The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

[eplebnista]

The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

 

[Zap]

Results are to be expected. Another good one is the "budget" (in quotes because I wouldn't consider some of those cheap) 400-500W roundup at HardOCP, where several units failed to meet expectations dictated by the label.

 

[eplebnista]

There are some pretty humorous remarks in OW's review that made me :laugh:.

The [ H ] review was also a good read and showed some interesting results too.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: eplebnista
The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

so were you disappointed that they did sao badly??

 

[eplebnista]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: eplebnista
The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

so were you disappointed that they did sao badly??

No. Just made me thankful I never gave into my curiosity and actually used one similar to those in a build.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: eplebnista
The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

The problem with reports like this is it's still using synthetic loads for testing, which are meaningless in the real world. It would have been MUCH more interesting to me if JG had done tests with Q6600s, nVidia 8800s, lots of hard drives, and more. He'd find that a decent 300W unit can easily power all of that and much more. I'd be interested to see how much he could add to an off-brand PSU before it blew - how many drives, how heavily he could OC a Q6600, etc.

So far all I see are charts showing that if he throws enough of a synthetic load against a power supply, eventually it will blow. While I'm sure some science geek finds that interesting, I don't. I want to know what *hardware* (you know, why we buy PSUs) I can throw at it and have it work correctly.

So far most reports say even with nVidia 8800GTS systems and Core2Duo systems, the most wattage most people will use is 300W or so. Anandtech's very own articles clearly state this.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: dclive

Originally posted by: eplebnista
The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup

The problem with reports like this is it's still using synthetic loads for testing, which are meaningless in the real world.

Actually, Wolf's loads are based on actual ATX12V load distribution samples.

Originally posted by: dclive
It would have been MUCH more interesting to me if JG had done tests with Q6600s, nVidia 8800s, lots of hard drives, and more.

Right. Risk the well being of good, expensive computer hardware to crappy PSU's that tend to blow up.

Originally posted by: dclive
He'd find that a decent 300W unit can easily power all of that and much more.

Nope. Not that naive. I had built a number of systems for Ultra for LAN parties, shows like CES, etc. and when you do have a quad core or quad FX and a pair of 8800GTX or 8800 Ultra cards, you find that they DON'T work with even a decent 300W. I've tried to discuss this here but people think I'm making that up. Since I'm not amused with arguing with children, I try not to discuss it, but I've found that a quad FX with a pair of GTX's doesn't even boot into Windows with less than a 700W and a Core 2 Duo Extreme with a pair of Ultra's don't even boot up with anything less than a 500W and I managed to kill a previously functioning 520W after running it for two months in a box with a pair of X1950XTX cards in an unusually hot environment (ambients inside the case reaching 45 to 50C.)

Originally posted by: dclive
I'd be interested to see how much he could add to an off-brand PSU before it blew - how many drives, how heavily he could OC a Q6600, etc.

So far all I see are charts showing that if he throws enough of a synthetic load against a power supply, eventually it will blow. While I'm sure some science geek finds that interesting, I don't. I want to know what *hardware* (you know, why we buy PSUs) I can throw at it and have it work correctly.

So far most reports say even with nVidia 8800GTS systems and Core2Duo systems, the most wattage most people will use is 300W or so. Anandtech's very own articles clearly state this.

Because people are using simple devices that measure average power usage and neglect to measure sudden spikes in power consumption. They also neglect to take into consideration the de-rating curve and the effect long term exposure to high temperatures have on a power supply even if said power supply comes with "105C capacitors" (like it's going to be a cap that blows when a PSU overheats... not.)

 

[CrystalBay]

O Wolf is a very entertaining writer...

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: dclive
The problem with reports like this is it's still using synthetic loads for testing, which are meaningless in the real world.

The problem with numbers that are meaningless in the real world is that some power supply companies outright lie^H^H^H^H er, use meaningless numbers on the label of their power supply.

Seriously though, YES you are right in that in the real world most people buy more power supply than they need, plus people are using power supplies with real systems, not just on synthetic loads.

However, isn't it also important to know if a power supply puts out the 500W (or whatever) that it claims to put out and you are paying for? Imagine that you have a system that really only draws 300W. Would you:

A) Buy a power supply that reviewer #1 finds perfectly capable of powering a computer that's just like yours and reviewer #2 finds that it is able to handle a synthetic load of 500W at 50ºC for some length of time.

B) Buy a power supply that reviewer #1 finds perfectly capable of powering a computer that's just like yours but reviewer #2 finds out that when trying to synthetically load with more than 300W it will literally blow up.

I, for one, would like to buy power supplies that can handle, synthetically or not, the wattage which the label on the power supply claims it can do. The problem with just using a computer is that you don't know exactly how many watts it is drawing at any given time. At least with a synthetic load you can test whether the power supply can handle what the manufacturer claims on the label.

Anything less and the manufacturer is lying to you.

Let's use some analogies.

Most people don't need more than 100 horsepower in a car. With 100 horsepower you can get to where you are going with your buddies and a trunk full of stuff. Well, what if a car manufacturer advertised a 170 horsepower car which only puts out 100 horsepower, and sold it for the price of a 170 horsepower car? Would you buy that car based on a review that said "yes, this car runs fine and can carry you, your buddies and your gear to your destination" yet another review said "we put the car on a dyno and it only put out 100 horsepower."

Most people don't need a 48 ounce fountain soda to quench their thirst. Would you be happy paying the cost for a 48 ounce soda and only receiving 32 ounces? What if a reviewer said "well, I tested this drink by seeing if it will quench my thirst, and indeed it does" while a second reviewer said "I measured the content of this drink using measuring cups and it measured out to be only 32 ounces."

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Crap like that is why I'm telling a friend to spend $85 on an Enermax 485w PSU and hold off on a video card and use the integrated X1250 video on the mobo he's getting till he can save up for an 8800GTS or something. At least by getting a good PSU off the bat he'll have more options open to him down the road.

 

[oynaz]

Originally posted by: Dazed and Confused
Crap like that is why I'm telling a friend to spend $85 on an Enermax 485w PSU and hold off on a video card and use the integrated X1250 video on the mobo he's getting till he can save up for an 8800GTS or something. At least by getting a good PSU off the bat he'll have more options open to him down the road.

He does not need 485 watts to power a rig with a single 8800GTS. 350-400 watts should be enough.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: oynaz

Originally posted by: Dazed and Confused
Crap like that is why I'm telling a friend to spend $85 on an Enermax 485w PSU and hold off on a video card and use the integrated X1250 video on the mobo he's getting till he can save up for an 8800GTS or something. At least by getting a good PSU off the bat he'll have more options open to him down the road.

He does not need 485 watts to power a rig with a single 8800GTS. 350-400 watts should be enough.

Why are we knit picking here???
Just to save a few dollars perhaps?
So what happ[ens a year down the road when he needs more amps on the 12v side.....he is screwed? Because he listened to somebody who is knit picking?

I really don`t care if the guy gets a 1,000 watt PSU as long as he has enough amps on the 12 volt rail !!

Sure he might not need......
But there is not a huge difference between 400watts and 480 watts even taking into consideration the amps.

Then again we are not even getting to the build quality of the PSU...which is a different story!!

Peace!!