Power Supply

[stelleg151]

I will probably need a solid power supply, because I am planning to get a athlon 64 3000 and oc it, so any recommendations as to how powerful a supply I need?
Also, should I go for no-name brand PS, because they are LOTS cheaper, but I want one that wont limit my OCing. As far as video card goes, Im thinking along the lines of 6600gt.

Thanks for help,
Mr. Jorge

 

[EightySix Four]

NEVER GET A NO-NAME PSU.... Always pay for a good one, it's worth it. I'm partial to the Antec 430 watt "trupower," as it would hold ur system specs well, and is an amazing psu

 

[Sheriff]

400 wt Minimum of a top named PSU (ie Antec, Enermax, Zalman, Sparkle etc) There are some new players such as OCZ which have gotten good write ups.

 

[tynopik]

check out the gray box at the bottom of this page:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article166-page2.html

The same test was conducted at 300W output on two other SPCR-reviewed PSUs that will remain unnamed at this time: One rated at 350W sparked and shut down within 15 seconds of running at 90VAC. It appears to be dead. The latter, rated at 380W, auto-shutdown safely within seconds of 100VAC operation. It appears to consider operation at any AC voltage under ~103W to be unsafe.

It is a measure of the Super series' quality design. It means that sags and brownouts in AC power, experienced by many people in many places in the world, should have no effect on a computer powered by one of the Seasonic Super series PSUs.

after i had this happen to my pc (3 power dips in quick suppression caused my PSU to blow up and take my system with it), this is what caused me to go with seasonic, not to mention it was the top rated unit in terms of quietness

maybe other units with active PFC have similar characteristics, but i couldn't verify that, so i just played it safe and stuck with seasonic

 

[CraigRT]

ANY decent name brand 350 and up should be fine... generic = NO.

see here:

http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q4/psus/index.x?pg=1

 

[TwoBills]

Check out the (2) 350w Enermax psu at NE. 26amps on the 12v rails.

 

[SonicIce]

Is the 380w Antec PSU that comes with this Sonata ok for a 6600GT and 3200+?

 

[Machine350]

Getting a namebrand PSU (Antec, Enermax, Thermaltake) will set you back a few extra bucks but will save you hours of headache.

 

[epsilon9090]

I think it shouldbe okay in the sonata, I have a truepower430 though, and its running an athlon64 3200+ and a 9800 pro, and all is well.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Enermax all the way, NEVER go with a no name or crappy brand psu, they NEVER come close to giving you the power on the sticker

 

[stelleg151]

Thanks guys, I think I'll go with truepower 480 or 550.

 

[obeseotron]

480 or 550 is really overkill unless you're running a super high end graphics card with several hard drives. I just switched from my noname 400w to an ocz 520w. I have an overclocked athlon64, overclocked 6800gt (past ulrta), 3 hard drives and a DVD writer and it all ran OK on the CompUSA PSU. Only when I connected a 5th drive of any kind did it become a problem. I* have 4 7200rpm Hard Drives and 2 optical drives so I went big, but except for swapping the Athlon64 for a Prescott, I couldn't really build a system that was much more stressful on the PSU, so if a 400w CompUSA ran mine fine, you might be able to hedge your bets and get something in the 370-420w range and know that you'll probably be fine.

 

[stelleg151]

Yeah, but it might be nice if I could keep the ps for my next build in a few years.

 

[obeseotron]

That's an argument agains the true series, it doesn't support the new power connectors and from what I understand 20 to 24 pin adapters may not work with most prescott boards. On the other hand, a newer Enermax, Neopower, or OCZ has a 24 pin plug and an adapter down to 20 pin for normal boards, so it works now and in the future.

 

[El Gimpo Suave]

power supplies are a bit like good speakers, in that you can easily manipulate the numbers which supposedly represent thier performance . not that you would pick your power supply using this test but if you happen to be at your local computer parts store try testing the weight of PSU's with similiar ratings . a good psu should feel like it would kill a pedestrian if you dropped it on thier head from the second floor window of your apartment. the generic usually wont hold down a chineese-food delivery menu if an asthmatic 6yr old is trying to blow out the candles on her birthday cake in the next room over. I have been using this method for quite some time now and found it to be extremely accurate. if enough members request it i can consolidate(and post) my test results (along with police reports) for the units ive tested over the years.

 

[Machine350]

Originally posted by: El Gimpo Suave
power supplies are a bit like good speakers, in that you can easily manipulate the numbers which supposedly represent thier performance . not that you would pick your power supply using this test but if you happen to be at your local computer parts store try testing the weight of PSU's with similiar ratings . a good psu should feel like it would kill a pedestrian if you dropped it on thier head from the second floor window of your apartment. the generic usually wont hold down a chineese-food delivery menu if an asthmatic 6yr old is trying to blow out the candles on her birthday cake in the next room over. I have been using this method for quite some time now and found it to be extremely accurate. if enough members request it i can consolidate(and post) my test results (along with police reports) for the units ive tested over the years.

Nice take. My method = ya get what ya pay for. Hasn't failed me yet.

 

[TwoBills]

Originally posted by: El Gimpo Suave
power supplies are a bit like good speakers, in that you can easily manipulate the numbers which supposedly represent thier performance . not that you would pick your power supply using this test but if you happen to be at your local computer parts store try testing the weight of PSU's with similiar ratings . a good psu should feel like it would kill a pedestrian if you dropped it on thier head from the second floor window of your apartment. the generic usually wont hold down a chineese-food delivery menu if an asthmatic 6yr old is trying to blow out the candles on her birthday cake in the next room over. I have been using this method for quite some time now and found it to be extremely accurate. if enough members request it i can consolidate(and post) my test results (along with police reports) for the units ive tested over the years.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOL That's puttin' a bottom line on it. Buy by the pound. Same w/SPS and UPS.

 

[xiaobao12]

Can you guys explain what the all the numbers mean in a PSU? And what does rail mean? Thanks.

 

[El Gimpo Suave]

THIS SITE should answer all your questions.

 

[El Gimpo Suave]

Of all the things your average computer builder neglects the PSU has to be at the top of the list. This is a huge mistake. Go ahead and save some money buying a cheap case for your machine...sure you'll hate yourself every time you have to work on your machine. eventually youll run out of room inside and find yourself duct-taping hard drives to the outside but.....at least you wont be cooking components you spent $1000 on because you wanted to SAVE $50 on the PSU. A good PSU will last for years as you upgrade and replace. It will still be powering and protecting your equipment when the $300 Videocard you just bought isnt good enough for the 2008 version of "Reader Rabbit" . If you go cheap or generic you deserve hardware failure. you risk saying adios to years of digital camera pics, thousands of mp3s, vintage porno!! how important is your data !? I cant stress enough how well spent your money is when you buy a great psu. Sorry to rant, but i love ranting, so hahahahahahahahaha. IN CLOSING... buy a better psu than you need and you wont have to worry about tomorrow.

 

[xiaobao12]

thanks for the site el gimpo.

 

[HiDeAtHfInItIoN]

Good site Grimpo, and as there all saying its not so much about how many watts the psu has its quality. I tried to be cheap once and the psu would fail after two days of being on, and i need my comp on 24/7. Bought a good psu...problem solved, runs like a champ.

 

[The J]

Originally posted by: El Gimpo Suave
power supplies are a bit like good speakers, in that you can easily manipulate the numbers which supposedly represent thier performance . not that you would pick your power supply using this test but if you happen to be at your local computer parts store try testing the weight of PSU's with similiar ratings . a good psu should feel like it would kill a pedestrian if you dropped it on thier head from the second floor window of your apartment. the generic usually wont hold down a chineese-food delivery menu if an asthmatic 6yr old is trying to blow out the candles on her birthday cake in the next room over. I have been using this method for quite some time now and found it to be extremely accurate. if enough members request it i can consolidate(and post) my test results (along with police reports) for the units ive tested over the years.

I'd better get this Powmax "450W" outta here then! I swear my case (also a Powmax...yeah, I know) is lighter with it in there. My system is in my signature. Before I didn't have the Samsung hard drive and the 6800GT was a 9600Pro and it seemed okay when looking at the voltages in Everest. With my new components, it still doesn't seem too bad but the 12V line (I hear they're called "rails" correct?) jumps from 12.06V to 12.35V, which worries me. I'd better not turn on the front lights for too long. Sorry to take over the thread for a moment, but should I be worried, especiallly since an Athlon 64 is looking mighty tempting? Thank you.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: xiaobao12
Can you guys explain what the all the numbers mean in a PSU? And what does rail mean? Thanks.

The amp and wattage ratings listed on the PS labels mean some, but not much of the real story behind their qualification for your particular needs.

The following is my "opinion" on PS selection...
* Use any number of online calculators to determine your power needs, such as the "gooPSUlator"
* After you know the PS wattage range (always get enough+), you can then zero in on particular brands. To do that, read reviews like these from "The Tech-Report", and "AnandTech" to find out which manufacturers produce high quality PS with low ripple & interference (a.k.a. "clean power"). Just going for "Name Brands" won't guarantee this.
* Once you A. Know how much wattage you need, B. Have a good idea which manufacturers produce quality units, you're then ready to move on to "noise" and "price". You can find individual PS reviews from sites like "AMDboard".
* Lastly, you have to determine for yourself what is a good balance "for you" between Quality... Noise... Price...

Personally, I like Zalman PS based on the above formula.