Help me choose b/t OCZ, BFG-GS-550, Tuniq

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WhipperSnapper

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Oct 7, 2005
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I think my PSU has died (unless it's the mobo or a fried CPU) in which case I'm going to need a new one. My biggest concern is long-term reliability and having enough power for gaming. I need to power the following:

Athlon 4400 (10% overclock)
2 optical drives (rarely used)
2 ATA hard drives
3.5 floppy (rarely used)
6 80mm case fans
CPU Heatsink fan
(single) 8800 GT, BFG (which has a crappy, standard HSF).

My current and possibly dead PSU is: Fortron 550W EPS

Here are some replacement candidates:

$22 OCZ 500W StealthXStream $22 AR shipped through Midnight tonight. Active PFC.
$40 BFG GS-550--available to me locally for $40.
$30 Tuniq Potency 550W. $30 AR shipped. Active PFC and Plus 80.
$39 OCZ Fatality 550 W modular $39 AR shipped. Has Active PFC and Plus 80.
$50 OCZ 600 W ModXStream pro (modular) $50 AR shipped, Active PFC Plus 80
$50 OCZ 700 W StealthXStream $50 AR local (Microcenter). Active PFC. (Plus 80?)
$60 OCZ 700W ModXStream Pro (modular) $60 AR local (Microcenter), Active PFC, Plus80

So, which would be best? The $22-AR OCZ 500W StealthXStream looks like a great deal (ends tonight) but will it provide enough power? Supposedly it's a rebadged Fortron.

The Tuniq looks to have good specs, but will it provide sufficient continuous power?

The BFG is supposed to be a Huntkey and might provide 450 W continuous, but is really a decent PSU? People seem to rate it favorably at numerous sites.

Are the OCZs of higher quality than the other brands? What's the difference between the Fatality, the StealthXStream, and the ModXtreme lines?

People really seem to like the Fatality with 90% of the people giving it 4 or 5 eggs at Newegg. I can pick it up locally for $50 AR.

Would it make more sense to get one of the 600 or 700's and not have to worry about having adequate power? What's the difference between the $50 600 W ModXStream and the $50 700 W StealthXStream in terms of quality and reliability?
 
That OCZ is an awesome price... but it's AFTER rebate. That money's not yours until it's in your pocket. ;)

I'm guessing the GS-550 is from Microcenter? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0294050
I guess that's ok if you're ok with buying stolen merchandise.

Your best bet is actually the Tuniq. It's really only about a 500W, but it is 80 Plus, it's a decent, solid design... You put that it's $30, though. I see that it's $39, but it has a $20 MIR. Still cheaper than the OCZ out of pocket.

As for the Fatality having four eggs... big whoop. ;) It's actually the exact same PSU as the Tuniq except that the Tuniq has a 120MM fan and the OCZ has a 140MM.
 
Stolen merchandise?

My interest in buying something at Microcenter is that I can just drive there and not have to wait to resurrect my gaming rig. Now that CompUSA is gone, the only other store in the area that carries any computer components is Worst Buy. (I wish we had a Frys.)

Here's a link to what's available at the Microcenter. What 550+W PSU under $50 (after rebate) would be best? Given my system's specs, do you think I would benefit at all from getting a 600 or 700 W in the $50-60 price range? Or should I try to find a higher quality 550 W PSU.

What is so special about that Tuniq and what makes it better than the OCZs? It seems like a Brand-X. (I think all of the OCZs I listed have Active PFC and Plus 80. I wonder, does the Fatality one have a better design than the ModXStream and StealthXStreme? (People just really seem to like it.) What do you think of the BFG, which people also seem to like but is supposed to be crappy (maybe 400-450 W continuous?

http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?N=4294966654 (Choose the Detroit/Madison Heights store.)
 
Not all of the merchandise at Micro Center is stolen. Just the BFG power supplies.

Considering Microcenter has virtually nothing invested in those PSU's, that price is a complete rip off. The GS-550 is solid, but it's only a 450W continuous and has no PFC. It's efficient, but lacks 80 Plus because of the lack of PFC. The good thing about is if you needed it today, you could walk into Microcenter, gaze across their plethora of overpriced product and that one would probably come out on top for price/performance, but wouldn't it be worth it to wait a couple more days and get something better for less money? Not completely knocking the GS-550. My wife's machine has a GS-550 in it... but I got that for free. ;)

Anyhoo... there's nothing that makes the Tuniq "special", but there's nothing that makes the OCZ special either. In fact, as I said, the Fatality and the Tuniq are the same PSU. The thing about the Tuniq is that it has a lower out of pocket cost.

If you don't mind paying more out of pocket and sitting around any maybe getting a rebate back in maybe three to four months... get the OCZ.
 
And how are you recommending non Corsair/Antec/Seasonic, etc PSU???!!!?

Seems like these days everyone shoots down other brands, are other brands really worth having for normal use?
 
in that budget range I would get a coolermaster power supply the 500 watt unit is on sale for $34 at micro center
 
This one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171031

Hardware Secrets gave that Cooler Master a bad review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...e-Power-Plus-500-W-Power-Supply-Review/728/10 If I had to buy from the local Microcenter I think I'd go with one of these:

$40 BFG GS-550
$50AR OCZ Fatality 550 W modular Has Active PFC and 80 Plus.
$50AR OCZ 700 W StealthXStream $50 AR local (Microcenter). Active PFC. (80 Plus?)
$55AR OCZ 600 W ModXStream pro (modular) $50 AR shipped, Active PFC 80 Plus
$60AR OCZ 700W ModXStream Pro (modular) $60 AR local (Microcenter), Active PFC, 80 Plus

Of those, I wonder which would be best. One thing that's nice about those OCZ's is that they're all Active PFC and 80 Plus except for the 700 W StealthXStream. Should the 700 W StealthXStream be removed from consideration for that reason in favor of the (higher-end?) ModXStream 700 W?

For a difference of $5 the price difference between the 600 and 700 W ModXStreams is meaningless. Would it make more sense in terms of electric bills to buy the 600 W for my rig? Or would it make more sense to get the 700 W and be certain not to have to worry about ever having adequate power?
 
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Athlon 4400 (10% overclock)
2 optical drives (rarely used)
2 ATA hard drives
3.5 floppy (rarely used)
6 80mm case fans
CPU Heatsink fan
(single) 8800 GT, BFG (which has a crappy, standard HSF).
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None of the PSU's that you list are "recommendable".

$55 + $2 S&H: Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified

$60 + $2 S&H: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular

Two very good good PSU's from Antec, $57 non-modular & $62 modular, there are other differences & I would recommend the $57 ahead of the $62.

Best Wishes,
Dave
 
ApaThy_NeXT2 said:
And how are you recommending non Corsair/Antec/Seasonic, etc PSU???!!!?

Seems like these days everyone shoots down other brands, are other brands really worth having for normal use?
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ApaThy_NeXT2 said:
Take that Jonny!!! :p
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I'm simply suggesting a PSU based on the list provided by the OP. Certainly, he has his reasons for narrowing down to these PSU's. Sorry, I'm not going to be a fan boy like everyone else and chime in with the same make and model PSU for every single "what PSU should I get" post on the Internet.

davidhammock200 said:
None of the PSU's that you list are "recommendable"
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Sirfa based units on his list. Especially at those costs which are WAY more than what you are recommending. If the guy's got a budget and actually has some decent units on his list, there's nothing wrong with focusing on getting him a very good unit for very little money.
 
jonnyGURU said:
I'm simply suggesting a PSU based on the list provided by the OP. Certainly, he has his reasons for narrowing down to these PSU's. Sorry, I'm not going to be a fan boy like everyone else and chime in with the same make and model PSU for every single "what PSU should I get" post on the Internet.



There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Sirfa based units on his list. Especially at those costs which are WAY more than what you are recommending. If the guy's got a budget and actually has some decent units on his list, there's nothing wrong with focusing on getting him a very good unit for very little money.
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Very well said, I am glad that someone credible like you is saying those things, people really need to hear them. Everything on most all forums lately start with Corsair and end with Seasonic. Cudos
 
jonnyGURU said:
I'm simply suggesting a PSU based on the list provided by the OP. Certainly, he has his reasons for narrowing down to these PSU's. Sorry, I'm not going to be a fan boy like everyone else and chime in with the same make and model PSU for every single "what PSU should I get" post on the Internet.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Sirfa based units on his list. Especially at those costs which are WAY more than what you are recommending. If the guy's got a budget and actually has some decent units on his list, there's nothing wrong with focusing on getting him a very good unit for very little money.
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Jon, even you can't have it both ways, so please make a specific recommendation. I don't feel comfortable recommending any of them, but you know their insides better than I do, so please help out the OP.
 
I'm starting to think that the help I need might not involve a power supply. This rig just doesn't like starting up. It seems like if I unplug the main cord, press the power button a couple times, and then plug the cord back in that it starts and runs without any problems.
 
davidhammock200 said:
Jon, even you can't have it both ways, so please make a specific recommendation. I don't feel comfortable recommending any of them, but you know their insides better than I do, so please help out the OP.
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Well Jonny did say that the Tuniq was the best deal...in the end the Tuniq Potency 550, the OCZ Fatality 550 and the OCZ ModXstream Pro 550 are pretty much the same on the inside....so as Jonny said, go for the best up front price.
 
HOOfan_1 said:
Well Jonny did say that the Tuniq was the best deal...in the end the Tuniq Potency 550, the OCZ Fatality 550 and the OCZ ModXstream Pro 550 are pretty much the same on the inside....so as Jonny said, go for the best up front price.
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Then, "Make it so"! I think as long as these are only lightly loaded, with good case cooling, they work pretty well, as I recall it was only after heavy loading and/or high temps that the serious problems appeared.
 
Yep... so in a typical build (DIY or BYOC type build), these choices are actually overkill. Chassis temps are likely to not even come close to 40°C.
 
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