What PSU should I buy?

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tuffgong

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
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I'm running a P4 2.4 ghz on a Via P4PB400-FL board, a Radeon 9800 Pro, a Gig of Corsair VS RAM, 2 hard drives and 2 opticals as well as a floppy.

currenlty using the antec 350 watt PSU that came with my case, but I need to buy a PSU for an old system and figured I might as well get one for myself and use the Antec on the older one.

I don't overclock whatsoever, but I want something that won't be the bare minimum needed.

My question is what should I go with? I want a good brand name but wondering if I can get one for under $50.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
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I would avoid Rosewill at all costs.

The fortron wouldn't be much of an improvement over the one you have, but the Seasonic gives you 4 more amps (48w) on the 12v rail.
 
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tuffgong

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Jan 20, 2005
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Cool...a little outta my price range but I did like it when I looked at it. Do prices on PSU's go down any or are they like RAM (barely move)?

I'm thinking about buying a new case anyway. Are the PSU's in those any good? I know Antec's usually are, but I'm not up to date on those things.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
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RAM prices are actually quite chaotic.

PSU prices are pretty stable. And that seasonic is worth every penny of the extra $20.
 
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imverygifted

Golden Member
Dec 22, 2004
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PSU prices dont really go down, its just newer supplies come out for the same old price and old ones get off shelves. go w/ an antec case if you have the money the sonata comes w/ a 380 watt power supply that includes sata cables very good case too
 
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tuffgong

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
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The Sonato looks nice. I already have a black NEC DVD-RW Drive that would look pretty darn good in there....now to find a coupon I can use at the local electronics store...

They sell them at staples...I'll try to find one of those printables. I saw online for $100 with Free FedEx Shipping.
 
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WobbleWobble

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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I like this Sparkle model for cheaper but quality PSUs - Sparkle 300W 120mm fan. I believe it's also a rebadged Forton which is a good brand. It's also quiet to boot. I powered a similar rig, but AMD with the one I had before.
 
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Arcanedeath

Platinum Member
Jan 29, 2000
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You can prolly find an Antec SL350 for fairly cheap, the newer version of this power supply is pretty nice. w/ 21A on the 12V rail.
 
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wisdomtooth

Golden Member
Dec 21, 2004
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Add another vote for the Seasonic Super Tornado 350. It's quiet, it's enough for the OP's P4 configuration, it's power efficient, and it vents well-- Helps keep case temps down.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
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I gave you the perfect choice already.

Either get the Sonata case or get the Seasonic...
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
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Here's a secret.

Watts don't mean shite!

The amp difference on the 12v rail (the most important one nowadays) is 1 amp... and you lose active PFC and it has 2 80mm fans so it would be far noisier and not deal with heat as well.

:p
 
jonnyGURU

jonnyGURU

Moderator <BR> Power Supplies
Moderator
Oct 30, 1999
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Originally posted by: ribbon13
Here's a secret.

Watts don't mean shite!

The amp difference on the 12v rail (the most important one nowadays) is 1 amp... and you lose active PFC and it has 2 80mm fans so it would be far noisier and not deal with heat as well.

:p
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

Look at the 12V rail first, then 5V and then 3.3V.

I've seen a lot of "high wattage" power supplies with low 3.3V, 5V and 12V simply because they have more on the -5, -12 and 5VSB which aren't really important places to have amperage available (I guess it's cheaper to make the PSU's if the voltages are regulated more evenly across the board.)

Also, a lot of PSU's are tested to "maximum wattage" under extremely artificial environemts. Maximum wattage can be obtained by only putting 20% load on another + rail in a room roughtly the same temperature as your refrigerator.

FSP would be the better choice for you.

Actually, I've got an used FSP300-60BTV here I'll sell you for $20 shipped. It's not as nice as the one above as it's passive PFC and just has the one 80MM fan, but you're welcome to PM me if you're interested. It was running an XP 1900+ with 1GB of RAM, 5200 video card and two optical drives with no issue. Just swapped it out when I moved my wife over to a window case and wanted something a little flashier looking.
 
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tuffgong

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
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well well...looks like it's either a Sonata or a Seasonic PSU. I'm convinced that Seassonic is the way to go unless I need the case.
 
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