Power Suply Unit

[steve wilson]

Hi,
I know a fair amount about computers and have built a lot of them, but I've never really tried an overclock before. I was wondering how big a PSU I need and if there are anything I should look for in a PSU. I don't want to spend lots of money on a PSU, so can someone tell me the basics of what to look for. I was going to get a 450W one. Is this ok?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Lithan]

Weight is always good. But a better rule of thumb is to stick to a few brands known to be quality, or relabled models with the same internals (As Sparkle PSU's use Fortron internals).

Fortron, Antec, Enermax, PCP&C, OCZ


I recommend This

 

[Dave n Daytona Beach]

Originally posted by: steve wilson
Hi,
I know a fair amount about computers and have built a lot of them, but I've never really tried an overclock before. I was wondering how big a PSU I need and if there are anything I should look for in a PSU. I don't want to spend lots of money on a PSU, so can someone tell me the basics of what to look for. I was going to get a 450W one. Is this ok?

Thanks
Steve

Steve,

Please tell us about your system: MB, CPU, RAM, HDD's, fans, etc.

Today 12V@18+A is usually considered a good start.

I believe that these are a "good bang for the buck".

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-165-002&depa=0

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-148-009&depa=0

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-103-922&depa=1

 

[Vee]

I agree with Lithan. I haven't used anything but Fortron, for many many years. I don't OC though, but considering how "big" Fortron Watts are (their "350"W peaks at at least 400W), maybe 530W is overkill, if you're not using them cutting edge, steaming, $400-$600, latest videocards. Get one with 120mm fan, they are quiet and comfortable.

 

[Lithan]

If you can't afford the 530, the 120mm fan (Aurora I think they are called) 350watts are quite good I'm told. Which is nice, because the one problem I have with my 80mm 350watt is that it is quite loud (Mine doesn't have the thermal fan control on it). The 530 does however, and is quite quiet (Except the fan runs at max for ~ 30 seconds immediately after bootup... sometimes. Not sure why.)

 

[stevennoland]

You all are WATT crazy! It's not the watts but the amps. Particularly the amperage on the +12 volt line. If you are going to be running a lot of drives and a GForce 6800 Ultra (2 power connectors and a real power hog!), your gonna want 20-22 amps on the +12 volt rail at a minimum. More amps is better and even dual +12 volt rails are a step up. Forget the WATT game!

 

[robertsmcn]

Originally posted by: stevennoland
You all are WATT crazy! It's not the watts but the amps. Particularly the amperage on the +12 volt line. If you are going to be running a lot of drives and a GForce 6800 Ultra (2 power connectors and a real power hog!), your gonna want 20-22 amps on the +12 volt rail at a minimum. More amps is better and even dual +12 volt rails are a step up. Forget the WATT game!

Agreed 100%. Forget about watts and make sure you have enough amps on that 12V rail and you'll be fine. This is especially true if you plan to overclock.

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: stevennoland
You all are WATT crazy! It's not the watts but the amps. Particularly the amperage on the +12 volt line. If you are going to be running a lot of drives and a GForce 6800 Ultra (2 power connectors and a real power hog!), your gonna want 20-22 amps on the +12 volt rail at a minimum. More amps is better and even dual +12 volt rails are a step up. Forget the WATT game!

exactly

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

i've become particularly attatched to my 450watt Super-Flower(Enermax) PSU because of its 140mm fan and solid voltages. plus it offered some of the best 12V amps on the market. inexpensive to boot!

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: stevennoland
You all are WATT crazy! It's not the watts but the amps. Particularly the amperage on the +12 volt line. If you are going to be running a lot of drives and a GForce 6800 Ultra (2 power connectors and a real power hog!), your gonna want 20-22 amps on the +12 volt rail at a minimum. More amps is better and even dual +12 volt rails are a step up. Forget the WATT game!

Exacty a $58 Enermax 350W has more usable power than 480/530 antec's fortrons.. what have you....Never look at Watts it's a marketing gimmick look at the 12V rail.

26A minimum for serious OCing with serious OC Vidcard.


Take a look at:
OCZ
Zippy
Enermax

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy
i've become particularly attatched to my 450watt Super-Flower(Enermax) PSU because of its 140mm fan and solid voltages. plus it offered some of the best 12V amps on the market. inexpensive to boot!

Whack do you have a link to this PSU?

 

[Lithan]

Zebo, "Never look at ratings" extends to the individual line ratings. Saying that the 350enermax has more power than a 530 fortron will get you laughed out of most PSU discussions.

In Tom's testing, a 350watt Fortron put out 75watts more than an enermax 365. The only similarly rated PSU that put out more was the Antec True 380. And nothing was even in the same boat with Fortrons when it comes to efficiency. The Fortron coefficient was nearly double that of the enermax.

 

[AWhackWhiteBoy]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Whack do you have a link to this PSU?

bonk

i did A LOT of research on this PSU before i bought it,i wasn't going to stick anything generic in my case. turns out, Super-Flower PSUs come out of the same OEM factory in taiwan as Enermax, so your pretty much buying the same product.

the 140mm fan is good for about 50CFM at full speed,silently,but its controllable to make it 21dB if you like.

edit: it also has a POT inside,but that voids your warranty

 

[Tiamat]

silentpcreview has some good insight on great power supplies.

The things that I look at are:
1. Efficiency. Seasonic has the highest efficiency psu I have seen for decent prices. For the Super Tornado 400, you get 22A on teh 12V at 79-83% efficiency.

2. Overclocked, i doubt your computer will used more than 200Watts. Unless you have FX53, exotic cooling, 500$ GPU.

3. Brands I would consider for a psu buy: Seasonic, Antec, Enermax; as I have had experience with the latter two with no problems, and the first one - i plan to buy next.

4. You wont be needing to spend more than 100$ for a great power supply for your needs, however you will probably have to spend 50$+ unless you get lucky.

Good luck

 

[o1die]

Sparkle (fortron) must be pretty good. My old 235w powered a 1700xp just fine, and my 300w 12cm overclocks a p4 by over 30%. For $28, you get 18 amps on the 12v rail. Unfortunately, newegg was the only place that had it, and don't know when they'll order more.

 

[Lithan]

Originally posted by: AWhackWhiteBoy

Originally posted by: Zebo

Whack do you have a link to this PSU?

bonk

i did A LOT of research on this PSU before i bought it,i wasn't going to stick anything generic in my case. turns out, Super-Flower PSUs come out of the same OEM factory in taiwan as Enermax, so your pretty much buying the same product.

the 140mm fan is good for about 50CFM at full speed,silently,but its controllable to make it 21dB if you like.

edit: it also has a POT inside,but that voids your warranty

My searches indicate that if they are the same individuals they are registered with Underwriters differently (which would be highly unusual). Enermax are registered as Enermax, Superflower are registered as Fore Point.