Higher Price = Better Quality... not important?

B

Benie

n00b
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
62
Hey. According to Facepunch, a forum I go to, I've been told that the maker of the PSU is more important than the price.
However, I've heard from others, that the price is more important than the maker.

So I ask [H]ard|Forum.com, to help me out. Is a $50, no-named 500W PSU, good enough? :confused: Or should I save up for a brand named PSU?
I know nothing about reading and understanding voltage info.

System;
OS: Windows XP Home SP3
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550
RAM: 2GB DDR-2
Video: Nvidia Geforce 9500GT
Audio: Siig Soundwave 7.1 PCI
 
that all depends on what you are using hte computer for.


do u want to overclock? have lots of accessories? run sli? how stable do you want your system?

whats the system specs and what is the brand of this "no-name" $50 500w psu you are referring to?

the psu is basically the heart of any computer system. the psu is not something u want to skimp on.
 
Maker is always more important than price. The thing is that most high end makers tend to have higher end prices. Skimping on the PSU is like driving a semi truck on a bridge made of dowels.

Here is a Antec 500W earthwatts for 56 (no MIR) with free shipping. It's right around your price area and will power your rig really well (enough room for GPU upgrade).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007
 
haste is correct but you dont have to spend a fortune on one to get a good one either. i hate getting bare minimum on psu's. i like to have room to grow. brands i recommend and they have different prices according to what you need are pc power and cooling..........corsair...and antec. go to newegg and look around. all those brands have different watts and prices depending on your needs.
 
Haste266 said:
that all depends on what you are using hte computer for.


do u want to overclock? have lots of accessories? run sli? how stable do you want your system?

whats the system specs and what is the brand of this "no-name" $50 500w psu you are referring to?

the psu is basically the heart of any computer system. the psu is not something u want to skimp on.
Click to expand...
I'm a gamer. But somewhat of a casual gamer. I play high-end games like Crysis and Mirror's Edge. I don't overclock. I want my system as stable as possible.
As for the brand, it's unknown. All I can see is a model number. LPK2-30.
And I listed my specs in the OP.
 
If you want your system as stable as possible, then you must use a quality name-brand power supply. Putting in a generic or cheap power supply is probably the worst thing you can do that will affect system stability as it can be very difficult to narrow down problems caused by bad power.

Also, check the sticky so you know what not to buy.
 
Read the reviews man! Even good manf make shit sometimes just find one that meets your needs and read up about it.
 
Biskquik said:
Here is a Antec 500W earthwatts for 56 (no MIR) with free shipping. It's right around your price area and will power your rig really well (enough room for GPU upgrade).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007
Click to expand...

The 650 is available for 65 no mir free ship with code.. Trying to find that damn code somewhere....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

you must use a quality name-brand power supply
Click to expand...

I've been running my machine for 2 years, almost 3 on a power supply everyone here says should blow up my machine, so take that with a grain of salt.
 
Benie said:
Hey. According to Facepunch, a forum I go to, I've been told that the maker of the PSU is more important than the price.
However, I've heard from others, that the price is more important than the maker.

So I ask [H]ard|Forum.com, to help me out. Is a $50, no-named 500W PSU, good enough? :confused: Or should I save up for a brand named PSU?
I know nothing about reading and understanding voltage info.
Click to expand...
The real answer is that it isn't the brand or the price that matters, but the specific model of PSU itself. Even good brands have been known to put out the odd mediocre or even bad PSU, and some brands that are currently good have previously released low-quality PSUs (BFG, Antec, Thermaltake, and Coolermaster are just a few examples of this).

Basically, when you're looking to buy a PSU, look for a review of it either on JonnyGURU.com, or on HardOCP. If you can't find a review on either of those sites, then ask about it either here or at the JonnyGURU forums, and we'll let you know if it's a good PSU or not. If you don't know whether or not a PSU is good, ask someone who does know, and please do not jump the gun and purchase something because you may end up with a piece of shit which can end up damaging your components.
pigwalk said:
I've been running my machine for 2 years, almost 3 on a power supply everyone here says should blow up my machine, so take that with a grain of salt.
Click to expand...
You got lucky. Telling people to take advice to purchase a good PSU "with a grain of salt" is an idiotic and harmful suggestion, plain and simple.
 
SockMan! said:
Also, check the sticky so you know what not to buy.
Click to expand...
I read the sticky. It looks like every brand of PSU out there is on the "not recommended" list. That's not helpful.
And I don't feel like reading ten pages. Would think the OP would have the info up front.
Haste266 said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817165024

DO NOT BUY THAT POS.
Click to expand...
That's not it. The fan is round, and it's just the fan.
It looks nearly like my old PSU, but the bars that keep you from sticking your fingers in there, are pushed out in a round shape. Not flat round.
http://www.attictrunk.com/agips2posu351.html
(this is my old PSU, except without a "W" at the end for the model number)
 
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Benie said:
I read the sticky. It looks like every brand of PSU out there is on the "not recommended" list. That's not helpful.
And I don't feel like reading ten pages. Would think the OP would have the info up front.
Click to expand...
If you want to get a quality PSU, the only way to find what you need is to do research. Obviously it will take some time and effort, but it's certainly worth the trouble if you care about the longevity of your system. Just look for reviews on the two sites I mentioned before, and if you have any other specific questions, you can ask them here.
 
Zero82z said:
You got lucky. Telling people to take advice to purchase a good PSU "with a grain of salt" is an idiotic and harmful suggestion, plain and simple.
Click to expand...

Saying you >MUST< use a good brand, good quality PSU is just a little overzealous. Is it good advice? Hell yes! But there are millions of PC's out there using PSU's that you wouldn't use as doorstops running. But they work, and many of them never run into a problem.

In short. >SHOULD< you use a good psu? YES! >MUST< you use a good namebrand psu? Nah. But it's not a good idea.
 
pigwalk said:
Saying you >MUST< use a good brand, good quality PSU is just a little overzealous. Is it good advice? Hell yes! But there are millions of PC's out there using PSU's that you wouldn't use as doorstops running. But they work, and many of them never run into a problem.

In short. >SHOULD< you use a good psu? YES! >MUST< you use a good namebrand psu? Nah. But it's not a good idea.
Click to expand...
You must use a quality PSU if you want to guarantee the safe operation of your hardware components. Do some crappy PSUs do the trick without dying? Yes. But is there a definite risk that they will harm your components? Yes.
 
Benie said:
I read the sticky. It looks like every brand of PSU out there is on the "not recommended" list. That's not helpful.
And I don't feel like reading ten pages. Would think the OP would have the info up front.
Click to expand...

You're exaggerating. There are a TON of PSU manufacturers out there. So while that list seems to include every brand of PSU, it really doesn't. It contains like 50%, at most, of the world's PSU manufacturers. In addition, that list hasn't been updated since 2006.

Look, Zero82z is right: it all depends on the specific PSU model as even the good PSU manufacturers have some shit PSUs or PSUs that are over-priced for the money.
 
pigwalk said:
Saying you >MUST< use a good brand, good quality PSU is just a little overzealous. Is it good advice? Hell yes! But there are millions of PC's out there using PSU's that you wouldn't use as doorstops running. But they work, and many of them never run into a problem.

In short. >SHOULD< you use a good psu? YES! >MUST< you use a good namebrand psu? Nah. But it's not a good idea.
Click to expand...

QFT. You don't NEED a brand name PSU, after all Dell ships out its machines with some funky CPUs, and probably 75% of them never get returned.

But at the same time you don't want to gamble. Yes I could buy a $20 Rosewill, but I would only consider it to run a PIII with integrated graphics. If you value your components and planning on actually using them (Crysis will strain your 9500GT) I would get something actually worth having. If your building a small time PC because your mom wanted to check out Twitter, by all means use the No name.
 
KillaChaos said:
QFT. You don't NEED a brand name PSU, after all Dell ships out its machines with some funky CPUs, and probably 75% of them never get returned.
.
Click to expand...

Dell actually uses quality PSUs usually....like Delta

Also how are Intel CPU's funky? ;)
 
KillaChaos said:
QFT. You don't NEED a brand name PSU, after all Dell ships out its machines with some funky CPUs, and probably 75% of them never get returned.

But at the same time you don't want to gamble. Yes I could buy a $20 Rosewill, but I would only consider it to run a PIII with integrated graphics. If you value your components and planning on actually using them (Crysis will strain your 9500GT) I would get something actually worth having. If your building a small time PC because your mom wanted to check out Twitter, by all means use the No name.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't run a Pentium II with a Rosewill POS. And then there's Allied/Deer.
 
dandragonrage said:
I wouldn't run a Pentium II with a Rosewill POS.
Click to expand...
Some of Rosewill's PSUs are actually half-decent. I wouldn't run a high-end system on one, but a lower-end one would be fine. Always make sure to check out the specific model though, since they use a variety of OEMs.
 
The thing is, your system doesn't need a ton of power. And even if you get a better video card, your going to be ok with a GOOD 500-650 watt power supply. And you can usually get a GOOD 500-650 watt powersupply for around 50-65 bucks. That is some seriously cheap peace-of-mind.

You may save yourself 20-30 bucks by getting a cheaper one but the first time you have a computer problem your going to be wondering if its the PSU or something else. Having a good quality PSU lets you concentrate on your other components and software problems because a GOOD PSU rarely is the problem. Also if you do decide to upgrade your system you wont have to swap it out so invest now in a decent one. Their is almost always something in [H]otdeals so when you have the money to spend look there first. Here is one there for 65 shipped for US customers that will handle about anything you ever would want to throw at it. The second post with the newegg link and code.

Also, even if that PSU you have will put out its advertised amps ( doubtful ) its not enough to comfortably run your system under a strong load. With how cheap you can get a good PSU there is no reason not to get a decent one.
 
Direfox, who are you talking to? The OP needs no more than 350W. I'd go with a 400 to 450W just to be on the safe side. The Corsair 450 would be a good fit and would still allow him to get a high-end video card.

No system that's not SLI/CF or dual CPU needs a 600W supply. Period.
 
Sigh after all the piece of shit PSU's I've been through over the years, I think I will have to say buying a proper, quality brand name PSU is your safest bet.

A good PSU can give you 5 years of life man...or more. Can't really say the same for any other piece of hardware in your rig without falling behind the curve.
 
For the most part, no sub-$20 type PSUs I've seen have done anyone any good. Those who have actually had their rigs powered by such garbage in the long run have been extremely lucky. It's like playing russian roulette I guess, but you'd never do that, now would you? I'd never take the chance on cheaping out on a PSU ever again, been there coupla times a long time ago.
 
I've compiled a comprehensive list of times when it is acceptable to use a no-name power supply or one of dubious origins (such as linkworld, deer, l&c, logisys, etc)

1.


That's it.
 
i agree with everybody saying that name is more important. but i didn't care, when i bought a $280.99 1050w psu for my system.
i got this: ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV1050EWT 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817194039
it is expensive, got to be also good, plus or less.
 
Benie said:
Hey. According to Facepunch, a forum I go to, I've been told that the maker of the PSU is more important than the price.
However, I've heard from others, that the price is more important than the maker.

So I ask [H]ard|Forum.com, to help me out. Is a $50, no-named 500W PSU, good enough? :confused: Or should I save up for a brand named PSU?
I know nothing about reading and understanding voltage info.

System;
OS: Windows XP Home SP3
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550
RAM: 2GB DDR-2
Video: Nvidia Geforce 9500GT
Audio: Siig Soundwave 7.1 PCI
Click to expand...

Most generally a 50 dollar no name PSU is NOT something I would ever buy.
I run PC Power and Cooling atm. They, Corsair, Seasonic, Enermax some Sparkle and Antecs and even Thermaltake PSU's are all decent. Almost forgot BFG makes a few kick ass PSU's too.

I'd be looking at this
BFG Tech LS-450 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702014

or this

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
 
agree, maker is always more important than the price,after all no one want to get a product only can last 1 week.
 
I just pulled a POS Q-Tek PSU out of an old K7 system which had been running it for a few years without any apparent issues. PSU lacks a line filter and has only the most minimal filtering and power conditioning on the primary & secondary side elsewhere. On the other hand, the cheap POS PSU in my brother's PSU killed the videocard and HDD after a few months.

Cheap, not necessary nameless PSUs, are like playing Russian roulette, even expensive PSUs aren't necessarily good (just look at the $250 In-Win 850 Watt PSU review on this site, CWT's PSH design at its worst). Your only sure bet is to pick a good brand like Enermax, Corsair and read reviews of their PSUs, using those to base your purchase decision on. www.jonnyguru.com has lots of good PSU reviews too in addition to HardOCP.com.

Good luck :)
 
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