Seriously considering this power supply...

[jonnyGURU]

I always thought Codegen was Codegen. They do seem to be a step up from Deer/Allied and L&C.

Going back to Tagan's "designed in Germany...."

The PSU manufacturers don't come to us. We come to them.

What's "designed in the whereever" is usually just specs. A "group of professionals" gets together and tells a broker that they need a PSU with almost 50A on the 5V, almost 30A on the 12V, almost 30A on the 3.3V, active PFC, efficiency greater than 70% and a "Stealth bomber" type black finish.

The broker then has the manufacturers he represents take their base model and components and put together a few engineering samples. A "fashion show" of sorts is assembled and eventually the winner is chosen. Naturally, some inherent attributes become part of the specs, like the rubber grommets on the fans, gold plated connectors, large black heatsinks, etc.

The end result is a product that's the same... but is different.

What's funny is that, as good as Tagan is, they seem to be the least tweaked of the Topower power supplies. And seem to brag the most about their "design." It seems that Topower had all the specs they wanted, they just wanted a little more juice on the 12V... but not too much. 😉

OCZ came to them and said, "we want active PFC and user adjustable potentionmeters" and "an ASSLOAD of juice on the 12V rail. We don't care how much is on the 3.3V and 5V." and Raid Max got greedy and said, "we want the fans to spin for 3 minutes even if the PC is off, we want the three 'fan only' connectors....

I don't know who came out with the idea to put the caps on the ends of the drive power cables, whether it was OCZ or Raid Max or if that's something Topower came up with themselves, but what's funny about some of these features is that if the "designer" doesn't patent them, they have a funny way of becoming a part of the design. I'm not saying that the Chinese can't design their own products without help, but when they can make their own base product better with a few tweaks here and there... why not? That may mean selling more power supplies to more "designers" down the road. 😉

 

[iamskew]

Don't buy a power supply just because you think it's pretty, cause that's what I see as being your main concern judging from the 2 supplies you're considering. Buy something that works.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: iamskew
Don't buy a power supply just because you think it's pretty, cause that's what I see as being your main concern judging from the 2 supplies you're considering. Buy something that works.

And you.... like a lot of people here... seem to think a power supply can't be pretty AND work.

Who laid down the rule that a power supply had to be ugly?

When Performance-PC decided to mod a PCP&C power supply with UV reactive molex connectors and modular cables, how much do YOU think they "devalued" that power supply?

Is a Topower power supply actually BETTER than an OCZ, Tagan or Raid Max because it doesn't have windows, LED fans or a shiny finish?

I can understand the whole anti-rice mentality to an extent. When I blow the doors off of a rice boi with my wife's station wagon, I feel like ripping off the kid's chrome coffee can exhaust tip off and shoving it up his ass so far he can longer see his NOS stickers. But if that kid can do the quarter mile in under 15 seconds, let him paint it pink and put a bow on it for all I care!

 

[rocketbubba]

Thanks for all the input on psu's and sorry I've been away for a day or so. All of this helps alot in my decision. The one thing I know for sure is I need another psu because the one I have ain't doing the job anymore. So in my hunt for a decent quality psu that will do the job at a decent price, I've seen so many psu's out there that it's hard to know which ones to buy. Anyway, I'd like to respond to a few comments:

Hmmm is it safe to be pulling any kind of power plugs from anything while the PC is running? Minus case fans of course?

Sorry I gave that impression. I'd never pull power plugs while the PC is on, especially the video card - too risky!! What I should have said was I turned the PC off (unplugged psu and waited for system to discharge) and unplugged the power connector from the video card. I'd read somewhere that the card would run but only in 2D mode and sure enough it did.

Any ideas on this powersupply? Rosewill is Neweggs house brand not sure who makes it but the reviews are all good and seems to have good raitings on it's rails.... Rosewill 550W Black Mirror Power Supply with 1 x 120mm UV Blue LED Fan, Model "RP550" -RETAIL

Yes, this is another one I looked at. The rails on this thing look awesome: +3.3V@30A, +5V@50A, +12V@35A. So can anybody tell me if amp-ratings are a good indicator of performance?

Don't buy a power supply just because you think it's pretty, cause that's what I see as being your main concern judging from the 2 supplies you're considering. Buy something that works.

Yes, you're correct that looks are important to me. I know not everybody likes LEDs and stuff, but for whatever reason I like windowed cases and all the lights I can stick in there. And, by the way, in case you're wondering I'm not a kid (not going to say how old because I'd rather not think about it!). Anyway, yes looks are important but something that works is more important. It would be nice to have both!

And you.... like a lot of people here... seem to think a power supply can't be pretty AND work.

Exactly my point.

Well, one thing I've learned in all this is that anything less than $75 or so is not something most of the folks here on the forums would bother with, and even $75 is pushing it! In my world a $50, or even $25, difference is a big difference. I'm not even considering one of those $10 600w supplies on eBay, so don't worry about that. I'm willing to take a risk on a $50-$70 supply and you all have given me some input on what to look for which I appreciated. Any more input would be great (especially on the rail amps question I have above). RB

 

[jonnyGURU]

+5V@50A, +12V@35A is pretty substantial.

Also, you're using a Barton. Most Barton boards use boards that regulate CPU power from the 5V rail. Does your motherboard have a 12V connector? If not... Don't worry about it so much. Most power supplies today > 300W have enough amperage on the 5V for your CPU, leaving you with plenty of juice on the 12V for your 6600GT.

If your motherboard doesn't have a 12V connector, you might want to go ahead and try the 6600GT without upgrading the PSU. You might find it works fine. 😉

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: rocketbubba

Well, one thing I've learned in all this is that anything less than $75 or so is not something most of the folks here on the forums would bother with, and even $75 is pushing it!

I wouldn't say that. I've been a computer tech for years and I "only" have one of these:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373009

Sometimes it's a matter of finding the right item at the right price. The PSU linked above normally retails for $119, has 29A on the 12V, 28A on the 5V and 28A on the 3.3V. Well made, fairly quiet. Weighs a ton. Actually has TWO PCB's that the components are divided up across and the housing is actually slightly oversized (I don't think you can squeeze more inside a PSU housing.)

ZipZoomFly has a killer price on these at $44.99 and free 2-day air to land it to boot, so it's a hard deal to refuse. I thought it was a typo because every one else sells these for $100, but they've had this price for over a month. My COST on these is actually $90, so I just bought mine from ZZF insead of going through the normal wholesale channels that I use (sorry SED and Bell Micro!)

Of course, some people here don't like it because it has blue LED fans and UV reactive windows on the sides... too gaudy to be a decent PSU. 😉 <sarcasm>Probably made by Powmax.</sarcasm>

 

[WPFossil]

I've got a high-end Thermaltake PS with two cooling fans. Works for me.

🙂

 

[Sniper82]

If looks are important I would save another $19 and buy this:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=100176

Its hands down(IMO) the best looking power supply thats not acually junk. I think Aspire and Rosewill looks awsome but are very ify brands.

 

[rocketbubba]

Thanks again for the input.

If your motherboard doesn't have a 12V connector, you might want to go ahead and try the 6600GT without upgrading the PSU. You might find it works fine.

Yes, my MSI nForce2 Ultra 400 mobo has a 12v connector. I guess I didn't state it clearly enough, but I did try the 6600GT and that when the power problems started. By the way, I didn't mention in before but under load my current "480w" psu started making a "clicking" noise and my system started having random freezing and startup problems.

I wouldn't say that. I've been a computer tech for years and I "only" have one of these: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373009

That looks great! I'll have to check that one out. Thanks.

Of course, some people here don't like it because it has blue LED fans and UV reactive windows on the sides... too gaudy to be a decent PSU. <sarcasm>Probably made by Powmax.</sarcasm>

I probably shouldn't admit this, but the psu I have now is a Powmax "Demon." I've used it for over a year now with no problems until I really pushed it. After I unplugged a few things (extra HDD, etc.) things are stable again. I'm looking for a psu that will let me plug everything back in again!

I've got a high-end Thermaltake PS with two cooling fans. Works for me.

I've looked at those too. They look good and people seem to like them, but the rails seem a little bit low - 18a on the 12v rail - is that a concern?

And thanks for that OCZ link - I'll check that one out too.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: rocketbubba

I probably shouldn't admit this, but the psu I have now is a Powmax "Demon." I've used it for over a year now with no problems until I really pushed it. After I unplugged a few things (extra HDD, etc.) things are stable again. I'm looking for a psu that will let me plug everything back in again!

You're right. You shouldn't have admitted that. 😛 Forget what I said. Don't even think about plugging a 6600 into that. 😛 That clicking noise you heard WAS the PSU overloading. I hooked my Halogen Hellcat into a Demon "580W" and it started clicking after only four 30W light bulbs were lit up on it.