Need new PSU for older motherboard

[pvrbulls]

My 3 year old Antec NeoPower 480 has died....at least I am pretty sure that is the problem. The smell is the most obvious giveaway.

My motherboard is an Asus A8N-SLI, also three years old, and is ATX 12 v2.0 compliant; along with the standard 24-pin main connection, it uses a 4-pin ATX +12V power plug.

I am considering the following two replacements:

1. Antec NeoPower 500 for $90.24 @ Buy.com
2. Corsair 520 HX for $89.99 @ Buy.com

My first question is will either of these work with my motherboard since they are ATX 12 v.2.01 compliant and seem to be using an 8-4 pin power plug?

Next, assuming that both of these units will work, which enjoys the best reputation?

Finally, are there other PSUs that I should be considering that might be better for my situation......either because of price or quality?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Zane

 

[jaqie]

Are you running a single "dual video out" matrox card as it seems you are in your sig? if so that is serious overkill of a PSU.
I am using a much more power hungry BFG 7900GS/OCE 256MB and an athlon x2 3800+ (65W TDP, if I recall) and several HDDs, and my old tried-and-true PC power & cooling 360w is more then enough after about four years of use, and even back then it was $54 *shipped*.

 

[pvrbulls]

Yes, it is overkill. I do, however, run 4-5 hard drives along with two optical drives.(That sig is a bit dated!) According to the manual that came with the motherboard, 500W is recommended with heavy use. Also, my room temps tend to be a bit on the high side, so I figured that a little over-capacity would be a good idea.

Since this system is soon destined for my granddaughter's use, I suppose I could scale back a bit for the next few weeks and get by with something smaller. She will likely never have more than one hard drive + a DVD.

Thanks for the input.

Zane

 

[pvrbulls]

I have just read that there is a problem with using a v2.01 compliant PSU on v2.0 motherboards. Apparenty a -5.0V line is mising in the newer 24-pin plug.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=872629 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817103938 ...first review of the NeoHE 380

Any suggestions on a v2.0 compliant PSU?

 

[pvrbulls]

Newegg has the Antec Earthwatts power supplies(380,430 & 500 watts) which are stated to be ATX12V v2.0 compliant......but I suspect that is either an error or is old information as the Antec site has them currently listed as v2.2. Does anyone know anything about these power supplies.

I read somewhere that it is possible to modify a v2.2 or v2.01 PSU to work with older motherboards. Does anyone know where information on doing this might be found?

I am getting desparate!

Zane

 

[pvrbulls]

One last try.

Does anyone know of a PSU that will work on an older motherboard...specifically, ATX12V v2.0.

 

[HOOfan 1]

It is my understanding that the -5V line is only used to power the motherboard's speaker.

You may get a better response at Jonnyguru.com

 

[pvrbulls]

Thanks, HOOfan 1

I will give that a try. Otherwise I guess I will order one of the Antec Earthwatts units and hope for the best.

 

[pvrbulls]

Okay, I just received an Antec Earthwatts 500....hoping that it can be made to work. So far the most obvious problem...if it is a problem... is that the new PSU does not have a 3-pin fan signal connector to connect to the motherboard.

Is this fatal? I have hooked nothing up yet.

Also, the older PSU had a dedicated "fan only" supply outlet and cable, but I would imagine that will not present any difficulty in that the case fans can be powered off of one of the 4-pin peripheral connectors.

Everything else "seems" to be plug-for-plug compatible.

Please, any information regarding the fan signal connector would be appreciated. Heck, I am not entirely certain what it does!

Thanks,

Zane

 

[clarkmo]

Neither connector is necessary and is only offered on some power supplies. Your psu fan will just run under it's on power. The 3 pin is only to adjust fan speed thru some mobo software. Just not needed unless it sounds like a leaf blower.