Sparkle Power 550W - (FSP550-60PLG) --Connector, noise, recommendation?

SirRob

Member
Jun 15, 2003
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I am thinking of getting this PSU since my last 520W PSU just died after a few years of use. I have an Abit NF7-S, Radeon 9200, four hard drives, four optical drives, Audigy 2 Platinum, 5 case fans, about 6 USB devices, 512mb Corsair, Athlon XP 2500@3200, and all of the normal stuff like floppy drives and such.

--Question 1:
I understand that the connector is the 24+8-pin cable and that it may come with a 20+4-pin cable. Is that one single 24-pin connector or a 20-pin connector with a separate four-pin connector? If it is 24, I will have to find a 24 to 20-pin adapter, as the 24-pin cable will not fit in the NF7-S.

--Question 2:
How loud is this unit? My fans are pretty quiet and I do not want to add any significant noise.

--Question 3:
I have found the FSP550-60PLG on Newegg and the FSP550-60PLN on Directron. What is the difference between these two units?

http://www.fsp-group.com.tw/en...&factorname=EPS12V

http://www.fsp-group.com.tw/en...&factorname=EPS12V

--Question 4:
Does it matter that it does not have separate 12v rails?

--Question 5:
Any other recommendations for PSU?s besides this one?

Thanks for the help!
 

Painman

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2000
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1. These PSUs come with a 24 pin plug. You'll need an adapter. From reading some customer reviews it sounds like they come with adapters. Double check.

2. The fans in the PSUs appear to be Nidec. They're a huge OEM of HDD spindle motors and fans. They make very reliable fans, some are quiet, some are not, I'd guess that a fan spec'd for no-nonsense 550W PSUs like these isn't going to be the most quiet. I don't see noise control in the feature list. Look for some user comments/reviews.

3. Only difference I see between the two is the +12v rail config - dual 18s on the PLN or single 36 on the PLG. I'd rather have the single 36A rail so nothing gets shortchanged.

4. See answer to 3.

5. Fortron/Sparkle makes solid, No B.S. PSUs. They aren't fancy, but good value for the $. See also Enermax, PCP&C, OCZ, Zippy/Emacs, Seasonic. Do a search on the forums, there are tons of PSU threads here.
 

SirRob

Member
Jun 15, 2003
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I guess the most important question is the noise factor as I will just order an adapter if I do no hear from anyone.
 

SirRob

Member
Jun 15, 2003
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Does anyone know how loud this unit is?

Why doesn't this unit qualify for ATX 2.0?

Does everyone agree that it is better to have one huge 12v rail?
 

BentValve

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 2001
4,190
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You probably already chose a PSU by now but just FYI, the FSP550-60PLG is very quiet in my book, I can hear my Zalman 7000A over it.

Its about as loud as a standard 80MM fan, perhaps on the quiet side if anything.


 

JaceAce32

Senior member
Jan 8, 2005
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instead of creating a new posts, would this psu support my sig. I'm planning on getting a bfg 6800gt pcie which needs 2 molex, and was thinking about going sata, so would this psu be better than a vantec-520a?
 

Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
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I can't imagine a system that can fit into one normal mid-tower case would ever really tax this Fortron or the Zippy 460 - very similar PSUs. The reason this and the Zippys don't meet ATX 2.0 is that it specifies split +12 rails for safety reasons. Fortron and zippy prefer the flexibility of a single rail over safety. The kind of Amps these bad boys can put out on the +12 rail can be lethal under certain circumstances.
. Be careful out there!

.bh.

:moon:
 

slpaulson

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2000
4,412
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It's probably pretty quiet.
I think this is the same ps, and considering they are selling it there, it must be pretty quiet.