Power Supply question

[Phlegmatic]

there are lots of flashy power supplies, and almost all of them have a couple of decent reviews.
What would the top 2-3 proven brands be? I realize there will be people both for and against every model, but are there any brands that are a pretty safe bet?

I'm more concerned about quality and dependability than sleeving and pretty lights.


Thanks for any and all input folks, it's really appreciated.
Phleg

 

[Thoreau]

Antec, PCP&C, and Enermax.

I personally go with Antec (have about a half dozen of them in my various rigs) and the only thing that's ever happened is a fan going bad, which was an easy replacement.

 

[Boyo]

What wattage are you looking for? Some good brands are Corsair, Seasonic, Enermax.

 

[desweil]

enermax!

 

[Operandi]

The majority of the PSU reviews out there are garbage.

Check out SPCR and PC Perspective for truly good PSU reviews.

Personally I like Seasonic, PCP&C, and Enhance.

 

[PianoMan]

I have been an Antec fan for awhile, but gradually listening to the lessons on here. Granted, I haven't had a problem with any of my Antec PSU's, but several on this forum are against them from a component side point-of-view.

I'm thinking that I don't push these Antec PSU's as far as some other people that experience the problems, so I don't get the Fuhjyyu capacitor failures since my PSU's don't run all that hot. However, a recent mobo death called into question the quality of the power coming from my True Blue PSU - I notice a fair bit of ripple on the 12V rail via the new mobo PC Health BIOS screen.

Anyways, I'm looking the 500-600W offerings of Seasonic, Corsair, and Silverstone. On the less expensive side, I've heard that Zippy's are real good.

Good luck - there's a fair bit of good info on this board. Also, read up on jonnyguru's forum - the PSU gods gather there from time to time.

PM

 

[ebeattie]

First PSU: Rosewill 400W ..... SUCKED
Second PSU: Enermax 465W.... awesome but after a while developed some random reboots.
Current PSU: PC Power and Cooling 610W Silencer. Absolutely ROCK SOLID. this is the BEST PSU I have ever seen/used. This puppy right here is the Lexus of the PSU's. Pricey but damn is this some good quality!

It really depends on your wallet and your gaming intensity. If you have the means and the need for a Hi-Perf PSU, only brand to get is PC Power and Cooling IMO.

 

[Phlegmatic]

some great feedback already, thanks fellas.

maybe i don't even need a new one.....after about 3 years of use, my antec's 3.3 rail is in the red at 3.07 (hmonitor). is this something to concerned about or can i just ignore it.

 

[tersome]

Originally posted by: Thoreau
Antec, PCP&C, and Enermax.

I personally go with Antec (have about a half dozen of them in my various rigs) and the only thing that's ever happened is a fan going bad, which was an easy replacement.

Antec used to be good, but in the past year or two they've been using low quality caps which tend to blow up.

PCP&C and Enermax are both good ones. I'd also look at Silverstone and some of Ultra's latest PSUs.

 

[Yellowbeard]

JonnyGuru does solid PSU reviews. He also uses the same methodology each time so, you can be sure of an apples v apples comparison.

www.jonnyguru.com

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Phlegmatic
some great feedback already, thanks fellas.

maybe i don't even need a new one.....after about 3 years of use, my antec's 3.3 rail is in the red at 3.07 (hmonitor). is this something to concerned about or can i just ignore it.

Software monitors aren't always that acurate. If you're buying a new PSU I'd recommend a Fortron, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling or Enermax.
edit: I forgot to add Silverstone to that list.

 

[jkresh]

PC Power and cooling, seasonic, silverstone (though they just outsource it), OCZ is actually make some good ones now (gamerstream 850 I think). As has already been said PC Power and cooling is the lexus of psu's and if you can afford it go for it (their silencer 750 is priced pretty well for them and will provide more power then anyone else's 800watt units).