Noisy power supply when running of UPS?... follow up post.

Ned/The hatter your input here would be most appreciated along with anyone else using a UPS with your mac pro. Please read on...
Having just concluded a rather detailed any lengthy post over in the power mac g5 forum with regards to loud buzzing noise from the power supply running of battery backup.
I recemmend reviewing the link below for the full and i think interesting read...
Linked here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=665537&tstart=0
To sum it up it concluded that my model of UPS (Belkin) produces a simulated sine wave. I am unsure of technicals here, but this then makes the power supply in powermac G5's make a nasty electrical noise as the unit works to sort it out. What is ideal is a pure sine wave i understand.
The reason for my post was that i was concerned the noise was a sign of harm being done to my mac. No one has said either way yet that this noise is either just a nuisance and it something thats got to be lived or that its actually harming my machine.
Anyhow it turns out that the RS series from APC also makes the G5 powermac make a noise. And i am aware that Ned along with some others use the APC RS series with there mac pro's. What i am looking to find out is... Do you have a noise from your power supplys when running on battery backup with your new shiney mac pro's?
The APC smart ups series however does not make the powermac G5 make a noise this has been confirmed by several users. I guess this is because these models produce pure wave sine.
As you can see this has all got very complicated and over my head.
The reason for me coming into this forum and asking about noisy power supplys when using certain UPS is because shortly i will be switching to a Mac pro. And if the power supplys in these are different and dont make a noise when running under battery with certain APC Rs's and the new Dual form belkin units then i wont return my current belkin model in exchange for a APC smart ups. I will just live it for a short time whilst i own my G5 and just hope it wont do any damage if and when we have a power outage.
Thank you to anyone that can guide or assist me with this dilemma. Cheers Pob

Pobster,
Switching power supplies (such as those used in computers) do not require a "pure" analog sine wave input; they are more than capable of running on PWM/stepped sine wave input. The noise from the power supply when running on power from a PWM output UPS does not indicate that damage is being done to your machine; it's a harmless side effect.
Some equipment will be damaged if powered via PWM input; items with compressors (refrigerators, air conditioners) definitely fall into this category, as well as some medical equipment and telecom equipment.
I live in an area with notoriously dirty power; a UPS is critical in my case (I'd argue that it is critical in any case, however). I've ran my equipment on UPSs for many years, and the price has dropped significantly. I've got one APC SmartUPS with pure sine wave output which was purchased for me by a client, but most of my equipment is running on UPS with PWM output. It's not uncommon for me to have 20-30 power events in a given day - most of them transient voltage drops or spikes; I've still got an old Sun Sparc 10 file server that's still chugging along.
A couple of interesting articles for your perusal:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051009043816537
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation
A quick google will turn up lots more information on the topic. APC used to have a white paper on their site which talked about this very topic.
Most manufacturers provide connected equipment insurance - tripp lite, for example, provides $250,000(US) coverage. I've never known anyone who actually needed to use this coverage - I certainly haven't .
In brief: A UPS with PWM output will not harm your computer; switching power supplies are more than capable of handling this. If the noise bothers you, look for a UPS with "pure sine wave" output - you will pay more for this feature; it's an aesthetic choice in this case.

Similar Messages

Noisy power supply when running of UPS? Is this normal?

Iv recently purchased a belkin 1500VA UPS, which in the near future i was looking to use on MAC Pro (once iv actually ordered and received it) The price was to good to miss, as it was currently on offer at misco and quite heavely reduced. So i went ahead thinking it would be a good idea to have for my G5 anyway. Everything setup a treat and the built OSX controls are fine but when the unit is on battery backup. Sleeping or in normal usage the actually G5's power supply makes a buzzing electrical sound from the power supply? I have read about this a little else-wear but no one has yet confirmed if this is normal/acceptable for a G5 to do this. Or the that the noise is the sign of a dodgy/faulty power supply.
I am aware the UPS also makes a noise when running in backup mode. But the UPS and the tower are some distance apart so i can quite easily identify that the noise is coming from the G5.
Any user experiences or advice on this would be much appreciate. I dont want to burn my power supply out. I still love my G5 very much. Cheers in advance for anyones assistance. Pob

Thankyou everyone for all of your responces. I think we're getting to the bottom of things now. It would appear that when in battery back up mode my UPS is generating a square wave which my powermac is not liking at all. And the power supply is working to put this right. Weather the work the power supply is doing and the noise generated is a sign of harm to my computer is still some what unclear. But it does not seem like a good noise as it is not normal.
It is also interesting that maclover has no problems using an APC smart ups that produces sine wave. So this points to square wave being the saurce of problems. Thankyou maclover for also pointing out that other very useful thread that concludes the smart ups range seems to be the way to go. Even tho a little more money i would prefer to have no noise! And be sure im not harming my Mac.
Malcolm Rayfield - I am under the impression my UPS does no produce a sine wave. And you saying that the noise is the input filter sorting it out does make sense. I am going to contact Belking and Apple tomorrow and hopefully either way confirm that this noise is a bad thing or just something iv got to live with.
DaddyPaycheck - My belkin model number is F6C1500EITW-RK. Quite a new model i think, dual form, 1500VA. Very pleased with all the features. This model does have AVR too (Automatic Voltage Regulation) But it would appear from what everyone has said along with some other findings about the web that this unit produces square wave! I guess yours is Sine wave hence you not having any problems.
I will probably end up returning this unit and buying an APC SUA1500i. As its been confirmed in this thread and the other thread that was linked to as producing a nice sine wave which is what i want. Again thank you everyone. Pob

Noisy Power Supply on FiOS SDTV box

Hello.
Okay, My uncle on Staten Island has FiOS, and has four sets. three HD sets and one older SD set in the basement. When the FiOS service was installed, the TV in the basement had suddenly developed severe amounts of snow caused by RFI from something. Since they had sent him a new SD box, we had connected this in, and got no snow. Okay, get lazy and put the old one back in, and..........still no snow!
Long story short, the problem was the wall-wart power supply sent with the first box was generating severe amounts of RFI that was being picked up by the TV set (an older 70s-80s dial-type set with 300 ohm terminals). We just left the new power supply in place with the original box, and all worked perfectly.
Has anyone else ever had an issue with RFI on older sets from these units?
(PS: Swapping the old PSU back in, even with the new box, brought the massive snowstorm back)
[Can you hear me now? Good!]
Verizon Wireless - It's the Network!

Pobster,
Switching power supplies (such as those used in computers) do not require a "pure" analog sine wave input; they are more than capable of running on PWM/stepped sine wave input. The noise from the power supply when running on power from a PWM output UPS does not indicate that damage is being done to your machine; it's a harmless side effect.
Some equipment will be damaged if powered via PWM input; items with compressors (refrigerators, air conditioners) definitely fall into this category, as well as some medical equipment and telecom equipment.
I live in an area with notoriously dirty power; a UPS is critical in my case (I'd argue that it is critical in any case, however). I've ran my equipment on UPSs for many years, and the price has dropped significantly. I've got one APC SmartUPS with pure sine wave output which was purchased for me by a client, but most of my equipment is running on UPS with PWM output. It's not uncommon for me to have 20-30 power events in a given day - most of them transient voltage drops or spikes; I've still got an old Sun Sparc 10 file server that's still chugging along.
A couple of interesting articles for your perusal:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051009043816537
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation
A quick google will turn up lots more information on the topic. APC used to have a white paper on their site which talked about this very topic.
Most manufacturers provide connected equipment insurance - tripp lite, for example, provides $250,000(US) coverage. I've never known anyone who actually needed to use this coverage - I certainly haven't .
In brief: A UPS with PWM output will not harm your computer; switching power supplies are more than capable of handling this. If the noise bothers you, look for a UPS with "pure sine wave" output - you will pay more for this feature; it's an aesthetic choice in this case.

Can i use my mac on power supply when battery is fully charged??

can i use my mac on power supply when battery is fully charged??

Keep the computer plugged in whenever possible.
If you keep the computer always plugged in, make sure that twice a month
run it on battery until battery level drops to about 50-40%.
Maximize Runtime / Tips for maximizing your battery charge
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446
More about batteries:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
Macbook Pro Battery Cycle Count
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1519

I have a HP Pavilion a6603w. I want to upgrade power supply to run powerful graphic card. Suggest

I have a HP pavilion a6603w desktop model number FK555AA-ABA a6603w. I have a low to mid level graphics card, which is the most that my power supply will handle.
I want to get a stronger power supply to run a high end graphics card with a self cooling fan. Can anyone suggest an excellent, reliable power supply brand and model that will fit into my desktop case with minimum fuss? I am not tech savy but I have replaced my video card and hard drives with no problem.
Thanks,
Lugnut

lugnut1204 wrote: I have a HP pavilion a6603w desktop model number FK555AA-ABA a6603w. I have a low to mid level graphics card, which is the most that my power supply will handle. I want to get a stronger power supply to run a high end graphics card with a self cooling fan. Can anyone suggest an excellent, reliable power supply brand and model that will fit into my desktop case with minimum fuss? I am not tech savy but I have replaced my video card and hard drives with no problem. Thanks, Lugnut
Hello lugnut1204, I checked the specifications for your system and is appears the system shipped with a 250 power supply. The dimensions for this power supply are 5 15/16 inches wide, 5.5 inches long, and 3 3/8 inches tall. Since your system is a MicroATX version, you would be slightly limited to a power supply of the same size as the original power supply.
Here is a link to Newegg where a Corsair 600 watt power supply can be found with almost the exact same physical size as you original 250 watt version. The Corsair power supply dimensions are 5.9 inches wide, 5.5 inches long, and 3.4 inches tall.
If you get a power supply too long, it may interfer with the back of the CD\DVD drives.
You would need to locate a video card that you wanted and make sure the power supply requirements were less than the 600 watt Corsair model. Most of the mid to higher end cards require at leaset a 400 to 500 watt or greater power supply.
Please click the White Kudos star on the left, to say thanks.
Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem.

Power Supply Temperatures Running Hot! Mac Pro shuts down.

Hello,
First I will give machine/hardware specs of interest:
2 x 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (pre 2009)
8 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 (running 2 displays)
Apple RAID Card/Controller
SMC Version: 1.25f4
*venting dimensions around computer: top=18", left side=3", right side=3" and back=18".
Software of interest currently running:
OS X 10.5.8
iStat Menu
SMC Fan Control
My machine has been shutting down spontaneously and I suspect either CPU or power supply overheating. In the 5 instances this has occurred, the room was very warm (AC was not on) and I was running HandBrake with CPU at full and an iStat reading of 145 F. Ambient was 77 F and I was not reading power supply temps at the time. I figured for sure this must be a CPU overheating issue. However, just a few hours ago I had another shutdown. The room was warm again but I was not running Handbrake, but StarCraft II. I have played a lot of Starcraft II with no problems until tonight.
I decided, this time, to check the temps on my power supplies. Power supply 1 = 147 F, and #2 is at 178 F. After many hours of searching forums I have concluded that these are crazy hot temps! I immediately installed SMC Fan Control to attempt to increase the fan speeds. I was successful in increasing all fans except the power supply (stuck at 599rpm). I have now turned the AC on in the house and the Ambient is down to 70, PS #1 145 and PS #2 169. All of these temps are a result of and idle machine running a browser.
The following may or may not be an issue, however, leave no stone unturned. I currently have 12 external devices running on USB. 4 WD passport drives, 1 DVD writer, 5 WD powered drives plus the keyboard and mouse. Also, the Mac Pro is plugged into a small UPS.
In all my forum searches, I just can't seem to answer some basic questions:
1. Can an overheated power supply shut the system down?
2. What are optimal (normal) running temps for Mac Pro's? (everyone seems to have opinions, but there doesn't appear to be a technical specification anywhere).
3. I thought the fans, especially CPU fans, were supposed to kick in when the heat rises. Why are mine staying at minimal rpm's?
Finally, does it look like I need new power supplies? Fans?
This machine was put into service in March of 2008 and has done very intensive rendering for the film industry...long nights...rendering for days sometimes. It has been retired for over a year now and is used at a lesser degree.
Thanks for reading this long post! I appreciate any input you can provide!
Other iStat reading of interest:
Power Supply 1 voltage = 12.28 V
Power Supply 1 current = 26.44 A
Power Supply 1 power = 316.75 W

Also, the Mac Pro is plugged into a small UPS.
Put your peripherals on that.
Don't share the same circuit for A/C as the Mac Pro, and put the Mac on 1300VA UPS at least.
As for all those external drives.... I'd consolidate into a good SATA case or two.
And yes in summer run with 3 of the fans up around 900 rpm.

Noisy power supply fan QS 2002

Was thinking of upgrading my QS 2002 800mhz (processor, hd, ram video card) but didn't want to proceed till the noisy fan is fixed !! What are my options re fixing the noisy fan?

You can remove the power supply from the computer's chassis and open it up to access the internal cooling fan. A replacement fan would be 80mm, such as the SilenX iXtrema Pro 80mm x 25mm 14dBA 32CFM. The noise level is important to consider, because fans with higher CFM ratings typically have higher noise levels (dBA) when running.

Buzzing noise in iMac(2013) when running on UPS.

Hello,
This is my first iMac 21inch late 2013 model bought 4 days back, Everything seems just fine except one thing - I have a UPS (600VA) Connected to the iMac, when power goes out the system runs on UPS...while running on UPS, I can hear mild buzzing sound coming out of the iMac..I guess from bottom or through speaker hole in the back, buzzing sound is mild but can be heard from distance (4-5 feet) in silent environment. When power comes back...buzzing sound goes away.
I am not sure if the sound is coming from fan or any other hardware..but it is either coming from bottom of the screen or through speaker holes.
What could be the reason? It happens only while it is running on UPS backup.

My first guess would be cheap mike (or...lights, camera noise, etc.) I think you have to spend at least $150 to avoid buzz. If you can't reshoot, try the audio filters in FCP or SoundTrack. They are extensive so I don't think you would need to buy any other program. The ST user's manual lists the filters and what they do.

My unit went down hill fast from trying to boot up to only the power supply fan runs.

The power on lite is on. The DVD lite flashes then stops. The card reader lite is on. Is this the end of days for this piece of junk!!

ditwad,
I've also responded to your other post about support, and asked there for some of your specifics - contact info, system model type and serial on bottom of the unit, and your last case number. If you could send me those in a private message (little envelope in the forum), I'll try to arrange some further help.
By your post title, I get the broad strokes of the matter - it's gone from bad to worse.   In order to get more valuable help from other's in the forum, it is helpful to provide some details.
What model desktop system do you have?    What has been happening that led up to these recent events? Was anything changed or added to the system?
No video? No beeps?    You note the power supply / fan spins. How about the hard disk, can you hear it spin up?
Best regards,
Mark
ThinkPads: S30, T43, X60t, X1, W700ds, IdeaPad Y710, IdeaCentre: A300, IdeaPad K1
Mark Hopkins
Program Manager, Lenovo Social Media (Services)
twitter @lenovoforums
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Noisy Power Supply Fan?

I've had my G5 for 1 1/2 years and it has been a very quiet computer until a few months ago. I've narrowed the constant noise as coming from a fan at the very bottom of the computer. Is there any way to access this fan to clean or replace? I found a link to a web site that shows how to access the power supply fans on a single processor G5 but no help with a dual processor machine.

Hello, William, and welcome to the Discussions.
You've posted in the iMac G5 forum (inadvertently, I presume) which will not be the best place for advice about a PowerMac. I'd suggest you ask again in the PowerMac G5 forum where you'll be more likely to get useful suggestions.
Good luck.

Is it possible to have HP upgrade the power supply when purchasing a desktop? Base:300W Desired:400W

It isn't in the configuration options to upgrade the power supply. I am considering strongly an HPE500z with an upgrade to 1GB graphics card (from 512MB) and perhaps an upgrade to the processor. I do not know if 300 W should be able to handle the upgrades (it probably will be fine), but with potential future upgrades I see no reason to not go a little bigger on the power supply.
Can anyone help?

nDefined,
It should take less than 30 minutes. I installed a Corsair HX 650 into a HPE cabinet.
HP DV9700, t9300, Nvidia 8600, 4GB, Crucial C300 128GB SSD
HP Photosmart Premium C309G, HP Photosmart 6520
HP Touchpad, HP Chromebook 11
Custom i7-4770k,Z-87, 8GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650,GTX 760
Custom i7-4790k,Z-97, 16GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Plextor M.2 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650, GTX 660TI
Windows 7/8 UEFI/Legacy mode, MBR/GPT

Power consumption when running window XP

Hi guys!
Hmm, recently i've asked a question on the other forums regarding the power consumption of my macbook pro while running window XP.
I realised that when i run window Xp, the battery life can only last around 2 hours, while when I run mac OS X, the battery life is around 4 hours.
However, I've got a reply at the forum and the reply cause me to be worried...
Here's the reply...
Power management is built into Mac OS X. So OS X constantly monitors the power consumption and energy profiles of the system while in use.
Windows XP and Vista, on the other hand, is built off the NT kernel which was NEVER meant for mobile computing. Unlike OS X, Windows XP and Vista does not have built in powe rmanagement: it actually relies on the low level BIOS (which is almost 3 decades old as of today) to manage its power consumption and settings.
Since the Macs do not boot using BIOS but rather, with EFI, to boot Windows, the EFI creates a BIOS emulation layer to support Windows. because this layer is emulated and the user has no control over it, Windows loses ALL forms of power management: the fans on the Mac will run at max, EIST will be disabled, wireless receptivity and hard disks will be set to consume all the energy they can grab, among many other things. Especially for hardware with moving parts like the fan and the hard disk: prepapre for premature hardware failure if left running at max performance all the time.
So can I ask, is this true?
Will running window XP on macbook pro causes the hardware to be spoilt more easily?
I have another friend who runs window XP on macbook and he told me that the hardware will not be affected by it, so can I reassure myself on that?
Thanks a lot. ^^

Yes, Win XP is a battery hog. I have an issue with Win XP not dimming the display the way OS X does before going to sleep. Running Win XP should not harm your hardware, it just drains the battery faster. I am looking into ways of improving batter life with Win XP. For now just make sure that you have the power settings in Win XP set to laptop/portable. If you need instructions on adjusting those settings I can provide them.

Power supply clicks twice when plugged in.

I'm new to Mac however I've been a certified PC tech for many years. I recently purchased my first Mac. It worked fine but needed to have the fans cleaned out. I removed the components and power supply just as I would have done for any PC (I was using heel straps and working on an ESD safe workbench). Upon cleaning the components I reassembled the tower (no left over pieces) and heard two clicks coming from the power supply when I plugged it in and when I unplugged it. After troubleshooting the components individually, and still hearing the two clicks I decided to remove the power supply and test it independently. When I plug in the power supply w/o being attached to the tower I still get the same two clicks (making a relay opening and closing sound) no fans or LEDs come on. Falling back on my years in the industry and common since I decided that the power supply needed to be replaced. After receiving the new (not refurbished) power supply and installing it I'm still getting the same two clicks. At this point due to frustration I break down and call the pros. I called four Mac repair facilities (three third parties and The Mac Store) with a question "is it normal for a G5 power supply that is not connected to the logic board to make a relay open and closing clicking sound" and didn't get much help. Since I'm new to Mac I'm unfamiliar with the characteristics of the hardware. I know that if I were to plug in a normal PC power supply w/o the logic board nothing would happen, but I was told by two of the Mac techs that a Mac power supply would still make the same relay noise w/o being attached to the logic board. The problem is that I have now dropped a fair amount of money in this G5 and I have nothing to show for my investment and I don't know where to go from here. If two of the Mac techs were right then I need to send the new power supply back for an exchange, or if the other two Mac techs were right I need to replace the logic board.
The specs are:
1.8GHz Duel Processors
160G Hard Drive
600W Power Supply
2G RAM
512 Video Card
Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Thank you,
Brian M

Dear Brian,
I'm sure that clicking relais sound is the normal behaviour of every G5 power supply.
Did you use the official service manual for the specified computer? If not, you can download it here (I don't know which of the two files is appropriate for your computer, but one of those certainly is).
The 512 MB video card is not the standard configuration: the maximum amount of VRAM for an Apple supplied ATI or NVidia was up to 256 MB.
Lots of success resolving the problem and regards,
Robbert

Shock Therapy - An Athlon64 / FX Power Supply Guide

I used to make a hardware list of all the components I would like to incorporate in my next
computer build. Normally...at the bottom of that list would be the power supply, not that I
didn't think it was important, it's just that my other hardware was so interesting! Today, power supplys
seem to take a back seat to blazing-speed CPU's, Dual-Cored processors, glitz and glamour
video cards...not to mention supersonic, heat-sinked RAM and modular, gizmoe'd PSU's promising not
only over-achiever specifications, but eye-candy as well. The lowly PSU....tucked up somewhere inside
it's dark and lonely loft....effortlessly supplying us with the energy required for important 3D imaging
or just funning with the latest games.
What a power supply does is rather simple. It converts your office or home's socketed electricity to
usable 3.3v, 5.0v and 12.0v energy...that's all. A power supply that cannot efficiently do this will-
over time-cause computer crashes, continuous reboots and shutdowns, and worse...expensive component damage.
And now, with faster processors such as AMD's Athlon64 and FX line of CPU's, never has there been a time, when
choosing the right power supply is so important! This article is written for those using these high-powered CPU's!
Well...Do we have your attention!?
If you are experiencing these problems, or still scratching your head over that last RMA....could be
your PSU is trying to tell you something.
To begin with, a power supply's ratings refer to its maximum output under ideal conditions. No power
supply is 100% efficient. In high-quantity manufacturing, power supplys may not put out any more than 60% of
their advertised specifications. In any PSU, that rating can be further reduced by the effects of heat
and electro-magnetic radiation. That's where "switching" power supplys come in. A switching power supply draws
only as much current that is needed from the AC input. Buying a hefty PSU with this feature will guarantee
that you will be paying no more for electric service, than you would with a cheaper, less powerful unit.
One of the most common causes of power supply inefficiency, and ultimately failure is dirt. Dust and
foreign materials can cause the beginning of the end for a power supply, by attacking the fan first.
It begins by slowing the fan down...thus creating heat through friction, then ultimately burning it out.
PSU's with high-quality ball bearing fans are a must. They are far more durable, and not as likely to
become noisier as time goes by.
As a general rule...a failing PSU will usually emit abnormal sounds, followed by unstable voltage readings....
then the computer crashes or lock-ups, with random shutdowns, and sometimes...refusal to even power-up.
If you think your power supply is on its last leg...better to deal with it now, or face the more serious dilemmas later on.
APM (Advanced Power Management)
APM is a feature originally developed by partners, Microsoft and Intel. It relates to a systems ability
to utilize different states in regards to a systems utilization of power. On, Off, Standby and Suspend
are examples...these are BIOS features, not PSU functions. APM only requires of the power supply, the
function to turn power on or off through an electrical signal, and the presence of stand-by voltage.
All ATX power supplys are required to incorporate this feature. However, if some components in a computer
are not APM-compliant, your system may encounter errors or freezes when going into hibernate or stand-by
modes.
ACPI (Advanced Control Power Interface)
It's the latest power management control that was developed by a conglomeration of IT corporations. This interface
is O.S. derived, rather than BIOS, and all ATX power supplys should be ACPI-compliant. You should not have to be
concerned about this feature.
Line-Conditioning Circuitry
A power supply component that helps control power levels, spikes and surges in
the most unreliable of home sockets.
EMI Filter
This circuitry smooths the fluctuations of incoming AC currents, also known
as Electro-Magnetic Interference - EMI filters are usually found in higher-end power supplys.
PFCC
Power Factor Correction Circuitry...smooths out sudden, initial spikes in power
delivery - reducing amplitude and preventing circuit overloads.
Connectors
There are five main connectors found on the latest version ATX power supply.
1) ATX main power connector - 20-pin, 24-pin, and 20 to 24-pin adapter.
2) ATX 12v power connector (4-pin to CPU)
3) Molex peripheral power connector
4) Floppy power connector
5) Serial ATA power connector
On newer SLI-certified power supplys, you'll find two 6-pin video card connectors.
Know What You Need
When purchasing a power supply, make sure your parts list is all-inclusive...know ahead of time, what you expect to
install in your system. You should also visit the motherboard manufacturer's site, as well as the CPU's. Most of the
products will have specifics regarding power supply requirements needed for that specific component. Unfortunately, you
really won't know how well the PSU performs until it is installed and running your system (hopefully!) This is the main reason we
recommend the most popular brands - power supplys that have shown a duration of manufacturing quality over the years. Those are
as follows: Antec, Enermax, OCZ, PC Power and Cooling, Tagan, and a few newcomers such as SeaSonic and Silverstone are
worth looking into.
If you believe you have found the PSU of choice, remember this: AMD recommends a minimum 350 watt power supply to run
Athlon64 and FX CPU's. To that, add the 30% for power lost to heat, and the subsequent electro-magnetic radiation. Hold on with that
calculator...throw in an additional 40% to 60% for the "potential" inaccuracies of specifications inherent in mass-produced electronics.
Pay special attention to outputs on either single, or dual rail +12v lines. A motherboard, CPU, and graphics card can consume up to
150 watts alone - before hooking up your remaining components. If running an SLI configured board, look for a PSU that is certified
to run that configuration...there's only a few PSU's that lay claim to that!
Broken down, you can look at it this way: An Athlon64/FX processor can use up to 90 watts off the +12v rail. High performance RAM
can take in about 25 watts for each stick of 256MB system memory from the +3.3v line. PCI cards will use about 10 watts each, while
an AGP video card can consume about 50 precious watts alone from the +5v or +12v. Hard drives? A 7,200 RPM drive...about 15 watts
each, taken from the +5v and +12v rail. Finally, but not absolutely is the optical drives...robbing about 20 watts each, also from
the +5v and +12v lines. So you see....not only is the +12v amp ratings of concern, but also the +5v line!
In doing the math...on a system incorporating an Athlon64 (say a 4000+), 2 sticks of high-end RAM, 2 or 3 PCI cards, 1 mid-to-high
end AGP video card, 2 ~ 7,200 RPM hard drives, and a couple of CD/RW or DVD/RW opticals...you're looking at a "base" requirement of 270 to 325 watts. That's for a running system...now figure boot-up loads, 30% for heat and radiation bleed-off, then a 40% safety factor for manufacturing inconsistencies...you've got a power supply in the 450 to 520 watt range!
Modular Power Supplys:
The pins that are used for the modular plugs are not very good at passing current. It's basically electrical resistance between the male and female components, and voltage "drops" are likely. In real world events, they will become loose, dirty, corrosive, and eventually burn. You can figure about 10% less efficiency with a modular power supply.
Now you can understand how manufacturing "tolerances" that are inaccurate by 40% to 60%, can have such a devastating effect on
the performance of your new system. If you follow these simple guidelines, bearing in mind the hardware you will be using, and what
your intended use of the computer is for...then it will be one less dramatic incident when pushing the power button for the first time!
Here's a neat little tool....a bit out of date - that can give you a basic idea of what you'll need in a PSU.
You can apply the percentages above, for an even more accurate assesment of your PSU requirements!
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/Power_Supply_Calculator.php?cmd=AMD

Quote
In doing the math...on a system incorporating an Athlon64 (say a 4000+), 2 sticks of high-end RAM, 2 or 3 PCI cards, 1 mid-to-high
end AGP video card, 2 ~ 7,200 RPM hard drives, and a couple of CD/RW or DVD/RW opticals...you're looking at a "base" requirement of 270 to 325 watts. That's for a running system...now figure boot-up loads, 30% for heat and radiation bleed-off, then a 40% safety factor for manufacturing inconsistencies...you've got a power supply in the 450 to 520 watt range!
Well, except the CPU, my system has all that you mentioned there (I even have 3 optical drives). And my 350W PSU has been rock solid for more than a year (BeQuiet, = Tagan, IIRC). I don't think a 4000+ needs 100W more than my 3200+ . And that link you posted says that the minimum recommended PSU for my system is 506W xD. Come on.
Oh, and in the place I work there are 6 amd64 with GeForce 6800 GT and 2GB RAM with 380W Antec PSUs. All 100% stable, of course.
I would only go for >400W if I wanted to do extreme OC (with overvolting), or SLI. Otherwise, a good brand 350W PSU is more than enough.

QuickSilver G4 (M8360LL/A) Power Supply W/Dead Fan, Would Like To Discuss

Hey Everyone,
I recently discovered my Power Mac QuickSilver G4 (M8360LL/A -- http://support.apple.com/specs/powermac/PowerMac_G4Quicksilver.html) has a dead fan within the power supply. Running an open-case test shows all other fans are working fine. Currently I have a high RPM floor fan blowing A/C air directly into/against the rear of the chassis.
I've done some research on my options, but would like some help making the best choice:
(1) Purchase a replacement power supply.
(2) Install a replacement fan directly into the power supply since it still appears to be functioning normally.
(3) Purchase a cheaper alternative, but compatible power supply?
I'll discuss my research into each possibility in order:
(1) I've found a small number of sites selling replacement power supplies for the QuickSilver G4 systems (shipping not factored into the prices I'm listing):
(a) $174.00 from DV Warehouse (http://www.dvwarehouse.com/Power-Supply-344-W-PM-G4-Quick-Silver(733-800-867-933-1ghz/Dual)-p-20361.html)
(b) $179.99 from Mac-Resource (http://www.mac-resource.com/store.php?item=6612513.PART)
(c) $219.95 from WeLoveMacs (http://www.welovemacs.com/posu344wapog.html)
(d) At the time I searched, I didn't see anyone selling the same model power supply on eBay.
If I choose to purchase a replacement, I'll most likely go with the cheapest vendor since it's listing the part as new.
(2) I'm not confident enough to attempt a fan replacement, and since the power supply fan has been dead for an unknown length of time, I'm not entirely confident it hasn't been damaged from excessive heat. If anyone has a link or useful document that explains how to replace the power supply fan safely, I'd be open to the option. Right now, the most information I currently have is the physical specifications of the original fan (correct me if I'm wrong!):
Protechnic 80x80x25mm MAGIC (made by Sechang Micro)
12 Volt, 0.24 Amp
38.27 CFM, 3000 RPM (max), 29 dBA
P/N: MGA8012HS
I would probably want a better alternative if I went this route, since I didn't expect the fan to die quite this soon (although I generally run my system 24/x7).
(3) I found this other post where another G4 QuickSilver user had the same problem: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2198292
That thread has a link to the following site with recommendation for purchasing power supplies:
http://www.Performance-PCs.com/
However, I've limited experience with voltage requirements and I don't know anything about the physical connector or dimensions of the power supply itself. At best, I know the model of my power supply is 614-0157 and can max out at 344 W.
If anyone has input and suggestions to help me fully explore my options, I'd really appreciate it. Otherwise I'll land on safe ground by buying an entire replacement of the same model, swap it out, and be done with it.
Power Mac G4 QuickSilver (M8360LL/A) Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2 GHz Processor Upgrade (Giga Designs), 1.5 GB RAM, 5 Internal HDDs

I decided to purchase a replacement power supply from DV Warehouse, since it was the cheapest vendor I could find selling the part as new.
When time permits, I intend to open the original power supply cover to see how challenging it would be to replace the fan. When I do, I'll add more about it to this thread.
One thing I'm noticing with this power supply fan while it's still in use with my system: If I push on a fan blade with a plastic stick while the system is powered up, I'll see the fan revolve a little (very slowly) before stopping. Not sure if that can be a useful clue as to which component within the power supply could have failed.
PB PM - About your earlier comment to blowing A/C air against the back of the case being more of a hinderance than helpful, is that true even when the component has no assisted airflow at all? In other words, my logic in using a floor fan to force colder air into the power supply is to help cool the components within it since there is otherwise only natural airflow to help keep the PS from overheating.
Thanks!

Noisy power supply when running of UPS?... follow up post.

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