If I didn't know better, I'd suspect a new and innovative malware attack on power supplies. What is it with computer power supplies these days? In my small office network, no less than six have failed over the past 20 months!
The latest was a pair of Antec SP-450 SmartPower 450W that failed. These were included in the Sonata II case, which Newegg and many other retails sold with considerable success. I deployed two of these units a couple of years ago, and both have failed in the last 90 days.
According to at least one source, Antec no longer uses their own PSU.
There are numerous failure reports about the SP-450 lots shipped with the Sonata II, and posted in several forums. But this is not to pick on Antec alone. The failures I've seen have crossed all brand and capacity boundaries.
I do worry about breaking my Antec PSU tester, which does get very hot if left in test mode for very long.
Yes, I have UPS / power protection on all but one of my machines.
While I'm on the subject, the Antec Sonata II case has a number of good features, but one of them is not a good design for replacing the PSU. Because a case structural member is located between the motherboard area and the PSU, you must squeeze the PSU through a couple of steel rails. With the MBO installed, the fan assembly prevents a clear shot of the allowed space for remoal and replacement. AFAIK the PSU can't be accessed by removing a side panel or pulling it out the front, or by removing a rear plate.
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