nrios Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 I found a new UNOPENED sealed really good quality Corsair brand power supply in my basement. The problem is it doesn't work. After some checking, I found out that I bought it in 2015. So it's almost 4 years old. Do power supplies have a limited shelf life? Black Friday sales are coming up in the US and I'm wondering if it's worth buying a power supply for future use if the price is way down. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napamule2 Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 There is unlimited 'shelf life' for power supply that has never been used (new in box). Put it this way: it will outlive YOU (ha). But under normal use they usually are good for from 5 years to 8 years (the length of warranty points to how well it was made (quality parts, printed circuit board, type/quality of solder, etc) and thus the length of the warranty period (years)). How did you determine 'it doesn't work'? It does not indicate anything if just plugged in and power switch turn 'ON" as it will detect there is no load present (not plugged into PC components) so it just sits there. New electronics can do that you know. If you plug it into PC, run wires where they belong on MB, and it doesn't do anything then you can say 'it doesn't work'. OR you can give it me for scrap and I will pay the shipping charges (hehe). Chuck B Napamule i7 2600K @ 3.4 Ghz (Turbo-Boost to 3.877 Ghz), Asus P8H67 Pro, Super Talent 8 Gb DDR3/1333 Dual Channel, XFX Radeon R7-360B 2Gb DDR5, Corsair 650 W PSU, Dell 23 in (2048x1152), Windows7 Pro 64 bit, MS Sidewinder Precision 2 Joy, Logitech K-360 wireless KB & Mouse, Targus PAUK10U USB Keypad for Throttle (F1 to F4)/Spoiler/Tailhook/Wing Fold/Pitch Trim/Parking Brake/Snap to 2D Panel/View Change. Installed on 250 Gb (D:). FS9 and FSX Acceleration (locked at 30 FPS). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bam1220 Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Depending on the model of Corsair PSU it might still be under warranty. Some Corsair PSU's have a 7 year warranty. I would read up on the Corsair website on how to test the PSU. If it is indeed faulty you might be able to exchange it under warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blued Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 There is unlimited 'shelf life' for power supply that has never been used (new in box). Put it this way: it will outlive YOU (ha). But under normal use they usually are good for from 5 years to 8 years (the length of warranty points to how well it was made (quality parts, printed circuit board, type/quality of solder, etc) and thus the length of the warranty period (years)). Not really. Capacitors do not fare well in long term storage. They degrade over time if unused. A PSU in use will be better off than on the shelf. John Gerow, director of R&D at Corsair says he writes off any unused caps that have been in inventory if over a year old. I'm sure they will last longer than that, but that's just the quality control procedures of his company. This info he offered in JonnyGuru forum in response to a thread on the topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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