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Need a new BUDGET PSU

K

Kuromizu

Gawd
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
717
Hi everyone. My current psu is an Antec Smartpower 2.0 500w.

Recently, it started making a very high pitched squeal that's starting to get stuck in my head. It's a real annoyance. Anyways, I need to replace it and do it as cheaply as possible.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152035

I'm thinking about using that. It's got somewhat mixed reviews but overall 5 eggs. The 45-50$ price range after rebate is kind of the sweet spot. I don't want to pay any more than that if possible. Times are tough.

Thanks for your suggestions.

oh, my comp is in my sig, you can see what I'm running.
 
Maybe something larger for a little reserve power? I've been a fan of the Silencer series from PC Power and Cooling and am using a 470 watt with my dinosaur (P4 2.4B and X800GTO....yes it's old but I'm poor and have to keep it going), along with several other builds (4) with one dead PSU among them since the guy never used a surge protector, and ran it on a non-earth ground socket and it was hit by lightning.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

Arbitrarily chose the red one...but that's a pretty cheap price for a 750 watt, and you'd at least have enough reserve power (always a good thing). It's not the best price possible, but I think it's worth it (I paid $100 for my 430 in 2005). It's always a case of getting what one pays for.
 
That doesn't seem too bad. It's a pretty large cash outlay. I'm not too concerned with having more power either, but I hear those PCPC PSUs are pretty reliable. My only gripe with it is that it's not modular. I can't really afford to be too picky, but that other one is 50 bucks for modular.
 
Try looking into Corsair, they're almost if not, equal to PC Power & Cooling and offer a few modular units. I'm a PC Power & Cooling Fanboy though. They're a bit on the pricey side but well worth the performance.
 
There should be nothing budget about a power supply. Easily the most important component in a computer. Never skimp on the PSU. A good PSU means healthy, longer-lasting components.
 
I disagree. Budget and cheap are two very different words. There are high-quality budget PSUs as well.

@Kuromizu, this is a superb PSU for its price. Grab it before the price rises again. It's not modular, but is arguably the best PSU in its price range. If you have qualms about the plain-looking design, this is an excellent alternative, but is about $10 more expensive (counting the promo code discount).

FYI, both have the same amount of power on the +12V rail.
 
If your PSU is still within the three year warranty period, I recommend RMAing that PSU back to Antec. That squeal is more than enough to get a RMA. In addition, you do not need the receipt, just the serial number off that PSU in order to get warranty service. Antec will send you a good quality Earthwatts 500W PSU. Cheaper than getting a new PSU.

If you won't/can't RMA, I recommend this PSU for your system:
Antec Earthwatts 430W PSU - $40

It's of significantly better quality than the Raidmax PSU and it's currently on sale for $40. It's more than enough power for your current system.

@ Rage_3k_Moiz

Actually they don't share the same OEM anymore. All Earthwatts 430W, 500W, and 650W PSUs are now made by Delta whereas the Corsair is Seasonic. In addition, the Corsair 450VX has 33A on the +12V rail whereas the EA430 only has 30A on the +12V rail.
 
Ah yes, I forgot that they are made by Delta now.

And FYI, I linked to the 400CX, not the 450VX.
 
im sure 10 people have reason why not to get a 700watt rocketfish psu.. but i bought one for cheapppp and used it with quadcore overclocked 10 hds 8800gts etc etc and worked great till i yanked it and put in a m12 seasonic 600watt.. you can pick one up for like 45$ shipped on ebay.. prob safer to call it a 600watt psu with 700 watt sticker but from experience it held up great and was fairly quiet with 130mm fan..


did a little reading and here is what johnny guru says " jonnyGURU PSU Inquisitor, 3.8 Years

jonnyGURU is offline Report Post
I'm pretty sure that the Rocketfish 700W is only a Huntkey Titan 650W.

And since that 650W is 650W peak at 25°C, we should call a spade a spade and say it's actually a 550W.

So where did 700W come from?

Geek Squad!

Seriously, it's not a bad PSU, but Best Buy asks a 700W price for it. You can buy virtually ANY 550W to 650W PSU from Best Buy for LESS money and get a BETTER unit. It just doesn't make sense.

I wouldn't pay more than $100 for that RocketFish "700W."

Since you already bought it, why don't you share your total system specs with us and we'll let you know if the unit you have will hold up, but IMHO, unless you have more than a pair of 8800 GTS cards or a large drive array, you'll be fine.
Reply With Quote"
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

I ended up just ordering this. 50 bucks after rebate with free shipping/no tax. it's not modular, but it's got good reviews (despite hocp giving the 600w version a bad review) and there's over 1000 reviews on newegg. If that many people are buying/interested in it, it's got to be at least decent.

Thanks for the advice though guys.

ps. killster1, just like it says in my first post, my system has been in my sig lol
 
ps i guess you didnt even read my post! that was a quote from a psu master about the psu i was recommending for a budget one.. but what ever you got a ocz gamextream i hope you like to RMA!! i love ocz but they new psu's they have had ugh not my favs
 
I hear you. I've heard they've had some problems but I can't think of a company who hasn't. And I wonder how many times things get RMA'd because of user error. In any case, here's hoping for the best.

killster: yeah, I guess I just skimmed it lol. Didn't even realize it was a quote.
 
The GameXStream is fine as long as you do not load it too much, at which point there is a lot of ripple generated. I doubt you would be able to load it to that point though, with your current setup.
 
I heard there was some ripple. I don't figure there will be much more than my current psu. Also, from what I read it's actually within the specifications of the PSU and most PSUs. I was reading a review at overclockersclub and pretty much mirrored that report (editor's choice there). I think you're right though. I definitely won't load this thing with my current setup (35% maybe) and I doubt when I do make any upgrades I'll load it up either.
 
Danny Bui said:
I still recommend canceling the order. Why pay for a 700W PSU that will only provide 500W of power cleanly and safely?

@ killster1
The Rocketfish 700W was properly tested:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ5MSw1LCwxNTA=

Their conclusion was that it was a marginal/mediocre 550W PSU.
Click to expand...



so you didnt mention a miracle 50$ psu that he should buy instead.. i agree buy a 100$ psu that is bad ass but if you only got 50 and have to buy other things hmmm .. who buys a 700watt psu and uses 700 watt anyway? would be foolish imo
 
killster1 said:
so you didnt mention a miracle 50$ psu that he should buy instead.. i agree buy a 100$ psu that is bad ass but if you only got 50 and have to buy other things hmmm .. who buys a 700watt psu and uses 700 watt anyway? would be foolish imo
Click to expand...

A good quality $50 PSU (far superior to that Rocketfish):
Antec Earthwatts 430W PSU - $50

Also, the OP bought the GameXStream on the basis of it's rebate. But you still have to pay the upfront costs before you can get that rebate. Which tells me that the OP had at least $90 to pay for a PSU. Not $50.

Kuromizu said:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/OCZ/GameXStream700W/5.html
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews/cases/OCZ_GameXStream_700W_1.html
Click to expand...
The first link: Uses a test system. No accurate ripple testing, as a result
The second link: No published testing methodology. No ripple charts. No efficiency figures, no actual load numbers.

Those aren't real PSU reviews. This is a real PSU review of that GameXStream, also the one where the out of spec ripple was first found:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=24

Kuromizu said:
I know they're not the best known sites but they're the first two reviews that come up on google. Paired with the fact that there's over 1000 reviews on newegg I'm going with my gut saying that the PSU I ordered should do the job fine.
Click to expand...

Newegg user reviews for PSUs should be taken with a huge grain of salt. The vast majority of them are written by noobs, newbies, idiots, retards, less knowledgable people who have no idea what they're saying.
 
I wasn't commenting on the quality of the reviews but the number. There aren't many products that have 1000 reviews. That means that people are buying this product and using it widely. Compared to a power supply that has only 70-80 reviews, or even 200. that's a big step.

Yeah, I put $90 up front. It doesn't mean that I have a budget for $90. It means that I'm willing to wait for that $40 to come back. What I'm willing to spend and how much money I have are two different things. I really hope you don't spend loads of money on things just because you have cash burning a hole in your pocket.

Even in that jonnyguru review he rates the power supply an 8 overall. The review is also 2.5 years old. I'm betting on the idea that companies are in business to make money and retain customers. Hopefully some of the issues have been worked out in newer batches. We all know that products change from batch to batch with little or zero notice to customers.

Still, everyone can be a monday morning quarterback right?

p.s. a big grain of salt? doesn't that kind of counter the "grain of salt" saying? is that rock salt you're talking about? I could really use some since there's a lot of snow around at the moment.
 
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