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How much power do I need really?

T

troligt

Member
Hi everyone,

I'm just about getting done with my new computer build, and my old one is gonna retire as a smoothwall, so it's gonna inherit my current PSU, so I'll need a new one.

I've been reading up on a lot of PSU's, and the names Antec, OCZ and PC&Cooling all seem to come out on top (if I've missed any, please let me know). However, they come in a wide variety of shapes and forms and I really would dislike making a mistake now at the end so to speak.

So, what will it power up?

- 925XE Mobo
- P4 3.4 J E0
- 2GB Ram
- 4x Hard Drives (1xRaptor, 2x Maxline 3 300gb, 1x Seagate 160gb, all SATA)
- 2 CD/DVD RW's
- Floppy (Gotta keep the floppy 😛)
- 6800 Ultra PCI-E (Not SLI atm, but when/if I upgrade mobo again, I might go SLI and I'd like my PSU to "outlive" an upgrade or two)
- Audigy 2 THX Platinum Ex.
- Fans fans and even more fans (They are everywhere 😛)
- Possibly a tv-tuner card later down the road.

Ok, so what do I want?
- What I don't want is a PSU that could cause my system to become unstable or have a high probability to die on me in a year or so.
- What I don't want is a PSU that force me to use any adapters of any kind (20/24, 3/4, special sata pin etc, I don't like to convert/adapt)
- What I don't want is a PSU that force me to have cables in my case that I really don't need. (Ie, a modular one would suit me the best)
- What I don't want is a PSU that I need to toss out in a year or so to grab a new one, ie, I want a "future-proof" (if ever that word could exist when talking about computer hardware heh).

Having said all that, I don't mind paying for a good quality PSU, ie, as long as it's reasonable, money is no object. Sound/noise is obviously something nobody likes, but as long as my new PSU doesn't sound like a lawnblower, I'm ok.

So it would seem I know what I don't want - but what I don't know is what I want, and thus, I come here for recomendations.

So, what do all of you use, and what would you use if you could swap your current one?

I'm sorry if this question has been asked a zillion times, but I'm really in a bind here to chose and I'd appreciate your input - if there are any other specs I've missed that you need to make a recomendation let me know and I'll add that ASAP.

Thank you kindly,

 
I've heard of PC Power & Cooling, (hard if not impossible to find in Sweden, but I'll keep looking) but I haven't heard of Zippy. Could you give me a link?

EDIT: Sorry for breaking the 4-hour bump your own post rule, wasn't my intention to bump, forgot :/ Won't happen again.

EDIT 2: Hum, can't find either Zippy or PC Power & Cooling on retailers here in Sweden, and since I cannot use an american version (different voltage standard) it seems I need another solution. Any other ideas?
 
the PC Power and Cooling 510 SLI would be a good bet for this system but it's kinda pricy, pretty much any good name brand 24pin 500 watt + psu would work, I'd suggest PC power and cooling, Enernmax, FSP/Fortron/Sparkle, OCZ, or Antec PSU's just make sure you have at least 24A on a single 12V rail or 15A + for each rail on a dual rail PSU
 
Originally posted by: flamingelephant
there's a 4 hour bump rule? wow.....
(sorry, I don't know enough about PSU's to help)
Click to expand...

There's actually a 12-hour no-bump rule. But I digress.

I'd be looking in the 400-500W range if you want to add another 6800U for SLI. For your system as-is I would want 300-400W. These numbers are assuming a name-brand PSU with an adequate +12V line(s) -- you'd be pulling a good 100W from your CPU and another 100W from each video card (at least), so you'd want a minimum of, say, 30A on the +12V if you intend to turn this into an SLI rig.

PCP&C and Zippy certainly make very good PSUs, but they tend to be way overpriced (and you don't really need 550-600+W). The Antec TruePower/Neopower models, Fortron Source, Seasonic "Super" series are all good choices (not sure what's readily available in the UK). OCZ is also very well regarded. Enermax is OK (the higher-end ones tend to be much better than the cheaper ones). Thermaltake is decent, but not spectacular.
 
troligt, stick to the better brands (check matthias' post above). Don't get the el-cheapo power supplies which can never last and cause all sorts of problems before they die.

IMO, thermaltake/Antec are step lower than Fortron/Seasonic/PCPC/OCZ.
 
I have the fortron blue storm 500 watt and it is excellent and will provide all the connectors you need without any adapters.

Mwave had it for 75 bucks when i ordered it, not sure about overseas though.

 
Seasonic, PCPC and Zippy are almost non-existant on swedish vendors. Fortron, Antec and to some extent OCZ is available along with numerous no-name brands. As it stands right now, I'm pondering between Antec Neopower 480 or OCZ Modstream 520. Thoughts?
 
You can get Fortron PSU's at pretty decent prices from komplett.se, ~1.100:- for a 550W PSU and ~800:- for the 400W model.

Tjena föresten 😉
 
Look here is how it stacks up (i made a poll a while back):

Highest End:
1. Zippy (Sheer power 45A on the 12V rail)
2. PC Power and Cooling 510 Deluxe (Legendary, no other word for it)
3. OCZ Powerstream 600Watt (May be more power than PCP&C but the PCP&C has tighter regulation, and Active PFC, MUCH quieter than any of the competition)
4. OCZ Powerstream 520Watt (Same as 600Watt only single 12V rail)

Mid Range:
1. Enermax Noisetaker series
2. Seasonic Super Tornado Series (Low wattage but incredible efficiency, still fairly strong)
3. Fortron, Tagan, Zalman, OCZ Modstream, Antec Neopower etc...
4. Antec Truepower (Legendary, however it is out of date, hence the Truepower 2.0 is coming out 🙂 )

Entry Level:
1. Thermaltake (Very nice bang for buck however cannot compete with the Mid Range components)
2. Enlight (not really in the PSU business anymore, but produces some solid units)

POS:
These PSU's should never be bought. Although they are the category below Entry Level, the Thermaltake is 999x better than these
(Examples: Deer, Powmax, Raidmax)

Ultra is in a class of its own. It is very flashy and provides a lot of power, however the components are cheap. It has small Heatsinks, loud fans, small capacitors, and all rails feed off of one line. However it is completely modular.

The Antec Phantom is also in a class of its own.It has INCREDIBLE efficiency topping the 90% mark. It is also passive which can be a big plus.

For that computer i would recommend nothing less than a 380Watt TRUEPower. The Thermaltake might power it ok, but they are best used as spare PSUs, testing PSUs, or for lower power machines.

-Kevin
 
Great advice, I'll certainly take it to heart! Shame that I cannot find PC Power and Cooling in Sweden, I really love it heh. But to import, with time delay, custom fees ontop of the already hefty price...uhm no.
 
Ok, after doing even more research I've decided on the OCZ brand. So it's either a Powerstream 520 or a Powerstream 600. I'm not running a SLI config now (or within a year) but if SLI is here to stay I'd rather that my PSU could handle it easily. Thoughts between or two, or is it just a toss-up depending on how much cash I wanna spend/save?
 
Originally posted by: troligt
Ok, after doing even more research I've decided on the OCZ brand. So it's either a Powerstream 520 or a Powerstream 600. I'm not running a SLI config now (or within a year) but if SLI is here to stay I'd rather that my PSU could handle it easily. Thoughts between or two, or is it just a toss-up depending on how much cash I wanna spend/save?
Click to expand...

That 520 Will last a long time. The 600Watt is insanely expensive but is one of the most powerful PSU's out there.

I would save and get the 520 which should last a good 3 years. People can run SLI on a QUALITY 400Watt PSU (2x 6800U's), the OCZ 520 is top of the line, it will have no problem.

-Kevin
 
Thanks again for all the help. Ended up picking the OCZ Powerstream 520. By all accounts seems like a solid and powerful unit, hopefully it will suit me well for quite some time =)
 
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