Thermaltake PSU Blew

[vidarr]

My PSU blew with a loud, gunshot-like boom. It looks like one of the transformers blew. Fixing it is beyond my skillset. Is it worth the money to have someone to fix it?

[janoc]

If the transformers are damaged, that's beyond economical repair, IMO. However your potato quality photos don't show anything obviously damaged on the transformers.

Given the price of a new unit it is probably beyond economical repair anyway - the time of someone qualified and equipped to repair that + cost of the components will be more than a new supply.

[FlyingHacker]

We have had multiple Thermaltake PSUs fail in our render farm (hard 24/7 100% use). Will not buy more.

[thm_w]

Is it still under warranty?
The warranty might be 5 or 10 years if you are lucky.

[Whales]

Perhaps those transformers looked that untidy from the factory?  More photos with more light would be good.

Check the TO-220 (& similar) chips on the big heatsinks, see if any of those have detonated.

Alas I'm also of the opinion that you should warranty or buy a different model.  ATX power supplies are a bit like jet figher aircraft, unstable unless constantly tamed by a lot of control & protection systems.  If your PSU manages to detonate then the design is probably flawed, repairing it will not prevent the issue happening again.

[vidarr]

Well, I guess this PSU is going to the trash. I already bought a replacement.

RE: the warranty... There was some kind of problem with the warranty, because I bought it in the USA and then took it to Brazil. Brazil won't accept it because it is from the USA. The USA won't accept it because it blew in Brazil.

I will NEVER buy another Thermaltake product, Ever. Never.

Thanks guys!

[vidarr]

We have had multiple Thermaltake PSUs fail in our render farm (hard 24/7 100% use). Will not buy more.

This is good to know. Thank you.

[Whales]

RE: the warranty... There was some kind of problem with the warranty, because I bought it in the USA and then took it to Brazil. Brazil won't accept it because it is from the USA. The USA won't accept it because it blew in Brazil.

That's troll.  They'll probably defend it as some way of enforcing region-specific pricing too (they probably don't want people taking their products across borders), which is doubly retarded.

Contact GamersNexus and see if they want it.  https://www.extremetech.com/computing/325922-gigabyte-will-replace-defective-power-supplies-blames-media-for-doa-hardware

[amyk]

In over two decades I haven't heard of transformers in PC PSUs dying. A "gunshot-like" sound is usually a transistor or diode releasing the magic smoke.

[philwong5176]

So if not Thermaltake, what would you recommend for PC's that run 24/7 ??

[Whales]

So if not Thermaltake, what would you recommend for PC's that run 24/7 ??

Anything that has a long warranty program that works in your country.  There are lots of parts to fail in PSUs, including the fans, no one brand is perfect. 

I wouldn't be surprised if model X of PSU in a country with strong consumer laws has better parts in it (eg fets, filters) than the same labelled model X in a country with worse consumer laws.


EDIT: also don't buy anything cheaper than $50AUD new, that's definitely a bad ATX PSU.  More money can be a sign of better quality and 80PLUS rating can be a sign of better quality, but they can still stuff up and make a detonating, out-of-spec product, bad-fan, noisy/buzzy or otherwise unhappy product at any price point.

[bdunham7]

So if not Thermaltake, what would you recommend for PC's that run 24/7 ??

Buy one with a good efficiency rating and with a power rating of at least twice your maximum load.  That's a plan I learned in the GPU bitcoin mining days--cheap crap running at 95% load went up in smoke quite quickly.  It is nearly impossible to recommend a 'brand' because the OEMs and sellers keep mixing it up, so even if I had a model that had lasted 5 years, you'd never find it anymore.  Semi-fanless models are often better made as well because they have to have adequate heat sinking and components to limit heat. 

[SeanB]

If you have fan speed control turn the speed up to keep it cool. Quiet fans, till the PSU heats up, means you have just made a nice thermal capacitor cooker, which is almost designed to cook the power supply capacitors to the point they fail just out of warranty. Just replaced all the secondary caps on my PC, generic Fujitsu I bought used, and fan got a tiny speed bump to run faster, plus added an extra case fan running off 5V to stir the inside air more, dropping temperature a lot. Rest of PSU well made, just cooked capacitors on secondary, and also replaced all the small primary side electrolytics as prevention as well.

[Haenk]

Every PSU can fail; I'd suggest going with a "non-gaming", branded, "Platinum"-rated one, running at 40-60% load. If you want to buy a larger number, open one and check for components - if there are top brand caps (Nichicon e.g.), that would be a good sign IMHO. A bunch of noname caps -> don't buy.

Best PSU for me so far: Huntkey Jumper "planet3dnow"-Edition. Running about 20 of them for 10 years straight now. Those were special editions with parts upgrades in critical areas. Considered by the manufacturer to be too expensive to manufacture after the initial batch sold out. But shows longlivety *could* be done.

[janoc]

If it is meant to run 24/7 then I probably wouldn't buy an ATX supply in the first place. Those are mostly intended for consumer/office gear that is not meant to run 24/7 under load and where low noise is a premium - and most are built down to a price, regardless of the price tag.

Look for a proper server rated supply instead, along with a proper cooling solution (there is a reason server fans often sound like jets taking off).

[MathWizard]

OP are u sure it was a transformer and not just dirt/debris on it from a mosfet or cap? I'd say it's pretty rare for the trans. to overheat to the point it blow's up.

I got another PSU, but oh well,

[vidarr]

My new one is EVGA. Being in Brazil, it was the best option, but also a very good brand. It works really well and have no problems. On the other hand, this Thermaltake problem is really disappointing.

ASUS is also failing as of late. Their product quality has gone to @#%^. Two monitors dead under warranty and two motherboards dead under warranty. I am waiting for the replacement of the 2nd monitor and am currently using, ironically, a 14 year old ASUS monitor. Their quality now sucks.

[vidarr]

EVGA is a good brand. The above comments about this topic are good. I always go with the highest rating, best of everything option. Almost all decent brands have an 8-10 year warranty.

[TheMG]

The transformers have that rough look to them simply due to how they are made. They are often dipped in varnish and baked as one of the last manufacturing steps, than can give the outside a rough uneven appearance.

A loud bang is usually transistors shorting out and blowing open from the fault current.