Overclocking..PS question..400w Enermax(431w) v 400w ANtec v 400w Sparkle

[nealh]

Which would you choose...
Antec 400w is .......$99 + tax at compusa
Sparkle400w is .....$75 plus shipping at new egg
Enermax 431w I think it is the quiet model is $85 + shipping....

I currently have a 300w antec with my SX830...it is running a 1.2@1.38 tbird...at 138 fsb..it ran fine at 146 but added ram that will not do 146 fsb(mosel ram did 146. cas2...pny extra stick does cas 2 at 138)
My A7V133 mobo tops out at 146fsb ..higher I get errors burning cds

My System
Tbird 1.2@1.38..138 fsb
A7V133 rev 1.04
384 mg ram at cas 2..with optimal settings
40 gb Maxtor
30gb maxtor
48x cdrom
241040cdrw
sb live x gamer 5.1
NIC
Adaptec 2906 scsi card for scanner
floppy drive
also 2 80mm fans that can with antec case

So what are my chances of not needing a 400w ps..to run at 150fsb with Kr7a-raid and 1700+(this assumes the chip will clock this high)

I did see a 350 w...I think it was antec ps at BB B&M last week

 

[Wind]

I say try ur current 300W Antec first. They r good PSU...u might hit it & save some $$. If the system is not stable...u'll know where to look first.

 

[Bartman39]

This may sound funny but I have and Enermax 431 (whisper model) and also have a PowerMax 6100 (400watt PS) and the PowerMax is the better of the 2... Not in spec`s but when you run this...

1.4Ghz Tbird (at 1550mhz default voltage)
A7V133 (1.04)
GF3 w/blue ORB (OC`d to 250/575) yep it runs 575mhz on the memory...
SB Live 5.1
Intel Pro 100 nic
USR PCI hardware modem
2-45gig 75GXP`s (in raid)
1-30gig 75GXP
1-30gig WD300BB
Kenwood 62X
Plextor 12/10/32a
1.44 floppy
1-120mm intake fan
1-120mm side intake fan
2-80mm exhaust fans
1-60mm Delta (on an SK-6)

With the PowerMax I never hear the fans drop in rpm but with the Enermax I do...? Also the 5V rail is higher with the PowerMax... I will admit stability is the same even when I crank up the voltage and OC higher...?

Just my observations...?

 

[nealh]

thanks..I am concerned about the reports of the Enermax not providing an adequate 5V

 

[damocles]

Of the 3 PSus listed the Antec has the highest combined output down the 3.3 and 5V rails @245W, then the Aopen at 235 and then the Enermax is probably around the 220W mark

All 3 would be fine, but personally I would go for the Sparkle or Antec

 

[nealh]

ok..is the Aopen the sparkle manufacturer..are these loud ps???

 

[o1die]

Sparkle is the fortran group. Aopen makes a variety of products. My sparkle 300 was much louder than the old 235, so I got rid of the 300. The 235 has a 5 volt rail of 4.95 under load, one of the highest numbers I've seen on a ps. I'm with you, I want quiet, even if the temps are a little higher.

 

[damocles]

I have a 420W Topower that is virtually silent. Under full load it has never gone below 4.97 (that I have noticed anyway). I have also had 3 Aopen 300Ws that were pretty quiet IMO. However PSU noise seems to be wildly variable. Some people will claim a PSu is quiet, others will complain they had the same PSu and it was very loud indeed.

If noise is a major concern, have a look for the 400W PC Power and Cooling Silence- though it will cost a bomb

 

[nealh]

damocles
where did you get the Topower???

 

[damocles]

from australia

review here

The fans are thermostatically controlled; they only spin at full speed when the PSU's hot. Power the thing up on the bench and it makes practically no noise at all.

 

[nealh]

Looks nice but I live in the US...

 

[Jen]

for myself antec 400 watter was worse than my topower 400 watter. i also tried the compusa 500 watter even worse than the
other two. sparkle i have heard is good also powerman........i myself use pcpower and cooling 450 watt powersupply.

there is a mod for the enermax powersupply where you replace a resistor with a pot to raise the voltage.



Jen

 

[nealh]

Jen..do you mean the sound was worse or the quality of performance with the Antec.....

Pcpower & cooling and powerman where did you purchase these??

 

[Tambora]

You can buy PC Power and Cooling power supplies only from them directly, try here: PC Power and Cooling - the 450 watt Turbocool supply is on "special" for $193.50 with free shipping. They are not inexpensive, but they are the best! Ordered on myself last Wednesday to replace an Enermax 451VP-E that drops off severely on the 5 volt rail when pushing my 1.4 Tbird/Epox 8K7A. This will 'fix' it!

 

[rogue1979]

The Antec PP403X 400-watt, there is no better for overclocking. Open up the case and crank up the dashpot, my 5-volt rail is running 5.17v under full load, the power supply barely gets warm.

 

[flipdon]

just curious....how does the 5v rail affect overclocking? is that what is supplying the CPU? how much above 5v is it bad to run at? im doing research on power supplies for my eventual AMD system. are there any other power supplies that have an adjustable 5v rail?

 

[Clevor]

Both the Antec and the Sparkle don't have all the flash and bells-and-whistles but they have proven to be the best power supplies for overclockers, bar none. Just check out the Epox board site at AMDMB.com. Lots of problems with Enermaxes.

Both the Antec and Sparkle have adjustable pots for rail voltages. You don't need all that fancy stuff like 2 fans and gold-colored fan guards.

You can get the Antec for $79 at Directron.com. The Sparkle you can get at Newegg for $75. Aopen also sells it direct for I think $70.

Be aware that on the Antec, it has a void warrantee label, which you have to slit to open up the case. You void the 3-year warrantee that way.

Here in Japan, Aopen markets a Strong brand of power supply. It is the same as the Sparkle. I'm picking up a 400 watter this weekend for $71 U.S.

 

[MilkPowderR]

<< for myself antec 400 watter was worse than my topower 400 watter. i also tried the compusa 500 watter even worse than the
other two. sparkle i have heard is good also powerman........i myself use pcpower and cooling 450 watt powersupply.

there is a mod for the enermax powersupply where you replace a resistor with a pot to raise the voltage.

Jen >>



hmm... I don't know much about the Topower PSUs.. are they really good? more stable than Antec?

Let me tell you my experience with Antec and the other PSU's I have tried and compared.
I was overclocking my P3 1000E system(see sig below) and have provided all the coolings and voltages as necessary. The only thing finally was bottle-necking was the PSU. Here are the test results in comparing three different PSU of mine.. Enjoy.


Before adjusting the +5V/+12V & +3.3V (2 pots) on the Antec 403X

• An old CompUSA 300watt gave me with stability upto 1380mhz
  
  A real old, stinky, and oily no-name brand 250watt PSU gave me upto 1410mhz
  
  An Antec PP403x 400watt PSU gave me with poor stability upto 1370mhz

After adjusting the +5V/+12V & +3.3V (2 pots) on the Antec 403X

• Things turned upside down. Antec PP403X 400watt PSU gave me "The" ultimate stability(meaning zero random reboots, zero shutdowns, no matter how hard I tried to torture the system to death) @ 1450mhz and Up

Yes... adjusting them to the its best combination took me full 2 days or so. Once it was done, it's paying me off. When it comes to absolute stability on a Copper P3@ 1450+ is something I cannot deny. It is a fantastic PSU. I have yet to try the PC Power and Cooling PSU to see how good they are. MilkPowderR out...

 

[Wind]

<< just curious....how does the 5v rail affect overclocking? >>


Bcoz it supplied power to the CPU. When O/Cing, the CPU need more power...& u dun hv enough/stable power....not stable/can't O/C high.


<< is that what is supplying the CPU? >>


Yes


<< how much above 5v is it bad to run at? >>


Tolerance level is around 8-10%.


<< im doing research on power supplies for my eventual AMD system. are there any other power supplies that have an adjustable 5v rail? >>


Enermax PSU provide a voltage mod inside the PSU. Only experience ppl please.

 

[Bluzjamer]

Tam,
2 c notes for a PS...ouch...buy a better CPU man. Sell the 1.4 and grab an xp...whatever. If the Enermax isn't cutting it send it back and try another. If enough people send them back I'm sure they'll fix things soon enough. Don't understand most of this overclocking stuff with the Tbirds and XP's as it doesn't seem like its worth the trouble. When people were OC the Celerey's that was a little different. Cheap chip putting out big time for what it was. Iknow...I know...why climb the mountain.....cuz it's there. Still 2 c notes for PS is too much....unless two lips come out of it while your keyboarding.
Just my 2 cents.
Bluz

 

[Ogo]

How do you "adjust" the Antec 400watt supply?

 

[Soulkeeper]

wow i'm interested in this enermax voltage mod that is said to be inside the psu
I was planning to buy the 430 watt whisper model today but after reading some of this stuff i am not too sure
would the manual that comes with the psu tell me how to adjust it from the inside ??? any soldering ??
i overclock right now i have an asus a7v (kt133) with a 1ghz @1.25 i have two cdrom drives and 4 hard drives
also a really power hungry voodoo5 and a few 120mm case fans (heh)
my current 300watt psu droops on the 5v reading so i was gonna just get the best damn psu i can find to replace it price is not really an issue

 

[rogue1979]

Unplug, unscrew top, open, take phillips screwdriver and turn nylon screw thing (dashpot). Make sure to check your voltages before and after. A small adjustment goes aolong way, be careful. For the Antec, one is the 5v and the other is 3.3v.

 

[pdawg17]

Does the 300W Antec have an adjustable dashpot as well?

 

[flipdon]

should it be turned clockwise or counterclockwise?