I'm considering purchasing a 4-year-old power supply from a friend. It's a Xianma 750w 80 plus gold PSU that he only used once. He originally bought it thinking his power supply had failed, but it turned out to be his motherboard that was the issue. Since then, it's just been sitting in its original box. I'm about to build a new PC with an Intel i5-13400F and a RX 5070, and my old 550w PSU isn't cutting it. He's willing to sell it to me for $27, which is a steal especially since I'm trying to save some money. However, I'm concerned about reliability and whether using a PSU this old could potentially damage my motherboard or GPU. Is it safe to go ahead with this purchase?
5 Answers
So, Xianma is sometimes referred to as Sama. There isn't a ton of info out there, but my girlfriend has one from a Taiwanese build she bought online and it’s been working fine except for some coil whine. Keep that in mind when deciding!
Definitely look for reviews! The capacitors won’t degrade just by not being used, so you should be safe as long as it’s a good model. Just make sure to check what other users say about it before deciding.
If it’s a proven reliable PSU, go for it! I've had my Corsair unit for over 10 years without issues. Most power supplies are quite durable, even when they sit unused.
I've never heard of that brand before, so I’d suggest looking into reviews to see if they're any good. But honestly, if it's just been sitting around for a few years, it shouldn't pose a problem. Just be sure it's reliable before buying.
Thanks for the tip! I've only found one review from a while back in Chinese, but it seems they have a decent reputation.
Make sure to check the PSU Tier List for reliability. Not all power supplies are created equal, and I wouldn't want you to get a dud. But if it's reliable, it should be fine; power supplies don’t just expire from sitting in storage!
I checked those lists but didn't see this model. I guess I’ll just have to take a gamble.
I was worried about the capacitors too, but if most people say it’s fine, I think I’m ready to take the plunge!