Anandtech PSU Reviews

[Amart]

Why hasn't there been a single review of Fortron Source PSU on Anandtech main page?

Last time I commented one of the editors replied stating it will be covered in a future story since Fortron are more budget oriented. Fine.

Today 400W-450W review was posted for budget PSU's and Fortron wasn't even shown.

I think it was a year ago HardOcp ran a review of budget PSU options and Fortron was the only one actually providing the specs at full load.

Even if you question FSP product's performance you must include it in the review as a benchmark to defeat. It was the champion of value last year, this year you better compete with it or the review loses meaning.

Please correct this and add FSP to the charts!

Example: ATX-400PNF
http://www.fsp-group.com/engli...id=1&fid=123&proid=518

I can't find it on sale (might be re-branded) , but they have high efficiency 80-plus parts:
http://www.80plus.org/manu/psu/fsp.htm
http://www.80plus.org/manu/psu...460W_80PLUS_Report.pdf

 

[JEDIYoda]

Chanpion of what?
Where?
When?

You state-- Corsair is the only name on that list with reliability as solid as Fortron.

I seriously would not put fortron in the same league as Corsair or PC Power & Cooling or Zippy for that matter.
There is not a thing wrong with the new Thermaltake lines or the newer Antec lines!!

Sure both Thermaltake and Antec in past years had issues but not anymore.

Then you mispeak....It was the only one to actually deliver the specifications at full load??

Your not seriously going to tell me that a Fortron is better built than a Zippy or a PC Power & Cooling?
Your not going to seriously ask me to believe that any PC Power & Cooling did not deliver what it was rated for?

Now I will agree with you possibly on best value.......
But please don`t insukt other peoples intelligence by claiming that Fortron PSU`s are the best made!!

 

[Lunyone]

I can't seem to find the >80% ones online, so that wouldn't work. There are the >70-75% ones, but I'm wondering why they weren't included too. I understand your point. Yeah I understand your position. Even the 400w version (even at >75% eff) is close to the vx450w, as far as amps on the 12v rail (29 vs. 33 for the corsair). The 460 FSP is listed at 31 amps according to this link:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=205763

I'm not sure why they didn't include at least the 400w version is beyound me. It's widely available and decently priced. I'm sure it could easily beat the Ultra PSU that they had in the review. It would be nice to add it to the review, or at least review it and reference it to the 400-450w review. Maybe they don't have one in the shop, so it wasn't included. That's the only reason I could see it not mentioned or reviewed.

 

[Amart]

I'm not saying that Fortron ever beat PC Power and Cooling, or Corsair or Zippy in performance and quality. They did however offer the best VALUE (Quality/Price) in the 450W and under cathegory. They offered parts for $40 and $60 that provided similar quality to parts costing $80 and $100!

Whenever someone on this forum asks for a budget PC build with ~400W PSU, Fortron is always listed as one of the options, and often ends up the least expensive one.

I guess my views about manufacturers were somewhat outdated - the comment was removed (unrelated anyway) and I've edited to clarify the claim. Thanks for the correction.

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Chanpion of what?
Where?
When?

You state-- Corsair is the only name on that list with reliability as solid as Fortron.

I seriously would not put fortron in the same league as Corsair or PC Power & Cooling or Zippy for that matter.
There is not a thing wrong with the new Thermaltake lines or the newer Antec lines!!

Sure both Thermaltake and Antec in past years had issues but not anymore.

Then you mispeak....It was the only one to actually deliver the specifications at full load??

Your not seriously going to tell me that a Fortron is better built than a Zippy or a PC Power & Cooling?
Your not going to seriously ask me to believe that any PC Power & Cooling did not deliver what it was rated for?

Now I will agree with you possibly on best value.......
But please don`t insukt other peoples intelligence by claiming that Fortron PSU`s are the best made!!

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: rogue1979
Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

If it's so easy how come the FSP Epsilon's (including the OCZ GameXstreams) have ripple that goes out of spec at high loads?

 

[rogue1979]

I said quality, not performance.

If you are running a pc that maxes the power supply to the limit, the solution is simple.

Get a more powerful power supply. I am sure if you pushed a Fortron Source hard enough,
it would choke too.

That being said, for about $40 or so it will power most non-extreme computers very well and reliably.

I have three of them powering overclocked Athlon64's with volt modded and overclocked 7900GT's and Radeon X1900GT's, all of them with multiple drives and 2GB of memory.

The 400-watt Fortron Source power supplies don't even get warm, voltages are rock stable and they have all been running hard on games for over 2 years.

I have had three Antecs of various kinds that have all failed in less then one year.

I could guess that if a professional job of testing the Fortrons were done that some of the specs would show up as "not cutting it".

Personally I don't give a flip about specs or numbers. The proof is in the pudding, the Fortrons get the job done for me! Real life performance is what counts, not a bunch of "benchmarks".

Benchmarks should be a guide, though they may not reflect real life performance or results simply because a review wouldn't be feasible if it consisted of several months or years of "real" testing.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

If FSP can easily match the quality of PCP&C or any of the best, why haven't they?

I'm sorry, FSP cuts corners almost as bad as the rest of them. They are better than most in their price range, but their quality is far from "best."

Back in the day, I would have easily agreed that FSP was among the best. In fact, FSP made a number of PCP&C's units. But times have changed. The customer has become wiser and the market more competitive. People that think that FSP are still among the best are living in the past.

 

[Amart]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

If FSP can easily match the quality of PCP&C or any of the best, why haven't they?

I'm sorry, FSP cuts corners almost as bad as the rest of them. They are better than most in their price range, but their quality is far from "best."

Back in the day, I would have easily agreed that FSP was among the best. In fact, FSP made a number of PCP&C's units. But times have changed. The customer has become wiser and the market more competitive. People that think that FSP are still among the best are living in the past.

AHA, Then enlighten us outdated individuals with a review that includes non-epsilon FSP units! Put up that ATX2.2 FSP that claims >75% efficiency and show us how it compares!

Reviews are MUCH more interesting when they serve to disprove misconceptions and bring some objectivity to people's understanding of the market.

This was a review of BUDGET PSU's, all 400-450W and all under $100. The more expensive Epsilon has problems and may not compete with Corsair, but how about those $44 and $57 units? You disagree that they should have been listed and compared?

 

[rogue1979]

Yes, we are talking about budget power supplies in the 400 / 450-watt range.

Have no clue on "higher end" power supplies, haven't needed one. But if I do purchase one
is sure isn't going to be Antec. I see people defending them saying the new EarthWatts is much better quality.

Well, let's wait until they have all been running a year or two and then we'll see.

My Fortrons have all been through 3 or 4 upgrades and are still running strong 2 years+
down the road. No, I am not a fanboy, they aren't the latest or the greatest. But for the $40 or so that I payed for them they are performing great for what I use them for, fantastic value and reliable solid performance.

The only other power supply I feel was more than worth the money was an old two fan Allied 450-watt that weighed a ton. I purchased it about 6 years ago and it is still running strong powering a Prescott computer to this very day.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Chanpion of what?
Where?
When?

You state-- Corsair is the only name on that list with reliability as solid as Fortron.

I seriously would not put fortron in the same league as Corsair or PC Power & Cooling or Zippy for that matter.
There is not a thing wrong with the new Thermaltake lines or the newer Antec lines!!

Sure both Thermaltake and Antec in past years had issues but not anymore.

Then you mispeak....It was the only one to actually deliver the specifications at full load??

Your not seriously going to tell me that a Fortron is better built than a Zippy or a PC Power & Cooling?
Your not going to seriously ask me to believe that any PC Power & Cooling did not deliver what it was rated for?

Now I will agree with you possibly on best value.......
But please don`t insukt other peoples intelligence by claiming that Fortron PSU`s are the best made!!

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

actually you are not being truthful.
There is noway any fortron is as good as a PC Power & Cooling PSU!!
In the past perhaps now...different times....
There are many great PSU`s on the market...from Corsair to Seasonic to and including the newer Antec and Thermaltake models.....
Sorry to say Forton is NOT considered one of the better PSU`s!
Fortron PSU`s are known to have ripple that causes them to go out of spec at high loads!

I have never seen a review by anybody stating that PC Power & Cooling ever goes our of spec...
btw--- usually PC Power & Cooling have made a name for themselves by having little or no ripple!!

Now in a later post you state--

Have no clue on "higher end" power supplies, haven't needed one. But if I do purchase one

So why in a previous post did you sate for the record--

Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience.

So obviously you speak from the standpoint of having no experience with any of the major brands such as corsair--zippy--PC Power & Cooling...etc....

Peace!!

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Chanpion of what?
Where?
When?

You state-- Corsair is the only name on that list with reliability as solid as Fortron.

I seriously would not put fortron in the same league as Corsair or PC Power & Cooling or Zippy for that matter.
There is not a thing wrong with the new Thermaltake lines or the newer Antec lines!!

Sure both Thermaltake and Antec in past years had issues but not anymore.

Then you mispeak....It was the only one to actually deliver the specifications at full load??

Your not seriously going to tell me that a Fortron is better built than a Zippy or a PC Power & Cooling?
Your not going to seriously ask me to believe that any PC Power & Cooling did not deliver what it was rated for?

Now I will agree with you possibly on best value.......
But please don`t insukt other peoples intelligence by claiming that Fortron PSU`s are the best made!!

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

actually you are not being truthful.
There is noway any fortron is as good as a PC Power & Cooling PSU!!
In the past perhaps now...different times....
There are many great PSU`s on the market...from Corsaid to Seasonic th and including the newer Antec and Thermaltake models.....
Sorry to say Forton is NOT considered one of the better PSU`s!
Fortron PSU`s are known to have ripple that causs then to go out of spec at high loads!

I have never seen a review by anybody stating that PC Power & Cooling ever goes our of spec...
btw--- usually PC Power & Cooling have made a name for themselves by having little or no ripple!!

Now in a later post you state--

Have no clue on "higher end" power supplies, haven't needed one. But if I do purchase one

So why in a previous post did you sate for the record--

Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience.

So obviously you speak from the standpoint of having no experience with any of the major brands such as corsair--zippy--PC Power & Cooling...etc....

Peace!!

I have used Enlight, Antec, Sparkle, Enermax, Just PC and Thermaltake just off the top of my head.

So when I said that I have used all the major brands maybe I should have said "many".
While some of these were decent power supplies, none impressed me with rock solid quality, especially Antec.

A "higher end" power supply is an expensive high-watt solution, while as a "quality" brand may or may not be a "higher end" power supply.

If you are gonna quote somebody to show a contradiction, you should as least try and get it
right.

I never said Fortron had the best specs, simply stated that for the price their performance is solid and reliable which means great quality. That's an opinion, not a fact and that opinion is based on real life usage.

PC Power and Cooling is probably a great power supply and is known for great specs.
Pushed to the absolute max perhaps it does outperform a similar wattage Fortron Source.
Why someone would run a power supply maxed out all the time is beyond me, sounds safer and easier just to get a more powerful unit and run it at a lower percentage.

For what I use my Fortron Source power supplies for they are still reliable, durable and still proving to have superior longevity. In my book that is quality, that's not even considering the relatively low price.

The 400-watt Fortron Source power supplies that I am talking about have a 5-star rating after 139 reviews at Newegg, so apparently I am not the only one that holds them in high regards.

By the way you misspelled "mispeak". And that is "truthful"

Peace!!

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: rogue1979

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Chanpion of what?
Where?
When?

You state-- Corsair is the only name on that list with reliability as solid as Fortron.

I seriously would not put fortron in the same league as Corsair or PC Power & Cooling or Zippy for that matter.
There is not a thing wrong with the new Thermaltake lines or the newer Antec lines!!

Sure both Thermaltake and Antec in past years had issues but not anymore.

Then you mispeak....It was the only one to actually deliver the specifications at full load??

Your not seriously going to tell me that a Fortron is better built than a Zippy or a PC Power & Cooling?
Your not going to seriously ask me to believe that any PC Power & Cooling did not deliver what it was rated for?

Now I will agree with you possibly on best value.......
But please don`t insukt other peoples intelligence by claiming that Fortron PSU`s are the best made!!

Fortron Source can easily match the quality of PC Power and Cooling or any of the best.
Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience. I don't need a review to tell me that.

actually you are not being truthful.
There is noway any fortron is as good as a PC Power & Cooling PSU!!
In the past perhaps now...different times....
There are many great PSU`s on the market...from Corsaid to Seasonic th and including the newer Antec and Thermaltake models.....
Sorry to say Forton is NOT considered one of the better PSU`s!
Fortron PSU`s are known to have ripple that causs then to go out of spec at high loads!

I have never seen a review by anybody stating that PC Power & Cooling ever goes our of spec...
btw--- usually PC Power & Cooling have made a name for themselves by having little or no ripple!!

Now in a later post you state--

Have no clue on "higher end" power supplies, haven't needed one. But if I do purchase one

So why in a previous post did you sate for the record--

Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience.

So obviously you speak from the standpoint of having no experience with any of the major brands such as corsair--zippy--PC Power & Cooling...etc....

Peace!!

I have used Enlight, Antec, Sparkle, Enermax, Just PC and Thermaltake just off the top of my head.

So when I said that I have used all the major brands maybe I should have said "many".
While some of these were decent power supplies, none impressed me with rock solid quality, especially Antec.

A "higher end" power supply is an expensive high-watt solution, while as a "quality" brand may or may not be a "higher end" power supply.

If you are gonna quote somebody to show a contradiction, you should as least try and get it
right.

I never said Fortron had the best specs, simply stated that for the price their performance is solid and reliable which means great quality. That's an opinion, not a fact and that opinion is based on real life usage.

PC Power and Cooling is probably a great power supply and is known for great specs.
Pushed to the absolute max perhaps it does outperform a similar wattage Fortron Source.
Why someone would run a power supply maxed out all the time is beyond me, sounds safer and easier just to get a more powerful unit and run it at a lower percentage.

For what I use my Fortron Source power supplies for they are still reliable, durable and still proving to have superior longevity. In my book that is quality, that's not even considering the relatively low price.

The 400-watt Fortron Source power supplies that I am talking about have a 5-star rating after 139 reviews at Newegg, so apparently I am not the only one that holds them in high regards.

By the way you misspelled "mispeak". And that is "truthful"

Peace!!

btw if pointing out spelling errors is all you can do to try to explain away why as you stated earlier---

Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience.

then your explaination shows you really have no clue what constutues quality verses junk do you??

Peace!

 

[jonnyGURU]

There's some waffles here.

Ok... So FSP isn't the "best" they're just "good", especially for the money and I can certainly agree with that.

Just make sure when youmake comparisons, they're apples to apples. That's all.

FSP has great options for the average user. Especially if you're a system builder and use Aopen cases which happen to all come with FSP power supplies. You'll get low cost (usually under $50 for case and PSU) and reliability. There is NOTHING wrong with that. But it would be naive to say that this $50 combo with a 400W FSP PSU is "best" or even adequate for "all" users.

 

[rogue1979]

[/quote]

btw if pointing out spelling errors is all you can do to try to explain away why as you stated earlier---

Having used all the major so called "quality" brands I speak from experience.

then your explaination shows you really have no clue what constutues quality verses junk do you??

Peace![/quote]

I think there is a difference in opinion here between "quality" and "high end" or "high performance".

You really need to turn on that spell checker.

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
There's some waffles here.

Ok... So FSP isn't the "best" they're just "good", especially for the money and I can certainly agree with that.

Just make sure when youmake comparisons, they're apples to apples. That's all.

FSP has great options for the average user. Especially if you're a system builder and use Aopen cases which happen to all come with FSP power supplies. You'll get low cost (usually under $50 for case and PSU) and reliability. There is NOTHING wrong with that. But it would be naive to say that this $50 combo with a 400W FSP PSU is "best" or even adequate for "all" users.

Well put and I agree.

But you could probably find a few extreme users that could take a "quality" 650 or 700 watt
"high end" name brand power supply and push it to the breaking point. That doesn't mean the quality of that power supply is in question just because it might not be adequate for the needs of the user.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Sure. No doubt. Just because something is "high end" doesn't make it the best "quality."

I personally use some power supplies that are "high end" that I do not hold in regard as the "best quality."

Again, there's an apples to apples thing there.

 

[magreen]

Ok, I'm happy, we've all come to some sort of agreement here, and FSP PSUs have been recommended as good economical PSUs for the average user.

So why hasn"t AT tested them? And that's a lame excuse what Khris said in the comments to the roundup that he's in Europe and can't get most of them there. Just buy an assorted box of em from Newegg and ship them across the pond.

 

[JEDIYoda]

that might be the wrong question to be asking....

maybe the correct question is why doesn`t Fortron send any of their PSU`s to be tested by Anand`s people?

Most sites that test PSU`s don`t buy all the PSU`s that they test.

Just something to think about!!

Another good question might be...why hasn`t the site bearing JonnyGURU`s internet name tested any Fortron PSU`s..... http://www.jonnyguru.com/reviews.php

Just asking.....then again you cannot expect every reviewing site to review all brands of PSU`s.
Which is another reason to not rely on just one site for everything!!

 

[Lunyone]

So would it be safe to say the 400w FSP would be better than/equal to a Ultra 400w that was used in the review?

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Lunyone
So would it be safe to say the 400w FSP would be better than/equal to a Ultra 400w that was used in the review?

read the review and then find a review of the Ultra 400....

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
that might be the wrong question to be asking....

maybe the correct question is why doesn`t Fortron send any of their PSU`s to be tested by Anand`s people?

Most sites that test PSU`s don`t buy all the PSU`s that they test.

Just something to think about!!

Another good question might be...why hasn`t the site bearing JonnyGURU`s internet name tested any Fortron PSU`s..... http://www.jonnyguru.com/reviews.php

Just asking.....then again you cannot expect every reviewing site to review all brands of PSU`s.
Which is another reason to not rely on just one site for everything!!

Actually, and not to throw anyone under the bus, madmat has been sitting on some FSP I bought to review for some time. But with his work and all he's a bit behind. The unit have been in his posession for about six months now. Maybe we'll see something by X-mas.

 

[tomoyo]

This roundup only had 4 psus...that's not nearly enough to cover the entire spectrum of psu brands out there. I'm happy enough that 3 of the psu's noted there are actually at least decent quality. The only poor one there is the ultra. I would place cheaper 80plus fortrons as something around the same quality as the Earthwatts. It's budget stuff for budget users that will usually not go bad. These are in no way as high quality as something like a Zippy, pcpower, corsair, etc.

 

[spittledip]

Originally posted by: tomoyo
This roundup only had 4 psus...that's not nearly enough to cover the entire spectrum of psu brands out there. I'm happy enough that 3 of the psu's noted there are actually at least decent quality. The only poor one there is the ultra. I would place cheaper 80plus fortrons as something around the same quality as the Earthwatts. It's budget stuff for budget users that will usually not go bad. These are in no way as high quality as something like a Zippy, pcpower, corsair, etc.

Yes, i was very disappointed with this round up. 4 PSUs hardly make a round up. I also thought that they should have made it 400 to 500 watt PSUs as you can get some decent 500 watt ones fairly cheap. I mean, the idea behind getting cheaper stuff has everything to do with bang for buck. So, if you can get a better PSU for the same money, why not include it? I think the idea of covering budget 400-450 watt PSUs doesn't make sense. Might as well cover all budget PSUs that fall into a certain price range rather than a certain watt range.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
that might be the wrong question to be asking....

maybe the correct question is why doesn`t Fortron send any of their PSU`s to be tested by Anand`s people?

Most sites that test PSU`s don`t buy all the PSU`s that they test.

Just something to think about!!

Another good question might be...why hasn`t the site bearing JonnyGURU`s internet name tested any Fortron PSU`s..... http://www.jonnyguru.com/reviews.php

Just asking.....then again you cannot expect every reviewing site to review all brands of PSU`s.
Which is another reason to not rely on just one site for everything!!

Actually, and not to throw anyone under the bus, madmat has been sitting on some FSP I bought to review for some time. But with his work and all he's a bit behind. The unit have been in his posession for about six months now. Maybe we'll see something by X-mas.

cool thats good news!!