Name: DamnForumNewbie Date: April 3, 2008 at 02:57:51 Pacific Subject: Replacing a PSU In E-machines T6524 OS: Windows XP MCE 2005 CPU/Ram: Amd Athalon 64 +3500 Model/Manufacturer: E-machines T6524
Comment:
Hi everyone I have a problem maybe you guys can help me with it.
I need to replace my current PSU on my e-machines T6524, what should I get? I want a good quality PSU without a huge price tag. I know if I want a good power supply I will have to spend a bit (hopefully not too much). I'd like a name brand psu not one of them cheap knock off ones that i will have to replace within a month.
The specs are in the link below for the pc I'm currently using. (scroll down n click the + next to the specifications tab)
I need to replace the power supply because the PSU fan does not start sometimes at startup and i have to tap on it for it to work, I'm going to replace it i just need recommendations for a good new psu. Not gonna even bother trying to replace just the fan.
The only thing I have extra in the case is another 40gb hard drive alongside with the 200gb one that came with it.
I did do some Google searches too but I'm still not sure what to get so I thought I'd pop in here and ask you guys.
Thanks in advance for anyone with helpful info. :)
NOTE that emachines computers are well known to use el-cheapo PSs than tend to fail a lot more often than average, and when they fail completely they are a lot more likely to damage something else - often they fry the mboard! This is especially likely if the PS is a BESTEC model! There was a recent class action suit made against emachines in the US mainly because of this problem and it was successful.
Since your PS is still working, your mboard is probably still okay at this point, but you should NOT risk using this computer until the PS fails completely! If you insist on using the computer with the failing PS fan, open up the case and have a fan blow into it towards the PS it to prevent the PS from getting too hot, such as a larger household fan.
The cheapest solution - You can open up the PS and replace the PS fan with a standard 80mm power supply fan, usually it only has and needs to have two wires, or you can use a three wire 80mm case fan and power the fan from a Case or PS fan 3 pin mboard header rather than from inside the PS, then you can monitor it's rpm, but if the PS is a BESTEC, it is recommended you get rid of it altogether! If you do that, make sure the fan has dual ball bearings, or dual ceramic bearings (your old fan probably has one or both that are inferior sleeve bearings), and it's amperage (ma) or wattage rating is at least as much as the original fan, which pretty much assures it has enough cfm capacity. Suitable fans are available any place that has a good amount of computer parts, for as little as $10 or less.
If you still want to replace the PS..... Search on the web for: T6524 power supply, or similar. DO NOT BUY a BESTEC brand replacement for your computer!
It appears your PS is a standard size, and for all emachines PSs I have looked up you can use ANY standard wired ATX PS that has the connectors you need and at least as much wattage capacity as the original PS. Standard PS/2 size - 86mm high, 150mm wide, 140mm deep, or 3 3/8" h x 5 7/8" w x 5 1/2" d , or very close to that, though the depth can be more or less for some PSs.
DO NOT buy the very cheapest PSs models you can find - they are also likely to cause you problems! The PS should have a decent web site for the brand, and decent info for the model, and it should be obvious somewhere on the web site what the warranty is - bare minimum of a year, better still 3 years, or lifetime. It should have stated anti-short and overvoltage protection built in - the best kind shuts off the PS if either happens in a very short time and usually that results in no damage to other components. Ones with two fans, or more, are better than ones with one.
Most new ATX PSs have a combo 24/20 main connector that can be used for either 24 or 20 position ATX mboard sockets - a 4 position piece clips onto the 20 position one if you need it, unclips if you don't, and it's wiring is sourced from the same bundle as the 20 position one.
Seemed to be well-made. I checked to besure the picture was similar to mine and the physical was the same. I was impressed with the specs sheet and drawings on the manufactureres website. Tried same with my dead e-machines T2674 and no luck. PSU was not the problem. Still have the brand new replacement I can't use "FSP Group Inc." MODEL NO. ATX-350PA.
"Tried same with my dead e-machines T2674 and no luck. PSU was not the problem."
If the PS died you probably have a fried mboard on that. See the first part of response 3. The PS probably damaged the mboard while dying. This is COMMON for emachines computers.
I will agree that eMachine is low grade PC, But Most of the Problems caused by a power supply going bad is, A Bad location.. If the pc is on the floor, and has no ventilation, then you are asking for problems.. Most of the one I fix are so bad, It will burn the fans out because of DUST..
If emachines stopped using those el-cheapo PSs they would be just as reliable as the average computer. I haven't found any firm evidence the mboards themselves are any more likely to fail. All emachines systems are made by Trigem in Korea, who distibute their systems to be sold all over the world under emachines and other brand names, sometimes in cases made by Trigem, sometimes in the vendors own cases. The mboards in older models may also be made by Trigem, but often the mboards are made by other major mboard manufacturers, the same situation as in most other brand name systems.
I think I may just sell the whole computer all together and get a new one.
I got robbed from TIGER DIRECT when I bought this garbage e-machines a few years ago spent too much paying for this junk and I'm pissed now seeing how bad it really is. (not just the psu)
I will *NEVER* buy from tigerdirect & e-machines again.
If someone can help me sell my old computer and help me build a new one that would be awesome!
I dont have much money though to make a new one unless it can be made for less then 500 bucks. It was mainly used to play warcraft 3, diablo 2 and some first person shooters.
I would try to sell this one and get something better. I doubt I'll get much for this comp though..Most people get happy and say "sell it on e-bay." Well if I do sell it on e-bay I will have to do a wipe of both drives. I doubt anyone will buy it for much unless I try to sell it local. Idk how much I should even try to sell it for.
Your computer is working fine again. If you bought a decent PS you will probably never have the problem you had again. As I said I I haven't found any firm evidence the mboards themselves are any more likely to fail. If I were you I would continue using it for the time being and take my time choosing something else. You never get anywhere near what you originally paid for any computer if you keep it for too long.
It isn't TigerDirect's fault. Lots of web sites sell emachines computers. You will note that sometimes TigerDirect has emachines systems that are cheaper than usual and are "refurbished". I suspect often those are ones that were returned because the el-cheapo PS in them malfuncioned or failed. I don't know whether they have another BESTEC PS in them or not in that case - if they don't, they're a good deal; if they do they're cheap enough you can toss the BESTEC PS and get something better and still come out ahead cost wise..
"Well if I do sell it on e-bay I will have to do a wipe of both drives."
The second drive perhaps, but you can re-load the original C partition on the original drive with a fresh installation of the original software if the second partition on it is intact and as it was when you got the computer, using a single recovery CD, or reload the entire drive if you made the set of Recovery CDs you are supposed to make when Windows is still working fine and the hard drive still had it's original contents. You will get lot less for it if it has no operating system on it.
FYI According to "hits" on the web, the mboard in the T6524 is a MICRO-STAR MS-7184 - emachines/Trigem did not make it.
Oh I know I would have loaded the OS too it after a wipe, i wouldn't just leave it blank with no o/s. I've loaded different distros of Linux on here a few times, i backup + reformat regularly every 6 months or so. I also clean the pc fans of dust whenever its needed.
Well, maybe I was exaggerating a bit about tigerdirect, but still I am a bit mad at tiger direct for selling me for more then it was worth. Bought it for about 550 bucks which is crap because I could have gotten something better back then but next time I'll do my homework.
I still am thinking of getting a new machine, because I want to be able to play a wider range of games. I've always wanted a decent gaming rig but never seem to find a good machine within my budget range. :(
I probably will just end up changing the psu though for now.
Can't go through life without learning from your mistakes. :)
Personally I would never buy a brand name system. When a system is cheaper, there's always a reason for it. E.g. a friend bought a HP Pavilion 7917 in 2001? (whenever it was it had XP Home on it, with no SP1 updates) at a cheaper price, but the system and HP monitor and a cheaper HP printer still cost over $1100. It has a mboard (Cognac, made by Mitac) first released in 1998, no AGP slot, so-so onboard Intel video, 24 bit max. HP had merely kept upgrading the bios to support faster cpus, but the mboard has only a 66mhz fsb speed. It is the pokiest 1.x ghz system I have ever encountered. It came with only 128mb of ram - XP needs a minimum 256mb to run as it was designed to. It was upgraded with 256mb more ram and a decent PCI video card, but it's still a pokey system. The original hard drive was merely 40gb - it died about 6 months ago. No rescue disk set is available for it, it hasn't been available since I checked several years ago. There was no HP program in Programs to make one when the system did work - you were supposed to order a new hard drive with the software already on if it failed - that hasn't been available for a long time either. I got her an 80gb drive, and had to install Windows XP Home from a regular CD - the Product Key on the case was accepted and it was no problem to Activate Windows, so at least she didn't have to buy another regular XP CD. The PS has standard ATX wiring, but has minimal connections and is in a smaller proprietary box - a standard sized PS won't fit in the case. The HP CRT 17" monitor is the only thing that's decent.
I have assembled only one generic system for myself with all brand new parts, but I have helped a half dozen friends and relatives do that, or for more people have upgraded their mboard, cpu, ram. I do a lot of research before I buy anything, and pick pieces according to what I want to be able to do, or what the person I am helping wants to be able do, taking into account whatever max amount I or they are willing to spend.
I have also fiddled with many hand-me-down and discarded computers.
The one system I did assemble for myself at the beginning of 2000 I am still using and that is the system I using to type this. Ram has been upped, the video card has been upgraded but I really didn't need that. The mboard is one of the best Super socket 7's - I bought it about 4 months after it was first released. 100mhz fsb, UDMA/66. The cpu, K6-III 450, had been released about 9 months previous. Windows ME came out not long after I bought 98SE for the system which was released in summer 99? Like many people, I didn't think there were enough improvements in ME to justify the expense of upgrading to it, so I never bought it. The graphics card, ATI Rage Fury 128 bit had been released about 6 months previous. I saved a considerable amount by not buying those when they were first released. In 2000 this system would run everything well on the web. The K6-III 450 cpu with it's onboard L2 cache making the cache on the mboard L3 allows me to run programs and games meant for up to 600mhz Celeron or PII cpus no problem. The Rage Fury video has hardware DVD playback support so DVD playback is decent.
If I had the bucks, I would buy an AM2 mboard or AM2+ mboard with a recent but not the latest chipset, a 6400+ cpu, 2 or three gb of ram, and one decent but not the latest PCI-E video card. (Note that I found to my chagrin recent NVidia main chipset drivers do not get along with the ATI video chipset software, in particular Catalyst Control Center. Last time I checked, ATI knows about the problem but haven't come up with a fix yet - NVidia is very unlikely to change it's drivers so they don't have the problem with ATI software. I advise you to get Nvidia chipset video or other than ATI chipset video if the mboard has a NVidia main chipset - if you want to use an ATI video chipset card, get a mboard with other than a NVidia main chipset to avoid software problems - e.g. there are some good recent AMD/ATI main chipsets.) The price of ram for AM2/AM2+ ram and the 6400+ has gone down a lot, and it out performs all of the current Phenoms at most things. The presently available Phenoms are intended to be upper level but not top level quad core cpus - faster ones may come out eventually - if you get an AM2+ mboard it will support them as well as thwe 6400+. From what I've read the 6400+ gives you plenty of bang for your bucks and runs recent games very well. You have to use a 6600 or greater Intel cpu to do better - above the 6600 you have to spend a lot more bucks.
Tubesandwires, why did you say my computer is working fine again? its not. Or were you referring to someone else? Cause it looks like JimDZ hijacked my thread. So i think you were getting things mixed up with him idk...
I forgot to mention the old psu model is Bestec ATX-300-12E REV-D 300w max output.
Most, if not all, emachines computers have Bestec PSs. When they malfuncion or fail, they don't always fry the mboard, but of course people don't complain about that if replacing the PS results in a working computer. A PS can fail on any computer - it just tends to happen a lot more often than average on emachines computers.
See response 3 if you still need to replace the PS. I recommend, however, that you try another used PS if you have one, or borrow one, to see whether that yields you a working system, before you but a PS. Any PS will do that has standard wiring. More info here: See response 4 in this: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... If it doesn't boot with another PS the mboard is probably fried. You may want to quit spending money on your system at that point, but the chances are very good replacing the mboard with a used one is all you need to do to get your system working again. Replacing the mboard with the same one with it's emachines bios version allows you to be able to re-load the original emachines software installation if you need to do that in the future, providing the second partition on the original hard drive is still intact and it's data is unchanged from what was on it when the computer was new, or to restore the entire hard drive contents if you have made a Rescue Disk CD set.
If you have loaded Windows from a regular Windows CD on your hard drive, you only need to get a mboard that is compatible with your cpu and ram - e.g. most mboards with the same main chipset will work fine. If you go that route, I know where you might be able to get a new old stock mboard for a cheap enough price that will work with your ram and cpu.
You are a great help Tubesandwires, thank you. I forgot i got my tax return and stimulus check should be coming in soon, so that should help. Well i have 2 main options...
Option 1.)Getting the psu and not selling the pc: I was thinking i may get the 450W or 550W power supply from corsair like 1stepbeyond suggested. Probably gonna go with the 550 watt one. It should be compatible with my system right? The strange thing about my old power supply is that there is a 24 slot pin psu main connection socket yet this psu only uses a 20 pin connector.. is that normal? I would also like that info you offered for a replacement board in case I need it, its always good to have spare parts.
Option 2.) Or Buying a new system.
Thing is I've never put together a new system from scratch for myself and I always wanted to try it.
Again, I URGE you to try a used PS from another computer, or borrow a PS, before you buy one. If the mboard is dead you will have to decide then what you want to do, before you have spent any money. Replacing just the PS with a new one is relatively inexpensive on it's own. 430 watts PS capacity or even less is enough to test whether the mboard works if there is no video card in the PCI-E slot.
Most new PSs have a "combo" 20/24 "pin" main wiring connector. It can be used for either 20 or 24 "pin" mboard sockets. Some mboards have a 24 "pin" socket but you can use either 20 or 24 "pin" main wiring connectors from the PS for them - whether you can or not is mentioned in the mboard manual.
The capacity of the PS you buy is directly dependant on whether you want to be able to use a video card in the PCI-E slot or not, and if you do, how much power the video card requires. E.g. a friend has a recent mboard that does not have onboard video and an older PCI-E ATI X600 Pro All in Wonder card that does not require an extra power connector to the card. Her system is running fine with a 430 watt PS. Some PCI-E cards require an extra power connector to the card, and some of the higher models draw a considerable amount of power. When you look up the specs of the card on the manufacturer's web site, if it draws a lot of power, there is often a suggested minum power supply capacity suggested. If you want to be able to handle any possible video card, 600 watts capacity or more is a good one to get.
If you don't intend on getting a video card (your mboard does have decent onboard ATI video), or if the card you get needs no extra power connection, whatever capacity the present PS has will do, or 430 watts will do. (the onboard video is disabled when you install a video card in the slot, so it draws little or no power) ......
Downloads including the mboard manual - DO NOT use the HP Pavilion bios upgrade! DO NOT flash the bios at all unless you find specific info flashing it will definately cure a problem! http://www.e4allupgraders.info/dir1...
Since there is a emachines bios version there, if the mboard is dead, you have the option of buying any used MS-7184 that has any brand's bios version on it, and flashing the bios using the emachines version if you need to, which would probably allow you to reload your emachines siftware installtion in the future if you need to. .......
Mboard manuals are very good these days. If you elect to build a new system, if you read the mboard manual thorougly, you should have all the info you need to do it right.
I would never personally buy a premade system if it does not come with a Windows CD or DVD (most DO NOT). Also, I would never buy from anyone who sells just Intel cpu systems - I prefer AMD.
All the featured systems on that site are cheap because they are using slightly older mboards and cpus.
Decide on how much you are willing to spend, and go from there, buying the best you can afford according to your budget.
You don't have to spend a lot for a case - one without a PS can be had for as little as $20 - buy the cheapest one that looks okay to you and that has the USB ports and mic/headphone ports, etc. you want. Aluminum cases will not make the computer cooler to any significant degree, and see through panels, leds inside the case are frivoulous and not needed. Ones with a panel on the front that hides the fronts of the drives is frivolous because the panel has to be opened frequently anyway.
Cases with a PS are only a good deal if the PS is decent - if you pay less than about $60 the PS is crap.
It is never a bad idea to buy a decent PS and pay a bit more for it. Models with one larger fan are usually cheaper than ones with two fans. El-cheapo PSs are a big risk because they're a lot more likely to fail like the Besctec did.
If you get a higher Intel cpu mboard and cpu, you may need a cooling fan on the side of the case, or case fans. You pay a lot more bucks for the quad core cpus above the bottom level.
If you get a high end AM2 or AM2+ cpu mboard and cpu, the heatsink/cpu combo that comes in the boxed set are very efficient and you won't need extra cooling. A side note is the 6400+ (AM2) is a much better performer than the Phenom (AM2+) cpus for most people's use.
E.g. I put togther a system for a friend last week. I'm in Canada in a large city, about 1 million in the met. area - I got all the pieces locally except the ram, from two smaller places that build systems and have lots of computer pieces. I did a lot of research beforehand online, and checked many local web sites.
OEM XP Home - $99 - only a minor hardware purchase along with it required if bought separately.
OEM Vista Premium - $119 (Or OEM Vista Basic $105; both are 32 bit; OEM Vista Basic 64 bit $107 at another place, OEM Vista Premium 64 bit $135) - available only if you buy it along with major hardware.
(Otherwise: VISTA HOME BASIC DVD 32BIT RETAIL $259.00 VISTA HOME PREMIUM DVD 32BIT RETAIL $299.00)
(He's computer stupid, and his kids are used to XP Home, so I bought XP separately along with a mouse, installed XP, and refunded the diff between Vista and XP to him and kept Vista Premium - he can buy Vista back from me in the future when his kids want it installed.)
Case - 19" tower, generic, beige colored $35 with an el-cheapo PS (his choice, not mine; $23 for an empty case at another place was my choice), 2 USB ports, no mic or headphone jack, or see through panel, or case side fan (but it has the holes, no tube, to mount one). Power supply - a CoolerMaster 600 watt, the one large fan model - $80 - we took out the cheap PS. DVD combo drive, black (or beige) - LG SATA, $35 Seagate 500gb SATA drive - $119, 5 year warranty Mboard: ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI AM2+ AMD780G+ATI SB700 2 PCI/1 PCIEx16 $109.00 ($95 at another place) (Excellent onboard video with two monitor ports; has the Hybrid feature - if you install a Hybrid compat. video card, both the onboard and card video can be used at the same time. Review of the chipset features here: http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/03... The onboard video can be greatly overclocked on the Gigabyte mboard mentioned.) CPU: AMD ATHLON 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHZ $185.00 Comes in a boxed set with AMD approved fan and heatsink. 3 year warranty. There is also a black edition for a similar price but it has no heatsink/cpu fan included. floppy drive $10. ......
Ram - Corsair, a 2gb dual channel set, 2 1gb modules, 800mhz, PC6400, $51 after shipping and taxes and a $40 US mail in rebate. Works in any AM2 or AM2+ mboard.
(1066mhz ram is only supported by the AM2+ (Phenom) cpus on AM2+ mboards)
He already had a spare keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Buy as cheap a one as suits you. e.g. mouse, USB/PS/2 combo, Logitech, optical, bulk (in a plastic bag) $13.
Lots of good information in here. My T6524 is sick currently, and I suspect the PSU is the problem (it is a Bestec, as you all discuss above), but still trying to research it.
If I let the computer sit for a day or so, it will boot up. However, a few minutes after booting up, it will shut down and the blue ring around the "e" bottom will flash on and off at about 5 second intervals. While it is flashing, I don't get any response from pressing or holding the power button.
If I unplug the system, then hold the power button for about 15 seconds, the computer will dissipate any stored energy and sometimes attempt to start-up after when I've put the power cord back in place.
Are these symptoms similar to folks who have been suffering from PSU problems?
Just about anything is possible if your PS is defective. If you replace it before it fails completely, there's a pretty good chance your system will work properly again. If you can temporarily borrow a PS to test with, you can confim whether its's the PS that is causing your problems without having to buy a PS first. See the link in response 13, and response 15, for more info.
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