Do you want to limit the cost of upgrading your PC? Why not start power supply unit ? You might have guessed it: one of the best ways to save money is to reuse your old computer components. The majority of these are generally recoverable (apart from the motherboard, the processor, and the RAM if the generational leap is very significant), this will prevent you from wasting an entire fortune in vain!
However, it is commonly accepted that the power supply unit is the component that presents the most risks, given the electrical problems it frequently encounters, such as power surges. That said, it would be wise to question the reliability of an old power supply before reusing it: will it have the required power? Would we be right to trust him in the long term?
Is an old power supply still reliable?
It is quite simple to obtain a detailed analysis of the specifications and performance of your PC, but this is not the case for its electrical power supply . This remains a mystery. All you will have available is the power table, the values of which are only theoretical.
So, before reusing your old power supply in a new PC, the first thing to do, in addition to knowing its total power, is to know what current it is capable of generating on the +12V rail; this value is of particular importance.
Remember: a mid-range graphics card will need at least 30A on the +12V rail, while a high-end one will need more than 50A.
Taking into account the wear of components over the years, it is recommended to subtract at least 5% per year of life from the theoretical values of the source. In other words, let's imagine that you have a 600W source which delivers 48A on the +12V rail, but which is 5 years old. This means that you must subtract 25% of the values, and you will therefore have the equivalent of a 450W source, capable of providing 36A on the +12V rail.
Obviously, these values are not empirical, but they still allow us to have a general idea about the new capacity of the power supply , and thus help us decide whether it is worth reusing or not.
Next, make sure the old power supply has enough connectors to connect to the new PC. Take advantage of changing the platform to thoroughly clean and dust the power supply block!
So, is it not recommended to reuse a power supply block for your PC?
We still couldn't decide on that, but we would rather say: not necessarily.
Indeed, if the power supply is of good quality, the manufacturer is renowned for its reliability, and you have never maintained it at high temperatures, you should not normally have any problem.
However, if your power supply is of a questionable brand or is more than 5 years old, in order to avoid any complications, it is time for you to invest in purchasing a new one!
