PS pulsating after shutdown..

[ACCORD MAN]

Hi!
Well, after shutdown, my PS pulsates for 15-20 seconds.
First pulses are quicker and slows down till it stops completely.

Symptoms: speakers pop at every pulse and lights on case flash.


I'm assuming my ANTEC SL350S is shot.

It's currently powering :
3 * HD
1 * CD-writer
1 * DVD-writer
4 * 512 mb ram (184 pin)
1 * Nvidia 6200 (old school vid card)
1 * K8NF Mobo
1 * AMD64 3000+


I ordered another PS.

Does anyone think it might be something else??

Thanks!


Edit :
Pics:

http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4655nk8.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4656no1.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4657nc0.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4658ux7.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4659dk0.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4660hz7.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4661jr4.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4662ib9.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4663og7.jpg

http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4664ln8.jpg

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

PSU provided with older Antec case?? Probably a CWT unit built to Antec's penny pinching spec. If it is over 18 months old, it is prolly filled with already bulged and vented Fuhjyyu capacitors. Most anything can happen when caps go bad. If it is out of warranty, open it up and inspect. Pics can be found at badcaps.net.
A cap could have shorted causing a diode to malfunction. I really don't know. Try another PSU if you have one. Sendback your present unit for RMA if it is in the warranty period. Do not open it or the warranty will be voided.

Stop using Antec PSUs. Step up to something better.

 

[John]

That psu should carry a 3 yr. warranty. To verify your Antec warranty check the white label with the s/n.

Example:

B050634345 means the psu was mfg'ed in 2005-June
A061034345 means the psu was mfg'ed in 2006-Oct

Ignore GY's negative comments about avoiding Antec psu's since the newer EarthWatts, Trio, and NeoHE's are mfg'ed by Seasonic. The EarthWatts has received numerous thumbs up from SPCR, JonnyGURU (received a 9 out of 10), and other reputable review sites. Some old revisions of the NeoHE, as well as other high efficiency psu's, had issues with some NF4 mobo's back in the day, but that was addressed over a year ago if memory serves me correctly. Let's not forget the Quattro is built by Enhance and was awarded a 9.5 by the GURU himself.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

If I were building systems for profit, I too would defend the margin that an inexpensive PSU offers MY bottom line. But for my stand alone at home systems I demand something better that Antec offers.(I use Zippy/Emacs)

The Earthwatts and the Corsair VX units are built on the same Seasonic platform but inorder to sell cheaper, Antec specs OST capacitors and Corsair(the better unit) specs high end UCC(United ChemiCon) Japanese caps. My money would go with the Corsair.

No review is going to tell you what to expect after 2000 hours of operation. My money would be with the Japanese caps on identical platforms.
Over at badcaps.net the jury is out on OST RPL caps. Give'em two years before sentence is passed, that is their attitude but any other OST is a thumbs down. Well... for that two years, I would still select something else besides Antec. They do offer some decent rebadged cases BTW.

Over the last three years on this board 80++% of PSU issues are with Antec units. Why do we have to keep supporting a company that offers sub-standard PSUs? Answer...because system builders make money off cheap products, that's why.

Feels good to tell the truth.

Remember, fully one third of comp issues are power related and the PSU is the most important piece inside the case. A good PSU should last through several up-grades.

 

[John]

I think it's safe to say that Antec sells more psu's than any other vendor, especially since they are widely available in local stores, therefore it's no wonder that we see a lot of Antec threads on the forums. Until we start seeing mass failures with these Seasonic built Antec's, it's safe to say that you're assuming that a problem will arise due to the capacitor selection. How come none of the reputable EarthWatts reviews suggest you avoid the psu due to OST caps on the secondary side? Do you really think Seasonic would risk having a CWT/Fuhjyyu fiasco? While I may be pro-Antec, I also promote the Corsair units in a majority of my posts. It's hard to go wrong with any current gen Seasonic psu.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

If Antec sells huge volumes, they should be able to supply a superior PSU for less money but they offer a less than power supply for less money.
Like I posted...give it two years, then we will know. CWT built Antecs are still being sold and very often they supply unstablizing curent at < 18 months of service. CWT was told by the bean counters of Antec to build on the cheap. It gave CWT a black eye to be $queezed by Andrew Lee (Antec's owner). BTY, caps do have a shelf life, all those Fuhjyys populating unsold SP & TP units are going bad as we post.

Just because Seasonic builds it does not automatically make it superior...not when Antec gets into the mix. Like I said, two years for the jury to come in. I bet Andrew had his ppl go to OST and they developed the RLP to cut per unit costs on the Earthwatts by maybe $5. Yep! The leverage of volume that Antec has can permit them to $queeze the hell out of any OEM. No thank you!

I would run an Earthwatts over an L&C or a Deer PSU but that ain't saying much. :laugh:

 

[ACCORD MAN]

Wow, that was a very interesting read.

Thanks for the wealth of info guys!

It seems my PSU was made in sept 2004, which means its 3 yrs old.

So I'm going to go ahead and assume it's quasi trash. I ordered a Corsair 450VX..

The last thing I want is for my HDs to get toasted by a faulty PSU.


Again, I really appreciate the help!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: ACCORD MAN
Wow, that was a very interesting read.

Thanks for the wealth of info guys!

It seems my PSU was made in sept 2004, which means its 3 yrs old.

So I'm going to go ahead and assume it's quasi trash. I ordered a Corsair 450VX..

The last thing I want is for my HDs to get toasted by a faulty PSU.


Again, I really appreciate the help!

Since it is out of warranty, open it up, lift the output wiring and tell us what you find. Bet it looks like yellow brown baby poop.

To read about Fuhjyyus killing HDDS go to http://www.theflyingpenguin.com/ > My Blog > 09/17/05 I just happened to be the "guy at Anandtech" that told Robert to open his old PSU.

The VX should last 5++years. Please open the old PSU and bump this thread with what you find.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Slightly of the subject at hand but not entirely....

Since we are talking about Seasonic made PSU`s and the statement has been made--
Just because Seasonic builds it does not automatically make it superior...not when Antec gets into the mix.

We can also apply this to other seasonic made PSU`s....
We can also rightly or lets say accurately assume that just because Seasonic is the OEM for many PSU`s that seasonic possibly has little if any final say as to what components are used in any given PSU.
On the reverse I am sure Seasonic possibly makes suggstions yet in the end Seasonic truly makes custom built PSU`s for there clients!!

This is the first time such logic has been used in a long time to esentially lay the blame for any issues with Antc and not the OEM???

I was under the impression from those that claim to be knowledgeable on the subject that the company or a company such as Antec has very little say when they sign an agreement with another company such as Seasonic....

Can you have your cake and eat it too??

hmmmm

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

^ Troll. Learn to speak English. :roll:

 

[JEDIYoda]

You and Spectre must be brothers....
You both hate it when people have different opinions than you do...go figure.

You can`t have it both ways!!

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
You and Spectre must be brothers....
You both hate it when people have different opinions than you do...go figure.

You can`t have it both ways!!

The point has been made that Jonny as well as other site have given the Antc Earthwatts glowing reviews.......
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=51

So let's start with judging the performance...

I, for one, am surprisingly impressed. The voltage regulation on the +12V was beyond excellent. The efficiency was great. The unit has active PFC and seemed to be impervious to heat and, despite using an 80MM fan, was nearly silent.

That said, the +5V, although no longer as an important rail as it used to be, did not show good regulation and overall the unit does not put out much power. Yes, it's a 500W... but use the Enhance or Silverstone 80 Plus 500W units for comparison... They have 432W on the combined 12V rails. This Antec only has 408W on the 12V rails!

So my score for the Antec EarthWatts EA-500 is 9.5.

For functionality, I look at the number of connectors, length of cables, and other features that make the PSU easier to use or install. The size of the unit is nice and compact, the cables are nice and long, and there are enough connectors for most people. Too bad the cables aren't sleeved and certainly the unit doesn't have any features that make it stand out like modular connectors a "Total Watt Viewer", adjustable voltage POTs or a fan controller (not that it needs it.)

For functionality, I'm scoring this 500W with an 8.

Now to judge the appearance. There's not much going on here. As I mentioned, the cables aren't sleeved. The color is drab. I'm afriad the aesthetics give this power supply a 6 in this department.

Finally, we're going to talk about the value of this power supply. You're certainly not paying for any additional bling here, but the performance is very good. In the long run, this power supply will also save you money on your electric bill and it's by far one of the quietest units I've ever used. I Froogled this unit and it's widely available for under $90. That's fantastic for those looking for a power supply that's efficient and quiet, assuming this 500W has enough power for your rig.

So for value, the Antec EA-500 scores a 10.

Multiply, add and add again and we have a total score of 9.

Performance 9.5
Aesthetics 6
Value 10
Functionality 8
Total Score 9

JonnyGURU recommended!!---hmmmm

Then because of your bias against Antec instead of taking Jonny`s word and his reviews as fact you back pedal and bring the good people of badcaps.com into this to try to support your slippery position.
"Over at badcaps.net the jury is out on OST RPL caps."

 

[ACCORD MAN]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee

Originally posted by: ACCORD MAN
Wow, that was a very interesting read.

Thanks for the wealth of info guys!

It seems my PSU was made in sept 2004, which means its 3 yrs old.

So I'm going to go ahead and assume it's quasi trash. I ordered a Corsair 450VX..

The last thing I want is for my HDs to get toasted by a faulty PSU.


Again, I really appreciate the help!

Since it is out of warranty, open it up, lift the output wiring and tell us what you find. Bet it looks like yellow brown baby poop.

To read about Fuhjyyus killing HDDS go to http://www.theflyingpenguin.com/ > My Blog > 09/17/05 I just happened to be the "guy at Anandtech" that told Robert to open his old PSU.

The VX should last 5++years. Please open the old PSU and bump this thread with what you find.

Will do.

As long as I dont touch the caps/transistors/etc, I dont risk getting shocked.. right?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Nothing will sting you once it has been unplugged for 24 hours, prolly alot less time.
Many a PSU will have an electricly 'hot' heatsink that will give a jolt when touched, but to do that the cover must be off and the unit powered on.

EDIT: You will be safe as long as you do not poke around inside the PSU with a steel rod. Read this for a full explaination.
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/smpsfaq.htm#smpssafdc

EDIT-2: While inside the comp inspect the motherboard caps for bulging or venting. Dirty current can/will have an impact on hardware down stream. You are prolly going to be OK but do give'em a good look.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: John
I think it's safe to say that Antec sells more psu's than any other vendor, especially since they are widely available in local stores, therefore it's no wonder that we see a lot of Antec threads on the forums. Until we start seeing mass failures with these Seasonic built Antec's, it's safe to say that you're assuming that a problem will arise due to the capacitor selection. How come none of the reputable EarthWatts reviews suggest you avoid the psu due to OST caps on the secondary side? Do you really think Seasonic would risk having a CWT/Fuhjyyu fiasco? While I may be pro-Antec, I also promote the Corsair units in a majority of my posts. It's hard to go wrong with any current gen Seasonic psu.

Remember that reviewers also recommended the Antecs that DID have bad caps in them. Yes he (and I) are assuming based on past evidence that lower quality capacitors are more likely to fail. Some would even say it's inevitable but every system is in a little different environment, different load and amount of usage so it's not like we'd be able to mark a failure date on a calendar.

You ask if Seasonic would risk a **** fiasco. Well what about Antec, did they want to risk it? Apparently. Similarly so with any PSU manufacturer that is weighing parts costs against their best guess of how many units will suffer lifetime short enough to fall within the warranty period.

Now having written this much, it's not only Antec PSU using the OST caps. Other brands that have held up well for over 3 years (still running today) with them include a few FSP/Sparkle/Fortron. On the other hand I lost count of how many motherboards have failed due to OSTs. They don't seem to like heat much, lesser cooled PSU may do them in but really, why risk it?

 

[John]

Since some of you have a bias against OST caps, are you also going to suggest avoiding Teapo since they have also failed at an alarming rate on motherboards? Enhance 5140GH/5150GH, Silverstone Elements, and PCP&C still use them in some of their psu's. I suppose we should avoid them as well from now on instead of risking it, right?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Enhance PSUs, the Enhance provided Silverstone units and the Win-Tach built PCP&C Turbo units do use Teapo caps but they are not to be considered "quiet" PSUs. They get needed cooling air. Teapo caps hidden on mainboards where there is little or no air flow can overheat and fail W/O visible signs(OST just fail), that is why some have issue with Teapo. When Teapo are found in what is supposed to be a premium PSU...one has to ask why(any premium PSU). Enhance is not to be considered upper tier, just a decent brand name.

Now...When one buys a Seasonic provided PSU they might expect quiet and OST may not have the ability to survive that slow speed fan as well as the UCC filled Corsair VX would. Antec has a History of $queezing their PSU providers to the limit. CWT was not using Fuhjyyu before Antec had contracts with them.

Note: Resected techs were quite suprised to see OST on the secondary side of Fortron's flagship Epsilon units and as well designed as that platform seemed it still went outside of ATX ripple spec as it neared full output. Recapping with Nipponese caps did not improve ripple either. I look forward to the day that hard driven Epsilon based units start failing.

As a system builder you want the profit margin Antec offers you, as a builder for family, close friends and myself, I want long term reliability.

 

[John]

SPCR seems to think that the Element and 5140/5150GH are relatively quiet. Read more....

Enhance is Tier 3/4 according to JonnyGURU, and any psu on his "tier" is considered high quality, right?

And before you nimrods start whining about why your beloved OCZ only made teir 4... this is three tiers of HIGH END products. If the product isn't even on the list, it could be that I either don't know about it or it's not considered high end. So if your PSU is actually in teir 3, grab your e-Penis and know that you at least made the worst of the best.

Your snide remarks about profits are obtuse to say the least. I mark up psu's the same amount no matter what the brand may be, but at least when I badmouth a particular psu I don't recommend it to others which is something that you continue to do. Some may call it hypocrisy.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I am not going to have the pissing contest you seem to desire John.

 

[MrOblivious]

OP: Yes it sounds like the PS is shot.



Every time I open a $300-500 power supply and I see Teapo's in there I wince a bit. For 300-500 the extra couple of dollars for better caps would make sense and should be there.

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
You and Spectre must be brothers....
You both hate it when people have different opinions than you do...go figure.

As long as they are educated opinions and not rambling incoherent fanboy opinions I don't have problems with them.

Oh and JediYoda before you even begin ripping jonnyGURU's content again remember we still disagree with one another on the use of Teapo's. But oh wait that is a different opinion....funny how that works....

 

[John]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I am not going to have the pissing contest you seem to desire John.

I'm sorry that you see a debate as a contest. I am simply posting facts that refute your arguments. I've also taken the time to link to credible sources that contradict several of your "claims". You're supposed to be an expert on caps and psu's, right?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I am not going to have the pissing contest you seem to desire John.

I'm sorry that you see a debate as a contest. I am simply posting facts that refute your arguments. I've also taken the time to link to credible sources that contradict several of your "claims". You're supposed to be an expert on caps and psu's, right?

I have never claimed to be expert at anything, I rebuild over 400 diesel engines in my working life, never had a failure and never considered myself expert.
The site Admin and the top techs over at badcaps.net go by what they have seen hands on and I do trust their judgement along with my limited recapping experience.

I take it we will be having a running gun battle as long as I do not agree with you..so be it. I ignore your comrad in arms JY and I can do so for you too. You need to be right.

 

[John]

It's not about being right, it's about providing factual information to the members of this forum. I'd be doing a disservice if I just turned the other cheek. Obviously you feel just the opposite and have your opinion on what you think is right or wrong.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: John
It's not about being right, it's about providing factual information to the members of this forum. I'd be doing a disservice if I just turned the other cheek. Obviously you feel just the opposite and have your opinion on what you think is right or wrong.

This statement is a lie. Where were your posts over the last three years in threads with failing SP/TP Antecs? Threads posted in the old Technical Support, Cases & Cooling and General Hardware. Not once were you offering diagnostics but several times you went out of your way to undermine me and defend these crappy Antec PSUs. This is a fact.

I do believe you have no work today and just want to spend time here because you are bored. Boring ppl get bored. I happen to have other things to do right now..like a 12 mile bicycle ride along the Pacific coast and lunch with a good friend mid-ride. It is hot today and there will be much female flesh exposed. I look forward to my pleasnt ride. Enjoy your boring day.

 

[John]

My posts about failing Antec SP/TP have never once claimed that it didn't happen. In fact I made it clear that I've RMA'ed maybe 10 out of 100+ psu's that I've sold over the past 3 years. You continue to bring up this issue at least once per month, and I have never once changed my responses. You simply use that as a way to push buttons, right?

I find it interesting that once you can no longer provide facts to support your position that you resort to flames and petty remarks. FWIW my business is thriving, and I have time to post on this forum in between working on 4 different pc's. It's good to be the chief.