over priced possibly...but they make a very good solid reliable PSU.

You can mention TEAPO all day but that still doesn`t take away from those PSU manufacturer`s that use TEAPO Caps and do not have issues with TEAPO Caps.

Have a nice day!!

[Chris1992]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

About the hipro issue: I have a hipro PSU, HP-P3507F5, 300 watt. It has an Adda fan (AD0812MS-A70GL iirc) and Teapo caps. It is a nice quiet unit, that powers a cellie 1.7 well. The fan is an 80x25 sleeve bearing, and I've never had a problem with Adda fans, in fact I believe them to be very good. I also have a Liteon/Dell PSU with an Adda fan, again AD0812MS-A70GL, and it's still running great after 2.5 years 24x7.

[linuxguru]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

Hi-Pros are often easy to work on, have plenty of space for replacement caps (most of the large ones have 12.5 mm footprints) and are otherwise well-made. Get them cheap and recap the secondary with good non-aqueous Japanese electrolytics, and they should be good for 10-15 years. I'm using Nichicon PW(M) and Panasonic FC/FK, but numerous other choices exist.

[axlmastr]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

I'm with kc8adu and linuxguru on this. Sounds like they have seen the HIPRO from a similar viewpoint as I stated. Just wanted to "stir the puddin'" for all of you and see how you'd react. I'm glad that some of you have seen success with either PSUs with Teapos in them or ADDA fans or both. My point stems from the fact that the HIPRO PSUs are widely used (especially as proprietary OEM design for large brand machines) and are made with G-LUXONS and ADDA fans. Teapos can be a problem too maybe not for you but I've pulled them from PSUs and MB. This is a real problem for enterprise level organizations because the support available at most of these places is not enough to keep the machines running. Many of these guys throw parts ($$$) at the problem without determining why the failure occured in the first place, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of machines. Replacement PSUs, sold by their OEM replacement number, (which is how the helpdesk usually orders service parts) have the same inherent problem. Some organizations would like to get more than 3 years out of a machine before having to put parts in it. They were brought up on the old school when machines lasted longer and cost more. Besides, with the throw away mentality of younger America I ask this question- Do you realize what, where, and how much you are throwing away in E-waste just so you can buy another cheap piece of the latest trendy E-crap? The people who founded and support this site probably think along the lines of saving and salvaging items rather than bury it in the dirt. Thanks for the responses- it's nice to see you are involved in this forum and express your views accordingly. If any of you are up for the challenge, get one of the DELLs or IBMs and check out the HIPROs in them. Maybe you could repair some for a desperate user.

[Spacedye69]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

My Compaq Hipro has Teapo also. Ive only seen Teapo bad in vrm caps, but all Teapo Ive seen in vrm are always bad.

[Chris1992]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

>but all Teapo Ive seen in vrm are always bad.
I used to have a PCChips M810LMR (same as ECS K7SEM) with totally good Teapo caps in the VRM.

[linuxguru]

Re: ok...Zippy, PC Power & Cooling, Antec and OKIA??

I have a rebadged K7SEM, but it had bad OSTs in the VRM which I replaced with Nichicons. It also loses CMOS settings every time it's powered off, but the battery is good. I stopped trying to debug it - I'll just keep it around for CPU testing or something.