Power supply recommendation needed for a fully loaded system - Antec True Power 430 it is!

[Jeff7]

I guess I do need something better than a 400W generic PSU to power all this stuff:

KT266A motherboard
AthlonXP 1500@1700
256MB PC2100 RAM
2 x 7200rpm 80GB drives
1 x 5400rpm 30GB drive
50x CD-ROM
DVD-R/RW drive
ZIP 100
floppy
Geforce2 Ti
Realtek NIC
WinTV-PVR 350

The system was running fine, but that was without the DVD-R/RW and the 30GB drive; now it locks up if I try to use the system. The 5V line drops down below 4.5V sometimes; guess it's just too much for the power supply. So, I need recommendations for a power supply that'll get the job done, but not send my bank accout running for its life.

 

[Muzzy]

How much ya wanna spend? Try this, or this(don't know if there's any coupon for that one.)

 

[MrCraphead]

wtf, you don't need a fvckin' 550W power supply, good grief.....

I'm running on an Antec 330W and everything has been going fine for me
KT266A
XP1600
6 x 80mm fans
1 x 20GB IBM60GXP 7200 rpm
1 x 120GB WDSE 7200rpm
1 x 60GB Maxtor 5400rpm
48x12x48 burner
16x DVD
w/ a Radeon 9700 Pro

All you need is a good quality PS, doesn't have to be 550watts. I'm sure you'll be fine with an Antec, Enermax,or Sparkle, at least above a 300W rating.

 

[Bovinicus]

I like the Antec Tru series. They are super quiet, have dedicated lines for all 3 rails, and maintain more stable voltages than most other PSUs (Except maybe Enermax). I own an Antec Tru 330w, and it is excellent. If you want to be safe, then you could go with a 380/430w model.

 

[mechBgon]

I vote for the TruePower430. Considering its expected lifespan, buying something with surplus power now may pay off in the long run. And there's a Hot Deal in the HD forum that gets you one for $66, not bad considering it's a $100 PSU. Combined 3.3V + 5V output comes out to about 270W, load regulation is tight, and it runs almost inaudibly. 3-year warranty too.

 

[Muzzy]

Originally posted by: MrCraphead
wtf, you don't need a fvckin' 550W power supply, good grief.....

Need? Who's talking about need?

 

[Jeff7]

I'm not too keen on the workings of that deal.

$75.99
-10.00 off 75
=====
$65.99 Shipped

When's the $10 come off? How does that work?

 

[human2k]

newegg has Allied PSU's......from my expierence they are top notch and as good as enermax/antec...newegg has the 400W version for $33, 450W for $40....

 

[ElFenix]

antec tru300

 

[Markfw]

Antec 430. Just for the future, while you are upgrading, put a little pad in.

 

[Mem]

I just fitted a Chieftec PSU 360w for a friend ,I was impressed with the weight and quality of the PSU and the price is even better value then the Antec`s.

The Chieftec 420w is also another good choice if you don`t want to spend Antec/Enermax prices.

Chieftec PSU models .

 

[Curley]

Buy the most you can afford. Who knows how many extra connectors future PCI/AGP cards will require.

 

[PCMarine]

Another vote for the Antec TruePower 330

 

[tbates757]

lol, 550w is so ridiculous. Not so much the max voltage, but the quality of the power supply matters. The problem with your PSU is probably that it's just generic, a 380W or even 330W Antec True Power PSU should be fine

 

[Creig]

wtf, you don't need a fvckin' 550W power supply, good grief.....

If you keep upgrading and upgrading you someday might find that you WILL need a 550W PS. Like me.

Koolance PC2-C w/CPU block, GPU block, northbridge block and hard drive block
AMD T-Bred "A" 1800+ @ 1.9GHz
Epox 8K5A3+
ATI Radeon 9500 with Soft9700 update @ 325/600
ATI TV-Wonder
2 x 256mb PC2100
2 x 7200rpm Maxtor 20 gig drives
1 x 7200rpm Maxtor 80 gig drive
1 10x/40x DVD-Rom
1 48x12x48x Burner
4 80mm case fans (3 for radiator, 1 for case cooling)

I used to have a GF3Ti200 at 240/500 and the system was stable with an Enermax 350w PS. When I added the Radeon 9500 is when I started getting crashes in benches/3D games. So I checked the USDM system monitor software and found that the 5v line was at 4.7v at idle, 4.5v at CPU 100%/GPU idle so I can't even IMAGINE how low it dipped once the GPU kicked into high gear. My Antec TruePower 550w unit just showed up at my office today so I'll slap it in once I get home and see how it does.

I guess the moral of the story is to buy the biggest/best PS you can afford. Like your case it's one of the components that you'll reuse over and over again with each upgrade. It only makes sense to buy one that will give you enough extra juice to draw on should you need it in the future. I know now that I should've gone bigger the first time. Now I've had to purchase a 350w AND a 550w PS when I could've just purchased the 550w right off the bat and saved some $$$ in the end.

 

[Jeff7]

Well I was figuring on spending $100 on this from the start, but it looks like the Antec Truepower 430 is a pretty good bet. I can't really upgrade this system much further - the case is full.
If I would upgrade it with more drives maybe, I'd probably be buying a server case anyway, and if I had that much money available, a really powerful PSU wouldn't be a big issue.

 

[Creig]

Well, my 550 was $100 with $10 shipping so there you go.

 

[majewski9]

people are so crazy when it comes to psu requirements! OMG a 300 watt supply is way more than enough for that.

 

[LegionX]

i would say quailty over wattage but these days the quailty ones ussually are over 400 watts. i think 550 is overkill but if you arent worried about money then go for it. it will help if you upgrade to a 9700 or newer board in the future.

if you go for a antec make sure you get true power and not smart power.

 

[Curley]

if you go for a antec make sure you get true power and not smart power

What is the difference between the two???

 

[mechBgon]

Load regulation is not as tight on the SmartPower, it doesn't run as quietly, it doesn't have the thermally-regulated "Fan-only" connectors, and the 3.3V and 5V lines share a common master supply like most consumer PSUs do, as opposed to the TruePower's fully-independent 3.3V and 5V. Not that they're bad, they have the same 3-year warranty and put out good amounts of 3.3V + 5V for their rating.

 

[Jeff7]

I got the Truepower 430 from Amazon with that Hot Deal coupon dealy. It was cool - I ordered on the 25th, got it on the 28th (fast, UPS ground even), and just now, it says "shipped on Jan 29th.
It's messed up - the account page says "Item Shipped on January 29, 2003"
Then the Tracking page says "Delivered" - got it before it was shipped, excellent.
But really, for "free" shipping, it got here really quick, and it was even on a Saturday that I ordered.
The power supply is working just fine - all voltage lines are close to normal, though the 3.3v line is a bit low - 3.2v average, but everything seems just fine. I think I'm going to add another 256MB stick to it though.

 

[LegionX]

Originally posted by: Curley

if you go for a antec make sure you get true power and not smart power

What is the difference between the two???

mechbegon (sp) is correct . the reason i mentioned it was when the 9700 came out there was alot of talk about power supplies and quality and people were saying how bad the smart power was for the 9700 although they praised the true power. these days it isnt as much about wattage as it is about quality and stabilty.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: LegionX

Originally posted by: Curley

if you go for a antec make sure you get true power and not smart power

What is the difference between the two???

mechbegon (sp) is correct . the reason i mentioned it was when the 9700 came out there was alot of talk about power supplies and quality and people were saying how bad the smart power was for the 9700 although they praised the true power. these days it isnt as much about wattage as it is about quality and stabilty.

Why mechBgon is spelled the way it is I think I've logged more hours playing various flavors of Mechwarrior games than I have driving my car

 

[Pariah]

If you keep upgrading and upgrading you someday might find that you WILL need a 550W PS. Like me.

Koolance PC2-C w/CPU block, GPU block, northbridge block and hard drive block
AMD T-Bred "A" 1800+ @ 1.9GHz
Epox 8K5A3+
ATI Radeon 9500 with Soft9700 update @ 325/600
ATI TV-Wonder
2 x 256mb PC2100
2 x 7200rpm Maxtor 20 gig drives
1 x 7200rpm Maxtor 80 gig drive
1 10x/40x DVD-Rom
1 48x12x48x Burner
4 80mm case fans (3 for radiator, 1 for case cooling)

Like you? You've got to be kidding if you think that system needs a 550W PS to function properly. I'm running a dual XP 1900+, 3 15k SCSI drives, a 10K drive, a WD 120GB JB, Radeon 9500 Pro, 1GB DDR, DVD+RW, SCSI card, sound card, and other assorted hardware and case fans on an Antec TruPower 430W.

I used to have a GF3Ti200 at 240/500 and the system was stable with an Enermax 350w PS.

There's your probable problem, the Enermax PS. Enermax seems to have some quality control problems. I originally had an Enermax 550W PS which worked for a while, then I started having trouble booting my system. Depending on how I had my drives arranged on the power lines, I had variable success booting the system. If I unplugged some of the drives it booted fine. Then when my hard drives started constantly shutting down and respinning up I knew it was time for that PS to go. I "downgraded" to a 430W and now everything is connected again and everything works and is much quieter as well. The Enermax still works, as I have it driving another single CPU system without problems, but just goes to show you that the wattage rating means very little. It's quality over quantity. There is no reason anyone would need more than an Antec 330W PS for a single CPU system and you are still left with more than enough breathing room for upgrades.