Power supply questions

[Northwings]

Hello I'm looking to get an x-connect power supply, but I'm not sure 500 watts is enough to power my 2 fans, nzxt temp monitor, and 3 drives, are there any good 600 watt hard drives that use that same kind of wiring technique ? I like how it's so clean and organized.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

dont get x-connect, and post your system specs and budget so there can be more specific recommendations coming ahead.

 

[Northwings]

combo fr msi mother board
3.4 prescot 64 bit pentium 4
Bout to buy 7800 gtx oc
nzxt nemesis elite case with temp monitor 3 system fans
Vantec expansion slot fan used tocool the graphics card
1 gig pc 4200 ramm.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

hope you didnt buy the cpu and mobo, yet.

 

[Northwings]

Well the comp is done, that's all the specs sep the 7800.

 

[KoolDrew]

Are you overclocking?

 

[Northwings]

Dynamicly just 3%, I plan on overclocking the graphics card, I wouldn't like to go ber 80 really. But if it's ag ood deal I'll go for it.

 

[Northwings]

No one ?

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

400W is fine. 500W is overkill. 600W is insane.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
400W is fine. 500W is overkill. 600W is insane.

Wattage is not something to solely base your purchasing decision on. The amperage on the rails, mainly the +12v, is far more important. You also want to stick with a brand name (OCZ, Enermax, PCP&C, Seasonic, Antec, etc.) that has a good track record of offering quality psu's and has a solid warranty to back it up.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
400W is fine. 500W is overkill. 600W is insane.

Wattage is not something to solely base your purchasing decision on. The amperage on the rails, mainly the +12v, is far more important. You also want to stick with a brand name (OCZ, Enermax, PCP&C, Seasonic, Antec, etc.) that has a good track record of offering quality psu's and has a solid warranty to back it up.

:thumbsup:

 

[Northwings]

So what's a good one for around 600 watts ? cheapest best one ?

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
400W is fine. 500W is overkill. 600W is insane.

Wattage is not something to solely base your purchasing decision on. The amperage on the rails, mainly the +12v, is far more important.

That is true, but since he asked about wattage, I gave him an answer.

You also want to stick with a brand name (OCZ, Enermax, PCP&C, Seasonic, Antec, etc.) that has a good track record of offering quality psu's and has a solid warranty to back it up.

I remain unconvinced that a brand name PSU is wise for building a PC. I have seen no data showing no-name PSUs put systems at risk, or cause instability. And if you don't spend more than $20 or $30, a warranty seems rather pointless.

 

[dafuzzbudd]

why would any normal person want a 600 psu?
im sure you would never need over 400 for common components

 

[Aquila76]

FWIW, Tom's Hardware did a PSU Stress Test a little while ago. They actually stressed the PSU's by increasing the drain on the PSU to it's listed max and monitoring for fluctuaion, ripple, heat, etc. Most review sites have like two hard drives and a couple DVD/CD's or something and proclaim the PSU a 'solid performer' during a couple loops of Prime95 or something weak like that. At least THG really put the hurt on the PSU and it shows. Always take THG tests with a grain of salt though, they tend to be biased towards certain vendors.

You might like the PSU I'm running as it should run your setup just fine: Enermax EG495P-VE

 

[John]

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
That is true, but since he asked about wattage, I gave him an answer.

Unfortunately your answer was very vague and wasn't even beneficial. NEF

I remain unconvinced that a brand name PSU is wise for building a PC. I have seen no data showing no-name PSUs put systems at risk, or cause instability. And if you don't spend more than $20 or $30, a warranty seems rather pointless.

I build and repair system for a living, and I've used hundreds of generic $10 "480 watt" psu's (Echo Star, A Power) that work fine in a lot systems. Most of these el-cheapo psu's have weak rails and inflated wattages. Those companies are taking their measurements at a low temp, and when the temp increases the psu produces less power. For low end systems or run-of-the mill OEM builds they are fine. When you use the el-cheapo psu's in a build with cutting edge components you're bound to run into stability issues or a system that won't even POST.

A very large percentage of the people on this forum are enthusiasts and build their own systems. A quick view of your sig shows you to be in the minority.

A psu is one of the most overlooked components since most people seem to think that as long as it powers up the system it must be ok. I've seen several el-cheapo psu's pop and take a few components with them. So if it makes you feel better by using a generic POS psu by all means continue doing so. However please keep in mind that most of your NF4 mainboards and SLI configs require a beefy +12v rail, and there is a slim chance that an el-cheapo psu is going to cut the mustard. As an example DFI will not support you on their Ultra/SLI mainboards unless you have a 24-pin 480w (or better) psu.

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10854

 

[tdrez72]

Hey everyone, I have a question regarding which PSU I should get.

Here are my system specs as of the moment

A8N-SLI Premium
AMD FX-55
2 Asus 7800GTX Graphics Cards (SLI)
4GB Ram
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Limited Edition
SATA Seagate 200GB HD
802.11 Wireless G NIC
Mad Dog CD-RW 52-32-52
Plextor PX-716AL DVD-R

Now I was either debating between the OCZ Powerstream 520W or the Powerstream 600W. What do you guys think?

Thanks for your help

 

[John]

tdrez72, either one will work fine. However please read this thread.

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10854

 

[Aquila76]

Originally posted by: tdrez72
Hey everyone, I have a question regarding which PSU I should get.

Here are my system specs as of the moment

A8N-SLI Premium
AMD FX-55
2 Asus 7800GTX Graphics Cards (SLI)
4GB Ram
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Limited Edition
SATA Seagate 200GB HD
802.11 Wireless G NIC
Mad Dog CD-RW 52-32-52
Plextor PX-716AL DVD-R

Now I was either debating between the OCZ Powerstream 520W or the Powerstream 600W. What do you guys think?

Thanks for your help

I'm a little leary of the OCZ's. I've seen a couple tests where they have some odd fluctuations on the various voltage lines. The +12V seem solid, but the 3.3 and 5V (which are used by mobo and mem controllers, etc.) can fluctuate out of spec under load. Sometimes they just shut off/refuse to boot. I recommend Enermax or Seasonic when asked.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Well, after having a 9 page thread on what PSU to get, and spending a week of just reviewing, ill help contribute



Northwings and tdrez72, you absolutely, positively dont need a 600w PSU. You dont, none at all, end of discussion.
I was thinking of getting a Seasonic 600W SLI psu, and after trying to justify it by saying i might one day run dual 7800GTX's and 4 sata drives (with crap loads of other stuff), i still found that 500W or so is more (again, MORE) then enough for even a set up like that

so, on that note, 600W is useless, pointless, needless, dont get it, dont do it, stop asking about it


Also, a few good ones i can reccomend for $130 and less is the Seasonic 500W S12, Enermax Noisetaker 485W, Antec TruePowerII (any wattage), ePower Tagan 480W, Fortron Bluestorm 500W.

Pick from any of those and you wont be dissapointed.

If you need to go modular (ie, like a OCZ Modstream) get a Antec Neopower over anything else.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT GET A X-CONNECT unless you want to play russion roulet with your system (these have been known to fry systems, as some are good and some are really bad).
Again, stay away from the X-CONNECT's, at least get a OCZ at minimum.


So, quick recap, 600W is useless, 400W - 500W is perfect

Ultra X-Connect is the devil, stay away

Get a Seasonic, Enermax, Antec, Tagan (ePower) or a Fortron over anything else. PERIOD.

600W is useless.

 

[Northwings]

Is coolmax a bad brand ?

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: Northwings
Is coolmax a bad brand ?

yes


Like i said, stick with Enermax, Antec, CoolerMaster, Seasonic, Fortron or PC Power and Cooling

 

[Northwings]

Alright thanks alot for the help.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

here, any of these will be more then enough for you


SEASONIC S12-500

ENERMAX Whisper II 460W

ENERMAX Noisetaker 485W

Antec NeoPower ATX 480W This one is modular

ePOWER Tagan TG-480-U22 ATX 480W

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500

Antec TRUEPOWERII 480W

SEASONIC Super Silencer 460W

ENERMAX Noisetaker 485W

ZIPPY 500W

OCZ ModStream 520W And this one is modular

 

[NetZeroZeus]

Maybe if you get a quad Opteron setup with 2 7800GTX's in SLI and 4 SCSI 15k Seagate Cheetah's, then you might need 600watts, I would be scared of such a computer though....