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"active PFC" thaaat important?

B

bluefire7

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Messages
115
i'm in the process of building the rig in my sig, and after doing a lot of research, i figure the enermax noisetaker 470W would suit my needs. then someone suggested the thermaltake xaser 480W since it's got active PFC but no dual 12V rail. i'm a nub so i don't know much bout PFC, but is it worth it to go with the thermaltake since it's got that feature? the enermax has 80% efficiency already according to 1 review... :confused:

enermax noisetaker 470W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-446&depa=0

Thermaltake xaser 480W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-010&depa=0

leaning towards the enermax..
 
not really, it nice but in comparision to load regulation or more amps or dual rails
I wouldnt dump the Enermax for that

PFC Decoded

note that Noisetaker you linked is a single rail ATX12V v1.3
not the 485 ATX12V v2.0
 
this guy says it's 2 rails. i think he's reviewing the 1.3

"Separate 12V rails:Independent 12V rails supply to MB/CPU and drives in order to provide stable and clean current to noise-sensitive devices, such as: CPU, add-on cards.Meet UL 240VA safety requirements"

http://www.bit-tech.net/review/292/

aaargh.. you're sending me back to the drawing board! lolz
 
bluefire7 said:
i'm in the process of building the rig in my sig, and after doing a lot of research, i figure the enermax noisetaker 470W would suit my needs. then someone suggested the thermaltake xaser 480W since it's got active PFC but no dual 12V rail. i'm a nub so i don't know much bout PFC, but is it worth it to go with the thermaltake since it's got that feature? the enermax has 80% efficiency already according to 1 review... :confused:

enermax noisetaker 470W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-446&depa=0

Thermaltake xaser 480W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-010&depa=0

leaning towards the enermax..
Click to expand...

I honestly do not think it is needed. In your home no. In a office building with hundreds of PCs yes. PFC only affects the line side of the power supply btw.

Trung
 
bluefire7 said:
i'm in the process of building the rig in my sig, and after doing a lot of research, i figure the enermax noisetaker 470W would suit my needs. then someone suggested the thermaltake xaser 480W since it's got active PFC but no dual 12V rail. i'm a nub so i don't know much bout PFC, but is it worth it to go with the thermaltake since it's got that feature? the enermax has 80% efficiency already according to 1 review... :confused:

enermax noisetaker 470W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-446&depa=0

Thermaltake xaser 480W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-010&depa=0

leaning towards the enermax..
Click to expand...

Simple answer. Active PFC saves you money in the long run, BUT the thermaltake xaser 480 does not have enough amperage on the 12V rail to run the rig you are building with any kind of overclock, if at all.
 
I'd think the amps on the 12v rail of the 470 noisetaker would be too low for an OC'd A64 rig.
 
Kain said:
I'd think the amps on the 12v rail of the 470 noisetaker would be too low for an OC'd A64 rig.
Click to expand...


Oh, yeah, good point. 16A on the enermax, 18 A on the thermaltake, though I'd be stunned if the enermax didn't produce more in a test. However, yeah, neither is exactly heartwarming. My old ATX 1.3 480 Watt PSU produces 28 A on the 12 V rail (claimed). Look for something with higher rails. The suggestion you will get is the Fortron Blue Storm, which is ATX 2.0 compliant. Looks nice. I love my PSU, but can't report much about it's merits other than that it OCs the setup you are buying like a charm, and is dead silent (tagan 480 Watt, sleeved by performance-pcs.com).
 
icic. so any negatives on the blue storm? i had my heart set on an enermax, but i don't wanna exceed my budget.. i fell into the trap of spending too much on my other components and not enough on the PSU like 90% of the computer-building population.. :(
 
bluefire7 said:
icic. so any negatives on the blue storm? i had my heart set on an enermax, but i don't wanna exceed my budget.. i fell into the trap of spending too much on my other components and not enough on the PSU like 90% of the computer-building population.. :(
Click to expand...

The Blue Storm is from a well liked, reliable company, and appears to be well specced. But, it is new, and not many people have one. That's the only major drawback I see.
 
though mike at spcr reported that as a v1.3
it is infact a v2.0 with a 20 pin connector ;)

the Fortron Blue Storm is a good choice for an entry level ATX12V v2.0
 
after more hours of research, i think i may have finally found an ideal psu.

OCZ Power Stream 470
here's mike's review on spcr if you haven't seen it already
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article173-page1.html

it looks pretty solid to me.. having easily adjustable rails and a 5 year warranty is nice too. though it doesn't have dual rails, methinks 33A on the 12V is quite enough.

http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q4/psus/index.x?pg=1

the above site reviewed 8 PSU's where the high-end powerstream was one of the best performers. i know that's no way to judge the 2nd best in the powerstream line, but after all the positive reviews, i'm pretty confident in this one.

any thoughts to give me second thoughts? ;)
 
Active PFC saves you money in the long run

How does it save money when the computer is used in a residence rather than in a business establishment? In NA the power companies charge only for real power, not apparent power, and Mike C at www.silentpcreview.com said that PFC actually reduces eficiency a few percent, and I believe that he even has a review that compares this with PSUs that differ only in that one has APFC and the other has no PFC.
 
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