Good Modular PSU's?

[Phil_Mc_cracken]

Got a new gtx280 really cheap and now I need a new PSU.
It has to be modular As it is for a SFF case.
Been looking at the 800W Gigabyte ODIN GT As i would Like to Future Proof it as much as possible as am looking at upgrading to core i7 later this year and would like to have the option of gtx280's. I Only Run one optical drive and 2 HDD. with 2 120m fans.
My question is would this psu be enough to Handle the whole thing or should i get something bigger?

 

[UMASS]

The Gigabyte Odin is a fine 800W PSU. I went ahead & bought this Mushkin here made by Topower. 64A on a single rail.

http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/power_supply/xp-800ap.asp

If you're interested use promo code bjorn3d.com

It brought the price down to $113.00 plus free shipping direct from Mushkin. It's a fine PSU (it's doesn't have much of a track record with reviews etc.) Comes with a 5-year warranty. Got it in last Friday & running all the stress tests for 3 days straight. It's really been a champ. Loaded with PCIe connectors 2x6 Pin & 2X8 Pin.

I was looking for the Gigabyte Odin 800 watt PSU, but there doesn't seem to be that many sellers on the web. What was the price like...$180.00ish?

 

[davidhammock200]

As it is for a SFF case.

How do you intend to cool a pair of 285's?

There are much better PSU's, but let's see what is really possible.

What mATX mobo?

 

[Dangman]

@ UMASS
It's not a fine PSU unless it's been properly tested and shown to be a fine PSU Mushkin's and Topower's names aren't good enough to get a free pass, at least in the PSU department anyway.

@ Phil_Mc_cracken
The Odin 800W is made by CWT so it does have a good chance of being a quality PSU. It's probably based on the CWT PSH platform. That platform has been shown to be at least a good quality platform but there is the occasional bad derivative. However, UMASS is right about that PSU being somewhat rare, at least here in the states, and costs a bit too much.

The Corsair PSU finder recommends the Corsair 1000HX PSU for your setup. So basically, find a PSU with at least 75A on the +12V rail, 80A preferred, made by a reputable manufacturer.

 

[davidhammock200]

The Corsair PSU finder recommends the Corsair 1000HX PSU for your setup. So basically, find a PSU with at least 75A on the +12V rail, 80A preferred, made by a reputable manufacturer.

That Corsair HX1000 is a "quiet server grade" PSU rated at 50C, too!

Without OC'ing we are looking at about a 500W draw, so even the $120 Corsair 850W would be fine,
if he can find a way to cool that small case.

 

[UMASS]

@ UMASS
It's not a fine PSU unless it's been properly tested and shown to be a fine PSU Mushkin's and Topower's names aren't good enough to get a free pass, at least in the PSU department anyway.

@ Phil_Mc_cracken
The Odin 800W is made by CWT so it does have a good chance of being a quality PSU. It's probably based on the CWT PSH platform. That platform has been shown to be at least a good quality platform but there is the occasional bad derivative. However, UMASS is right about that PSU being somewhat rare, at least here in the states, and costs a bit too much.

The Corsair PSU finder recommends the Corsair 1000HX PSU for your setup. So basically, find a PSU with at least 75A on the +12V rail, 80A preferred, made by a reputable manufacturer.

Danny: You're correct in that Mushkin/Topower doesn't have a "proven" track record. Topower has made some sub-par OEM units in the past. But keep in mind that might be because of the OEM specs issued to Topower.

Topower does & has made some very nice PSU's. I tend to think that Mushkin required some higher-end caps etc. to back-up their 5-year warranty. For my needs (see my specs) it foots the bill just fine. As you can see, I'm not pushing the envelope w/ one VC (4870 1gb) & HD etc. But down the road in a year when I build a new box, I think the Mushkin 800 watt PSU will do me just fine. I could have bought a Corsai 850HX for like $100.00, but I must have modular! Most PSU companies should really start making 75% of their units w/ modular. The time has come!

 

[Dangman]

Topower has made some sub-par OEM units in the past. But keep in mind that might be because of the OEM specs issued to Topower.

True. One of the earliest case I can remember is how Antec issued troublesome PSU designs to CWT, resulting in the poor (IMO) Smartpower and its ilk series. But CWT can and does make good PSUs like the aforementioned Corsair 1000HX.

I tend to think that Mushkin required some higher-end caps etc. to back-up their 5-year warranty.

To be fair, Ultra offers lifetime and 5 year warranties with their PSUs. And we all know how poor quality a good majority of Ultra PSUs are. So in other words, length of warranty doesn't always necessarily indicate the quality level of PSUs.

 

[Zero82z]

The Odin 800W is a CWT PSH with similar construction to the Corsair TX750 and Thermaltake Toughpower series (sub-1000W models). It is a good-quality PSU and is sufficient for a Core i7 system, even if you decide to add a second video card in the future.

But down the road in a year when I build a new box, I think the Mushkin 800 watt PSU will do me just fine.

The thing is, you have no way of knowing that to be true since there is no evidence to support it. And given Topower's mostly lackluster (to put it nicely) track record, I wouldn't put very much faith in that PSU unless its performance is proven to be good. So I have to take offense to the fact that you are continuing to recommend a PSU that is manufactured by a company that is known to produce lackluster products, since you have no evidence that it is a good unit, and it may in fact turn out to be a poor PSU when asked to provide the power it is rated for.

 

[Phil_Mc_cracken]

Thanks Guys i think i'll get it.
BTW im in australia so prices can be different the ODIN 800 sells for $250 dollars here where the corsair 750w goes for 240. also for the core i7 build i will most likely go back to ATX for better cooling.

 

[UMASS]

The Odin 800W is a CWT PSH with similar construction to the Corsair TX750 and Thermaltake Toughpower series (sub-1000W models). It is a good-quality PSU and is sufficient for a Core i7 system, even if you decide to add a second video card in the future.

The thing is, you have no way of knowing that to be true since there is no evidence to support it. And given Topower's mostly lackluster (to put it nicely) track record, I wouldn't put very much faith in that PSU unless its performance is proven to be good. So I have to take offense to the fact that you are continuing to recommend a PSU that is manufactured by a company that is known to produce lackluster products, since you have no evidence that it is a good unit, and it may in fact turn out to be a poor PSU when asked to provide the power it is rated for.

Zero: I agree with you to some extent. 1st off...Topower has & does make some decent PSU's! Most of their business is OEM & that can hurt your overall reputation based on a companies 3rd party spec requirements!!! Want inexpensive sub-par caps? Sure not a problem, we'll buy from "X" company & manufacturer the PSU for you.

To be fair, Danny makes a solid point in regards to the warranty length (i.e. Ultra) 5-years is solid enough. I always keep an extra PSU on hand all the time, just in case a PSU heads south & you'll have to wait for the RMA process.

So we all have to wait until the Mushkin (or any PSU for that matter) gets reviewed by someone that cuts the PSU review mustard? It's usually the best bet, but then again, sometimes we need to jump-in & report back to other of "our" expereince.

Just my 2 cents worth & BTW...You "do" make a soild point & I'm not taking that away from you! Sometimes I feel the Corsair, PC&C, Silverstone etc. are not always for everyone. If I didn't want modular so much, then the Corsair 750TX ($84.99 AR) which be a steal!

 

[Dangman]

So we all have to wait until the Mushkin (or any PSU for that matter) gets reviewed by someone that cuts the PSU review mustard?

To be on the safe side and best bet, yes.

No offense, but I don't trust user experience when it comes to PSUs unless it's from a reputable source and backed by some sort of evidence. It was because of "user experience" and "user recommendations" as well as salesperson's stupidity that I ended up getting a POS PSU that killed six of my hard drives. I've also seen other people recommend PSUs out of their own personal experience despite the fact that the PSU has been proven by proper PSU testing to be of poor quality or is virtually incapable of providing the rated wattage and amperage safely.

Case in point: the OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU. I still see some people recommend that PSU even though it's been shown to be incapable of providing its rated wattage safely. In fact the PSU platform that the OCZ GameXStream is based on is troublesome to begin with once you start going above 500W with that platform:
FSP BlueStorm II 500W PSU @ HardOCP
FSP BlueStorm II 500W PSU @ jonnyGuru
FSP Everest 700W PSU @ HardOCP
FSP Everest 700W PSU @ jonnyGuru
FSP Everest 900W PSU
FSP Everest 1010W PSU
OCZ GameXStream 700W
OCZ GameXStream 1010W
Sigma SP-700 700W PSU
Super Talent Atomic Juice PS-700 700W PSU
Antec Basiq 500W PSU

So yes, I do agree with the statement that unless the PSU or the PSU platform it is based on has been tested and has done well in those testings, it should not be trusted nor used. In addition, I take user reviews, user experience, and other user info with a grain of salt when it comes to PSUs since not that many users, hell even so called professional hardware enthusiasts sites for that matter, can PROPERLY test a PSU.

 

[Zero82z]

So we all have to wait until the Mushkin (or any PSU for that matter) gets reviewed by someone that cuts the PSU review mustard?

Yes.

It's usually the best bet, but then again, sometimes we need to jump-in & report back to other of "our" expereince.

No offense, but user experience is meaningless. You need proper equipment to be able to assess the quality of a PSU's output, and you need to measure ripple, voltage stability, transient load handling, and how well a PSU does across different loads to actually be able to know how good a PSU is doing. You could hook up a system to a cheap $5 PSU and have it work, while it kills your components without you even knowing about it. So without proper testing, there is quite literally absolutely no way to judge the quality or power output of a PSU.

 

[[Spectre]]

Zero: I agree with you to some extent. 1st off...Topower has & does make some decent PSU's! Most of their business is OEM & that can hurt your overall reputation based on a companies 3rd party spec requirements!!! Want inexpensive sub-par caps? Sure not a problem, we'll buy from "X" company & manufacturer the PSU for you.

Topower dips into the magical grab bag of crap capacitors all on their own. Hermei, Samson, anyone?