Waste of money for another 70watts?

[Sniper82]

I can save $35(same site) by going with the 450watt version OCZ Modstream instead of the 520watt. The 520 has 28a on the 12v and the 450 has 26a. Would it be worth the price difference going to the 520watt? I plan on using it for as many upgrades as possible on down the road. Getting a GF4,3000+ and 6600GT soon.

 

[Sniper82]

opinions? Better off putting the extra toward something else(DVD burner/ more modding stuff)?

 

[kindest]

i have the ocz modestream 520.. its real nice.



450 is plenty for a hefty system even in sli mode i would imagine.

dual core thats another story.

 

[Waylay00]

Go with the 450w. Plenty enough. You'll love it.

 

[Sniper82]

Originally posted by: Waylay00
Go with the 450w. Plenty enough. You'll love it.

Think it will last at least 2 years or longer as far as being able to run future upgrades? I don't want to have to spend another $100+ or so in a year for a PSU.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Unless you want to eventually run 2 6800gts or ultras the 450 will be fine, it should last a long time.

 

[CraigRT]

450W

 

[mrscintilla]

first of all, ocz brand is already a waste of $ compared to the relatively cheaper Enermax, Antec, etc.., on top of that you should ask whether given that you are already wasting $, why not waste just a little more to be a little futureproof.

 

[Sniper82]

Originally posted by: mrscintilla
first of all, ocz brand is already a waste of $ compared to the relatively cheaper Enermax, Antec, etc.., on top of that you should ask whether given that you are already wasting $, why not waste just a little more to be a little futureproof.

Have you had any experience with OCZ power supplies? The Powerstream line seems to be popular. Are they really crap?

 

[mrscintilla]

no, not crap, just overpriced.

 

[Sniper82]

$82 shipped(450watt version) sounds very reasonable to me?

 

[mrscintilla]

that is reasonable. I thought they went > $100. So, go for it. 26A is prob. enough. My eneramax has 33A, and 465W (24-pin version) was about $88.
Compared to OCZ, OCZ has bigger heatsinks. But enermax has been good to me in the past.

 

[Sniper82]

hmmm what model is that enermax? Got a link?

 

[hundesau]

id prefer this from enermax: Enermax EG 425AX-VE(G) SFMA "Noisetaker".

And let me add this: i cant understand what so many people in this forum need a PSU with 500+Watt and more than 30Ampere on each rail for?? Crazy. Its not like with CPU`s where more MHz is always better. 20+Ampere on the +5V and 20+Ampere on the +12V rail is enugh and even for SLI u never need more than 420Watt PSU. Everything else is a burn of cash and energy for a good feeling or whatever.

 

[Sniper82]

Well I would like to stick with a Modular PSU. So its either the OCZ or Antec. I want something reliable. Even though the OCZ looks awsome I know that Antec is a good brand. The Antec costs $110 shipped though. But not all brands are flawless. All are gonna have some that die.

I've never had this hard time choosing PC stuff before. I also have never paid this much for a PSU so I am trying to make the right decision.

 

[mrscintilla]

The enermax was bought last week from monarchcomputer eg465p-ve-24pin. very very quiet even with two fans running.

 

[mrscintilla]

Originally posted by: hundesau
id prefer this from enermax: Enermax EG 425AX-VE(G) SFMA "Noisetaker".

And let me add this: i cant understand what so many people in this forum need a PSU with 500+Watt and more than 30Ampere on each rail for?? Crazy. Its not like with CPU`s where more MHz is always better. 20+Ampere on the +5V and 20+Ampere on the +12V rail is enugh and even for SLI u never need more than 420Watt PSU. Everything else is a burn of cash and energy for a good feeling or whatever.

First, more watts don't mean you will actually use the watts. So no more energy will be burned.
Second, power supply units run better (more efficient and stable) when the load is within 40-70% (forgot the exact number) of its rated max. So, having a larger rating gives it more comfort room.
Third, the larger watts are not necessary for today's machines, true. But it'll be future-proof, especially considering they are only a little more in price.

 

[Waylay00]

Stick with the OCZ,

 

[kindest]

Originally posted by: mrscintilla

Originally posted by: hundesau
id prefer this from enermax: Enermax EG 425AX-VE(G) SFMA "Noisetaker".

And let me add this: i cant understand what so many people in this forum need a PSU with 500+Watt and more than 30Ampere on each rail for?? Crazy. Its not like with CPU`s where more MHz is always better. 20+Ampere on the +5V and 20+Ampere on the +12V rail is enugh and even for SLI u never need more than 420Watt PSU. Everything else is a burn of cash and energy for a good feeling or whatever.

First, more watts don't mean you will actually use the watts. So no more energy will be burned.
Second, power supply units run better (more efficient and stable) when the load is within 40-70% (forgot the exact number) of its rated max. So, having a larger rating gives it more comfort room.
Third, the larger watts are not necessary for today's machines, true. But it'll be future-proof, especially considering they are only a little more in price.

well said.

 

[hundesau]

1. "power supply units run better (more efficient and stable) when the load is within 40-70% (forgot the exact number) of its rated max." Thats totally right, but with a 500+Watt PSU u wont ever reach the 60%, normally it should run about 30-40% (unless u running2x6800Ultras). If the input-output relation is inefficient at the <50% range then u gonna use more energy, then u would with a 350+ or 400+Watt PSU. U pay for the extra room when u dont use it in that case. This changes, i agree, when u want to run anything better than 2x6600gts. When u want a SLI system of 2 GeForce 6800 Ultras u need at least a 450Watt PSU. Will i ever buy 2 of these monsters? Maybe, but when iam sure iam not, why buy a new PSU? For the case i win a lottery?
2. using the term future-proof related to the comupter area is like using it in the area of politics or the Dow Jones. Didnt run and buy a new PSU when the DVD burners been released, nor when gforce 4 or radeon 98pro came, should i have bought a 500Watt PSU two years ago, so that today i was able to run SLI with Ultras? Not really. I ran a pentium 4 with 6800Le@6800 with a 250Watt PSU. So , dont get me wrong, I dont want to say: "Never buy a new PSU, or buy a cheap PSU when u have expensive hardwares" My points is: If u dont need it why spend extra cash? U cant say what will be needed in 2 years, maybe thee will be new connectors like the 4pin Connector the INtel P4 has, or other standards and there u go, buy a new PSU with 1000+Watt AND the new Connector.

 

[Sniper82]

will the 450 handle a o/ced 3000+ no problem?

 

[sxr7171]

I have read that the OCZ Powerstream PSUs perform very well, but these new Modstreams are cheaper for the same (or similar) wattage. Does anyone suspect that these are lower end PSUs than the Powerstream, which is what OCZ's reputation in PSUs is built on? I really prefer the Modstream models for the 120mm fan (quieter) and the modular cable feature, but does its performance match the Powerstream PSUs?

 

[zakee00]

abesolutely no problem. look at my rig if you want proof.