Best MicroATX power supply?

[Dadofamunky]

I've had enormous headaches with power supplies in the recent past. Two Antecs blew up my system in separate incidents. I gave up and used a Shuttle SFF chassis (specs below) to reuse my components and it's done great.

Two years later, I want to do a MicroATX build. I've already ordered the new ASUS P5E-VM HDMI motherboard and 4 GB of G.Skill DDR2, and am waiting for the new 45nm Intel chips to come out. I'm also **probably** going to get the Lian-Li SFF case on NewEgg.

What I want to know is: is there a decent maker of MicroATX power supplies? I want this new system to be reliable. I also note that uATX supplies top out at 400W. SeaSonic and PCP&C/OCZ don't offer any, it seems to be all Taiwanese junk for around $30-$40. Somehow, after recent experience, I don't think I want to go in that direction.

Am I stuck with an ATX case after all? I'm not buying another Shuttle; they're a bit overpriced and they don't give me enough flexibility.

 

[manimal]

I like the Corsair HX520 for a SFF MATX build. Easy to use as well since its Modular. Runs cool as well.


I use a SG01 Sugo. Some issues with the HSF but looks great. SG03 looks downright sexy!

 

[Dadofamunky]

That would be great except that's a full ATX PS, not a uATX one... doubt that would fit in the Lian-Li uATX case. I might be forced to go to a larger chassis...

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
That would be great except that's a full ATX PS, not a uATX one... doubt that would fit in the Lian-Li uATX case.

Which case is it? Link please? Many micro ATX cases use standard ATX power supplies.

If it does use a smaller PSU, the most popular size is SFX. The best SFX PSU that I've found is a 320W unit made by Enermax. Beware of higher wattage units made by other manufacturers because some are crappy and most don't put out much real +12v. The only higher wattage one that's any good is the FSP 350W (often shows up as a Sparkle). However, the Enermax has more +12v at 24A. Still, it wasn't quite enough to run an 8800GTS with an overclocked CPU.

Feel free to ask me more about building micro ATX systems. I've done a LOT of them, probably numbering close to a hundred, ranging from custom gaming rigs like this one to standard office computers (which was the bulk of them). Here's SLI in a micro ATX.

 

[frostedflakes]

Yeah I'd assume it's an SFX. Get a 300w FSP or Seasonic and you should be good to go. My NSK3300 came with Seasonic SS-300SFD and it seems like a pretty good little unit. And like Zap mentioned Sparkle are produced by FSP so are good quality as well.

 

[wwswimming]

the Seasonic 430 is a good match for the XQ-Pack because of where
the cables come out of the case.

i'm not familiar with that case. it would be a good idea to check
the pictures of the power supply on the Egg or manufacturer's
website.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
That would be great except that's a full ATX PS, not a uATX one... doubt that would fit in the Lian-Li uATX case.

Which case is it? Link please? Many micro ATX cases use standard ATX power supplies.

[/L].

Thank you! http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112151

It's Lian-Li's SFF case style. Unsure if this accepts an ATX, I doubt it... I think some of the carry-handle-type ones do accept them, but I'm not interested in a "gamer" chassis... Not that there's anything wrong with that...

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: Zap
If it does use a smaller PSU, the most popular size is SFX. The best SFX PSU that I've found is a 320W unit made by Enermax. Beware of higher wattage units made by other manufacturers because some are crappy and most don't put out much real +12v. The only higher wattage one that's any good is the FSP 350W (often shows up as a Sparkle). However, the Enermax has more +12v at 24A. Still, it wasn't quite enough to run an 8800GTS with an overclocked CPU.

Feel free to ask me more about building micro ATX systems. I've done a LOT of them, probably numbering close to a hundred, ranging from custom gaming rigs like this one to standard office computers (which was the bulk of them). Here's SLI in a micro ATX.

Bingo!!! That's exactly the info I'm looking for. I'm planning on an HD 3870 (with its 55nm GPU) and Intel's 45nm e8400, so I suspect that even with OCing the CPU I should be good to go.

And thanks to others for their tips as well.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
Which case is it? Link please? Many micro ATX cases use standard ATX power supplies.

Thank you! http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112151

It's Lian-Li's SFF case style. Unsure if this accepts an ATX, I doubt it...[/quote]

It does use a standard ATX power supply, though it may not work with one of the huge wattage units that are deeper than normal. By "normal" I mean the power supply is almost a square when viewed from above. If it looks really rectangular then it is probably too big.

How I determined the power supply support is by looking at the relative size of the opening to the I/O shield area, plus the bolt hole pattern. See where the PSU attaches at four points? SFX units only attach at three points.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
Which case is it? Link please? Many micro ATX cases use standard ATX power supplies.

Thank you! http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112151

It's Lian-Li's SFF case style. Unsure if this accepts an ATX, I doubt it...

Originally posted by: Zap
It does use a standard ATX power supply, though it may not work with one of the huge wattage units that are deeper than normal. By "normal" I mean the power supply is almost a square when viewed from above. If it looks really rectangular then it is probably too big.

How I determined the power supply support is by looking at the relative size of the opening to the I/O shield area, plus the bolt hole pattern. See where the PSU attaches at four points? SFX units only attach at three points.

Oh, **that's** interesting. Never noticed that. Thanks for the tip. In fact, I hadn't known about the SFX form factor. You leave the field for a year (because your computer's running great and you have other thigns to do) and you have to learn some new things. Obviously, with a microATX system a big honkin' PS isn't needed, since I'm not interested in having more than one video card or one that eats lots of power like the high-end NVidias. But the Shuttle really converted me to SFF. I hate big towers now. And having access to a wider range of more-efficient power supplies is definitely good.

I plan to do a "blog" review of this build and post it here when I'm done.

 

[wwswimming]

The best SFX PSU that I've found is a 320W unit made by Enermax.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817103507

Enermax 270 at Newegg. i used one the same
size a few years ago to attempt to resurrect an
eMachines micro-ATX style case.

Enermax has a variety of form factors for their
SFX power supplies. when i saw this thread,
i think i got it mixed up with the other thread
about SFF's.

i wondered what PS to get to upgrade a Shuttle SFF.

http://www.enermax.com.tw/engl...t_Display1.asp?PrID=85

that one is 300 watts, similar in shape to the
Shuttle Power Supply.

 

[Dadofamunky]

I believe Shuttle also sells replacement/upgrade PSes but they do charge for it.

 

[WoodButcher]

Standard ATX psu.
Read the Manufacturers page. Just as zap pointed out you do not want the monster atx psu, 500w or there abouts should do fine. Check the depth measurements when buying the psu. Modular may help as well.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
Standard ATX psu.
Read the Manufacturers page. Just as zap pointed out you do not want the monster atx psu, 500w or there abouts should do fine. Check the depth measurements when buying the psu. Modular may help as well.

Exactly. That would be gross overkill. I am going to stay away from modular though; I've been burned by those in the past (in fact one of those (along with an Antec) was a culprit in one of motherboard burnout incidents - thank GOD it didn't fry my other components). No matter how well those things are manufactured, modular connections add more resistance to the power connection. I've checked this with a multimeter myself. I've also trolled the hardware sites looking at user feedback, which is often strikingly negative.

I'm going for an HD 3870 (not NVidia this time) which has the smallest power footprint, that with a 45nm CPU should help give a good economical power profile req'ing a relatively small, efficient power supply. So yeah, being able to leverage a much wider selection is a huge help.

 

[TemjinGold]

I was thinking about going uATX myself but I do like to get a higher end gfx card (8800GT and the like; prob get the D9M equiv when that comes out) and stuff. I would however only use one. I only use 1 optical drive and 1-2 HDs at most so towers seem like a waste to me. My main concerns are heat, noise and maybe gfx card length. Do you guys think uATX would be a good idea for me or would it not work out?

 

[WoodButcher]

@ TemjinGold
I think you would like the asus P5K, there are a few different flavors but I'm real happy w/ the P5K-VM. No raid but it has room for 6 sata and 2 IDE, 1 pci-e 16, good onboard sound and it clocks easy.

 

[TemjinGold]

That sounds good. My concern though is if the smaller cases have the legroom for say 1 full-sized gfx card and if they can deal with the heat (since it's a smaller space.) I don't OC or anything but would like stable and quiet.

 

[WoodButcher]

My w/cooled quad is in a SILVERSTONE SST-TJ08-B Black Aluminum front panel, SECC body MATX Mid tower case, it's in my sig. It will fit the big cards, 12" from the card slot to the front fan, and I did have the Thermalright U120 installed at one time. Front and rear 120mm fans, currently a $20 rebate, I don't know if even zepper can do better for what your looking to do. Bet if he sees this he'll offer many options!

 

[TemjinGold]

Looks great! Those "thin metal" reviews bug me a bit but otherwise this is what I dream of (small but accommodates full size stuff.)

 

[WoodButcher]

Originally posted by: TemjinGold
Looks great! Those "thin metal" reviews bug me a bit but otherwise this is what I dream of (small but accommodates full size stuff.)

Haha! Newegg reviews, gotta love'em, One thinks the whole case is alum. It does seem thin but in fact that is only because the side panels are flat, no bends or radius to make them pretty and stiffen them. They are not thin like the Ultra "free after rebate" case I got. Use sheet rubber sound proofing like you use in your car on all large panels. Get rubber washers from the hardware store to mount the drives and psu. I use foam weatherstrip any place else metal rests or contacts metal. Use rubber mounts on the fans.
I don't know that they changed the design or not but there is space in mine in the front bezel where I mounted an 80 x 15mm Silenx fan for the HDs. I have 2- 200 gig, 7200rpm notebook drives mounted behind the fan controller. I tossed the floppy.

pre-edit, edit- I modded that fan in, with the front bezel off check to where an 80 mm fan lines up w/ the holes in the front frame, mark the 4 corner holes and cut out everything inside. It sits right above the front 120 on the outside behind the bezel. Remember to buy a thin 80mm, done did!

 

[Zap]

Get that TJ08 for $45

Okay, it isn't a Silverstone, but it is the same chassis. The Silverstone version just gets a fancy aluminum face and the stamped fan grills removed, and loses the craptacular PSU. If you're going to mod it anyways, may as well start with the $45 version and not the $100 version.

It's a nice little mATX case that will accomodate regular ATX PSUs (though not super deep ones) and any huge video card. Yes, metal is kinda thin, but the chassis stiffens up nicely after side panels are bolted on securely. The case is a hair wider than other mATX mini towers, but shorter front-back.

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
Haha! Newegg reviews, gotta love'em, One thinks the whole case is alum.

Haha, that's pretty common. Dunno why but for whatever reason many people think their steel cases are aluminum, especially if it has an aluminum face, or is silver colored. Listen guys, just touch a magnet to it. If it sticks, NOT ALUMINUM. Simple, but I guess that little fact escapes many people.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
...Use sheet rubber sound proofing like you use in your car on all large panels. Get rubber washers from the hardware store to mount the drives and psu. I use foam weatherstrip any place else metal rests or contacts metal. Use rubber mounts on the fans.
I don't know that they changed the design or not but there is space in mine in the front bezel where I mounted an 80 x 15mm Silenx fan for the HDs. I have 2- 200 gig, 7200rpm notebook drives mounted behind the fan controller. I tossed the floppy.

pre-edit, edit- I modded that fan in, with the front bezel off check to where an 80 mm fan lines up w/ the holes in the front frame, mark the 4 corner holes and cut out everything inside. It sits right above the front 120 on the outside behind the bezel. Remember to buy a thin 80mm, done did!

All this is good advice. I've had great luck with the Shuttle in my sig and while it's not silent, its noise level for my work is never a factor. When you do all this stuff, my guess is that the biggest noise culprit would wind up being the video card, as is the case in my system. If I start up Oblivion or something like that, the system gets considerably louder.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: Zap
Get that TJ08 for $45

Okay, it isn't a Silverstone, but it is the same chassis. The Silverstone version just gets a fancy aluminum face and the stamped fan grills removed, and loses the craptacular PSU. If you're going to mod it anyways, may as well start with the $45 version and not the $100 version.

It's a nice little mATX case that will accomodate regular ATX PSUs (though not super deep ones) and any huge video card. Yes, metal is kinda thin, but the chassis stiffens up nicely after side panels are bolted on securely. The case is a hair wider than other mATX mini towers, but shorter front-back.

Originally posted by: WoodButcher
Haha! Newegg reviews, gotta love'em, One thinks the whole case is alum.

Haha, that's pretty common. Dunno why but for whatever reason many people think their steel cases are aluminum, especially if it has an aluminum face, or is silver colored. Listen guys, just touch a magnet to it. If it sticks, NOT ALUMINUM. Simple, but I guess that little fact escapes many people.

LOL

Ordered the Lian-Li case today. I'll have to see what kind of CPU HSF units will work in this thing when a power supply is installed. I don't want to use the Intel-provided heat sink (I also ordered an e6750).