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

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How did Power-man get on the list of unrecommended PSUs? Unless "Power-man" is different from Powerman, it should be very good because it's by Fortron-Source (Sparkle, Powertech, PowerQ, Hi-Q, Trend).

Who makes InWin? Weren't they once supplied by Fortron-Source?
 
It's all about the cables. The power supplies themselves are the same, but the difference between the ATX, Deluxe, Express, SLI, ATX+6, ID, XE, S2, TY, AG and A4 are the cables.

Like, for most people the Express is good. SLI for SLI rigs (duh!) and for one of my Supermicro dual Xeons, I'd look at the S2 (board needs 2x3, but has no 6-pin AUX or 2x2.)
 
Any1 got the Fortron Bluestorm 500W? I was thinking of buying it, I heard it wouldn't have much noice at all..
 
Well, it looks like I'm in the market for a new powersupply too; after having 3 video cards die on me (one Sapphire 9800Pro and 2x BFG 6800OCs) and now with some tests in MemTest86 and Prime95 I'm pretty convinced that my Antec SL400 (12V @ 18A) is not cutting it anymore. I was considering an Ultra X-Connect due to positive reviews till I heard so many negative remarks here. I do want to go with a modular sleeved powersupply though, so I saw this Superflower 550W PSU: http://www.frozencpu.com/psu-115.html
It has 30A on 12V, and improving that is my main objective. I'm aiming for around the $100 zone. My full system stats:

Abit NF7-S w/ Mobile AthlonXP 2500+ previously clocked at 200x12 @ 1.9V
BFG6800OC
4x 120mm fans, 2x HD, 2x Optical drives
Antec SL400 PSU

Thanks for any advice!
 
jodonnell said:
Well, it looks like I'm in the market for a new powersupply too; after having 3 video cards die on me (one Sapphire 9800Pro and 2x BFG 6800OCs) and now with some tests in MemTest86 and Prime95 I'm pretty convinced that my Antec SL400 (12V @ 18A) is not cutting it anymore. I was considering an Ultra X-Connect due to positive reviews till I heard so many negative remarks here. I do want to go with a modular sleeved powersupply though, so I saw this Superflower 550W PSU: http://www.frozencpu.com/psu-115.html
It has 30A on 12V, and improving that is my main objective. I'm aiming for around the $100 zone. My full system stats:

Abit NF7-S w/ Mobile AthlonXP 2500+ previously clocked at 200x12 @ 1.9V
BFG6800OC
4x 120mm fans, 2x HD, 2x Optical drives
Antec SL400 PSU

Thanks for any advice!
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Well I am one of the few with one in their possession around here that I know of. I started a thread in this forum about it. I hope to have someone do a full review on it as soon as i can get it out to them. I did throw together a system in order just to start it up and I can say this. That 140mm fan is damn quiet.

From my first impressions though it is nice at least the 140mm version.
 
Spectre said:
Well I am one of the few with one in their possession around here that I know of. I started a thread in this forum about it. I hope to have someone do a full review on it as soon as i can get it out to them. I did throw together a system in order just to start it up and I can say this. That 140mm fan is damn quiet.

From my first impressions though it is nice at least the 140mm version.
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Hopefully I'll get a chance to review one.

I can say that the Mad Dog modular unit is based on the SuperFlower modular unit and it is quite good. Cables still aren't as nice as the Ultra, but the PSU itself seems very capable.
 
jonnyGURU said:
Hopefully I'll get a chance to review one.

I can say that the Mad Dog modular unit is based on the SuperFlower modular unit and it is quite good. Cables still aren't as nice as the Ultra, but the PSU itself seems very capable.
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Hopefully I will get it sent Tuesday. :D
 
Is Superflower considered a pretty reliable maker or are they more of an unknown?

Also what's a reputable review site for PSUs? From what I read here most online reviews don't help much.
 
jodonnell said:
Is Superflower considered a pretty reliable maker or are they more of an unknown?
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Yes they are generally reliable, good manufacturer which is why I chanced getting one.

Also what's a reputable review site for PSUs? From what I read here most online reviews don't help much.
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Xbit, SIlentpc, Johnny's place, Trusted Reviews, and a few others.
 
the common thread they share being they actually understand the spec (rarer than you might imagine)
but also have the equipment to a lesser and greater degree to actually test a supply
most importantly the ability to test multiple and repeatable power loads on a sipply rather than just a single config

Id add Lee Garbutt to that list
 
Ice Czar said:
the common thread they share being they actually understand the spec (rarer than you might imagine)
but also have the equipemnt to a larger and greater degree to actaully test a supply
most importantly the ability to test multiple and repeatable power loads on a sipply rather than just a single config

Id add Lee Garbutt to that list
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Knew I was forgetting someone.
 
Hey everyone -

I noticed there was no mention of SilverStone in here. How do they stack up against the rest of these brands in terms of quality? The numbers look alright, but has anyone actually had any experience with these? Looking at them mostly for their noise level. I'm not a noise freak or anything, I'm just not real big on adding a loud PSU to my rig when I've already got a good few ridiculously loud case fans.

Thanks

[edit] Btw, it's the ST400 I'm looking at.
 
I would say maybe. ;)

I've got a Zeus here I'm going to test this up coming weekend.

If you can't wait that long, I can do a quick run down this week like I did with the LION 450 I reviewed.
 
jonnyGURU said:
I would say maybe. ;)

I've got a Zeus here I'm going to test this up coming weekend.

If you can't wait that long, I can do a quick run down this week like I did with the LION 450 I reviewed.
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Hey, that'd be great. From what I read they're based off Sparkle units, so I'm hoping they'll maintain those same quality standards. Thanks :)
 
Ehecu.xc said:
Hey, that'd be great. From what I read they're based off Sparkle units, so I'm hoping they'll maintain those same quality standards. Thanks :)
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I'm not sure where you read that. I'm never seen one that was made by SPI. In fact, if you look at Enhance's website, you might see a few similar models. Certainly the Zeus I have here is not made by SPI.
 
jonnyGURU said:
I'm not sure where you read that. I'm never seen one that was made by SPI. In fact, if you look at Enhance's website, you might see a few similar models. Certainly the Zeus I have here is not made by SPI.
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Just from a small review site... End of an Silverstone ST360 vs Zalman KWI-450WABK dual review reads as follows:

Last notes:

Just as in the last roundup, where both the Nexus and the Zalman powersupplies were based off of a Fortron powersupply, the Silverstone powersupply reviewed here is based upon a Sparkle powersupply (see the Sparkle model reviewed at Anandtech). The Sparkle unit may be the way to go if you want to save a few bucks (and I do mean "few"), but if you're also buying for looks, the Silverstone won't disappoint.
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Not sure how reputable of a site G3D is, but I guess they're under the impression that they are based on Sparkle units. Found a few other random forum posts and such saying they were FSP Group PSU's... I guess I'll just wait on your verdict then I suppose.

[edit] Basic looks and stats look similar to Sparkle's FSP300-60PN and FSP350-60PN models. Not an exact match, but they are rather similar... Of course these are the ST models. The Zeus ones, well, I really don't know. Any opinions on this?
 
Ah!

Well.. It wouldn't be unusual for a power supply company to use more than one source.

It looks like the Silverstone "SuperSilent" series are in fact Sparkles.

The high end models are Enhance, though.
 
Ice Czar said:
hey jonnyGURU whats the ETA on the full LION review hitting SLCentral?
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Unfortunately, Steve, the guy who runs SLCentral, split town for a few and won't be back until Tuesday. He figures it, and my new ThermalTake PurePower TWV480 review will be live on Thursday.
 
jonnyGURU said:
Unfortunately, Steve, the guy who runs SLCentral, split town for a few and won't be back until Tuesday. He figures it, and my new ThermalTake PurePower TWV480 review will be live on Thursday.
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Not nearly as interesting as the other review being worked on in my opinion :D
 
Spectre said:
Not nearly as interesting as the other review being worked on in my opinion :D
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*ahem* Assuming I can get by the post office...
 
Spectre said:
I bet it gets returned undeliverable first :p
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Not like they made a second attempt.....

The little love letter the USPS sent me doesn't have anything about how long I have to pick it up. :(
 
Ehecu.xc said:
Just from a small review site... End of an Silverstone ST360 vs Zalman KWI-450WABK dual review reads as follows:



Not sure how reputable of a site G3D is, but I guess they're under the impression that they are based on Sparkle units. Found a few other random forum posts and such saying they were FSP Group PSU's... I guess I'll just wait on your verdict then I suppose.

[edit] Basic looks and stats look similar to Sparkle's FSP300-60PN and FSP350-60PN models. Not an exact match, but they are rather similar... Of course these are the ST models. The Zeus ones, well, I really don't know. Any opinions on this?
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In other words, FSP group, which is what I've been saying all along. In fact, is Enhance also a member?


BTW johnny I saw a post of yours wondering about pcp&c manufacturer, not sure about the SLI, but past 510 deluxes have been spotted with pcb that has members of the fsp group silk screened into it (forget who). Also, ZIppy/Emacs used to make the old 510 deluxes, but I do not believe they manufacture the sli or expresses. I can confirm that they do not make them themselves (through an employee that I think is no longer with the company on xtremesystems forums years ago, some other xtreme members might remember the thread about it, think it got deleted). I believe they design the basics of the supply and then they contract it out to their manufacturers, which explains why they can do so many modifications themselves (they design the supply after all, I also know they have a stock of circuit boards aka 510 express, sli, etc models).
 
computerpro3 said:
In other words, FSP group, which is what I've been saying all along. In fact, is Enhance also a member?
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Yes, FSP bought SPI about three years ago, but Enhance is not a "member." Enhance is Enhance. They've made power supplies for Enlight and Supermicro (Ablecom) ever since those companies came to life.


BTW johnny I saw a post of yours wondering about pcp&c manufacturer, not sure about the SLI, but past 510 deluxes have been spotted with pcb that has members of the fsp group silk screened into it (forget who).
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A Silencer or a Turbo-Cool? Silencers have FSP and SPI part numbers all over them. Turbo-Cools do not. The only "marking" you'll find in a Turbo-Cool is the word "PICO" on the main PCB. Pico is a company that makes power supplies, but not for PC's.. so I imagine PCP&C either uses Pico components to assemble a PC SMPS or Pico makes PC power supplies exclusively for PCP&C and no-one else.


Also, ZIppy/Emacs used to make the old 510 deluxes, but I do not believe they manufacture the sli or expresses.
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The "old" 510 Deluxes.. maybe. The old Silencer's, defintely. Pretty much just before SPI was bought by FSP. SPI didn't have the "best" reputation back then. Initially, FSP bought the company to fill a low-end gap their power supplies were to expensive to fulfill. When I worked at ASI (about 1998 to 1999), we had an "in house" brand chassis called nSpire. Essentially it was an Enlight case with an SPI power supply, both with nSpire labels. People would beg us to switch the SPI out for an Enhance built Enlight power supply. Fortunately, we stocked Enlight branded product too, so the switch was easy. ;)

The "new" 510 Deluxes are actually the same as the SLI, Express, etc. The only difference between all of the 510's is the cables they put on them (which I know they DO do at their California "factory" because you can order a PSU directly from them with whatever cable count you'd like.) Inside, they're identical. Those aren't Zippy/Emacs, so they must have changed their source. Again, I finger Pico, but I just can't "prove" it. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
They've made power supplies for Enlight and Supermicro (Ablecom) ever since those companies came to life.
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hmmm...I didnt know that, I have 2 x EPS12V-2U Ablecoms
 
Ice Czar said:
hmmm...I didnt know that, I have 2 x EPS12V-2U Ablecoms
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Well... 1U, 2U, 3U.. I can't say from personal experience since I've only used the 4U and tower PSU's which are just like regular ATX power supplies but with the mounting holes all in the wrong place. ;) The components inside, fit and finish all look "Enhanced."

Going back to the < 4U and redundants.. they look an awful lot like the Enlight server power supplies I have used, which are Enhance, so it wouldn't surprise me if those were Enhance too.

And of course... UL look ups on Ablecom product brings up an Ablecom record, so that tells us nothing. ;)
 
Oh.. and before someone says, "No.. They're made by Sparkle..."

Ablecom power supply part numbers start with "SP." Sparkles start with "SPI."

Believe it or not, some vendors actually buy the chassis from Supermicro without a power supply and install a cheaper SPI unit hoping nobody will notice because the part number is only one digit off. I shit you not. They sell more than the honest vendor because they're a few bucks cheaper and they make a better profit margin. Damn shame.
 
jonnyGURU said:
Yes, FSP bought SPI about three years ago, but Enhance is not a "member." Enhance is Enhance. They've made power supplies for Enlight and Supermicro (Ablecom) ever since those companies came to life.
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Thanks, I wasn't sure about enhance.

A Silencer or a Turbo-Cool? Silencers have FSP and SPI part numbers all over them. Turbo-Cools do not. The only "marking" you'll find in a Turbo-Cool is the word "PICO" on the main PCB. Pico is a company that makes power supplies, but not for PC's.. so I imagine PCP&C either uses Pico components to assemble a PC SMPS or Pico makes PC power supplies exclusively for PCP&C and no-one else.
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It was a turbocool, over at ocforums about a year ago. I'm starting to think that the psu's are actually assembled at their CA plant, and that they just get the parts from elsewhere places. That would help explain the lack of "extensive" similarities to other supplies. Rather labor intensive for such a co,pany, but possible.

The "new" 510 Deluxes are actually the same as the SLI, Express, etc...The only difference between all of the 510's is the cables they put on them
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I think you're might have made a mistake on this; I talked to Larry from PCP&C for several hours over a couple of phone calls (whenever I order one I end up spenind 45min+ on the phone lol). He explicitly mentioned that the circuit boards were different for the deluxe to the SLI, in fact, I sent my 510 deluxe back to have them swapped and updated. PErhaps the 510 deluxe and express are the same, but the SLI sin't. Don't know about the AG and all those models.

(which I know they DO do at their California "factory" because you can order a PSU directly from them with whatever cable count you'd like.)
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Yup, like mine. And external pots like mine. And converted from a 510 deluxe to SLI like mine :p :D

Those aren't Zippy/Emacs, so they must have changed their source. Again, I finger Pico, but I just can't "prove" it. ;)
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Yeah, I knwo the new ones aren't zippy, but can't figure out who they are. I know the new (as in within last year or so at least, possibly 2) aren't FSP and zippy, delta, or anyone like that....could be PICO, I'll do some research on them. Thanks for the lead.
You know what, I have a recent PCB in mine; when my prommie gets back from chilly1 modding and I have to take apart my system I'll pop it open and try to find out for sure.
 
computerpro3 said:
I think you're might have made a mistake on this; I talked to Larry from PCP&C for several hours over a couple of phone calls (whenever I order one I end up spenind 45min+ on the phone lol). He explicitly mentioned that the circuit boards were different for the deluxe to the SLI, in fact, I sent my 510 deluxe back to have them swapped and updated. PErhaps the 510 deluxe and express are the same, but the SLI sin't. Don't know about the AG and all those models.
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See.. Now I talked to someone there and they said they were the same, they're just "pre-packaged" versions of what's most commonly requested of their "custom cable versions" and that a custom cable version is just a "raw" Turbo-Cool 510 with the appropriate cables added (like yours.)

Which makes perfect sense.. Why make DIFFERENT power supplies with all of the exact same specs (take a look on
their website even ) when the only DISCERNABLE difference is the cables. PCP&C doesn't even bother using different internal photos for each model! :D :p
 
jonnyGURU said:
See.. Now I talked to someone there and they said they were the same, they're just "pre-packaged" versions of what's most commonly requested of their "custom cable versions" and that a custom cable version is just a "raw" Turbo-Cool 510 with the appropriate cables added (like yours.)

Which makes perfect sense.. Why make DIFFERENT power supplies with all of the exact same specs (take a look on
their website even ) when the only DISCERNABLE difference is the cables. PCP&C doesn't even bother using different internal photos for each model! :D :p
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Larry is the chief engineer, so unless he conned me out of $60, which I suppose is a possibility, I'm sticking with his word.

I'm not saying that the vast majority of their supplies are based on the exact same pcb, that makes perfect business sense and all companies do it (radeon 9500, 9700, etc). Just that, as happened with the 9600 pro, sometimes they do need to make a different platform for different technology.

Possibly the reason they can't just slap a different harness on to the SLI one is because they have 2 connectors that draw 80-100w at full load, that must be spec'd for much higher. I doubt they can just solder two high draw lines onto the pcb in place of one of the lines with SATA power connectors......


edit: all the psu peeps are online now, johnny, Ice, spectre, me, all we need is vertigo, gee, abnd oklahoma wolf and the conversation will soon become un-decipherable to the the video card forum folks
 
the fun part with Supermicro cases and Ablecom supplies comes in when you swap out the supermicro mobos and suddenly need 2 more inches added to the Ablecoms main mobo connector :p

I have a niffty new wire port out the side of mine :p
 
OT- Uhoh the Super Moderator is the Admin now........must keep it clean and ontopic now...
 
computerpro3 said:
Larry is the chief engineer, so unless he conned me out of $60, which I suppose is a possibility, I'm sticking with his word.

I'm not saying that the vast majority of their supplies are based on the exact same pcb, that makes perfect business sense and all companies do it (radeon 9500, 9700, etc). Just that, as happened with the 9600 pro, sometimes they do need to make a different platform for different technology.

Possibly the reason they can't just slap a different harness on to the SLI one is because they have 2 connectors that draw 80-100w at full load, that must be spec'd for much higher. I doubt they can just solder two high draw lines onto the pcb in place of one of the lines with SATA power connectors......


edit: all the psu peeps are online now, johnny, Ice, spectre, me, all we need is vertigo and gee and the conversation will soon become un-decipherable to the the video card forum junkies
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You know.. THAT'S a good point. It's probably the same PSU, but with added components. Makes perfect sense.


Ice Czar said:
the fun part with Supermicro cases and Ablecom supplies comes in when you swap out the supermicro mobos and suddenly need 2 more inches added to the Ablecoms main mobo connector :p

I have a niffty new wire port out the side of mine :p
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DUDE! TELL ME about it! I HATE those Ablecom power supplies for that. They're ALL like that. Suupermicro always put the ATX and 2x2 and/or 2x4 in the upper right (in a tower) quadrant of the board and the power cable is something like 3" long.

For a good server case with redundant power supplies, take a look at the Enlight. Their hot-swappable SATA drive bays aren't as slick as Supermicro's, but the power supply has normal length connectors, the height of the case is tall enough to take a Promise RAID5 card (morons should put the SATA connectors IN FRONT of the card.. Not the TOP!!!) and they cost less. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
(morons should put the SATA connectors IN FRONT of the card.. Not the TOP!!!) and they cost less. ;)
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I wish I had SATA connectors on the top of mine
try 6 IDE connectors on the top :p
(SX6000)

Ive been running my Zippy N+1 degraded with only 2 moduals for the last month now
I bought an untested replacement off ebay but no joy, know Im checking daily
somehow I just cant bring myself to pay $150 for a new 250Watt modual :rolleyes:
 
I think I'm guilty of "study long, study wrong", so I'll just ask flat out.

I'll be putting together a new system within the next few weeks and the PSU is really the last piece of the puzzle.

Athlon64 3800+ "Venice"
MSI Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra (non-SLI)
6800GT or X800XL
1GB (2x512) OCZ Platinum Rev. 2
Thermalright XP-90 w/92mm Panaflo fan
Samsung SpinPoint HDD (possibly 2 of 'em)
CoolerMaster 'WaveMaster' case (Maybe? Still haven't nailed that down yet)
WinXp Pro SP2
Klipsch ProMedia 5-point sound w/subwoofer (already have 'em)

Now, I know from Ice Czar's thread that there are several new PSU's out. Specifically, the Antec TruePower II 550, Enermax Noisetaker 600W and such. And since this won't be an SLI rig, I'd like something that's going to work with this MoBo and any PCI-e cards and be somewhat "futureproof" (dual core AMD CPU on the horizon, additional RAM, etc.)

I certainly don't want to spend more than $150, so let's call that my "max". :)

I wouldn't ask, but every time I think I've got all the nomenclature and terms down, I see something else that reassures me that it's better to "ask the cop for directions", so to speak. ;)

So, If this were your system given the budget and criteria, what would you get?

Thank ya! :)
 
Well a couple more questions becasue the field is currently wide open. What are your priorities? Quiet? Efficent? Modular cabes? "Bling"? etc.
 
Intel Dual core add only about 15% more power consumpution (over a similar Prescott)
AMD64s will likely be about the same ratio (figure 8.5 to 9A +12V)

and RAM is generally on the +3.3V rail which is typically under employed anyway
so you can stuff as much whenever you like generally and not have it impact your choice

as Spectre points out its pretty wide open most ATX12V v2.0 and many v1.3 hybrids
 
Good questions, guys. :) And very helpful I'm sure, so here goes:

This will be primarily a gaming system, speciifically, FPS games (Doom 3, H/L 2, Quake 4, etc.) with the standard surfing, Office and MSN Zone (for my honey) games. Some AutoCAD, possibly.

Of course, I wouldn't hate it if it were a quiet PSU that is additionally efficient.

In order of importance:

1.)Flexible with an allowance for expandibility and upgradeability. That is to say that it be useful in the future when the new dual core Athlons appear, and an additional HDD (one at the most for a total of two) is added

2.)Efficient

3.)Quiet and cool (maybe something with a 120mm fan?)

4.)Compatible. I'm not sure if this is really an issue, but I'd like it to be able to fit in most ATX cases (CM WaveMaster, TT Tsunami, Temjin-06, etc.) without having to bend, rip, twist or tear anything to get it to fit.

Given the fact that I'll be using an nForce4 MoBo with PCI-e graphics, does this have to have a 24-pin connection? I still haven't gotten a definitive "absolutely!" from anything I've read. If it will reinforce "future-proofing", then I'll most certainly go with a 24-pinner. It sounds to me like dual 12v rails aren't completely necessary at the moment, but once again, what's the harm in having it if you may indeed need it one day?

This might be a windowed case, but nevertheless, "bling" is by no means a priority and therefore shouldn't be considered, really.

If there are any more questions I can answer, I'll be more than happy to! :)
 
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