Cheap psu advice - amp comparison

[pepsimax2k]

Hi guys, looking for a cheap PSU but hopefully not a bad one. I wouldn't mind some advice on which of these stats look OK for a basic system (it'll draw very little on everything, but a better psu is still good). Bearing in mind the prices, is there anything you'd recommend, and anything I should be stearing clear of below? Note I'm in the UK and these are the best prices I can find for these and anything similar.

A big decision is the dual 12v rail, though I don't really know how this would compare with a PSU with a bigger single 12v (would a single 30a be equivalent to two 18a?) and if it's worth it with the lower 3v and 5v rails they come with. The connectors are also a consideration, as I'll likely have two sata devices so less sata connectors = more sata converters needed = more moneys.


Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 460w (3 sata, 1pcie) £20
+3.3 = 22
+5 = 25
+12 1 = 18
+12 2 = 18
-12 = 0.5
+5vsb = 2.5

gigabyte superb 460w (4 sata, 1 pcie) £25
+3.3V = 30.0A
+5V = 30.0A
+12V1 = 16.0A
+12V2 = 18.0A
-12V = 0.5A
+5Vsb = 2.5A

Ebuyer Extra Value 550w (1 sata) £20
+3.3V = 28A
+5V = 35A
+12V = 30A
-5V = 0.5A
-12V = 0.8A
+5VSB = 2.5A

450W EZCool Silent (no sata) £15
+3.3V = 26A
+5V = 28A
+12V = 30A
-5V = 0.3A
-12V = 0.8A
+5vsb = 2.0A

tagan tg480-u22 (plenty of everything) ~25
+3.3 = 28
5 = 48
12v1 = 20
12v2 = 20
-12 = 1.0
-5 = 0.8
5vsb = 2.5


antec earthwatts 380w (4 sata, 1 pcie) ~15
+3.3 = 20
+5 = 20
+12v1 =17
+12v2 = 15
+5vsb = 2.5
-12 = 0.8

 

[MarcVenice]

What does the PSU have to power ? The Earthwatts is good bang for buck, but might not be enough to power a high-end videocard + qaudcore ...

 

[pepsimax2k]

not very much. infact anything should work, really (about 180w would do), but i'm thinking ahead here

 

[mpilchfamily]

It would be better to list the parts.

 

[JEDIYoda]

WE cannot even begin to help you if you won`t list what the PSU is suppose to be powering!

 

[pepsimax2k]

4200+ X2 brisbane 65w
2x 1GB Corsair XMS DDR-800 (2x 1.8v)
2x 120mm fans
One WD2500KS 7200rpm hd
GA-MA69G-S3H w/ AMD690G chipset/graphics
One SH-S203N DVD-RW
2 to 3 USB connected devices

Calculated by http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine to need just over 200w, so correct me if I'm wrong but I assumed anything around 400w would be fine so long as it was decent quality / amperage stacked up. That and I already have a very similar system running off 350w which is more than enough.

This is why I asked for a comparison between drives I already know will work, not a recommendation of ones that will, I've already done that work myself

My question, in essence, is "Is a dual 12v rail with lower amperage on each rail (and possibly on 3/5v's too) better than getting one with a higher amerpage on all rails but a single 12v rail". And then a comparison between the remaining.

Stats wise, the Antec Earthwatts is right at the bottom, and can only hope to beat others on build quality, but there's nothing to make me think the Cooler Master would be any worse in that respect. As for the others I can gauge build quality myself as I have plenty of reviews of them, so I'd just simply like to know which would be better to get, stats wise, irrespective of components it's meant to power

 

[mpilchfamily]

Well first of all you need to learn a few things about PSUs. So this article might help you find the answers you need.

http://www.xcpus.com/forums/ca...ide-psu-101-102-a.html

That should give you all the information you are looking for. Any other questions please ask.

 

[MarcVenice]

You're forgetting the fact that a Antec Earthwatts is rated at 50c continous, and the cooler master is probably rated at 25/30c with a degrading rate of 3-4w per degree celsius. Out of all those I would simply pick the Earthwatts without a second though.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Well first of all you need to learn a few things about PSUs. So this article might help you find the answers you need.

http://www.xcpus.com/forums/ca...ide-psu-101-102-a.html

That should give you all the information you are looking for. Any other questions please ask.

Follow what mpilchfamily says, he knows his PSU's. If after reading his link, come back and ask more questions if needed. I'd vote for the Antec, because it's a quality and efficient PSU and can handle a 8800gtx and a e6600 OC'd, but that would be pushing it to it's limits and there would be no guarantees that it'd last too long under that kind of stress. But for your proposed build I think it would suit you well too.

 

[Xvys]

I use the Sparkle 400 watt, which they claim has 18 amps on each of two 12v rails (although probably not at the same time!) These ps are exactly the same as Fortron, but are $10 cheaper, and are pretty reliable and powerful...and they have a 120mm fan, which are usually quieter. They also have a 450w and a 500w unit, but I think they are exactly the same.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: pepsimax2k
A big decision is the dual 12v rail, though I don't really know how this would compare with a PSU with a bigger single 12v (would a single 30a be equivalent to two 18a?) and if it's worth it with the lower 3v and 5v rails they come with.

3.3v and 5v aren't used as much in modern systems, so it is okay to have less of those. In multi-rail PSUs (which is sometimes a lie as it may be labeled as such but may be single rail inside the box) the different amperages almost always DO NOT add up. Some of the PSUs will have a combined wattage. Just divide by 12 to find out combined amperage.

I'd vote for the Earthwatts. Cheap, has modern connectors (SATA, PCI-E), can actually put out what the label claims, is reasonably quiet and reasonably efficient.