Power Supply

[Corey0808]

I'm looking to get an Antec Power supply. At first I was thinking of getting the True430 just to be on the safe side. But I'm not made of money and it's kind of expensive ($66). I was thinking then about getting an Antec SL400 Which is only $52. Is it worth the extra $14 for a True430? What's the difference between these two power supply lines? I figured I would come to this forum since someone always has an answer Thanks for the help.

 

[mechBgon]

Here are the differences I can think of off the top of my head:

• TruePower units now come with extra-l33t black plugs
• TruePower units now come with SATA plugs natively
• TruePower units have a Fan-Only line that can supply reduced-voltage 12V to case fans for lower noise (this is regulated up or down according to the PSU's internal temperature, and typically runs pretty low voltage ~7 volts)
• TruePower units have independent generation of all three primary voltages (+12V, +3.3V and +5V), therefore no 3.3V + 5V combined rating is found on their labels
• TruePower units have voltage-feedback wires on their ATX cables that monitor the voltage right where the ATX cable plugs into the motherboard
• TruePower units have tighter load regulation that SmartPower units
• TruePower units use two dual-ball-bearing fans whereas I'm not sure if the SmartPower fanss are 1-ball/1-sleeve bearing in each fan, or dual-ball-bearing fans
• At least some TruePowers come with a 4-pin Molex jack on the outside rear, for some reason
• The TruePower 430 is (duh) rated for an additional 30W more than the SL400
• Both have a three-year warranty that you can expect to get honored by Antec if there is a problem

Now, whether it's worth $14 extra is up to you. If there might be SATA devices in your future, those SATA plugs could be a good excuse to get the TruePower. HTH

 

[psiu]

I had a reply typed out last nite....and then the forums went BOOM!

But, I saved it cuz I didn't want to type it again (and by that point I was d*** well gonna post).

So, here's that answer:

The Truepower series utilize independent rails (3.3, 5, 12 volt) whereas the Smartpower combine them down (i.e. a max combined of 3.3+5,).

On Antec's site, the main difference I can also see is the voltage regulation...the Truepower's also come with case fan only connectors (which I like) which simply runs them at lesser voltage when it's running cool...and the True's come with serial-ATA connectors, not sure about the Smart series.

What is the psu going to be running? the SL350 and True330 are both under $50. Should probably be adequate for any standard setup....Mine (True330) is running 2 hdd's, 2 cdrw's, AXP 1800, and a blazing fast TNT2 card

Along with 4 case fans....

Hopefully this has kind of answered the question...:beer:

Anyway, the above poster pretty much nailed it on the head anyway....

 

[Zap]

An alternative to the Antecs would be this 420W unit. It is $41 shipped from Newegg (minus tax). It is sharp looking, seems to be quality and is very quiet. It comes with a SATA adaptor and three "fan only" plugs. If you were looking into getting the SL400 instead of the True430 to save some bucks, the A+GPB unit is worth a look. Otherwise, can't go wrong with the True430.

FWIW I don't own this A+GPB unit but have briefly used one and have installed them. I do own two Antecs, a True330 and True430 (the older one without SATA and black connectors). I've been happy with my Antecs and my friends have been happy with their A+GPB units.

 

[Dman877]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Here are the differences I can think of off the top of my head:

• TruePower units now come with extra-l33t black plugs
• TruePower units now come with SATA plugs natively
• TruePower units have a Fan-Only line that can supply reduced-voltage 12V to case fans for lower noise (this is regulated up or down according to the PSU's internal temperature, and typically runs pretty low voltage ~7 volts)
• TruePower units have independent generation of all three primary voltages (+12V, +3.3V and +5V), therefore no 3.3V + 5V combined rating is found on their labels
• TruePower units have voltage-feedback wires on their ATX cables that monitor the voltage right where the ATX cable plugs into the motherboard
• TruePower units have tighter load regulation that SmartPower units
• TruePower units use two dual-ball-bearing fans whereas I'm not sure if the SmartPower fanss are 1-ball/1-sleeve bearing in each fan, or dual-ball-bearing fans
• At least some TruePowers come with a 4-pin Molex jack on the outside rear, for some reason
• The TruePower 430 is (duh) rated for an additional 30W more than the SL400
• Both have a three-year warranty that you can expect to get honored by Antec if there is a problem

Now, whether it's worth $14 extra is up to you. If there might be SATA devices in your future, those SATA plugs could be a good excuse to get the TruePower. HTH

I thought the fans on the fan-only connector changed depending on load on the psu, not temp...

 

[Corey0808]

I'm running this:

1x CD-RW
1x DVD-ROM
2x HDD
AMD 2500+ Barton
Geforce3 Ti200
ABIT NF7-S
I Also run up to 4 USB devices at one time

I'm looking into a new graphics and Harddrive solution though which might contain SATA

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Dman877

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Here are the differences I can think of off the top of my head:

• TruePower units now come with extra-l33t black plugs
• TruePower units now come with SATA plugs natively
• TruePower units have a Fan-Only line that can supply reduced-voltage 12V to case fans for lower noise (this is regulated up or down according to the PSU's internal temperature, and typically runs pretty low voltage ~7 volts)
• TruePower units have independent generation of all three primary voltages (+12V, +3.3V and +5V), therefore no 3.3V + 5V combined rating is found on their labels
• TruePower units have voltage-feedback wires on their ATX cables that monitor the voltage right where the ATX cable plugs into the motherboard
• TruePower units have tighter load regulation that SmartPower units
• TruePower units use two dual-ball-bearing fans whereas I'm not sure if the SmartPower fanss are 1-ball/1-sleeve bearing in each fan, or dual-ball-bearing fans
• At least some TruePowers come with a 4-pin Molex jack on the outside rear, for some reason
• The TruePower 430 is (duh) rated for an additional 30W more than the SL400
• Both have a three-year warranty that you can expect to get honored by Antec if there is a problem

Now, whether it's worth $14 extra is up to you. If there might be SATA devices in your future, those SATA plugs could be a good excuse to get the TruePower. HTH

I thought the fans on the fan-only connector changed depending on load on the psu, not temp...

eh, that kinda speed control is kinda iffy, its not as if the psu has temp sensors all over the case to make its decisions. but i guess its better then nothing for some. i find a manual fan speed controller to work better as long as theres adequate cooling. keeps noise down.

TruePower units have voltage-feedback wires on their ATX cables that monitor the voltage right where the ATX cable plugs into the motherboard

i can check my voltage with my sl too.. so i guess its not exclusive. the sl's have ball bearings too i think.

if the true power is just a little more, then its worht it. psu's aren't a place to cheap out really. but can't go wrong with any antec. i've heard the truepowers are quieter though. my sl was too loud for my preference, i jiggered its fans to use my manual fan speed controller otherwise it would start off very quiet, but ramp up within a minute to not so nice.

 

[mechBgon]

TruePower units have voltage-feedback wires on their ATX cables that monitor the voltage right where the ATX cable plugs into the motherboard

i can check my voltage with my sl too.. so i guess its not exclusive.[/quote]That's not quite what I meant... If you look at the ATX cable on the TruePower, you notice that some of the holes in the plug have two wires going into them, a big one to carry the power, and then a smaller one for the self-tuning feedback thingie that the TruePower units feature to help them stay on-target. I don't think the SL's have that little tweak, for whatever it might be worth.