EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

[CapSwapper]

Since Corsair is selling their 430w at rock bottom prices looks like EVGA decided to jump in. bought this as a backup since the price was only $15 after rebate. I noticed the box it came in looks great. nice shiny black wax covered cardboard. the labels on the ps look great. Hard to get PS open because the black paint was oversprayed so it was jammed.
As soon as it popped open there was a 270uF CrapXon LP series primary cap staring me in the face rest of the caps on the secondary are mostly green Teapos with a couple of brown ones mixed in. I expected cheap caps but not that CrapXon. Corsair was smart enough to upgrade theirs to a Nippon Chemi-Con. Just like Corsair's 430w, the EVGA's bridge rectifier has no heat sink. EVGA claims the 12v rail can push 34A without catching on fire, Corsair claims 32A. Instead of spending money on a shiny black fancy box they could have spent it on better caps.

[momaka]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

That CapXon LP on the primary side needs to go. CapXon + AFPC = guaranteed failure (likely past warranty, though). Green Teapo on the secondary: if they are 8 mm diameter, expect trouble. If they are 10 mm diameter, expect trouble maybe later in life. If they are 12.5 mm, PSU should make it a good few years.

[mockingbird]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

Say what you want, these PSUs are leaps and bounds better than what was available at the dawn of high-TDP CPUs. At $15, you got a deal. Just remove the APFC circuit and they'll last, and the secondary Teapos should give you at least a year of service if not more.

[momaka]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

^True. PSUs have improved quite a bit.
I don't know about removing the APFC circuit though. If you live in a place with 220/230/240 V AC, that would be fine. But with 120 V AC, that won't work unless you put a voltage doubler circuit.

[Stefan Payne]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

Why worry about primary caps that much?

In a 230VAC net it doesn't really matter.
In a 115VAC enviroment its just about half the lifetime but still more than enough...
The biggest problem is just the quality of the voltage. If you have some spikes, than the lifetime may be a problem. But otherwise it should not be...

[momaka]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

Why worry about primary caps that much?

Because CapXon primary caps are known to fail prematurely on APFC circuits. If you search around, there are a few cases here on BCN detailing CapXon primary caps failing open circuit and killing the APFC.
There IS a reason why many manufacturers use Japanese caps for the primary in APFC PSUs.

[goodpsusearch]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

Capxon primary cap killed a HEC Compucase 400W APFC 80+ bronze psu The fuse melted and the primary section is shorted somewhere, probably some of the mosfets.

[mockingbird]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

^True. PSUs have improved quite a bit.
I don't know about removing the APFC circuit though. If you live in a place with 220/230/240 V AC, that would be fine. But with 120 V AC, that won't work unless you put a voltage doubler circuit.

Oops. You're right of course. I should keep my mouth shut in the future.

[momaka]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

Oops. You're right of course. I should keep my mouth shut in the future.

Nah, no worries . Even if someone was to try that and disable the PFC on their PSU, it would at best probably run just barely and shut off with any slight load.

[CapSwapper]

Re: EVGA 100-W1-0430-KR 430w caps

All those junk caps were yanked immediately. All the 2200uF green Teapos are 8mm. They even used a 1uF Teapo. plenty of room to put a heat sink on the rectifier. PCB and soldering looked surprisingly good. I didn't see any splatter or flux. but your mileage may vary because of the inconsistent QC.