The PSU failed due to RGB fans.
The PSU failed due to RGB fans.
I upgraded my old A6 with a PC case and four 120 RGB fans. I was playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider on ultra settings the night before my PSU failed the next morning. The previous owner noticed I was using a 400-watt PSU and suggested it might have been the issue. My old case worked fine except for cable management and fan placement. The four fans are connected to a single Molex connector. My setup includes an R5 5600X, 8GB DDR4 RAM, one NVMe drive, two 2.5-inch HDDs, a CPU cooler, and RGB fans with gamma XYZ settings. I’m wondering if the fans caused the failure or if the PSU lacked sufficient power. I recently purchased a Seasonic S12III 650W bronze PSU in hopes it would perform better. I was aiming for the Gold Plus model but my budget limited me.
650W is quite low for the setup you mentioned. Send it back via RMA, stating it doesn’t fit your case. You should get a 750W model from a reputable manufacturer. Your CPU and GPU will consume most of that power (and memory). With the 400W option, the load is too heavy without sufficient fans.
Everyone has a misunderstanding here. The power source likely failed because it's old, overheating, and its parts are outside their intended limits. The design is quite outdated, with only about 75-80% efficiency, which causes it to get hot when used at higher power levels. This heat can damage internal components if the cooling system isn't functioning properly. The supply only delivers 360 watts at 12 volts, enough for components like the CPU and GPU. The graphics card uses around 120 watts, while the 5600X can reach 60-80 watts. Each fan draws roughly 2-3 watts, and the rest comes from the 5V and 3.3V sections of the supply. For example, an 8 GB stick uses about 2-3 watts, SSDs use 1-2 watts when idle or reading, and writing heavy data can push it up to 5-10 watts. You don’t need a 750-watt or even a 650-watt supply; the price gap between 500W and 600W units is minimal. I’m really late for work, so I have to summarize quickly.
I’ve already bought the 80plus bronze 650w Seasonic. Now I’m mainly worried about whether the EPS cable is long enough to connect to the motherboard. Thanks!
Absolutely, everyone was mistaken, but you're right—how many years did you give people bad advice?
Thanks for your thoughtful feedback. I was considering buying a 750w gold plus PSU, but the cost is quite steep. Based on the PSU calculators I've used, the system requires between 550w and 600w. The Cooler Master option didn't meet expectations before I moved all components to another case—just an 80mm intake, 80mm exhaust, and a 120mm fan.