SLOPPY POWER SUPPLIES WILL STUFF BURNERS DRU-510A

[pharlap]

2 UNITS SO FAR HAVE CAUSED GRIEF FOR CISTMERS HAVE BEEFED BOTH UNITS UP TO 400W POWER SUPPLY NO PROBS SINCE

[Gees]

Might be good info?.......... but you keep SHOUTING in all your posts! :cD

Lose the caps.

Please.

:c)

[overloaded_ide]

Bad or under sized power supplies will cause all kinda problems in a computer. Not just DVD related or burners. Lockups, reboots, just all kids of things!
P/s is actually the one most important part of the computer, and also the one so many people scrimp on to save a buck!

[dcsos]

My friends 500-a stopped working entirely..
No read,, no write
so booted to floppy..still no read..
So went back to Windows..still no function..removing ide's and devices did nothing..still wouldn't spin up...
TILL
RE-FLASHED to firmware "F" in windows..
REBOOT and READ AND WRITE AGAIN

do you think its time for him to change the power supply?
ITS a Athon 1Gig (thunderbird) with 512MB ram under XP with 300Watt
PS (drives 2 optical drives, 2 hard drives)

[pharlap]

it all depends on the unit and how much gear is attached 300w unit can be a bit scungy as for the firmware its only up to revision 1.0c i think

[LanEvo7]

Your friend should get a new PSU. 300w is a little thin for a system like that.

[dcsos]

as for the firmware its only up to revision 1.0c i think

I think you're referring to your model the 510a because this is newer link than the "F" F firmware which fixed my pal's 500-a
this is for the newest firm ware "G"
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/Peripheral/CRX/Support/common/fw500a10g.exe

so as not to stray off topic..Can you or have you ever replaced a part in the POWER SUPPLY successfully?
Can you replace the fuse or FAN for example?
or should you just buy a more powerful one?

[redwudz]

A few notes on computer power supplies.
If it came with the case, it's probably the cheapest they could buy. Just because it's rated at 300 watts doesn't mean it is a quality unit. Check how much heat is coming out of it with a light load compared to a heavy load. If it's running very hot, it will have a shorter lifespan. Go to your bios screen and check all the voltages to see that they are in line with the specs. There is also software you can use to monitor voltages and fan speeds, etc., from your OS. Invest in a good quality power supply, 300-500 watts, depending on your load. Look for a unit that will shut down automatically if it has a failure. With the proper case and setup you can use dual power supplies if you really have a heavy load or sensitive applications. I have had 2 power supply failures with different systems in the last few years. One destroyed the motherboard and the other just died. They were both cheap units that came with the cases. Get a UPS. It will protect your power supply and computer from brownouts and surges

[Anodos]

Let me add my own experience to this discussion. When I built my computer three years ago, I didn't realize how important power supplies were. I got a cheap 300W. I bought an 80 GB drive. One year later, the drive's heads began crashing. Drive was toast. I got it replaced (under warranty). Two months later, same thing. I also put in a 40 GB drive, and it too had problems. During this time I tried everything except replacing the power supply: new cables, new drives, new IDE controller, new drivers, new OS, etc. Still, drives crashed. This is when I began suspecting power. I spent the $$ to buy an Antec TRUE430, and it has been going strong now for 8 months with no problems. I never turn the system off, and it has been running three drives (120GB, 80GB, and 40 GB) without any issues.

- Anodos

[SaSi]

Some cheap PSUs advertise their power consumption rather than power output. With an efficiency factor of ~0.8, such a PSU that advertises 300W can be no better than 240W.

Also, some PSUs don't output only voltage but also noise . They should be giving out DC power that in an osciloscope appears like a flat line but they have also AC redundant noise as well as high frequency elements - since switching power supplies multiply the AC frequency to a high one to be able to use a small transformer in the process.

In a computer magazine test of several PSUs, some failed miserably to deliver their rated output power and died. They obviously didn't receive high marks for that.

For me, a good quality PSU and a good quality VGA screen is the two investments that can be carried along several generations of CPUs and motherboards. Don't think cheap when it comes to the PSU.

A friend's PC died when an AC spike destroyed the PSU (along with motherboard, disks and CD-ROM). The CPU survived but he threw it away because it was a PIII and he could no longer find a PIII motherboard.

[jdizzy40]

Totally agree, I have 7 Antec True 430 watt powers supplies. Each of my systems have one. One system has 3 Optical Drives, 5 Hard drives, 8 fans with baybus, and all 6 PCI and 1 AGP slot filled. Spend well and you have the insurance.

[Faustus]

I also agree, a good PSU and Good ram go a LONG way tomaking a system more stable.

I replaced tons of units that turned out to be power related.

Also if you live in a really old house, consider getting a very small UPS unit with power conditioning. It may not have much backup juice but it sure can save you hardware.

[marvel2020]

Well mines a SPARKLE 300watt PSU ( <---Probably the best PSU you can buy in my opinion ), it runs a DVD ROM drive, DVD-RW, CD-RW, 80GB Harddrive with cooling fan, 120GB harddrive with cooling fan, 40GB harddrive with cooling.

My Computer is on 24/7, i've had the PSU 2 years and has never given any problems whatsoever.

Cost £ 35.00 pounds and has enough connectors to run more Device's.

[Faustus]

I'd go with an Antec True power, or an Enermax before a Sparkle personally. But there is not really anything bad about them.

[Toogy]

I upgraded to an Antec TruePower 550 Watt PS not too long ago and It gives me great piece of mind when I keep my system running 24/7 for months on end with 4 hard drives and 2 Optical drives in it.