Power supply tester.....

[silicon]

I have several PS's at home, 3 in fact and i want to test these somehow. i think 1 has some problems but the other 2 i don't know.
Should I buy a power supply tester for this and is this the best way to test them? I see Amazon have a selection but was hoping someone could recommend something. i know they should be tested under load also. TIA!

 

[DaveSimmons]

I have an older Rosewill tester from Newegg that works well.

A good tester has built-in resistors to supply the load. You want to test the PSU with only the tester attached. If you have a bad PSU and it surges as it dies it can burn out motherboards and hard drives if they are connected.

 

[JackMDS]

This is very good. The large LCD makes it on the expansive side.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005F778JO/ref=psdc_1161760_t2_B005UZHB6G

Otherwise, this serves well for less money.

https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Power-Su...=8-1-spons&keywords=power+supply+tester&psc=1

 

[blueicetwice]

Jack, I would purchase the latter.

 

[bigboxes]

Jack, I would purchase the latter.

Agreed. I own something very similar.

 

[crashtech]

I don't think there is really anything out there that can truly test a PSU outside of expensive pro setups. A marginal PSU can test good with those cheap testers. For the hobbyist, the only probative way to check for PSU issues is to have a "known good" unit on hand to swap in. The testers only show if the PSU powers up and can handle a tiny load.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I don't think there is really anything out there that can truly test a PSU outside of expensive pro setups. A marginal PSU can test good with those cheap testers. For the hobbyist, the only probative way to check for PSU issues is to have a "known good" unit on hand to swap in. The testers only show if the PSU powers up and can handle a tiny load.

It's still a lot safer than powering a defective PSU for the first time using your new $1,000+ build. It won't catch all problems but might save you a lot of pain.

 

[crashtech]

It's still a lot safer than powering a defective PSU for the first time using your new $1,000+ build. It won't catch all problems but might save you a lot of pain.

I'm not really disagreeing that one ought to take all the care possible with the tools on hand, but I would suggest that the best insurance against a PSU failure that might destroy components is research, then buy a quality PSU that has protection circuitry built-in to prevent such catastrophies.

These little testers can't give us meaningful info about the quality of the PSU, it's protection circuitry, or how it will perform under a real life load. The only real use of them is to determine whether a PSU has completely failed or not.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'm not really disagreeing that one ought to take all the care possible with the tools on hand, but I would suggest that the best insurance against a PSU failure that might destroy components is research, then buy a quality PSU that has protection circuitry built-in to prevent such catastrophies.

These little testers can't give us meaningful info about the quality of the PSU, it's protection circuitry, or how it will perform under a real life load. The only real use of them is to determine whether a PSU has completely failed or not.

I agree with that, the PSU is a part you should never cheap out on for a serious build. To reuse some old parts I'd consider buying a cheaper Bronze PSU but otherwise I spend the extra for a good Seasonic.

 

[bigboxes]

I keep a known good power supply on hand to swap out if necessary. I bought it only for this purpose. I use the cheap tester to quickly see if any rail is out of spec without having to take out the power supply. I know it doesn't test under a proper load. I just use the tester to see if the PSU is working or not. I've got a multimeter if I want to test further. I usually don't go that far. After Step 2, I just order a new power supply. I don't care what is not working, just that it's not working.

 

[crashtech]

What would be neat is if they made something like these testers but with no resistors, just a pass-thru cable, so that it would give voltage readings under load. That would actually be useful info, and wouldn't involve the hassle of pinning through wire insulation or finding the right spot on the mobo.