PSU

[Mogadon]

I have a pretty cheap OKIA 550W PSU with:

3.3V - 32A
5V - 40A
12V - 24A

on the rails.

I run an AXP 3000+, 400FSB @2413MHz, 6600GT@545/1.12, a few hard drives etc ...

I'm thinking about upgrading (of course o/cing) and wondered if i should pick up a new PSU.

My main question is is it acceptable to have an average of 11.90V on the 12V rail, what kind of percentage fluctuation is acceptable on the rails.

I know a PSU is very important but I really didn't have the dollar to spend 100 bucks on a top of the line one and this OKIA has done me proud for the last year or so, never had a problem overclocking or anything (i can't get my CPU above 2500MHz, but think that's it's limit, not anything to do with the PSU, anyway my cooling can't handle it above 2450MHz).

What do any of you think, should this PSU be OK when looking at running a overclocked A64?

 

[klah]

ATX spec is +/- 5%.

 

[Mogadon]

So i guess running an average of 11.9V on the 12V rail is fine then. How does this compare to you guys who are running the OCZ modstreams and powerstreams( and other high end PSUs), what voltages do you usually see?

 

[Banzai042]

Powerstream is nice because you can manually dial voltages in (though it doesn't automatically compensate if you get a voltage sag on the power outlet). Right now i'm about .01 or so over on all 3 rails.

 

[Hacp]

Make sure this is correct. Purchase a multimeter. My Tagan PSU showed 10.9 volts under full load and I was worried. I stopped worrying when I used a multimeter and it showed 12.01 Idle and 11.94 under full load.

 

[Bona Fide]

5% flux MAX. Anything more and you're in dangerous territory.

Brands to trust : Antec, OCZ, Seasonic, FSP Group
Brands not to trust : Ultra, any cheap-o brand

Oh and if you are looking for a new PSU, make sure of the following:

Single 12v Rail : At LEAST 26A
Dual 12v Rail : Sum should be at LEAST 30A (some overhead loss)

 

[Mogadon]

Thanks for the responses people. I'll probably pick up a seasonic as i've heard they're real quiet and ok for o/cing (not as good as OCZ and antec but i want quiet).

 

[Bona Fide]

If you're looking for silent, make sure you get a Seasonic S-12 series PSU. The other ones are good, but they aren't the ones you're looking for.