Can a High-Quality PSU Degrade Over Time and Damage Components?
Posted by UnemployedBear369@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 29 comments
I’m new to PC building and have heard that PSUs can degrade over time, but I’m not sure how this works. Let’s say I have a high-quality PSU that’s been running 24/7 for years. Will it eventually reach a point where it starts damaging other components (like the CPU, GPU, etc.), or will it just die quietly without harming anything?
From what I’ve read, aging capacitors in PSUs can lose efficiency and cause instability, but I’m unclear if this instability can actively harm parts.
For example:
• Do voltage fluctuations from an old PSU fry components, or does the PSU usually fail first?
• Are high-quality PSUs mostly immune to this, or do they still pose risks after years of heavy use?
Jirekianu@reddit
What they mean by degrade is that efficiency can drop slightly, and you may not be able to trust the rated wattage as exactly true.
I.e. if you have a 1000W psu and it's 12 years old? It may have trouble getting past 900W.
These are just placeholder numbers and not an exact scale. It's just to give you an idea. However, if you're running a PSU below max load and not worried about hitting a ceiling on power draw. Then you should be fine.
That said, power supplies do have a rated lifespan, but it's typically 10 years minimum. Even on cheaper units. The better ones will likely last significantly longer without outside sources of damage like surges, brown outs, or other issues.
UnemployedBear369@reddit (OP)
That clears up the confusion about degradation, but I'm still worried about my old PSU. Will there be any signs before it starts to fail or potentially damaging other components due to its old age?
Jirekianu@reddit
I wouldn't worry unless it's at least ten years old. And even then? Only if you're running it over 80% of its originally rated load capacity.
If you can afford to replace it with a new psu and it's at least ten years old? Might be a good idea. Because newer power supplies are more modular and have a better array of connectors and cables for newer hardware.
If it's sub 10 years old I wouldn't worry.
The signs of failure would be safety cut offs like your pc turning off abruptly when gaming or doing high power draw tasks. Perhaps some blue screen crashes with the error referencing power supply issues.
It's very unlikely your computer would be fried by your psu out of nowhere with no warning signs.
giddycocks@reddit
Refreshing to see someone grounded for a change, not the usual pc building circlejerk of get 1200W to run an 8800GT safely.
I mentioned in passing I'm planning on keeping my 750W Silentiumpc PSU (It's kind of a regional brand, but their products are very good) with a 5080 paired with a 5800x3d since it only draws 20W more than a 3080 anyway, and I had so many nerds clutching their pearls.
Jirekianu@reddit
That should be fine. You're looking at a total system load of 550-600W (assuming overclocking and other components) on a 750W power supply. You're nearing that 80% load point, But you're not going over it.
giddycocks@reddit
360+130W and a couple SSDs, RAMs, an AIO cooler - you're spot on. More wattage wouldn't hurt, of course, but why throw away good, working components that fit your needs?
FrequentWay@reddit
There are signs when it cannot handle your workloads but those require a load bank and an o-scope to check the power coming out of the PSU.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042-12.html#
carlbandit@reddit
Electronics can be unpredictable, so no-one can say that a PSU won't damage other components when it eventually dies because it can depend on what fails, but a higher quality PSU is going to better protect your other components.
I've only had 1 PSU fail on me, it was my Corsair AX860 and was around 11 years old. Before it stopped working completly, I started having issues with my PC where I'd have to push power button a few times to get it to come on, then I had to start turning the PSU off, pushing power button to drain stored power and then I could start PC. I wasn't sure if it was PSU at first or something else like the power button since case was also 11yr old, but when I changed my PSU for my current it started working fine. So in my case, there were warning signs PSU was failing, but that's not guaranteed to always be the case.
Mysterious-Tackle-58@reddit
What is a "brown out"?
The only thing i can think about is shit hitting the fan.
Jirekianu@reddit
Instead of completely losing power, the flow of current dips. Imagine someone turning a dimmer switch low for a split second, then back up to full. Except it's power to your house.
Mysterious-Tackle-58@reddit
Aahh, thnx!
Little-Equinox@reddit
You know a 900w cable can still push 1000w, if not 2000w through it. But the resistance can become greater, causing more heat to build up. Even then that takes well over 100 years unless you often move the cable.
bangyy@reddit
What is a brown out
Jirekianu@reddit
When the power delivery dips but isn't lost entirely. I.e. a power grid level equivalent of someone lowering the dimmer switch for a split second before it comes back.
bomerr@reddit
Can be either but usually they fail first.
I have a corsair psu plat that failed after mining.
UnemployedBear369@reddit (OP)
Did you see any signs?
LegitimatelisedSoil@reddit
A good power supply with protections will not damage components, they will always kill themselves long before to protect them.
felixmkz@reddit
The old "bathtub curve" describes what happens to electronics like PSUs. Most failures occur early, within the first month or two. Then there is a long period with a low incidence of random failures, like 15 to 30 years. Then parts wear out and failure rates increase. The most likely component to break in a PSU over time is the fan as it is electromechanical.
adonise@reddit
Nothing gold can stay.
Dear_Program_8692@reddit
Even low quality ones are safe
HarmadeusZex@reddit
All components inevitably degrade its the law of physics. Will it eventually drift out of specifications ? Yes, but probably not in a reasonable time frame.
When you assemble components in a certain fashion they slowly revert to chaos.
Nobody can answer for sure it needs to be tested.
And no, high quality psus still obey laws of physics.
I say you can expect them last at least 10 years. But your question too generic and yes they degrade after time
ggRavingGamer@reddit
Got a crap one in my parents' computer.
It's been running for 10 years.
No-Actuator-6245@reddit
From what good reviewers have said the equipment to properly test PSU’s cost thousands and not something 99.99% of users will have. I know out of spec ripple can reduce the lifespan of connected components. I don’t know how likely it is for ripple to go out of spec over time but if it did then yes.
My rule of thumb. Is not to use a psu that is out of warranty. That is the time the manufacturer is willing to stand by their product and not expect issues. Although psu warranties normally do not specifically state they cover other components in the event of psu failure causing damage to a pc, I have seen people report that they have had damaged components replaced when a psu from the more well known and trusted brands have failed.
UnemployedBear369@reddit (OP)
Mine has a 3-year warranty, but it's only used on an old PC for a home NAS. It's definitely better to buy a new one though
ficskala@reddit
No, it will either just die, or it will die and take out other components with it, while it works, your components will be fine regardless of its age
I've had 2 PSUs die, first one just died and motherboards circuit pritection stopped it from being powered on, after disconnecting it from everything and turning the psu on manually, its mosfets blew up
Second one was on, it was just a pop, a flash of light, and smoke coming out of the psu, all components survived afaik, i haven't tested the GPU, this was about 2 years ago, but i still have the gpu, and i'm considering turning it on if i get my hands on a PSU that can handle it, all the other components work fine, and i've sold them a couple of months ago to a friend, i got newer parts for my pc bc i wanted an upgrade, and he just needed anything that can run league of legends (yucky)
UnemployedBear369@reddit (OP)
Got it, so it's very unlikely for it to die without any signs. Also, I was gold in League (I regret it).
ficskala@reddit
Nono, the opposite, it's most likely to die without any signs
My condolances
jamvanderloeff@reddit
If it's competently designed it should have appropriate protection to switch off in case of a fault before it could be damaging.
t90fan@reddit
Not for like 20-30 years