• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

future proof

A

akapaulk

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 21, 2002
Messages
1,315
My Antec True Blue power supply just died out on me in my P4 3.0 computer.

I am going to replace this 3.0 computer one day in the future, so my question is, should I get a regular true blue replacement - or should I get a nice powerful power supply with modular cabling so when I update my rig to a quad core, 4gb ram, top of the line graphic card, etc - I can reuse this new power supply?
 
If I were you, I would purchase a power supply that would allow me to get by until I am ready to upgrade. Future proofing doesn't really work out too well from my point of view.
 
In general I have heard Antec quality has gone down recently. At the same time I have heard good things about Seasonic. I am currently using an OCZ brand psu and it's been working out ok. That's as much as I can tell you.
 
I'm gonna go against the grain and say, since you're looking to upgrade at some point soon anyway, just get a PSU that's going to work for your next build. Why buy 1 more power supply than you have to? It's money down the drain. Some power supplies have up to a 5 year warranty! It'll also help you avoid the temptation to buy a cheapo junk PSU now, which is just going to cause more trouble than it's worth.

So what do you want to upgrade to, eventually? Maybe quad core CPU, the basics: OD, couple of hard drives, at least 1 video card? Think you might be going SLI or CF? Are you going to be buying the latest and greatest, or just good solid mid-range or lower parts?

If you're going with the mid-range parts, 1 video card, less than 6 hard drives, you don't need whole lot. A good 500-700 watt PSU is more than enough, and will ensure that you have enough good, clean power through a couple of upgrades. If you want high end, and SLI or CF, then you'll want to think higher, like 700-800 watt PSUs. What is most important is if you have sufficient power on the 12v rail. Look for 40a+ for mid-range, and 60a+ for high end, as a starting point.

Also figure out what you want. Modular cables? Quiet operation? Extra long cables? Bling factor?

I won't recommend several options for each of the possibilities above right now, but if you let me know roughly what you have in mind for your next build, I can try to suggest some good options. If you'd like to do some extra research yourself, good reviews and discussions can be had here, but also here: http://www.jonnyguru.com
 
Thanks NLW,

I would upgrade to a speedy duo or quad core. No SLI. I would want stability and quiet operation.
 
If you want modular cables, I'd go with this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

If modular cables don't matter, you can save money by getting this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Lots of people use the Corsairs around here, and the entire line gets uniformly good reviews, from even the toughest reviewers. Feel free to ask around. A 5 year warranty doesn't hurt, either. You might be able to get them cheaper at buy.com, but buy where you're comfortable. I have the HX520, and I expect to keep it when I eventually get a build kinda like the one you're looking at. It's so quiet I can barely hear it when I have my ear right at the back of the case.

One more thing - don't let people talk you into buying a crazy expensive uber-watt PSU. They're unnecessary. They'll just run hotter and waste more electricity. Unless you're doing multiple GPUs, no one really needs more than 600 watts (12v 50a+).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top