Problem with traded PSU

[Gig-O-Ram]

I recently did a trade with someone at OCF. He offered to trade his OCZ PowerStream 520W for my Silverstone Zeus 560W, because he said he wanted to get more amps into a system build, and my PSU was exactly the one he was looking for.

I had put up a thread there where I mentioned my Zeus had an issue with the rails having voltage dips, and he PM'd me and offered to do a straight trade. He told me his OCZ was rock solid and 100% stable, and that he could adjust the pots on mine for his purposes.

So I send him my PSU, and he sends me his. When I got the OCZ, I installed it right away. Imagine my shock and confusion when nothing happened upon pushing the power switch. I had everything hooked up correctly, and yet nothing happened. With the exception of the power LEDs on the mobo being on, showing some power was getting in, no part of the system would power on. And neither the panel switch nor the switch on the board would do anything. Even the LEDs on the PSU itself did not come on. Nothing. Zero. Zip.

So, long story short, I told him I wanted to reverse the trade and get my Zeus back, and I would send his back to him. He agreed, and after a month or so of confusion and a package that he had to re-send when the address label supposedly came off, making it impossible to deliver (and I just found out it's been here for three weeks, unbeknownst to me), I now have my Zeus back in place and my rig is back in action. I had to spend the interim on a, let's just say, lesser computer.

My question, basically, is this:
Why would the PSU not have worked? It had the 24p ATX + 4p P4 connector, and the extra 5V and FDD connectors that my board needs, and everything else, and yet it didn't work. Could it have been dead to begin with? He suggested a problem with a short somewhere in my system, but then why does my Zeus power right up as if it had never been gone?

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Tyreal]

If I were in your situation, my only conclusion would be that it was dead on arrival. Maybe while you had it you could try a jumper test and see if it would jump and power a fan. If it did, then it would be a problem related to your system.

I thought that the Powerstreams were the stronger powersupplies made by OCZ. I heard that the modstreams were poor.

[Gig-O-Ram]

Originally Posted by Tyreal

If I were in your situation, my only conclusion would be that it was dead on arrival. Maybe while you had it you could try a jumper test and see if it would jump and power a fan. If it did, then it would be a problem related to your system.

The guy did suggest trying to jump a green and black wire, but TBH, I was tired of messing with it. With nothing happening, it didn't seem like there was anything I could do. I could almost see if a fan wire or something similar might cause a short, because I do have a lot of stuff in my case. And with the recent addition of three light tubes, there are a lot of wires, and a lot of chances for a short to happen somewhere. But like I said, I put my Silverstone back in, and everything powered right up.

Actually, I have his PSU all packed up and I'm getting ready to mail it back to him today. I'm not one to automatically distrust people, but when I got a PSU that didn't work, I started to wonder if I got scammed.

Originally Posted by Tyreal

I heard that the modstreams were poor.

I had (still have it actually), an OCZ Modstream 450W, and it always performed wonderfully. Unlike the SSZ I'm using, the MS always showed voltages above what the rails were rated at. But then again, I didn't have half the stuff for it to power in the old system like what I have now. With the exception of the VBat +3.0V, all the other rails on the SS are below what they should be - not by a lot, but some.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Gig-O-Ram

My question, basically, is this:
Why would the PSU not have worked? It had the 24p ATX + 4p P4 connector...

Anyone have any thoughts?

There's two scenarios that I can think of:

1) The power supply was/is defective, whether before it was shipping or by the time it arrive. Since the other individual was willing to reverse the trade and sent you back the Zeus, I wouldn't suspect foul play.

2) It's possible that the OCZ unit was hooked up incorrectly. There's a stickied thread on OCZ's forum titled Powerstream PSU's MUST READ - How To Use The Connectors!!!. In it, there are several pictures on how to properly hook up the PSU, with notable mentions regarding the two 4-pin 'P4' connectors. If you hooked up the labeled '+P4' instead of 'P4,' that may have been the culprit. To quote that thread:

• The 2 seperate 4 pin connectors are identical, except for the fact that one of them is not keyed properly for a standard P4 connector. The one marked P4 is the correct one to use for ATX. The one marked P4+ is to be used with a BTX board only[...]
  
  "P4" 4 pin connector: Use for the motherboard 4 pin (P4 or ATX 12v) connector.
  
  "P4+" 4 pin connector: Use only combined with "P4" for BTX 8 pin connectors."

In other words, the only time you'd use the +P4 connector is on motherboards that require an 8-pin connector. In such a case, you'd use both the +P4 and P4, but never the +P4 by itself.

[Gig-O-Ram]

I suppose that it's possible the 4pin connector was hooked up incorrectly. I didn't know there was a difference or that it mattered.

But I guess I'll never know. I mailed the guy's PSU back to him today. I asked him to let me know when he gets it, and maybe he'll tell me it works for him. All I know is that it didn't work for me, and TBH, I just wanted to throw it in and go. But I got my SS back, and it works so I'm just gonna leave it until such time as I want to change it myself. But with the car payment now, it might be a while before I do.

[Gig-O-Ram]

An update on the traded PSU...

The guy got it yesterday, and was able to determine that it was dead. He's gonna RMA it. He asked me to do that, but I told him it was his unit in the first place, and that he should take care of that if needed.

So, it wasn't just me or my system or an incorrect connection. In a way, I'm glad it was dead and not a problem on my end. It was easy enough to just give it back and get mine back, and I now go on with life. 8)

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by Gig-O-Ram

An update on the traded PSU...

The guy got it yesterday, and was able to determine that it was dead. He's gonna RMA it. He asked me to do that, but I told him it was his unit in the first place, and that he should take care of that if needed.

So, it wasn't just me or my system or an incorrect connection. In a way, I'm glad it was dead and not a problem on my end. It was easy enough to just give it back and get mine back, and I now go on with life. 8)

Still sucks for the guy if he sent it and it was working and simply broke during the shipping. =/
Good though nothing is wrong on your side. :D