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PSU under a budget

N

Novercalis

Senior member
Edit original post:

Which PSU would you pick from this list only.

all sleeved, 450-500w, dual rail... well enough to power my rig and to last me atleast 2 years.

all with dual rail:
JUST PC JPC - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817181108
ANTEC - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103937
ASPIRE - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148001
Sky Hawk - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817193001
APEX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817154019

single rail:
Aspire Condor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148010
XG Vigor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817167009
ATHENA - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104123
ENERMAX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103440
Thermaltake - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153007
Vantec - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103465 (I like this one)
Thmeraltake top contender - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153020

however, I will most likely still need to check with all the Manufacture if the cable is long enough for my p180 case. Unless any of you guys have previous experience with those PSU and know if it will reach, pls let me know.

Also: About how long does the cable need to be?

=========
RIG
=========

Antec P180
dual 2405fpw
Epox EP-9NPA Ultra
AMD 64 x2 4400+
Scythe Ninja HSF
eVGA 7800 GTX
2x1GB Performance Ram (waiting for the patriot order to go through)
74gb Raptor + 400GB HDD SATA
CD-R and Floppy w/ 7-1 disk reader
CD/DVD burner combo
 
What I ended up doing before making my PSU pruchase is I called several PSU makers asking how long there cables were.....

Most of the top of the line PSU..also top $$$$$$.......have a norm of 18 - 20 inches.....

That probably won`t help you much...but...🙂
 
Ok, I'm putting the over/under at 2 more replies for when someone questions the budget concerns given the rig specs.

But, uhh, seriously, I'm interested in the last couple questions as well, even if my future rig is that rig's son.
 
I have a P180. It comes with 3 fans. One is 120mm by 38mm sitting next to the power supply bay, I took it out because I have no drive installed in the lower drive bay, and my power supply takes good care of itself pretty well. The power supply area is well insulated from the rest of the case so u don't have to worry about heat.

For other two fans, even thought they are all 120mm by 25mm and have the same specs, I found that the back vent fan is a bit louder than the top vent so I changed the back vent to panaflo and kept the top one running at low mode (it may not move as much as air as panaflo but it's quiet). Since I overclock it, I like to keep the back fan spin faster than the top fan, so most of the time my panaflo generates more noise than the stock fan. Someday I might look into Nexus fan since I believe they are the quietest 120mm fans.

I forgot to add that I used the back vent fan and placed it in the front vent to cool my hard drive, if you keep that at low setting it's very quiet too. (I think I heard more noise before was probably I sit closer to the P180 rear) My HD was at 43-45C when I had the side cover removed before when I was tweaking my system, now it's at a comfortable 32C.
 
Please lower your specs some, and free up some cash for a good PSU and case... That is going to be a nice machine, and there is no reason to skimp on the PSU especially.
Tas.
 
Originally posted by: Novercalis
first off my rig:

x2 4400+ w/ hsf
epox mobo
dual 2405
7800 gtx
raptor 74gb and 400gb hdd sata
combo dvd/cd + cdr + floppy
2x1gb ocz el rams

=========

I need a PSU enough to power my rig, I believe 450 is the minimum.. so from 450-500w
however, needs to be under $70 if possible.

I wanted to get the Fortron Source bluestorm but its $91, also a psu with cable long enough to reach in my case as well.

Any Recommendation?

==============

Also, are the stocks fans on the p180 good or should I change them? if so, to what type of fans? can you provide me with the link please.

thank you.

=============

lastly, HSF - which one? TT BT vs Ninja?
Click to expand...

As Tas and many others will tell you, DO NOT skimp on the PSU. I choose PCP&C, but if $91 Fortron is too much then look into Zippy. I know nothing about there psu's, but trust fellow AT'ers here when they recommend this psu line. They are very affordable and have a beefy single +12V rail. They also have "server" length cables. They are however very "plain Jane" looking psu's. The stock fans are decent and fairly quiet to most. They are loud to me, but I have issues with silence. These>http://www.jab-tech.com/Coolermaster-UV...x120-mm-SUF-S12-ER-UV-Red-pr-2593.html
are an excellent alternative to the $15 Nexus. Not as quiet, but darn close. They come in LED's as well as different UV reactive colors. HSF? Between the 2 you posted? Ninja imo. Otherwise I prefer Thermalright. Enjoy that rig!!
 
I'm sure glad JBDan quoted your original post, as that is a very nice system and you want to birth it with a *budget*PSU?? Your single +12V linked PSUs are all over the place in spec and price. The proper question would be, what do you guys reccomend for this system?
If you want it sleeved can you DIY? Is quiet a near top priority?Or can you tolerate a little noise? The +12V on these singel rail listed ranges from 18A to 30+A and none have active PFC, which is a VG feature.

Of those listed, i like the ENERMAX and i'm not all that sure why.


Galvanized
 
noise isnt a factor... my most concern is the cable length. I'll re-edit my post with my spec now.

when it comes to spec.. i really dont know what im looking for.. all I look at is:

###wattz, dual or not 12v.

i dotn know what PFC is: therefor "ACTIVE"? huh - "PASSIVE"? huh?...lol
apparently I missed out the fortron 500w for $50 bucks deal....
beside that.. prolly will get FLAMED for this:
I just cant justify spedning 90+ on a PSU when there is 10-15 I linked that is nearly half the price.... than again I can also say, I lived with generic PSU and never had a problem with a unknown brand.
No I cant Sleeve for squat....
 
well since hes on a budget....thats difficult becuase I know what I would get....

with that said...Fortra\on.....Zippy....etc.....
 
Check this out these are amoung the best at the best prices right now. One of these will out live several builds, if you chose. Just change out the fan in 3 or 4 years. The fans are thermally controlled and only make their presents known
when the load is up. They are all under rated. The all have server length cabling of 18 gauge wire. Most now are 20gauge. Sleeving to get some order on the inside of your project can be done with spiral loom from Radio Shack. One of those you listed was $72, so what is $12 more to get the 6400P. I just bought a 6460P after two weeks of research, at least an hour a day, because i did not know squat about PSUs. As i stated in the other PSU thread that you can read in total, the brand names are finacially queezing the OEMs that produce their PSUs
*for* them. Read the other thread. My current PC uses a 400 watt Fortron.

I'm not a fanboy to any product with the one exception of Lian-Li 😛

You most likely do not realize it, but threads such as this are very common here.
Most, if not all new builders treat the PSU as an after thought and it is the very soul of the system. Many stability problems can be attributed to poor PSU preformance.

Galvanized


EDIT: Forgot...Your mainboard, a very nice one, i will add. Takes the new EPS 24pin connector. Whatever you buy make sure it has it, as an addapter to convert 20 to 24 pin
is more money and just another point of resistance in the circuit.
 
Sorry to break "discipline" here, per your request. But it seems you are looking for a PSU with a price in the range $50 to $80.

You've listed an Antec SmartPower model in the dual-rail (12V) category.

Here's a unit that faired pretty well in "Tech Report" and their review of some eight high-end PSU's:

Eight Power Supplies Reviewed

That review, I can trust. The unit also faired well in a Maximum PC review not long ago, but to MPC, let me tip my hat and say "Blank you very much!" quoting Robert Duvall in "Falling Down."

Here's the deal. You have about three days to get a $100 PSU for $79. Do you live in Georgia? If not, you may save money on the state tax, and the shipping is reasonable:

Antec NeoPower 480, dual-rail, modular, with case-fan control and other features -- $20 Rebate -- ends September 28, '05

Monarch is extremely reliable in their obligations and their shipping. And every time in recent weeks when I searched Froogle-Google for the lowest price, they keep coming up on several items as the record-breaker.

In other words, paying only shipping, loaning the source $20 for about 8 weeks, you get a real bargain here.
 
Bonzai thx u for the guide... I kept a close eye on Vantec and they recieved the editor choice. And for a 350w being tested with higher end psu, it held its ground and showed better performance.
plus, what caught me to as well at the tech guys.. all the wires are covered... I knew I was gonna like that one when i see the pic.
now I just hope the cable is LONG enough!
 
Barring any other information -- not a lot of time to seek reviews -- I'll say this.

The ThermalTake PurePower 480, although reliable enough (I've installed three of them and the voltages seem to be all on the money for practical purposes) -- only has a 18A 12V rail (single) -- so it's definitely out of the running.

None of the others has Active PFC. So you can't use Active PFC as a discriminating criterion.

I've had an APEX, variously described in corporate terms as pairing off with Fortron under a company name of "ALLIED" -- often referred to as "ALLIED (Apex)." The 12V rail was "short" by 0.14V at 11.86V, and when I over-clocked, it dropped as low as 11.68V. The fan control can mess up your software monitor readings, albeit temporarily if you don't twist it gently. Don't ask me why. And they don't list their Amperage maximums on the rails, but I can tell you my ALLIED 500W only had a 24A 12V-rail.

I might LIKE to have two 12V rails, because it enables me to allocate power to various devices. The Antec NEoPower 480 HAS two rails, with a total amperage well over 30A -- probably around 34A. (But you're not interested with that. For whatever reason.)

The Vantec, with "name-recognition" and better reputation based on my own hearsay sources, is a good choice. The 12V rail is 30A -- which should be sufficient.

Even so I still haven't looked hard enough at features like "SLI-ready." I'd disqualify anything that wasn't also EPS12V compatible, didn't have at least one SATA HD wire, didn't have the 24-pin moddable-to-20-pin mobo plug, and wasn't "ready" for PCI-E.

But for the rated wattage, modular cabling that make solid connections, Active PFC, a kit with spare plugs that enables you to add plugs to cables, reasonably lengthy (and moddable cable lengths, and an after-rebate cost that fits the price-range, I'd still get the Antec Neopower 480.

I've got the Antec NP480 in a full-tower case. It's 24/20 pin mobo cable has something like an extra foot of slack; the drive cables give you both a choice of lengths, moddability and minimum clutter. It will control fan speed on case fans with two plugs exclusively allocated to that function (although I'd like to see the fans spin faster, so I use a controller). I'd be willing to bet that they don't cheat you on the $20 rebate. In the long-run of "eight weeks" and a little paper-work, it's still in your budget.
 
Actually, it's too bad the "JUST PC" doesn't meet some essential criteria.

It's rated at 500W; it has 40A on the two rails; it has an MBTF of 100,000 hours.

Of those you think are the top three or four that meet YOUR criteria, find out how long the manufacturer's warranty extends. This is a general rule of thumb: if they warranty them for 5 years, they're that confident in the product. The TT Purepower, last time I checked, is only warranted for 1 year. Companies do NOT want to have product returns under warranty -- it shifts up their variable costs. If they warranty the unit for 3 to 5 years, they probably don't expect many returns from buyers.
 
reason I side beside antec is to see the other choices.
Antec is gonna be first choice.. I will call them tomorrow and check the length
follow by Vantec

and the others in good to bad?
 
I might point out, buy.com has the Smartpower 500watt 2.0 for $63(after tax and the 10% off coupon, which expires 9/25(today)).
 
I have decided to drop the copperhead mice (80) for a stronger PSU err relaiable psu with cable length and sleeved.
gonna keep my logic mx500. until later i can upgrade to a copperhead.
 
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