PSA for upgrading your power supply: Don't make the $700 mistake I did.


De1taE1even

Recommended Posts

I consider myself to be a generally smart person, but after this mistake, a re-evaluation might be necessary.  I decided to upgrade the power supply in my machine, since I've added lots of hardware since I first built it.  I was upgrading from a Corsair CX500M to an EVGA 650P2.  Simple enough, right?  For most people, it probably is, but I'm an idiot.

 

In my infinite laziness, I decided, since both power supplies are modular, I'd just use the corsair cables and plug them into the new power supply, where applicable.  The SATA power connectors on both power supplies look identical, a common 6-pin molex connector.  Should be universal, right?  WRONG.  Looking back now, I can't believe how stupid I was to just assume this would work, without at least performing a quick Google search.  30 seconds of research would have saved me a lot of money.

 

So, I got everything wired up, plugged it in, powered it on, and heard two pops.  The first was every single hard drive's pcb saying goodbye to the known world simultaneously, and the second was my heart breaking.  So, very expensive lesson learned, modular power supply cables are NOT universal.

Link to comment

Ouch....

 

Mate, so sorry to hear that.  I've replaced a PSU like you and fortunately I replaced the cables as I preferred the newer cables that were supplied, mine were both from the same manufacturer though, such an easy pitfall to get caught in and it's very logical to assume they would be universal... 

 

Thanks for posting, I'm sure you're not the first this has happened to and I bet you won't be the last either unfortunately....

 

Insured? 

Link to comment

Thanks everyone, hopefully this will keep others from making the same mistake.

 

Insured?

 

Hmm... I never thought about that.  You talking about home owners insurance?  I wouldn't think something like this would be covered, but then again I've never looked into it.  I'll Google a bit to see.

 

EDIT: Actually now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure my deductible is $1000 so I don't think it'd be worth the claim.  I'll talk to my agent though just to be sure.

Link to comment

This sad tale has got me wondering if it's even safe to assume that the cables a given manufacturer uses are compatible across its own product line. Over the years I've used several modular power supplies by Corsair (AX, TX HX and RM series) and I've simply put the spare cables together in a box. I've only ever added to that collection, never having the need to take any out. Perhaps I ought to go through them all with a meter.

 

EDIT: Hmmm. It seems as though there are indeed some compatibility issues even within that one manufacturer's range: https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/2v42b1/psa_modular_power_supply_cables_are_not_swappable

 

EDIT: Actually HX, not TX.

Link to comment

This sad tale has got me wondering if it's even safe to assume that the cables a given manufacturer uses are compatible across its own product line. Over the years I've used several modular power supplies by Corsair (AX, TX and RM series) and I've simply put the spare cables together in a box. I've only ever added to that collection, never having the need to take any out. Perhaps I ought to go through them all with a meter.

IIRC there have been reports of that through the years. 

 

Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk

 

 

Link to comment

Perhaps I ought to go through them all with a meter.

This, exactly. I strongly recommend checking the pinout with a meter and group like with like, preferably with a label enumerating the pinout. That way if you get the urge to use them, you know for sure before you take a risk.

 

I'll never do anything like this again without pulling out the multimeter, that's for sure.

Link to comment

Well, I tested them all with a multimeter and there are indeed differences. Thanks for raising this issue. It seems very strange to me that Corsair would do things that way. Surely it would be cheaper for them to produce one standard set of cables that are compatible with all their power supplies. The only explanation I can think of is that some product lines were acquired from other manufacturers.

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Seriously ... How could ANYONE be so STUPID !!    :) :)

 

 

.

.

.

 

... Trust me, that's nothing compared to some FAR more obvious screw-ups I've seen (and done myself) over the years.  I could tell a lot of stories -- but one that's at least a bit similar was when I worked at NATO in Brussels, and had a contract with a small company from California to deliver a micro-computer based system (the bulk of the cost was software).  The President of the company flew to Brussels to make the actual delivery.  He had the computer, a NEC Multisync monitor, etc. to install.    The power supply for the computer had a 120/240 switch, which he dutifully set to 240 (as required).    The supply also had a convenience outlet on it (fairly common in those days -- late 80's) -- and he plugged the 120v monitor into that outlet.  I TOLD him that wasn't right ... that he needed to pick up a transformer for the monitor.  But he assured me he "knew what he was doing" and that I just didn't understand the technology.    He then proceeded to plug in the computer; and when he pushed the power button on the monitor there was a loud POP as the 240v input fried it  :)

... He then headed to a computer store in Brussels to buy a 240v monitor -- which, of course, his company had to pay for.

(and in those days that was ~ a $1000 display)

 

Now THAT was truly stupid -- HE clearly didn't understand how a power supply worked.

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better

If you wish to attempt to salvage some or all of the drives, I highly recommend getting in touch with http://www.donordrives.com/. I'm not affiliated, just a satisfied customer. They may be able to fix the drives for less than the equivalent market value, so at least your wallet isn't hurt quite so badly. If you actually needed the data, those guys are worth their weight in gold in this situation.
Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Seriously ... How could ANYONE be so STUPID !!    :) :)

 

 

.

.

.

 

... Trust me, that's nothing compared to some FAR more obvious screw-ups I've seen (and done myself) over the years.  I could tell a lot of stories -- but one that's at least a bit similar was when I worked at NATO in Brussels, and had a contract with a small company from California to deliver a micro-computer based system (the bulk of the cost was software).  The President of the company flew to Brussels to make the actual delivery.  He had the computer, a NEC Multisync monitor, etc. to install.    The power supply for the computer had a 120/240 switch, which he dutifully set to 240 (as required).    The supply also had a convenience outlet on it (fairly common in those days -- late 80's) -- and he plugged the 120v monitor into that outlet.  I TOLD him that wasn't right ... that he needed to pick up a transformer for the monitor.  But he assured me he "knew what he was doing" and that I just didn't understand the technology.    He then proceeded to plug in the computer; and when he pushed the power button on the monitor there was a loud POP as the 240v input fried it  :)

... He then headed to a computer store in Brussels to buy a 240v monitor -- which, of course, his company had to pay for.

(and in those days that was ~ a $1000 display)

 

Now THAT was truly stupid -- HE clearly didn't understand how a power supply worked.

 

Well, thanks.  :)

The more I thought about what I did, the more I realized how easy it would be to screw it up.  Immediately after it happened though, my anger overrode my reasoning, as I paced around the house proclaiming to the world how stupid I was.

 

I am the absolute representation of why parity and backup are 2 VERY different things, both of which are required if you care about your data.  It may have cost a fair bit of money, but it was my backup server, so no data lost.

Link to comment

If you wish to attempt to salvage some or all of the drives, I highly recommend getting in touch with http://www.donordrives.com/. I'm not affiliated, just a satisfied customer. They may be able to fix the drives for less than the equivalent market value, so at least your wallet isn't hurt quite so badly. If you actually needed the data, those guys are worth their weight in gold in this situation.

 

Thanks, I'll reach out to them and see if there's anything they can do for me.  I've already replaced the drives, but if I could get these old ones up and running again, I'm sure I could put them to good use!

Link to comment

Well, I tested them all with a multimeter and there are indeed differences. Thanks for raising this issue. It seems very strange to me that Corsair would do things that way. Surely it would be cheaper for them to produce one standard set of cables that are compatible with all their power supplies. The only explanation I can think of is that some product lines were acquired from other manufacturers.

Most of the name brand power supplier "manufacturers" just rebrand other manufacturer's products.  Not too many actually design and make their own supplies.  Most supplies are usually SuperFlower or Seasonic rebranded, with minor changes in pcb population.  It would cost them a penny or two more to have them redo the output configuration to match their other supplies.
Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Absolutely not! I'm very grateful to you and think this thread ought to be made sticky as a warning to others.

 

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Absolutely not! I'm very grateful to you and think this thread ought to be made sticky as a warning to others.

 

That should come as a sticky ON the power supply LOL

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Absolutely not! I'm very grateful to you and think this thread ought to be made sticky as a warning to others.

 

That should come as a sticky ON the power supply LOL

 

RIGHT? :D

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

Seriously ... How could ANYONE be so STUPID !!    :) :)

 

 

.

.

.

 

... Trust me, that's nothing compared to some FAR more obvious screw-ups I've seen (and done myself) over the years.

 

I had a simple melt-down of a Molex-SATA power adapter. Gary chimed in to answer some questions I had and informed me that some people manage to force Molex connectors on backwards. So... you're not THAT stupid!  :D;D

 

(Happy to report that I passed his intelligence test by pointing out that Molex connectors are keyed! :))

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

I nearly drilled into my scrotum once, pretty much removes my right to say that to anyone....  ;D

Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

I nearly drilled into my scrotum once, pretty much removes my right to say that to anyone....  ;D

Can't even type straight -> laughing too hard.  And I'm pretty sure that you're not just exaggerating to make De1taE1even feel better    ;D
Link to comment

Not that it'll make my wallet feel much better, but it's a nice consolation prize to see that I didn't get a bunch of "Seriously, how could anyone be stupid enough to do THAT????" replies.  ;D

 

I nearly drilled into my scrotum once, pretty much removes my right to say that to anyone....  ;D

Can't even type straight -> laughing too hard.  And I'm pretty sure that you're not just exaggerating to make De1taE1even feel better    ;D

 

Nope, true story, needed to drill a hole in some wood, decided to put the wood across my lap..... didn't really think about what was under the wood, nearly lost a nut.  Bought a workbench about two hours later.  8)

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.