Power Supplies...

[Vinny]

Can I get some feedback on the types of PSUs some of you use? I'm heavily torn between getting a PC Power and Cooling PSU and an OCZ or SilverStone PSU. The PC Power and Cooling is $90 more than the other two I'm looking at but.. hell, they're pretty much the best available. And the price tag comes at a premium too.

This is the PC P&C one that I'm looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703001

[UnderwaterMadman]

Wow, I would never spend that much on a ps. Shoot for around $70-$90 anything more is a waste. With the money save you can buy something that will actually increase performance.

[Vinny]

Wow, I would never spend that much on a ps. Shoot for around $70-$90 anything more is a waste. With the money save you can buy something that will actually increase performance.

I can see that you don't have a very good knowledge of PSUs...

A PSU may not improve performance but it's what'll power $1400 of components, I think that's the last thing to cheap out on.

[Toireht]

That power supply is fine and dandy, but why spend so much when you can get a high quality Antec one with a 3 year warranty?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

My cases and powersupplies have always been Antec , and I have only had one problem, which was my fault. I had the door open on the front of the case and accidently smashed it with my knee which snapped it back and it broke off. I called up antec, told them my story and they sent me a new one free of charge in under 3 days.

May I also recommend antecs cable manament power supplies, it's the one I own. They are a little more expensive then the other one I showed you but the cable managment makes your case look so much neater.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103940

[Vinny]

Yeah, I considered Antec as well but most of their PSUs are colors other than black and I want a black PSU for my case (which is also black).

But it's a hard to decide... PC P&C usually lists results under worst case scenarios. Like the PSU I linked to was tested at 50C, and that's the numbers they provided even though it performs at 650 watts under optimal conditions.

The $120 difference is nice though. And I won't really be pushing my system all too often either.

[Lice]

I can see that you don't have a very good knowledge of PSUs...

The man was just trying to help, no need to be a jerk about it. You DID ask about what psu's CAGS use, and he was letting you know the price he falls in.

That power supply seems to be over kill but hey, its your money.

I seconed the Antec.

Good luck and smile vinny.

[Photomotoz]

I use an Ultra X-Connect. 500w and a 5 year warranty that is extendable to a lifetime warranty if you register online for free. Thier new model the X2 is pretty sweet : http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-x-connect2-titanium.html

[Duo_Maxwell]

I agree with most in that that PSU is an overspend, especially if you not going to push your system to it's limits as you say. There are plenty of good & stable SLi-Rated power supplies from good companies available for less (even in black), considerably less if you're bargining hunt for a bit. By the way it's not all that friendly to ask people's opinions on PSUs and what they use then chastize them & try to make them feel foolish when they answer your question.

Personally my feeling is if you spend $230 shipped for a PSU, you pretty much take the "cheap" out of cheapassgamer. I don't think it will protect your investments any more than a good PSU from say Silverstone, Cooler Master, Antec, etc. for $80 less and things like testing in 50C environment (if your computer case is 122 degrees you probably have other troubles IMO and need some improved cooling) or even color don't really matter to me, but whatever floats your boat man and if you got the cash then all the better I guess.

[Vinny]

First and foremost, I apologize to UnderwaterMadman. I didn't mean to sound rude or anything but what I said sure came off that way. I do appreciate his input. No hard feelings I hope.:)

Now, I take it none of you have actually seen a PSU go out? A friend of mine had an new 600 watt Aspire PSU which he had gotten for $90 I think. Looked great and blow up right in front of me as I was checking it out (luckily it was a windowed case). And, it took out his 34GB WD Raptor with it (which isn't cheap). Luckily, that's all that died...

That's why I'm kinda worried about the PSU.:lol:

While I don't plan to push my system all the time, there will be times when I do (especially with games). And it's not just a CPU and GPU, my PC will have a lot of other neat stuff too.

As for the person who recommended Ultra, no thanks! From what I've seen, they make a hell of a mid-tower case but that's it.:)

[Photomotoz]

As for the person who recommended Ultra, no thanks! From what I've seen, they make a hell of a mid-tower case but that's it.:)

Really? I never really heard any negative things about them and I figure with a lifetime warranty you can't lose. I have had mine running for about 2 years now with 2 HDs, 2 DVD drives, a X850 XT, 3.1 GHz Prescott, 5 fans, 2 cathodes and some other minor stuff and it has never even hiccupped. It also looks really swanky.

I figure that even if it dies I got the warranty.

[supadupacheap]

Really? I never really heard any negative things about them and I figure with a lifetime warranty you can't lose. I have had mine running for about 2 years now with 2 HDs, 2 DVD drives, a X850 XT, 3.1 GHz Prescott, 5 fans, 2 cathodes and some other minor stuff and it has never even hiccupped. It also looks really swanky.

I figure that even if it dies I got the warranty.
Ultras are solid mid level supplies. You can do better but more often you ll do worse. The real saving grace for them is they have more "aggressive" looking PSUs that, unlike most "bling" PSUs, arent total P.O.S.
They do have the best implimented modular system IMO (if you get the latest ones with rounded cables) and usually arent way overpriced per spec. However, if you dont need the looks, best to look elsewhere.

[supadupacheap]

That power supply is fine and dandy, but why spend so much when you can get a high quality Antec one with a 3 year warranty?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

My cases and powersupplies have always been Antec , and I have only had one problem, which was my fault. I had the door open on the front of the case and accidently smashed it with my knee which snapped it back and it broke off. I called up antec, told them my story and they sent me a new one free of charge in under 3 days.

May I also recommend antecs cable manament power supplies, it's the one I own. They are a little more expensive then the other one I showed you but the cable managment makes your case look so much neater.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103940

Antec has very solid cases. Their PSUs USED to be serviceable but now arent fit to poop on. Im not sure what happened exactly but within the last 2 years the brand has really gone to hell. Ill use one in a cheap low demands build if Im stuck with it while buying the case. I would not, however, drop dime one on one by itself.

The cases are still fantastic however. Traditional styling but very solid. Too bad the included PSUs are trash. :cry:

[Pootie Thang]

This is what I have...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817711001

And let me tell you it's amazing. My system runs great now, before I would get an error once every long while saying there wans't enough power to my 3D card. And now it runs great, and not only that but it really is Silent. Plus it's SLI ready and OCZ makes the best PSU's. I got it for $120ish after rebate at MonarchComputers.com a month and a half ago.

[supadupacheap]

First and foremost, I apologize to UnderwaterMadman. I didn't mean to sound rude or anything but what I said sure came off that way. I do appreciate his input. No hard feelings I hope.:)

Now, I take it none of you have actually seen a PSU go out? A friend of mine had an new 600 watt Aspire PSU which he had gotten for $90 I think. Looked great and blow up right in front of me as I was checking it out (luckily it was a windowed case). And, it took out his 34GB WD Raptor with it (which isn't cheap). Luckily, that's all that died...

That's why I'm kinda worried about the PSU.:lol:

While I don't plan to push my system all the time, there will be times when I do (especially with games). And it's not just a CPU and GPU, my PC will have a lot of other neat stuff too.

As for the person who recommended Ultra, no thanks! From what I've seen, they make a hell of a mid-tower case but that's it.:)

You ever seen a car wreck? Afterwards did you immediately go out and refit your own vehicle to a psedo Sherman tank?

Watching a PSU go and hearing the horror stories about what it can take down can be nerveracking but you need to take it in stride. First of all, theres a reason why we call them eXspires (instead of Aspires) and that the company has (as of June 1) changed their name.

While it will buy you some more peace of mind, the PPC is still an incredibly wasteful purchase. They exist for heavy load servers with extreme power needs/spikes and for enthusiast bragging rights. Yes, they are the best but just because you aint driving a Ferrari dont mean every other car brand isnt safe enough to be on the road.

You assertion that $1400 worth of gear may need a $200 PSU is silly because we have no clue as to what you are buying exactly and therefor no idea as to whether you truly NEED a PPC. Ill tell ya though, theres nothing I could put together sub $2000 I would feel needed a PP&C.

[Vinny]

Well, my specs...
MSI K9N SLi Platinum AM2
AMD Athlon 3800+ (will OC later)
2GB (2 x 1GB) OCZ Gold DDR2 800
2 x SATAs (1 7200 300GB, 1 10000 74GB)
1 x IDE 7200 300GB HD (which will be on a SATA port with an adapter, since my optical drives will occupy my IDE port)
DVD+-RW/DL burner
DVD-Rom
Albatron 7300GS (waiting for DX10 cards)
Diamond Xtreme Sound
Floppy drive
Multimedia card reader/writer
Front bay display/fan controller

Guess you guys are right, I shouldn't over it... this is the other PSU I've been looking at which should do fine from what you guys are saying:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341001

[supadupacheap]

Well, my specs...
MSI K9N SLi Platinum AM2
AMD Athlon 3800+ (will OC later)
2GB (2 x 1GB) OCZ Gold DDR2 800
2 x SATAs (1 7200 300GB, 1 10000 74GB)
1 x IDE 7200 300GB HD (which will be on a SATA port with an adapter, since my optical drives will occupy my IDE port)
DVD+-RW/DL burner
DVD-Rom
Albatron 7300GS (waiting for DX10 cards)
Diamond Xtreme Sound
Floppy drive
Multimedia card reader/writer
Front bay display/fan controller

Guess you guys are right, I shouldn't over it... this is the other PSU I've been looking at which should do fine from what you guys are saying:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341001
Its not a mater of "fine", the PC&C will do fine as well. Its economics. Your setup is too pedestrian to need a PSU with 40A on the dual rails. You pay for those Amps even if you dont use 'em.
And dont buy something to cover directx 10 cards just yet. Its gonna be awhile, we have no idea of the power connectors, and rumor is they are going to be nightmarish energy destroying beasts. (so much so ATI and NVidia are warning PSU makers that theyll be cards needing 1000w PSUs that dont even exist yet)
The wisest move IMO would be buy a solid, excellent value PSU now that fufills your current needs and can be pressed into service in a backup PC in the future if the DirectX10 mess is indeed true. With your modest needs right now, anything more than $70 is wasteful and $70 is teetering on silly but I can understand your need for assurance and wanting to spend more than needed to get it.

[Steggy]

I have a 500 watt power supply for sale that I just pulled out of one of my pc cases. Its practically new, here is a link to what one I have for sale. PM me if interested.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148006

[UnderwaterMadman]

First and foremost, I apologize to UnderwaterMadman. I didn't mean to sound rude or anything but what I said sure came off that way. I do appreciate his input. No hard feelings I hope.:)


It's cool.

I like the OCZ power supply it is much quieter than PC P&C one according to some reviews I've read in the past few months and it has dual 12v rails which are a nice thing to have.

Here is a nice stress test of power supplies some of you might have seen:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/07/11/stress_test/

I am not sure if the OCZ that you were looking at is the same one featured here but they somehow botched their unit up in the test. It might be worth giving this a look to see what else is available, if you haven't purchased yet.

Also anyone looking to buy a socket AM2 based system might want to consider buying the cheapest sempron right now for about $70 and then swapping it out for an Athlon X2 next month when AMD unleashes their 35%-50% price cuts.

Here is an article about the price cuts:
http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=613657&starttime=0&endtime=0

The price cuts could mean Dual-Core Athlon X2's for as low as $150 which would be really nice.

And here us a PSU calculator for anyone interested in just how much juice their system needs:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

[Vinny]

Its not a mater of "fine", the PC&C will do fine as well. Its economics. Your setup is too pedestrian to need a PSU with 40A on the dual rails. You pay for those Amps even if you dont use 'em.
And dont buy something to cover directx 10 cards just yet. Its gonna be awhile, we have no idea of the power connectors, and rumor is they are going to be nightmarish energy destroying beasts. (so much so ATI and NVidia are warning PSU makers that theyll be cards needing 1000w PSUs that dont even exist yet)
The wisest move IMO would be buy a solid, excellent value PSU now that fufills your current needs and can be pressed into service in a backup PC in the future if the DirectX10 mess is indeed true. With your modest needs right now, anything more than $70 is wasteful and $70 is teetering on silly but I can understand your need for assurance and wanting to spend more than needed to get it.

Wow... that's pretty insane. That was the reason why I wanted to be assured about my PSU but sounds like nothings finalized yet. The reason why I wanted a huge PSU was to be SLi-DX10 ready but if this is early impressions, then I better just get something for the moment and upgrade later on.

Thanks for the help dude.:)

[UnderwaterMadman]

Its not a mater of "fine", the PC&C will do fine as well. Its economics. Your setup is too pedestrian to need a PSU with 40A on the dual rails. You pay for those Amps even if you dont use 'em.
And dont buy something to cover directx 10 cards just yet. Its gonna be awhile, we have no idea of the power connectors, and rumor is they are going to be nightmarish energy destroying beasts. (so much so ATI and NVidia are warning PSU makers that theyll be cards needing 1000w PSUs that dont even exist yet)
The wisest move IMO would be buy a solid, excellent value PSU now that fufills your current needs and can be pressed into service in a backup PC in the future if the DirectX10 mess is indeed true. With your modest needs right now, anything more than $70 is wasteful and $70 is teetering on silly but I can understand your need for assurance and wanting to spend more than needed to get it.


Can you cite some of the sources where you got this info from I would like to give them a read through. Also 1 kilowatt power supplies certainly do exist.

[Snake2715]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153007

Thermaltake is what I ran on my PC I built two years ago. Its been excellent.

[CappyCobra]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153007

Thermaltake is what I ran on my PC I built two years ago. Its been excellent.
I have that same exact model for the past 3 years. Best $90 I've spent in a while. Rock-solid powersupply

[supadupacheap]

Can you cite some of the sources where you got this info from I would like to give them a read through. Also 1 kilowatt power supplies certainly do exist.
Existing and being mass marketable are two totally different things, no? Imagine the strain it would put on the retail channel if 1000w power supplies were needed for the top 3 or 4 cards on the market. Since 1000w is overkill for almost any consumer (non server) type machine, theres not enough sitting on store shelves to cover the mass of people who will need them. And I wont even get into reasonablitly of price.

They need to make a lot more high watt PSUs but with less of the industrial features that most have now (since that makes them insanely priced for a PC enthusiast)

[Robobandit]

Not to butt in, but Dx 10 GPUS aren't (going to be) mass market, either.

People who are going to shell out for the cards that will suck that kind of power likely have the ability and funds to purchase a 1 kwatt psu in the near future, if they don't own one already.

Regardless, I'd hold off on your system for a bit.. I don't know if you're plain opposed to Intel, but I think their new Conroe chips due out in July are going to be giving AMD a run for their money, at least until '07 when AMD rolls out the K8L.

Personally, I'm keeping my X2 and I expect a few more years of service out of it, but I try to leave my mind open to new possibilities, especially in terms of getting the best performance for my gaming dollar.

hrm.. $500 for a PC Power & Cooling 1KWatt PSU.. couple that up with the inevitable $599 GPU from Ati or Nvidia and you've got a space heater! :twoguns:

[Skylander7]

I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned Superflower. They make good ps's IMO.. plus, they aren't overly expensive. Check Directron.com

[UnderwaterMadman]

Existing and being mass marketable are two totally different things, no? Imagine the strain it would put on the retail channel if 1000w power supplies were needed for the top 3 or 4 cards on the market. Since 1000w is overkill for almost any consumer (non server) type machine, theres not enough sitting on store shelves to cover the mass of people who will need them. And I wont even get into reasonablitly of price.

They need to make a lot more high watt PSUs but with less of the industrial features that most have now (since that makes them insanely priced for a PC enthusiast)

I still don't agree with the assumptions you made about the requirements for directx 10 cards. Vista probably won't even arrive for more than a year and if power supplies of immense magnitude are necessary than I am sure there will be plenty to go around. I suspect that the first person to suggest the need for "a 1000 watt power supply to run a dx10 card" had the idea of some crazy ass machine with a quad core processor and four top end graphics cards in quad-sli along with some hair-brained physX card.