Before Making a Thread About Buying a PSU....

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Currently I have this PSU:
11-129-140-06.JPG

It came with my Antec 3700BQE Case, I'm going to upgrade to dual 6600GT's as soon as the nForce4's come out so I highly doubt this PSU will be able to handle it. I am close to obsessed with my PC being quiet, but not enough to buy a fanless PSU (too hot, IMO). What is the quietest good PSU that is around 500w (or enough to power SLI)? Thanks
 
how come the blue storm series 500 watt fan is like that? im dunno much about psu's but isn't there suppose to be a fan on one of back sides? why is the fan facing downward and no fan on the back side? would this psu be better then the tagan 480?
 
vapb400 said:
Currently I have this PSU:
11-129-140-06.JPG

It came with my Antec 3700BQE Case, I'm going to upgrade to dual 6600GT's as soon as the nForce4's come out so I highly doubt this PSU will be able to handle it. I am close to obsessed with my PC being quiet, but not enough to buy a fanless PSU (too hot, IMO). What is the quietest good PSU that is around 500w (or enough to power SLI)? Thanks
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Right now I'm not sure really if there is a super quiet psu that will power sli. Your best bet would probably be to go with a zippy or pcp&c and replace the fan....

Or you could go seasonic 460w but it won't run sli in all likelyhood
 
shade said:
how come the blue storm series 500 watt fan is like that? im dunno much about psu's but isn't there suppose to be a fan on one of back sides? why is the fan facing downward and no fan on the back side? would this psu be better then the tagan 480?
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The fan is correct. In fact it is only the lower end psu's that have the fan in the back (there may be an exception or two but usually gimmicks like that are reserved for those that need them to sell their product).

That fan orientation is correct. The circuit board is mounted to the ceiling of the supply, so the giant fan blows directly onto it. Then the rear fan exhausts the hot air.

IT makes sense when you think about it. :)

As for fortron blue storm vs. tagan 480....normally my rule of thumb would be fortron before Tagan (which is in actuality Topower) but in this case I'd say they are about equal, seeing as the fortron 500w is more like the 4xx watt fortrons than the 530w fortron (much beefier heatsinks, fuller interior). Don't get me wrong they are both great psu's but in this case I'd say preference :)

edit: upon review, seeing how the fortron is an ATX12v 2.0 unit I'd go with that, just to have a litte future-proofing (despite the fact that you'll need to upgrade the psu next major go-round of upgrades anyway). This will let you go to a new motherboard and keep the rest of the componets the same if you wish without buying an entire new psu right off the bat.
 
doesn't the blue storm need a exhaust fan tho becuz to my knowledge the only fan they got is a fan that sucks in air.
 
TTGI's are good psu's, you should be fine.

The fortron blue storm is an entry level atx 2.0v psu; I would place it a rung above the 350w forron's, but I believe it is roughly a 4xx watter in reality. I'd still stick with the antec neopower myself in the bling category but for people that want looks with the atx 2.0v spec its not a bad psu by any means.
 
I've got two Thermaltake 480 silent purepowers. are they really rebranded deer shit? are they absolute shit? the amperage and other specifications seem to be reasonable. did i miss something? have i been hornswattled?
 
Wow, what a stupid sticky. The idea that all those power supply brands will eventually "kill" your PC, and that only five or so brands are worth buying from, is quite ridiculous.
 
BossNoodleKaboodle said:
I've got two Thermaltake 480 silent purepowers. are they really rebranded deer shit? are they absolute shit? the amperage and other specifications seem to be reasonable. did i miss something? have i been hornswattled?
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No, they are not deer. They are enlight I believe. I wouldn't power anything high end with them, but they should be fine for your typical axp/p4c and radeon 9800 pro system
 
shockwave85 said:
Wow, what a stupid sticky. The idea that all those power supply brands will eventually "kill" your PC, and that only five or so brands are worth buying from, is quite ridiculous.
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wow, what an unknowledgable person. The idea that all those power supplies WONT eventually kill you're PC, and the idea that there are a lot more than 6 or 7 (not 5) brands that are worth buying from, is quite ridiculous. :rolleyes:

Welcome to the psu forum, you have a LOT to learn.

First lesson; how to count. The method we use to count quantity is based on the Arabic system. You seem to be a bit confused as evidenced by this statement:

only five or so
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I listed the following brands

1. I Fortron
2. II Sparkle
3. III Antec
4. IV Enermax
5. V Zalman
6. VI Tagan
7. VII Zippy
8. VIII Vantec
9. IX PCP&C
10. X OCZ
11. XI Seasonic
12. XII SilenX

I have numbered them using the Arabic numbering system as well as Roman Numerals in case you understand those better. As you can see, starting at the base number of 0 (I did not list a psu numbered 0 as in our system of counting the symbol 0 stands for the quantity of nothing. Absence of quantity if you would), and counting up by ones, we reach 12 units listed. Not five.

I hope that helped clear up your counting skills, they really are a useful thing to have in life.


Next, I suggest you learn that there is maybe only 8 or 9 manufacturers in the entire industry (if that even) and perhaps you can understand why we're eliminating two or three manufacturers from the mix :rolleyes:

Thirdly, don't go making a retarded comment about something until you actually know something about the field. Unless of course you consider yourself more knowledgeable than me (and I've owned almost every single brand up there; I make it a point to), the moderator Ice Czar who made this sticky, the electrical engineer and world record FSB holder Hipro, the numerous forum members that have contributed, critically acclaimed reviewers such as Mike Chin and those from silentpcreview.com who test with a lot more than a photograph and software readings like the reviews you obviously read (and believe, I don't know which one is worse), and the industry in general.

Try to take just a second and actually think about it; would you buy a video card for gaming other than nvidia or ATI? Haha ya right. Would you buy a car other than a gm, ford, and the german and asian brands? Not for under $300k.....5 years ago would you buy a pre-built computer from someone else than dell, hp, gateway, alienware, or voodo? Not if you're smart.

I really don't understand why you made that comment, unless, you are a TROLL as I am beginning to think. After all, I have proof, general knowledge and 95% of the forums behind me, you have neither.
 
What horrible logic. All those remarks you made implying that I know less than you don't actually strengthen your argument, they're just baseless attacks. Your argument is similar to one of RAM brands, like someone claiming that you can only buy from a popular brand like OCZ and Corsair, and any less popular brand like PQI or Patriot is crap. That's just nonsense, as most people who buy PQI or Patriot come away satisfied.

Where is your proof that buying a Raidmax (or any other brand on that list) will kill a PC, while buying an Antec or Enermax will not? Plenty of people buy brands on your "do not buy" list, and most of them come away quite pleased. While Antec and Enermax are generally considered more reliable than a brand like Raidmax, that doesn't mean buying a Raidmax unit makes you stupid or something. Your ATi vs. Nvidia comment is flawed, since buying a brand other than those two will not kill a PC. If someone has a reason for getting a different brand like Matrox, like triple-monitor gaming, that doesn't make them stupid. Same goes for the car comment, because a good number of people buy brands other than those you mentioned and most of them are happy.

I recently bought an Ultra X-Connect 500W to replace my Antec TruPower 430W, and it works just fine. The odds that it will actually destroy my PC, as with any power supply, are extremely low. I'm getting better rails than before, and my PC is just as stable.

EDIT: Wow, I can hardly imagine what kind of person sits at his computer having convinced himself that he's teaching me how to count. Just because I didn't take the time to count every buyable brand you listed, you feel more intelligent? Get serious.
 
you HONESTLY think that a raidmax, powmax (WHICH YOUR ULTRA IS), or Deer psu won't kill your machine?

FYI I've had around 7 or 8 of them blow in my machines alone, and close to 75% of the psu's listed in "post your psu blowing up stories" were raidmax's.

I think I'll just let someone else deal with you....perahps Ice would like to say a word about Raidmax and the like brands.....

I'm not goint to degrade this sticky any more by arguing with someone having buyers remorse from buying a powmax, and I'd appreciate it if you'd take your grievances either to pm or not at all.
 
computerpro3 said:
FYI I've had around 7 or 8 of them blow in my machines alone, and close to 75% of the psu's listed in "post your psu blowing up stories" were raidmax's.
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Unless you have statistically accurate, unbiased data about Raidmax failures, or failures of any other brand, you have no right making broad generalizations about them.

computerpro3 said:
I'm not goint to degrade this sticky any more by arguing with someone having buyers remorse from buying a powmax, and I'd appreciate it if you'd take your grievances either to pm or not at all.
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Funny, I don't recall expressing any buyer's remorse. In case it wasn't clear to you before, I'm very happy with this Ultra unit.
 
shockwave85 said:
Unless you have statistically accurate, unbiased data about Raidmax failures, or failures of any other brand, you have no right making broad generalizations about them..
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Happy to

just as soon as PSU manufacturers start supplying reliable data including derating curves
but that aint going to happen


POWER SHMOWER by Mike Chin

or How PSU Power Ratings Mean Almost Nothing

A frustrating fact about PSUs is that there does not appear to be a stringent or regulated standard for reporting, advertising and labeling rated power. This is despite the existence of standards like ATX2.03 or Intel ATX12V.

There are well-established standards for measuring and rating HDD capacity, an engine's horsepower, or the heat generated by a furnace... but not one for how much power a PSU can deliver. There are so many cases of people with "450W" PSUs having power stability issues running a system that can't possoibly draw more than 150W. And "300W" units that keep running where the "450W" units are faltering.

It's not just about bad PSUs vs better ones. It's a dumb situation caused by uncontrolled marketing competition. Real regulation would bring PSUs out of snake oil territory and into a more sensible consumer-friendly terrain.

There are many ways PSU makers fudge to make their units seem more powerful.

1) Out and out lying. You add up the power on all the lines in many PSUs and they fall short of the rated power by 10, 20 30W or even more.

There are more sophisticated ways:

2) Limit the AC input voltage to a very narrow tolerance. The best PSUs are able to deliver their rated power given a decent range of AC input power, say 90~130V for a 120V unit. It's much more demanding to produce 300W w/90VAC input than with 120VAC, so what some PSU makers will detail in their tech specs (usually not in their consumer brochures) is to specify 115-120VAC for input power. A PSU specified this way will not deliver full power if the AC voltage sags, if there is a brown-out. Surely it causes instability more often than a PSU rated to deliver full power with 90-130VAC.

3) Specify a low operating temperature for rated output. This is quite common, but again not often seen in consumer brochures, but rather tech spec sheets provided usually only on demand by engineers or corp buyers. A typical PSU operating temp statement is somthing like this:

0ºC ~25ºC for full rating of load, decrease to zero Watts O/P at 70ºC

Examine what that says. Full power (let's say 400W) is available when the unit is at 0ºC ~25ºC. Hmmm. Think about this.

Have you ever felt air blown out of a PSU in a PC running absolutely full tilt (which it would have to do to get anywhere near 400W output) that felt cool to the fingers? 25ºC airflow would feel exactly that: Cool, given that normal body temperature is 37 °C.

So this PSU cannot deliver full rated power when its temperature goes over 25ºC. OK, what happens to the max power output capacity above that temp? It decreases gradually so that by the time the PSU temp reaches 70ºC, the PSU cannot deliver any power at all. So if you assume that this power drop as temp rises is linear, then max power capacity will drop by ~9W for every degree over 25ºC.

Now having examined as many PSUs as I have over the last 2~3 years, I have to say there's not a single PSU in ANY PC I have ever used or examined that would not measure at least 30~35ºC almost anywhere inside the PSU under almost any kind of load. And if/when it is pushed, 45ºC is nothing at all, especially for or near hot running components like voltage regulators.

So let's say 40ºC is a fairly typical temp inside a PSU. This 400W rated unit would actually be able to deliver a max of just 220W at that temp. Hmmm. Interesting, isn't it? At 50ºC, the available power would drop to just 130W. No wonder some PSUs have 3 fans each capable of 50 cfm!!

Here's a simple fact: Really high quality PSUs are actually rated for full power output at as high as 40ºC. The trick is get a hold of the spec sheets that tell such information so you can compare apples to apples. Or ask.
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or

from dansdata
Unethical PSU Marketing 101.

Here's how to make overly optimistic power supply specifications. It's really simple.

First, power the thing up. You can make an ATX power supply that isn't connected to a motherboard turn on by grounding pin number 14 on the big motherboard power connector. It's easy to spot that pin, because it's the only one with a green wire going to it.

Use any handy bit of wire - like the paper clip in this picture - to connect pin 14 to any ground contact. The ground contacts are the ones with the black wires going to them. Presto, the PSU will turn on.

Now, break out your brick-sized power resistors and load the heck out of one of the output rails - the +5V rail, for instance. Measure the current as you increase the load, until the voltage sags unacceptably far below the rated voltage.

How do you tell what an unacceptable voltage sag is? Well, you could choose a nice conservative small permitted sag - say, 0.1 volts - so that your results are genuinely useful to your customers. Or you could just ignore the voltage and say that when a fuse (or some other component...) blows, that must have been the limit, right there.

OK. Now you've made a big fat amperage number for the +5V rail. If you blew up the PSU in the process, get another one, and repeat the process for +12V and +3.3V, and for the low current rails as well.

On no account, though, should you test more than one rail at a time. This is the key to the whole scam.

A big beefy PSU may be able to deliver 50 amps (say) on the 5V rail when nothing else is under load, and 25 amps (say) on the 12V rail when it's similarly all alone. But the 12V and 5V rails together may only be able to deliver, say, 350 watts between them, when they're both under load. Watts equals amps times volts.

In a real PC, all of the power rails will always be under load together.

But you're not testing what the PSU can really do - you're making pretty numbers for the sales brochure!

So test all of your rails alone, get an amperage figure for all of them, multiply that figure by the voltage of the rail it came from (the nominal voltage, not whatever the voltage had sagged to as the PSU pumped electrons through the dessert spoon you'd soldered to the circuit board), then take all of the resulting wattage figures and add 'em up. That's a wrap, folks. Ship it!
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Power Supplies are all about the worse case senerio
too high a draw, too high a temperature, too unstable a source AC Power
and supplys that under normal circumstances are adequate, blowup and often kill stuff
(this can happen to even quality supplies, but they should shutdown safely withoput killing components)
so we are a pretty conservative lot in here, considering the power supply has the potential to fry components worth exponentially more that it is.

To make matters worse there are very very few reviewers able to review a supply, the best that can be said for most of them is that it didnt blow up their config that day, because the power from their outlet happend to be stable that day, the didnt overload it and it wasnt too hot.

exceptions are rare
http://www.leesspace.com/Published_reviews.htm
http://www.silentpcreview.com/section4.html

excerpts
Clearing The Fog That Surrounds Derating Curves @ powerdesign365
(registration required)
A marketing guru once said: "A data sheet isn't only a technical document, but also a marketing tool." Following this mentality, dc-dc converter manufacturers creatively market their products. In the world of high-density dc-dc converters, especially open-frame converters, a commonly misunderstood term is derating.

Derating is the negative slope of the power-versus-temperature graph. Specifically, it shows that as the operating ambient temperature increases, the converter's maximum output power drops to ensure reliable system operation. Derating curves provide a quick way to estimate the maximum output power of a converter at a given temperature. The confusion starts with the definition of operating ambient temperature. Some manufacturers define derating over ambient temperature, while others use case temperature or ambient temperature with an additional airflow of 50 to 100 linear feet per minute (LFM).

Manufacturers use different versions of the definitions for derating mentioned above to judge the performance of their high-density converters. If the derating curve data is detrimental to their product's marketability, they may not get published. Or, the vendor could merely discuss the subject as a whole in a general application note. Other companies implement maximum-case temperature and conveniently forget to include ambient temperature. From their point of view, all published specs for derating are correct! Nevertheless, this shifts the burden of deciphering the derating methodology to the system designer.

Another factor complicating derating is the educational system. Few engineering schools offer power-supply courses. As young engineers exit the ideal "digital world" presented in school and dive into the real world, they sometimes find themselves unprepared to work with power supplies. System designers—experienced or not—must have familiarity with various disciplines, including electronics, thermodynamics, physics, and chemistry. But a system designer with a tight schedule may not have time to deal with thermal management of the system. Usually, the power converter is the last component considered in the project design. Many times the system designer will underestimate the power needs of the system, or won't consider the derating of the converter, resulting in a marginal or unreliable system over temperature.

As the prices of dc-dc converters plunge to the point of becoming commodities, I'm afraid that manufacturers will have to find more creative ways to present derating curve specifications, or not publish them at all. Unless some significant changes take place involving standardization, better training and education, and some ethical constraints in marketing, both we and our customers are doomed to live in this confusing world. Sadly, the lowest-priced manufacturer will survive and dictate price and specifications in the long run
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PSU manufacturers playing games with engineers,
any wonder we are being treated like idiots? :p

of course we are talking about AC to DC SMPS, but its the same difference and we are removed to not seeing a derating curve at all

supplies on the avoid list are by far the worse exaggerators, thus in a self fullfilling prophecy, kill more boards since some poor slob actually bought the lies
well that and value engineered protection mechanisms

good luck with your POWmax
keep it cool and get a UPS ;)
 
Ice Czar said:
good luck with your POWmax
keep it cool and get a UPS ;)
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You might want to have another look at Silent PC Review's take on the 500W Ultra, because the reviewer found it quite good overall.
 
actually its right up there with the worse supply he has ever reviewed
with a high baseline voltage, something he expressed concern about
the Ultra-X isnt in the same class of board killer that marks most of the rest of the POWmax models
but a corporate culture also says alot about a supply
your buying bling bling
not top shelf components
the Ultra-X was introduced without the parent manufacturing attribution
and then farmed out to reviewers that fall into the vast majority described above
incapable of a real review if their life depended on it

Im sure given a good home it will be adequate, but I wouldnt task it

Good Luck ;)

PS, note the limited AC Voltage Range of the Ultra-X
103-132 VAC @ 10A, 47~63 Hz or 206-264 VAC @ 5A, 47~63 Hz

compared to
PCP&C 510.................... 90 to 264 VAC, 47 to 63Hz
Enermax EG565P............90 to 135V or 180 to 265V, 47 to 63Hz
Neopower........................100 to 240 VAC. 47 to 63Hz


a UPS would be a very good idea
but then I always say that :p
 
here's a major reason why you shouldn't buy anything from ultra

XConnect600w_1.jpg


who can tell me what is a CRUCIAL part of every single psu I've ever seen that is missing from this Ultra 600W?

First one right wins my x800xt-pe (jk) :p
 
Ooo Ooo Ooo Pick Me Pick Me :p

It has no visable heatsink?

Ive been pondering that
first off Id like to disassemble that and definatively determine the heat transfer path
next Id be interested in its efficiency
as efficiency increases, the total heat load decreses,
and as the airflow increases the total interface area needed decreases
(and it is a straight through push pull fan setup)
judging a supply by its heatsinks has only limited usefulness
it needs to be weighted in context
however I do agree it doesnt look very impressive from that PIC

so I at least rate a virtual cookie if not the graphics card :p
 
WINNER WINNER WINNER

What's your shipping addy? LOL

Yup, it looks to have no heatsinks. I can honestly say I've never seen that before, not even in Deer's. Watch, we'll have someone come along and tell us that it's a "feature" to reduce weight and reflects on how efficient and cool running it really is ;)
 
I have to ask, what's the problem with Allied PSUs? And why are they on the list twice?


Also, do Austin PSUs go in the good or bad list?
 
Aspire is bad? I dont know, I heard good. Im using an Aspire 520 watt and my only complaint is that it only has 2 independand rails for power, but at the moment its powering 3 fans, a sata hard drive, a D rom drive, and a 6600gt AGP and its been doing fine so far. The voltages are well within the recommended limits and never flinch.
 
Why wasnt the Ultra X-Connect added to the list before the "POWmax" info was known? Are you saying that is the only reason it was added?
 
that list is a lighting rod and sounding board
not the "offical" recommendation of the forum
supplies in all categories are debated ad nauseum :p

but to answer for computerpro3
1. it was new and little was known


POWmax sidestepped their reputation by releasing it through a new company,
much like Leadman, who is POWmax has sidesteped their reputation,
or cut loose brands they have burned up the reputation of like Robanton, they also make RAIDmax
and they farmed it out to case mod sites and reviewers that being kind are less than qualified to review PSUs, the good looks and the fact it didnt actually blow up anything got it good reviews

but make no mistake about it
its merely an adequate low midrange PSU
being foisted off as a high quality one

subsequent real reviews have pointed out that its not a "great" supply

its not on my "avoid" list, it would actually have to kill boards for that
but it is on my "sucker" list :p
but note that most POWmaxs and RAIDmaxs are on my avoid list

I was immediately suspicious of it, since it lacked all but the most rudimentary specs
(a sign that its less than top shelf) had a deceptive AC range and must have a considerable profit margin considering its marketing strategy, not leaving alot for quality components, then a peek under the hood showed its shortcomings
unlike most boards there has been a core of Ultra-X resistance here from the begining
its parentage was but the final nail

given stable AC power, a reasonable operating temperature and not overloading it
(as with most supplies its rated far higher than a normal operating temperature would allow)
it should be adequate, but only that, its a bling bling supply, your paying for that
 
SoulRebel said:
Why wasnt the Ultra X-Connect added to the list before the "POWmax" info was known? Are you saying that is the only reason it was added?
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Powmax's are bad PSU's. It becomes a known fact that Ultra X's are reboxed Powmax's therefore Ultra X's are bad PSU's. Its pretty straightforward.
The pretty box and modular wiring doesnt make a bad PSU anything other than a nice looking bad PSU.
 
MikeP said:
It becomes a known fact that Ultra X's are reboxed Powmax's therefore Ultra X's are bad PSU's. Its pretty straightforward.
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That's some of the poorest logical reasoning I've ever read.
 
well its not conclusive proof
however it is highly indicative
when your dealing with a corporate culture that is simply after the best profit margin it can manage
and has a track record of burning the unwary and uninformed
luring them onto the rocks of their destruction with the siren song of inflated claims, bells and whistles
then cutting the brand away once its burned itself out

it just might be that straight forward

fool me once shame on you
fool me twice shame on me
 
Hi, I am putting together a system based around the Asus A8N SLI mobo and a 6800 GT along with the usual stuff (1 HD, 1 Optical etc). My question is can I get a supply that will be able to expand a bit along with my computer for less than 100? The Fortron Blue Storm 500W seems to be a good fit for the price. Are there any others that would seem essential to consider? I can go as high as $120, but I better get a PSU which will leave me wanting nothing for that price.

Ice, I know it is vexing. Which of the 2 do you think is better considering a $15 price difference with the Enermax being more. Is it worth it

EG495P-VE SFMA 2.0 Version 485W
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-457&depa=0

or

Fortron Blue Storm 500w AX500-A
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-934&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
 
Ideally youd start another thread

consider that the only people answering this thread are those already subscribed to it
or that have waded through all these pages :p

as to how far a given supply wiould be able to take you into the future
that would greatly depend on the components involved
you might be able to put together a processor and SLi combo
yet have to cut back on fans or drives in the future to still have a rerasonable safety margin on one of the +12V rails

in the $100 to $120 range of ATX12V v2.0 supplies like the Neopower and Bluestorm you have about 30A between the rails, which is very likely enough for the rig youll get
but processors and video cards might require even more power in the near future (consider a Prescott is over 117 watts 9.8 amps on the +12V rail, many graphics cards at 75 watts (various rails)

now spending that extra money for a few more amps might not make a whole lot of since either, for starters we dont really know at what temperature those ratings were taken between all these supplies, so while one might say 34A and another 32A, the lower might actually have more power.

Opting for overkill by getting a PCP&C 510, that is specifically rated at 40C with 34A nominal and 38A peak is one approach, in this case the one that blows your budget to hell
the other is to run your numbers and do some crystal ball peering of your own
like are you really going to need more storage, can you live with a single combo DVD\CCDRW drive or do you need two? ect
is there a reasonable amount of room on one or both of the rails for upgrades?
maybe your interested in watercooling, and are going to power pumps and stuff off a 2nd PSU, ect

once you know where your at, you can get a little help on supplies your considering
and start to weight your options on where they might be able to take you ;)

definately get a 24 pin ATX12V v2.0 supply with dual +12V rails however (like the Bluestorm or Neopower)
they are all in all a likely safe bet on the near future, at least in a "typical" gaming rig
Id say 30A is a minimum, the more the better
 
well in the Maximum PC review (flawed but indicative)
it didnt do too bad (somewhere in the middle of the pack), and was really efficient
however Ive slammed them since they started rebranding PSUs for not publishing anything but the most rudimentary specs

without more compenent reviews and lacking real specs,
Id guess basic spec compliance
decent performance and reasonable reliability
the AC input range is a minor indicator of quality, but its a very good range
something many posers try to slip by you, so thats a good sign
has only OK amps on the +12V rails, alot more supplies out there can better it
for a futureproof selection Id go with a minimum of 30A combined
(generally seen in a higher wattage, but not always, know of one 350 watt)
dont see a UL cert which is sort of unusual (probably in the works)

personally Id opt for the FSP Group \ Fortron Blue Storm over it for an entry level ATX12V v2.0 supply

sorry I cant recall more from the Maximum PC review


pure guesswork
but Seasonic makes really efficient supplies, I'll see what I can find out

hmmm... looks like I had an inspired guess
alot of physical similarities
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article107-page1.html
http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.../17-171-001-05.jpg&CurImage=17-171-001-01.jpg

those being different models and all

Edit Damn missed this Mike did a review
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article205-page1.html
 
The coolermaster supplies, if they are indeed seasonic, may make the list. The review that mike did seems overall very positive, with the only negative being the bling bling of the gimmicky reading and it being slightly louder than the silent enthusiast would like. 2% regulation, a fairly packed interior, and 80% efficiency is excellent. Amperage is decent (and if you look at it as peak, like most supplie sdo, excellent). Look at the newegg pic of the label, I like how they actually state maximum continuity power and maximum peak power and make it very clear which is which. Of course, I don't know what temp they are at but....

Now my only questions are

1. Are all Coolermasters like this? Or do they use different oem's? Can we assume they are all of this quality?
2. Ice, it has my vote, does it have yours?


About the fortron,

the amps and efficiency seem super low, even for fortron's pessimistic ratings. Am i missing something here?
 
well the similarities end with the exterior
Im not convinced they are using seasonic
considering its coolermaster, they dont really need to be employing a PSU manufacturer and rebranding, they may actually be desgining and having them made in the same jobshops all the majors do

its not as if they dont already have really good Chinese manufacturing and outsourcing connections, those heatsinks look pretty unique

refresh my memory on the Coolermaster results listed in the Maximum PC review

they would certainly be a candidate for a silent computing mod starting point with that efficiency rating
 
Re Power-Man in the 'PSUs to avoid'-list, I've got two of those PSUs which turned out to be rebranded Fortron/Sparkle (FSP) PSUs. One of them (a 300 Watt one, I believe) is so unbelievably heavy that I nearly dropped it when I took it out of the case one time :D
 
When it comes to power suplys, my knowledge is little to non-existant.
For my up and comming rig I wolud like to know approx what capacity psu I will need.

a64 3500+ (90nm)
Asus an8 or a8n (cant remenber but you all know the one) sli deluxe
2x 6800gt
2x 36gb WD Raptors
OCZ pc3200 Platnium revision 2 (2x512mb)

I currently own an Antech 420watt truepower supply(which i have never used), but Im not sure if this will be sufficent?
Any suggestions?
 
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