EggXpert

i have an ASUS P5N32 sli premium mobo that i sent to asus for repair since i had the same problem as many with not showing any image in screen, after i got it back, 3 months later my 1st PSU blowed up, i went and bought another PSU (was cheap one) with 10 months warranty, 2 weeks and blowed, went for warranty and got another one, same as the one that blowed, 1 month later blowed too, went back and got the same model, just instead of silver, was painted black since i couldnt chose other models. right now i havent blowed this one, but been only around 2 weeks

 

do you think the problem is the mobo? or the PSU? i know it might be the PSU since its cheap one but the 1st one wasnt that cheap

1st PSU "RaidMax" 500W (blow)

2nd PSU "A Power" 680W (blow)

3rd PSU "A Power" 680W (Blow)

4th PSU "A Power" 680W (using right now)

 it doesnt smell burn when they blowed up and i have a ....... UPS? (those that protect your electronics when u get a blackout) of 1000W

Yeah, care to give us full specs on your system? Your PSU's are blowing, but without more of what they are powering it's hard to tell if you have terrible luck, or you're underpowering your system, although I'm pretty sure that 680W should be plenty of power regardless. Not 100% positive, but perhaps your computer PSU can't properly convert the power from the ... well whatever it is you have it plugged into, and not the wall. Just a few thoughts, hope someone can help ya out a little better than me.

I would have to say that the problem is more than likely your power supplies.  RaidMax and A Power are companies that sell terrible junk power supplies.  In fact, after all of those power supply failures, you're lucky that your computer components(motherboard, GPU, hard drives) were not burned out. 

You should replace your power supply immediately, as a bad power supply can very easily damage your computer.  Over at the Ben's bargains forums, this is one user's comments on Raidmax power supplies:

boxingfan:

I personally had a few computers with power
supplies made from Raidmax, and they DID take other components out
when they went bad. I had one destroy virtually every component in the
computer. It really sucks when you have to tell a customer that his
whole computer needs to be replaced because the power supply
failed.

When looking to get a power supply, you should always check to see if it's any good or not.  There are plenty of power supplies out there that are junk and will damage your computer.  One of the easiest and quickest ways to look this up is to check the Eggxpert tiered power supply list.  It sorts power supplies into 5 categories, from excellent to junk.  If you take a look there, you'll see that both Raidmax and Athena Power are listed in the worst tier, so it's no surprise that they failed.  

Currently, there are a couple good power supplies on sale that would probably be fine for your computer. 

The OCZ StealthXStream 600watt power supply is currently on sale for $50 at newegg.com, with free shipping.  That's a high quality power supply that has more than enough power to run your computer, even if you were to overclock. It was reviewed at HardwareSecrets, with excellent results.  In fact, they found that the OCZ StealthXStream 600watt power supply was actually capable of putting out a full 728watts, amazingly enough.  I'd recommend getting one of those soon, before the sale expires or the price goes up. 

Or, if you want something a bit cheaper, the Antec Earthwatts 430watt power supply is on sale for $30 at newegg.com.  That's a high quality seasonic-made power supply, with high efficiency and a quiet fan.  However, before recommending that power supply, I'd have to see the specs on your computer, as 430watts may not be enough power.  It probably is plenty, but I'd definitely want to make sure. 

i agree with compwiz, youve been buying junk. sorry

i think you're lucky to not have any of those PSUs take out your whole system.

 

A few years ago, my PSU died and the computer store only had off name brands of which A Power was one.  The A Power lasted less than a month and when it died, it killed m mobo and processor I had just bought as well so what originally was going to be a $300 upgrade turned into over $800 after I had to replace the mobo, processor again along with the power supply.

im planing on buying a etter video card, 8800 gts or gtx 260, all depends on how much money i get.

 i got a ZALMAN 9700 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020

 dot know what more. dont have cd room, i use exteral one (not powered by usb)

Is this your desk where your PC is covered in thick dust? Too much dust will lead to

overheat on a local part of the PSU; possibly lacking of heat-sinking capability will also

reduce the use life of the PSU. Besides, Voltage instability is also a main factor which can

always destroy the PSUs. You may have a check on these possible aspects

Hyacinth:

Is this your desk where your PC is covered in thick dust? Too much dust will lead to

overheat on a local part of the PSU; possibly lacking of heat-sinking capability will also

reduce the use life of the PSU. Besides, Voltage instability is also a main factor which can

always destroy the PSUs. You may have a check on these possible aspects

 

there is no dust and the temp for the processor is around 45C and case............. dont know, but the air that blows isnt heat, its kinda cold

Dragonduster:

im planing on buying a etter video card, 8800 gts or gtx 260, all depends on how much money i get.

 i got a ZALMAN 9700 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020

 dot know what more. dont have cd room, i use exteral one (not powered by usb)

well, with those specs you'd be looking at a max power draw around 390watts.  So, a 500watt power supply would be a good idea. 

Currently, you can get the Antec Basiq 500watt power supply for $30.  That's a good budget power supply, although it does have a loud fan.  Also, that will need a couple plug adapters to power the nVidia 260 video card. 

 Or, a better choice would be the OCZ StealthXStream 600watt power supply is currently on sale for $39 at newegg.com, with free shipping(use coupon code EMCAJAFBE).  That's a high quality power supply that has more than enough power to run your computer, even if you were to overclock. That power supply was also reviewed at HardwareSecrets, with very positive results.  In fact, they found that the OCZ StealthXStream 600watt power supply was actually capable of putting out a full 728watts, amazingly enough.  I'd recommend getting one of those soon, before the sale expires or the price goes up.  This is the best price I've ever seen this power supply selling at. 

Also, you may want to consider the new ATI Radeon cards.   The ATI Radeon 4850 card costs around $150 on sale at newegg, and it is certainly faster than the 8800GTS.  The ATI Radeon 4870 card costs arond $240 on sale on newegg, and that is faster than the GTX 260.