PSU for Socket A

maddude

maddude

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 6, 2006
Messages
3,710
Well, the ThermalTake Purepower 560 that was in my Socket A build died, and I need something with a strong 5V rail for my system now. It's being used as a mediacenter, SD only. Specs are:
Asus A7V-600
3200 Barton, stock
2x256mb Kingston Hyper-X
9200 AGP (no external power)
TV Tuner card
SB Live! 5.1
LG DVD Burner
Seagate 250GB Harddrive
Floppy drive

I think that covers it. I have no price range, because I have no idea how much they cost. The MB take a 20 pin ATX connector, and does not use the 4 pin CPU connector.


Thoughts? and thank you.
 
If you want to stay budget, the Thermaltake TR2 430w could work. It's inexpensive, has 30A on the 5V rail, and a 20-pin ATX power connector. Not too sure about it's quality, but it's quite popular for low-end builds.

I have a similar setup for a DVR and used the XClio Stablepower 500w.

These are definitely not high-end supplies, but since you didn't have a budget, I'm not sure what you really want to spend on this system. The power supply is a pretty important part of any system.
 
Well, the system is in good condition otherwise, so I don't want to cheap out and get a PSU that kills the system. I run good powersupplies in my other systems, Corsair 620, Antect Earthwatts 500 in the other, so I know how much a good PSU means. I just want to make sure I get a good powersupply for the system I have. No need for multi 12V rails and the like.
 
Something like the Antec Earthwatts 430w or the Corsair 450VX would be a step up and could more than handle the job.
 
$40 Seasonic SS 300W PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151037

or

$60 Seasonic SS 350W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151038

The 350W PSU is a 80Plus PSU and would be worth the extra $20 if you plan to run the machine 24/7. Otherwise if you just want to get the system running the Seasonic SS 300W is more than enough. Seasonic power supplies are generally very quiet and would serve well for your purposes. This is a Socket A system so no need to go crazy with the PSU. It doesn't require as much power as newer systems.
 
I'm going to be a pain and recommend against the above Seasonic and Corsair units on this one. A 5V based build is going to crossload a 12V oriented unit terribly, and in the case of that Seasonic 300W completely overload it. Even if it works now, it's not a recipe for long term success.

The spec to look for in this case is the combined 3.3V/5V rating - any unit with that number below 200W I wouldn't use in the OP's rig. Finding such units is tricky but still can be done. Enermax still offers a few, as does FSP/Sparkle (FSP350-60PN is one example). Even the Corsair only offers 130W there - not a lot considering the bulk of the load is going to be on those two rails.

There are also a number of server grade monsters that will do the job from Zippy, and the Silverstone ST56ZF and PC P&C 510W will do it as well and still have lots of 12V left for future use.
 
Thanks for the help guys, I'm going to hold off on ordering it for a few weeks, I'm up at school and the computers at home, so no point in getting it yet. I'll let you know how it works when i get it in and running... in about a month.
 
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