I bought an Earthwatts PSU for a good deal. I working on compiling some good deals that will eventually make up an HTPC. The PSU is the first purchase. But I'd like to test it since I won't have all the other parts for a while. How can I test this PSU so I know that I've got a good one and won't find a month or two from now when I finally have all the parts together that the PSU was bad and I missed my time frame for returning it. I've got a good multimeter. But I would need to figure out which pins to jump so that the PSU will power-up out a PC, if it will with a jumper or something like that.
Unfortunately, all you would be doing is testing the PSU with no load, which isn't a particularly good test. Unless you have some big 12V loadbanks lying around, you're going to need to test it in another computer - perhaps your own, if this is going to be a secondary machine?
yes, I realize that it would be best to test with a load. But I did some web searches and found out how to jump it so that it will start up. One said "Don't start the PSU without a load" , so they suggested that at least a fan be installed. I have a bunch of fans I can install so that is not a problem really. I am curious as to why it was red letting as to say that starting your PSU without a load would definitely ruin your power supply. FYI, that link that has been created by the site above for the Earthwatts PSU, that is the one but I got the 430D. However, I got it for $24 AR from Newegg. Edit again: it did it again (the link), how cool is that.
