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SmartPower vs NeoPower

H

HGC

Senior member
After reading threads here and various guides on the internet, I've narrowed my search down to these two Antec 500W power supplies.

Question 1: Will the higher efficiency of the Neo really translate into lower electricity bills in the US? I have two PCs running 24/7 so the extra $30 for the Neo would be worth it to me if that's true.

Question 2: Is the new SmartPower 2 more audible than the Neo? My two computers are within a couple of feet of my head and I'm sensitive to noise.


Thanks very much! I'm on a budget and greatly appreciate help in getting the best value here.
 
IIRC the neo is built by Seasonic which is good. Whoever makes the smartpower though uses el cheapo caps and can cause the PSU to die prematurely. However there are alot of people who have smartpowers and trupowers and have no trouble but then again there are those that have had trouble. I never have had any with antec PSUs yet *knock on wood*

If I were you, I'd get the NeoHE.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I didn't know the Neos were made by Seasonic, that's a plus.

Any thoughts about efficiency and if it really helps with utility bills?
 
Btw, I'm not much concerned with the reports about bad caps and reliability. With the 3 year warranty (now 5 for the Neo) if I'm one of the unlucky few, I'll just send it back. I figure that all companies have some lemons, you just hear more about the Antecs because they sell so many more units than most PS companies.
 
Originally posted by: HGC
Btw, I'm not much concerned with the reports about bad caps and reliability. With the 3 year warranty (now 5 for the Neo) if I'm one of the unlucky few, I'll just send it back. I figure that all companies have some lemons, you just hear more about the Antecs because they sell so many more units than most PS companies.
Click to expand...

So your main criteria for buying a quality state of the art PSU was the warranty?

If you did as much homework as you say you did..reading articles and all espcially on these and other forums you would be running from the Antec brand...truthfully...

Even though the NEO is supposedly produced by Seasonic the NEO also has issues with CAP`s and such.....just becuase a certain manufacturer makes good PSU`s using there own name such as Seasonic brands PSU`s that does not mean they bring the same quality and workmanship to other PSU`s that they make for other companies.....

When a PSU goes bad many other things can happen that the PSU`s warranty will not cover.

Such as...you could lose your motherboard or a harddrive or worst case scenario your whole system could fry.

What good is a 3 year or 5 year warranty if all you get from Antec is a new PSU and the rest of your system is SOL????

But hey it`s your money and your decision.....good luck!!

One last thing please it is NOT a Seasonics warranty. The NEO`s have a Antec warranty....not all warrantys are created equal!
 
I think CWT makes the NeoPower line, not Seasonic.

Anyway, I agree with JEDIYoda. :Q Had you done more research you'd see that there are units of higher quality and better value out there.
 
Originally posted by: Howard
I think CWT makes the NeoPower line, not Seasonic.

Anyway, I agree with JEDIYoda. :Q Had you done more research you'd see that there are units of higher quality and better value out there.
Click to expand...
I appreciate your input and JediYoda's.

Can you tell me which ones are higher quality and better value?

I spent hours reading forum posts and online articles. I'm aware that there are many posts about bad Antec quality in recent years, but I suspect these numbers reflect the popularity of the Antec brand. That's why I'm not running from Antec.

 
This one is pretty good in my opinion: FORTRON Epsilon 600W ATX, active PFC / P4, EPS / SSI [EPSILON 600] it costs around 150USD.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Rommel.

I was looking at those Antecs because I'm on a strict budget, and I'm also looking for something extremely quiet. I eliminated the Enermaxs and Seasonics due to price, and the Fortrans due to noise.

The NeoHE is a big stretch for me financially, but I thought if the high efficiency really matters maybe it would be cheaper in the long run.

I noticed Enhance on the the list linked by Howard, I'll check those out.
 
The Enhances and Masscools are not as widely availabe it seems. The reviews I've found so far indicate they are reasonably quiet, not super quiet that I am looking for.

I still don't see anything more promising than the two Antecs for value and quietness, assuming my premise is correct that the negative internet talk about Antec reflects the fact that they must sell zillions more units than most of the other vendors. There are horror stories, to be sure, but what are the odds?
 
I've never had an issue with Antecs *knocks on wood* - even with a four year old SmartPower 350W and numerous TruePowers of various ages. From what I've read on this forum Re: Antec PSU's, guess I'm lucky. 🙂

I haven't owned NeoHE's, but from what I've read, I don't think its supposed efficiency is worth banking on. PSU's normally run in the high 70's to mid 80's in efficiency percentage wise, and getting higher than that will require bending some laws of physics. So you're probably talking a few percentage points in efficiency which will equate to a correspondingly miniscule dollars off your electricity bill. The NeoHE's efficiency is probably better than the SmartPower, though. Also, if you're planning on significant upgrades in the future, a NeoHE would be a better investment (unless you want to spring for the more top-tier PSU's).

The Enhance PSU's are well regarded here in the forums - and, from what I can gather - are relatively inexpensive. That would be my alternative suggestion.

PM
 
Thanks for the input pianoMan. What you said about efficiency makes sense. I just read a review of the NeoHE at silentpcreview, and it said though efficient the NeoHE is not much more efficient than others.

I can't find Enhance at most online vendors, though I did find it at eWiz. The reviews there indicate it's not super quiet.

I think I might go for the NeoHE 430. I don't plan on SLI or a super high end video card and things seem to getting less power hungry, not more, as progress marches on, so maybe that will be powerful enough.

 
I pulled the trigger on the NeoHE 430. Got it at eWiz for $75.50 delivered. it was interesting how different prices are if you go through Pricewatch, Froogle, or directly to vendor sites. Pricewatch was best this time.

Thanks to all. I'll start a new thread if this PS incinerates my computer 🙂

 
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