I only recognize the Premier name; these are from the ATNG factory (as the label on yours appears to corroborate) which seems to be known for cheap but generally OK units. I would keep that one, at least.

I don't really trust any PSUs from the AT PSU era. As somebody who has torn apart hundreds of them and also fried one when I was about 12 (in our almost new 386sx 25 computer) by hooking something up wrong and then repaired it myself, pretty much all power supplies back then were absolute trash quality-wise.

I only use well made ATX power supplies and use ATX to AT adapters (with -5v added if needed).

That way I don't have to worry about a power supply dying and taking out other components with it.

cyclone3d wrote:

I don't really trust any PSUs from the AT PSU era. As somebody who has torn apart hundreds of them and also fried one when I was about 12 (in our almost new 386sx 25 computer) by hooking something up wrong and then repaired it myself, pretty much all power supplies back then were absolute trash quality-wise.

I only use well made ATX power supplies and use ATX to AT adapters (with -5v added if needed).

That way I don't have to worry about a power supply dying and taking out other components with it.

I use the adapters too, but I'll be honest, I've never had an AT power supply fail. I still have all of the ones I've ever owned and they still work whenever I need one. I know they're far less efficient but they were far simpler and required fewer parts, so I think there was a bit less that could go wrong. They also predate the capacitor plague era so are less prone to having visibly swollen or leaky caps.

A newer PSU with an adapter is the safest bet, but if I didn't have those available I'd use an AT supply. First I'd crack it open and inspect it for visible flaws, then put it back together and power it on without much connected (don't even really need a board, but the best case would be to connect it to something that measured the voltages), then test it on something less vital, and if it seemed good up to that point I'd feel safe using it for a while.

xjas wrote:

Any opinions on these? They all look pretty bad TBH. I'm dealing with some old AT desktops/minitowers out of my storage room; pr […]
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Any opinions on these? They all look pretty bad TBH. I'm dealing with some old AT desktops/minitowers out of my storage room; probably going to keep two and get rid of two. If there's any specific ones I should save, let me know ASAP.

These all seem to work, but they've endured several summer/winter cycles in a musty, humid, un-climate-controlled trailer, so who knows for how long.

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The "Solar Power" one is in my workhorse DOS PC from back in the early 2000s; I used that thing almost daily for a while.

Need more hood lifting and clicky clicky to know for sure. Any interior shots?

You can still buy new AT psus even on the likes of Amazon for pretty cheap, like $40. Or get a modern Seasonic or Corsair or any other reputable brands of ATX supplies and use an adaptor. I think PSUs are the only thing that people should avoid having be period-correct in their old computers =P

I never understood this paranoia about not using AT power supplies, there are many well built units (from manufacturers such as Delta, Astec, LiteOn, Enermax) that should only need some basic refurbishing (cleaning and maybe recap), sure they may fail at some point but I doubt they will take out other components.

Also, there are new units from Startech and FSP that are pretty solid if you want to spend on that. You don't need much more than 100-150W for an AT rig, and just about any decent PC PSU can provide that.

Nothing wrong with new good quality ATX power supplies, but they are generally more expensive, you need to spend on the ATX --> AT adapter, and you will also probably have to get SATA to Molex and SATA to floppy connectors. Not to mention that newer units are generally black and look out of place in old cases (if you care about looks).

If you go with older ATX with molex connectors and/or -5V line, then even quality ones may be really prone to failure if they are from the capacitor plague era. And the less said about the early nameless ATX power supplies the better. Those really can fry your components.

Some of the older AT power supplies were perfectly fine for what they were designed for. The bigger problem in my opinion is that at this point even many of the good ones will need recaps in the near future.
It's pretty hard to judge a power supply without opening it up and inspecting the output with a scope. The two top ones might be worth looking into.

I never understood this paranoia about not using AT power supplies

Those are more prone to kill the hardware if something goes wrong. Rare hardware. Modern PSUs are more safe in that regard.

These all seem to work

First two are probably extra cheap and not worth salvaging, but that's just my hunch.

From what I've read on BadCaps, the Power Tronic is actually, a good OEM unit, which Gateway used. The Solar Power and Spectre seem to be less desirable units.

The Power Tronic has 1990 date labeled on it. ES-250T Solar Power has 2002, the other SP 1998. ATNG built Pemier can't be too old.
As others have suggested you should open them up and insepct for signs of ageing. I've had "new" off-the-shelf FSP bulid AT units with bulging capacitors and regulation problems...

Anyone knows is AWA branded power supplies are any good?

Your topic reminded me that I have a similar question about AT PSUs. I have just posted it here if any of you guys fancy looking at the innards of old power supplies 🤣

^^ cool, thanks for the high quality pics! Good for reference.

I ended up keeping all of the above (i.e. I put the cases they were in back in storage), as I just didn't have time to open them up or investigate any further. They all still seemed to work OK though which is more than I can say for ATX PSUs from a few years later.