New Fortron PSU. Sparkle 550W EPS-SLI single rail 12V 36A

[WhipperSnapper]

Sparkle (Fortron) has released what appears to be a brand new EPS power supply intended for SLI. For those of you who've been waiting for a high quality, presumably modern psu from a reputable company (Fortron), this might be the one. I needed a PSU for my new rig, so I was very excited when I saw it listed at ZipZoomFly. I had previously been interested in the older model, the plain FSP550PLG but I was concerned that it might lack some of the power cables that I'd want. I'm under the impression that this one is a recent design modern with all of the cables that a modern, up-to-date system would want (SATA, PCI-E, etc.). It might not have too many molex connections, though. I only counted five of them in the picture at NewEgg.

Once again, NewEgg (Old Rotten Stodgy Egg?) has been owned in the price department.

ZipZoomFly has it for $92 shipped (retail).
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=270540

NewEgg wants $117 shipped for OEM.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103517

NewEgg sure does have nice photos though, whereas ZZF's listings are always plain jane. This is my first ever order from ZZF (along with the Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra mobo, also a price that beat NewEgg at $95 shipped versus $108), so we'll see how it goes.

So, what do you guys think about this PSU? Does it look like a better prospect than the Antec Truepower 2.0 550 EPS? I've read nothing but good comments about Fortron and its reputation for rock-solid stability and reliability.

[Edit] I just visited Directron and apparently they have some new Fortron-branded EPS power supplies too. I saw a 600W for $100 + shipping and also a 700W for $120 or $130 + shipping. Don't know if they're single-rail or dual-rail nor what the 12V amperage is.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

You did good, you lil' whipper snapper

Because i'm only <40 miles from Newegg's warehouse i get AM orders 36 hours later.
Scary fast! Yes, their pricing is past the balance point. They are very willing to RMA.

As of yet i have made no purchase from ZZF.



...Galvanized

 

[Zepper]

I've recommended the Sparkle FSP550-60PLG for a loooong time. They just rearranged connectors for SLI. At least one place sells them for $85. per Froogle (but that may be the original (w/o SLI connectors) version. A great single-rail (more flexible than split rail, IMO) PSU for the money. Plus it has active PFC and full range AC compensation, features that I recommend. Nothing else out there touches it at that price point. Funny they didn't put a 20+4 connector on it instead of the one-piece 24 pin connector. But I suppost most SLI-ready mobos use the 24-pin anyway. You might like the connector complement of the original better - it has some SATA connectors and you can easliy adapt the 2x4 (dual Xeon) connector to a 2xSLI Y.
. But I generally buy my PSUs used or refurb so I can afford a lot better than I could otherwise. That's why I'm running a Zippy HP2-6460P now. You just have to keep your eyes open and be ready to pounce when the opportunity arises.

.bh.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Because i'm only <40 miles from Newegg's warehouse i get AM orders 36 hours later.
Scary fast! Yes, their pricing is past the balance point. They are very willing to RMA.

As of yet i have made no purchase from ZZF.

ZZF should be in your area also, unless they're in the bay area (one extra day away). Newegg does have a better RMA policy on items that do not state Manufacturer's Warranty Only.

Same PSU from Ewiz $83

You can almost always get stuff at Ewiz for a tiny bit less if you go through Froogle. I've probably wasted $5-10 with them because I keep forgetting that fact. Browsing their store nets $85.49, while looking it up in Froogle gets the $83 price. Their shipping is reasonable, shouldn't cost more than ZZF if shipped by itself, plus they charge a per order shipping price so if you get multiple items in one order, shipping per item is less.

BTW, I think Ewiz is the retail branch of MA Labs. Don't remember where I heard that from but if true... MA Labs has been a regional distributor for a long time - used to visit their booths in Comdex back in the 90's.