Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Clodfobble
I admit I have no real technical knowledge in this area. However, my house has wildly fluctuating power problems, and in the first six months of living here, we fried three motherboards--on three different computers, the second two with expensive surge protectors and top-of-the-line power supplies after we realized there was a problem--simply by having them on when the lights flickered.
We purchased an APC brand UPS, and have not had another problem in the two years since. Like I said, purely anecdotal. No proof that the UPS is truly what solved the problem. But you also clearly have an axe to grind about the quality of power supplies.
|
Flickering lights must never cause motherboard damage. That voltage variation must be made irrelevant by a power supply. In another thread, I noted how so many will recommend power supplies and yet not know of those power supply functions. China has discovered a profitable market. Americans without sufficient technical knowledge. Asian manufacturers dump power supplies into the clone computer market because so many Americans only buy on price. A cheaper power supply means higher Asian profits.
Even when a power supply completely and spectacularly fails, still, it must never cause motherboard damage. This was standard even 30 years ago. If flickering lights caused a power supply to damage a motherboard, then that power supply is rubbish. If a power supply does not cost $65 full retail, then it is probably missing essential functions and therefore can contribute to motherboard damage.
So let's see. We save $15 on an inferior power supply. Then must buy a $100 UPS to correct the power supply defect? I see this reasoning routinely where people buy on price rather than learn simple technical concepts.
Meanwhile, another problem that connects destructive transients directly to a motherboard. Bypasses a power supply completely. This required wire is why plug-in surge protectors contribute to damage of an adjacent computer. This wire is why a building's equipment ground (not to be confused with earth ground) must be properly wired and should be common to all interconnected boxes. This wire is also why other incoming utilities (cable and telephone) also must be grounded to a common point when entering a building.