Power supply: (Can you judge it by its weight i pounds?)

[Samsonid]

I am looking for a new power supply and I am not going to judge it by Wattage any more.

1.Do you guys know of any sites out there doing serious reviews on power supplies?
Reviews that actually whip out the oscilloscope and do some testing !!

2.Particularly I am interested for a PSU that produces the cleanest signal.

I am sure all the Fans inside the PC case are producing noise that goes into the PSU and possibly the other devices. So I am looking for a power supply that filters out ALL noise, both INTERNAL (from the case fans) and EXTERNAL (from power grid).

3.Is it a good rule (albeit too simplistic) to start evaluating a PSU by its weight in pounds (and then look at the other parameters) ?

Thanks

 

[mechBgon]

Uh oh, an engineer escaped from his laboratory! :Q Just kidding... Why does the noise-filtering concern you, exactly? There are known brands of PSU's to avoid, and known brands that people trust, and that's based on end results, so if you want to weigh something, weigh public opinion by your fellow end-users.

Post a thread asking what brands people trust and what brands they avoid, and chances are that if noise-filtering is of any impact to a computer, the ones with good noise-filtering will be among the recommended brands that give good results. How's that for a philosopy?

 

[clumsum]

Samsonid,

Actually, ....... the answer to your queston is "yes" weight is a factor, check out:
Directron

But usually most important ...... when comparing equally rated psu's.
Update: More good psu information, although K7S5A mb specific, it's still very good information:

OCWorkBench

 

[CaptnKirk]

The only way that 'weight' would be a factor in choosing a power supply, is if the weight is a result of the windings in the transformers, chokes, inductors, and coils is from using COPPER which is heavier - either by gauge or quantity. Where is a manufacturer going to cut down the most in quality? Not putting the right size copper wire into the product to do an adequate job, as that is the single most expensive commodity in building a power supply and energy distribution system.

Line voltage, signal output, ripple, wattage, etc. - it all starts and ends with the windings.

If you want to defeat 'Crosstalk' and EMI, thats another matter, and it requires a different approach.

 

[clumsum]

CaptnKirk ....... is correct, I did't intend to imply that simply because one brand of psu is heavier than another, .... that means it's ALWAYS better ............... but there is a direct correlation among the psu's I've used and purchased ...... (between higher quality and greater weight), ......... a result of having higher quality components, and more of them (as illustrated in the Directron photos), so greater psu weight, usually indicates higher quality psu's.

Higher quality psu's also seem to be better vented (more holes/slots) in the psu case.
As for signal quality ....... I just assume the higher quality psu has a cleaner signal ......... ?

 

[Samsonid]

<FONT size=1><FONT size=2>
Hey clumsum

Many thanks for the links ! The seem to be along the lines of my question (especially the link for Directron.com).
I will definately take a look at those.

CaptnKirk wrote:

Line voltage, signal output, ripple, wattage, etc. - it all starts and ends with the windings

Indeed, therefore, weight IS one parameter that indicates quality, albeit not the only one.</FONT></FONT>

 

[sterling]

Samsonid

If i were you I'd buy a power supply from a company called Pc Power and Cooling. These power supplies are made out in California and manufactured to one per cent tolerances. Dont get caught in the marketing hype from some of the better known companys. Alot of these companies spend more money on the aesthetics of their supplies, like nice shiney grills, than putting quality parts where it counts. I recently purchased a 350watt supply from this company. Its ugly as hell, but made like a tank. It has metal film resistors and polypropylene capacitors; signs of quality construction. All the chinese made supplies are manufactured from cheap consumer grade ceramic and mylar crap. Expect to fork out the extra money, though

 

[Samsonid]

Hi Sterling,

Did you mean to say "PC Power and Cooling" ?

 

[sterling]

Samsonid

Sure did, i was in a big rush!!

 

[mechBgon]

I think the PC P&C units are mostly made by EMacs (subsidiary of Zippy). They are definitely nice units, but not necessarily US-made. At least, I can't find anywhere that they come out and say their ATX units are in fact made in America.

 

[Pardus]

Not to put down the good people at PC Power and Cooling, but there really high in price compared to enermax. You might want to check out quietpc.com, they have all kinds of stuff for slient pc's including power supplies.

 

[sterling]

PC power and cooling designs. manufactures and tests their supplies in Southern California. They might use some parts made overseas but their supplies are heavy duty. I would rather pay the extra bucks for the piece of mind. As for as Enermax is concerned i have opened up a enermax power supply and theres nothing in there that is special. I have also measured the rails under load and there was fluctuation. Eventhough, these power supplies can vary as much as 5% as still be recommended by AMD and Intel. Pc power and cooling are stable as can be. Search the internet Ive seen articles in NON ADvertisement based websites that will support what i say. Better yet, instead of eating up advertising hype, get a voltage tester and a screw driver: find out for yourself.

 

[AntecCSR]

5% variation is in the ATX specification, which is why PSU's with that variation can/are recommended by AMD and Intel. But then the less variation the better.

Yes weight can be a basic measure of quality.

Also check the combined output numbers (+3.3v and +5v not to exceed 180 Watts is pretty normal for a 300W PSU).

AntecCSR

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: sterling
PC power and cooling designs. manufactures and tests their supplies in Southern California. They might use some parts made overseas but their supplies are heavy duty.

No offense, but I'd like to see some verification of the "manufactures" claim. I have searched their site recently, and while I have great respect for the quality of the product, I don't find any verification that their mainstream units are made in the USA. I know they do make some products themselves in the USA... I had one of their Socket 7 coolers way back when, and was very proud of the fact that it was, in fact, a US-made heatsink/fan unit.