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Is this a good PSU?

sitheris said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023


I know it's pretty cheap but it has decent reviews. Thinking about getting it for an upgrade of a spare machine i'm doing.

First of all, which CPU are you going to put into that spare rig?

Second, you can buy better PSUs for just a few more dollars. Also, that so-called "430W" rating of that Thermaltake PSU is at an unrealistically cool internal temperature; its real power output is only about 280W.
 
E4g1e said:
First of all, which CPU are you going to put into that spare rig?

Second, you can buy better PSUs for just a few more dollars. Also, that so-called "430W" rating of that Thermaltake PSU is at an unrealistically cool internal temperature; its real power output is only about 280W.


Not upgrading the cpu - keeping the P4 northwood 2.4ghz 533fsb (478) that's already there
 
sitheris said:
Not upgrading the cpu - keeping the P4 northwood 2.4ghz 533fsb (478) that's already there

That PSU that you're considering is barely adequate for that CPU, even when teamed with a crappy AGP videocard and a single slow hard drive.
 
what would u recommend then? I though 430w would be plenty, and it has great reviews
 
sitheris said:
what would u recommend then? I though 430w would be plenty, and it has great reviews

The trouble is, that PSU doesn't really deliver 430W at the typical internal temps of 40°C to 50°C. That 430W rating is achieved at an internal temp of only 20°C - which is all too easy to exceed, unless your ambient temps are near freezing (0°C). At typical internal temps, that unit is really a 250W to 300W unit.

And don't believe the ratings that you've seen at NewEgg. Most of the so-called "reviewers" know little to nothing about the product that they've reviewed.
 
E4g1e said:
The trouble is, that PSU doesn't really deliver 430W at the typical internal temps of 40°C to 50°C. That 430W rating is achieved at an internal temp of only 25°C - which is all too easy to exceed, unless your ambient temps are below a chilly 10°C.

And don't believe the ratings that you've seen at NewEgg. Most of the so-called "reviewers" know little to nothing about the product that they've reviewed.


So what would you suggest? This is a budget upgrade, I'm not looking to put down $100 on a psu this time around
 
E4g1e said:
If you're thinking about buying that cheap Thermaltake PSU, consider this FSP unit instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

Even though it's *only* a 400W unit, it will likely have a stronger +12V total capacity than the Thermaltake unit (about 27A combined total for the FSP, versus only 18A total for the Thermaltake).


Well i want something that will work .. you said the thermaltake would barely even be enough power. but I've not heard of this 'FSP' brand...are they quality ?
 
sitheris said:
Well i want something that will work .. you said the thermaltake would barely even be enough power. but I've not heard of this 'FSP' brand...are they quality ?

FSP = Fortron
 
E4g1e said:
FSP = Fortron


and that's supposed to make it clearer? sorry lol I'm not sure. maybe i'll just buy another antec neopower 480 even though theyre a little pricey
 
sitheris said:
and that's supposed to make it clearer? sorry lol I'm not sure. maybe i'll just buy another antec neopower 480 even though theyre a little pricey

Actually, FSP/Fortron is a "known good brand", according to the experts here at the [H]. The problem with Thermaltake, on the other hand, is that their PSUs tend to be of a very old design which puts a lot of power on the +5V rail but relatively little power on the +12V rail. Furthermore, Thermaltake is one of those brands which put out mediocre or worse PSU's even at a relatively high price point.
 
sitheris said:
and that's supposed to make it clearer? sorry lol I'm not sure. maybe i'll just buy another antec neopower 480 even though theyre a little pricey

Why not get a Antec Smartpower 2.0-series PSU? They're cheaper and gets the job done, price better wise than the neopower.

Linky

That should power it. If you need a 400watt edtion, here it is. Those older P4's shouldnt require all that much, heck I still use a TruPower 1.0 430 to power this AMD and its slightly overkill, if not for the fact its age is getting to it.
 
I've apologized that I have been misleading these people at the [H] about that particular Thermaltake W0070 430W unit. I stand corrected there.

Honestly, it's an adequate PSU - for up to a 3.0GHz Northwood P4 rig or an Athlon XP 3200+ rig. But using that PSU on Prescott-core P4's or any Athlon 64's is just pushing it for that PSU.

Thus, I'd only recommend it on something up to 3GHz (for Intel) or 3200+ (for AMD) - and only if you can find it for no more than $30. (That PSU typically sells for $40 to $50 at retail.) In other words, it's a pretty good replacement PSU for older systems only.
 
sitheris said:
what would u recommend then? I though 430w would be plenty, and it has great reviews

After going through the proccess of finding a power supply via research on [H] and other places, its easy to see that 99% of people who review PSUs on Newegg don't have a clue what there talking about, esp the guys who say they have a High understanding of the technology. I've seen some pretty crappy $29 500W raidmax PSUs get a 5egg rating, and people touting, omg its teh best bargain ever, and then at the bottom it says that this user claims to have high expertise in dealing with this technology or w/e.
 
sitheris said:
wow lol ... too late anyway, went with an antec truepower2 430w :)

That's exactly the same PSU that I'm using in my main rig. (Granted, I have a single 7800GT on that rig rather than an SLI configuration - but hey, what the heck?)
 
sitheris said:
Well i want something that will work .. you said the thermaltake would barely even be enough power. but I've not heard of this 'FSP' brand...are they quality ?
'E4g1e' is right. You would be better off with that Fortron.

Fortron/FSP is a well known brand name among Overclockers. Do a forum search.
FSP internals are used in many reputable brands. Including Sparkle, AOpen, Verax, SPI, & PowerMan.

Don't hesitate to give them a hard look when you need another PSU.
 
Susquehannock said:
'E4g1e' is right. You would be better off with that Fortron.

Fortron/FSP is a well known brand name among Overclockers. Do a forum search.
FSP internals are used in many reputable brands. Including Sparkle, AOpen, Verax, SPI, & PowerMan.

Don't hesitate to give them a hard look when you need another PSU.

Actually, it's too late to change his mind. He has already gotten himself an Antec TPII-430.
 
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