I need PSU advice

[boboboi]

I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

 

[rickn]

$40 will buy you a POS powersupply, unless you can get a more expensive one that has some dreadful rebate.

 

[boboboi]

well i was hoping around 40...but you can give me advice on how many watts I'll need...so i can get the bare minimum and save money that way.

 

[rickn]

with your mobo, try and find a powersupply with a very strong +5v rail, something 40a or higher.

 

[John]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

 

[w00t]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103486

That is what i got for my mom's old system there psu has died twice so i replaced it with that suxer got a good warranty so if it try's anything.

btw. its very very quiet.

 

[Mavrick007]

Try this Aspire one.. it's in your price range and a pretty good PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148027 around $35 now

I would suggest a PSU with higher rails, but you don't have a very demanding system so just about anything that's 300w or higher should be fine.

 

[MobiusPizza]

You don't conserve money on buying the most important piece of equipment. Get low quality PSU and you risk burning motherboard, CPU and end up with nothing
This is the most common cause of hardware failure.

 

[orangat]

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

Your PC is only an XP1600 so $40 is enough for a decent power supply. Get one by Fortron or Sparkle at least 300-350W(You didn't say what gfx card you have). The link to the Fortron is probably the best for the money.

Aspire is a poor-terrible quality ps. Transparent casings, colorful cables and fake high output wattage does not make a good ps. Read the reviews and you'll see the voltages jumping around. Many other labels have the similar flashy doodads and they are probably all manufactured under the same disreputable manufacturer.

 

[wpshooter]

Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
You don't conserve money on buying the most important piece of equipment. Get low quality PSU and you risk burning motherboard, CPU and end up with nothing
This is the most common cause of hardware failure.

I absolutely agree.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

Here's a pretty nice $40 one

Fortron 400watt

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: John
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

Very good for the money.

As said above, you do not need to spend $100 on a power supply. It depends on the quality of a power supply. Fortron/Sparkle are one of the top brands in my book.

 

[drsafety]

OCZ's modstream/powerstream got great reviews on newegg. I don't own either one so I can't really comment but maybe someone else can?

 

[Mavrick007]

Not all Aspire PSUs are bad. Check the ratings yourself. I know people with them and the voltages do not jump all over on the rails (this is over time too).

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

Your PC is only an XP1600 so $40 is enough for a decent power supply. Get one by Fortron or Sparkle at least 300-350W(You didn't say what gfx card you have). The link to the Fortron is probably the best for the money.

Aspire is a poor-terrible quality ps. Transparent casings, colorful cables and fake high output wattage does not make a good ps. Read the reviews and you'll see the voltages jumping around. Many other labels have the similar flashy doodads and they are probably all manufactured under the same disreputable manufacturer.

 

[orangat]

Aspire is one of the poor brands to choose. It has the flashy stuff to look attractive but its in the same bush league as raidmax/powmax/xconnect. I've read enough reviews to know that the rails are not as stable as other decent and inexpensive brands.

 

[rickn]

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

so keep on buying them $40 POS powersupplies. open them up after a year or two, and see all the leaky caps in all their glory. I myself own a $75 - $60 AR Modstream. So I'm not suggesting they need a $150 PPC&C. And having owned an Asus A7N8X, I can tell you firsthand they require a very robust +5v rail. I wouldn't trust that FSP model with only +21a any further than I could throw it.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

so keep on buying them $40 POS powersupplies. open them up after a year or two, and see all the leaky caps in all their glory. I myself own a $75 - $60 AR Modstream. So I'm not suggesting they need a $150 PPC&C. And having owned an Asus A7N8X, I can tell you firsthand they require a very robust +5v rail. I wouldn't trust that FSP model with only +21a any further than I could throw it.

Did you even bother to read this thread?, $40 gets you very high quality 400 watt Forton-Source. I don't care what you (over) paid for you OCZ, Forton > OCZ always.

 

[rickn]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

so keep on buying them $40 POS powersupplies. open them up after a year or two, and see all the leaky caps in all their glory. I myself own a $75 - $60 AR Modstream. So I'm not suggesting they need a $150 PPC&C. And having owned an Asus A7N8X, I can tell you firsthand they require a very robust +5v rail. I wouldn't trust that FSP model with only +21a any further than I could throw it.

Did you even bother to read this thread?, $40 gets you very high quality 400 watt Forton-Source. I don't care what you (over) paid for you OCZ, Forton > OCZ always.

you think you're getting the same quality out of that $40 FSP as you do the FSP BlueStorm? Keep dreaming.

And yes, I read the thread, and if the OP ever intends to upgrade their cpu to say an XP 3200+, they're gonna be in for a world of trouble with that powersupply. And I don't feel I overpaid at all on the OCZ, OCZ backs their products with great support, and I already got my $15 back

 

[TankGuys]

You know, I still run an Athlon64 3400+, 3 Hard drives, an X800 Video card, A DVD drive, 2 Gb of memory, 3 case fans and various lights all on a crappy no-name 300w PSU.

Do I recommend doing that? No. PSU failures (as mentioned) are a huge cause of problems, and it's one area you shouldn't skimp. That being said, I've always used the crappy PSU's that came in the crappy cases, since that was all I could afford. Never once did I have a problem.

Now that I have the means, when I get around to upgrading my machine, I'm sure I'll toss in a better PSU this time around. I just think it's interesting that through countless computer builds, I've never had any problem what-so-ever with the no-name units.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

so keep on buying them $40 POS powersupplies. open them up after a year or two, and see all the leaky caps in all their glory. I myself own a $75 - $60 AR Modstream. So I'm not suggesting they need a $150 PPC&C. And having owned an Asus A7N8X, I can tell you firsthand they require a very robust +5v rail. I wouldn't trust that FSP model with only +21a any further than I could throw it.

Did you even bother to read this thread?, $40 gets you very high quality 400 watt Forton-Source. I don't care what you (over) paid for you OCZ, Forton > OCZ always.

you think you're getting the same quality out of that $40 FSP as you do the FSP BlueStorm? Keep dreaming.

And yes, I read the thread, and if the OP ever intends to upgrade their cpu to say an XP 3200+, they're gonna be in for a world of trouble with that powersupply. And I don't feel I overpaid at all on the OCZ, OCZ backs their products with great support, and I already got my $15 back

FSP400-60THN-R 400W / FSP AX400-PN 400W

Check the specs; they are practically identical. If you think one of them is a POS you tell me what the significant difference is besides the blue paint and price tag.

 

[KoolDrew]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103486

 

[boboboi]

Ok I found 2 PSU's that you guys have suggested both in my price range...not sure which one to get ...

Fortron AX400-PN or Sparkle FSP350-60PN?????

I hear both brands are excellent! AND both in my price range! THANKS SO MUCH GUYS!

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: rickn

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: boboboi
I have an old computer that needs a new PSU.
The system includes: Asus A7N8X-VM/400 , AMD XP 1600+ , Corsair 512mb PC2700 Ram, Sony DVD drive , Sony CDRW drive , seagate 120gb , 2 x 80mm case fans.
How many watts will I need for my PSU? Which brand is cheapest yet has decent performance...I dont want it to die on me again! I only wanna spend around $40...not sure if thats enough for some of the PSU's you guys might suggest...but yea.

Tell me which psu you think i should go with and how many watts i will need. Thank you.

First don't listen to anyone who tells you $40 is POS. They are the typical Anandtech'ers who overspec everything and never recommend what people truly need.

so keep on buying them $40 POS powersupplies. open them up after a year or two, and see all the leaky caps in all their glory. I myself own a $75 - $60 AR Modstream. So I'm not suggesting they need a $150 PPC&C. And having owned an Asus A7N8X, I can tell you firsthand they require a very robust +5v rail. I wouldn't trust that FSP model with only +21a any further than I could throw it.

Did you even bother to read this thread?, $40 gets you very high quality 400 watt Forton-Source. I don't care what you (over) paid for you OCZ, Forton > OCZ always.

you think you're getting the same quality out of that $40 FSP as you do the FSP BlueStorm? Keep dreaming.

And yes, I read the thread, and if the OP ever intends to upgrade their cpu to say an XP 3200+, they're gonna be in for a world of trouble with that powersupply. And I don't feel I overpaid at all on the OCZ, OCZ backs their products with great support, and I already got my $15 back

oh wow

do you think the Fortron/Sparkles that Dell and other computer makers use in their computers are Blue Storms?

they are regular Fortrons/Sparkles. these are some of the most reliable and trustworthy power supplies around. noone can match them in price to performance ratio, noone. there is a reason why many Dell owners can run a 6800GT or even a 6800 Ultra on their 250W Fortron/Sparkle.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Go with the Fortron. It has more amps on the +12V rails.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
Go with the Fortron. It has more amps on the +12V rails.

I do agree with the Fortron choice, but a higher amperage rating on the +12v rail is not the reason. The reason is because Fortron is known for routinely exceeding their rated specifications. Even if another PSU had slightly higher specs, the Fortron would most likely be the more capable supply. Fortron is very conservative when it comes to specs.