UrbN's PSU Thread

[Ice Czar]

I plan on sticking with my system i just upgraded for a bit.

current system:
Intel Pentium 4 3.0ghz HT
Asus P4P800S-X
256mb pc3200 RAM ( upgraded to 1GB in the future )
40GB HD ( upgrading to 120gb at the most in the future )
256MB Geforce or ATI video card ( still undecided on which to go with )
2 case fans ( going to upgrade with 1 more fan, and probaley replace the stock fans with something with a smidge more power, maybe quieter also )

I do not plan on OCing my pc at all, i'm wanting to run it normal. I want a PSU that can take on this system, and keep it running smoothly. I really appreciate your help man, you've been a big help.

employed a worse case senerio for this (all upgrades and the X800XT graphics card
figures for an X800XT (one of the most power hungry GPUs and cards)

525/1150
............................IDLE...........................LOAD
+3.3V.......1.05Amps 3.48Watts................2.71Amps 8.74Watts
+5V..........1.42Amps 4.05Watts...............3.33Amps 16.75watts
+12V........0.85Amps 10.09Watts..............3.25Amps 37.73Watts
Total W.....17.62Watts Idle.......................63.23Watts load
which jumps even more with an overclock
550/1250...18.43Watts Idle.......................65.88Watts load

used the stock amps spread too, but keep in mind that many other card would be less power hungry overall, but more power hungry on different rails, so running the calculator again when you actually decide is a good idea,


Power Consumption of Contemporary Graphics Accelerators. Part I: Graphics Cards on ATI Chips
Power Consumption of Contemporary Graphics Accelerators. Part II: NVIDIA vs. ATI

result http://takaman.jp/D/?M=PcbAHQbdXfSATITnkG5@0DaH9ZAZavPCOP&english

+3.3V line 4.5A or better
+5V rail 13.1A or better
+12V rail 18.1A or better
+3.3V and +5V combined 80.8 Watts or better
Total Combined 298.8 Watts or better
Total Output 308.8 Watts or better

fortron blue storm 500w will do you well

atxV2.0 compatible as opposed to many purely compliant supplies out there; it has dual 12v lines with decent amperage on each. Fortron is a well known and widely respected copmany, and will perform much better than thermaltake psu's, which you will find a wide range of opinions on (where as no one hates fortron). Personally even, I have had a 480w thermaltake psu not perform up to spec on me and fail to power my system, so I wouldn't go that way.

Fortron Blue Storm 500W ATX12V V2.0 Power Supply with 120mm Fan, P4 and AMD ready, Model "AX500-A" -RETAIL $86.50
otherwise known as the
FSP -AX500-A
well padded on the +3.3V and +5V rails making it easily backward compatible to any older mobo that used to power the CPU off the +5V, but also has the new dual +12V rails equaly split at 15A per,l or a total of 30A

now even deductin one third of the rated amps for temperature differences
(most supplies rate at 25C, while operating temperature is likely up to 40C)
we still have 20 Amps on those rails

as a note, Fortron might actually test at a higher temperature, since they consistently put out more than their rating in competent independent reviews

the Blue Storm has basic spec compliance and its ATX12V v1.3 older brother is a widely regarded workhorse

 

[UrbN]

my current setup
Asus p4p800s-x
Pentium 4 3.0ghz HT
256mb pc3200 ( upgrading to 1gb pc3200 )
40 gb hd ( upgrading to 120gb soon )
Riva TNT 2 32mb ( waiting on the 6600GT AGP )
2, fixing to be 3 case fans.
Cooler Master Aluminum case

I know there are help threads all over, i can never find the right answer for mine. Ice Czar recommended last nite i should get a 500w Fortron PSU. I found a 460w Fortron psu for $75 http://www.directron.com/fsp46060pfn.html. The closest i found to 500w besides the 460w was this one, and it's for dual pcus http://store.yahoo.com/directron/fsp55060pln.html Where are there anymore good prices on the net for a Fortron psu with that much wattage. Should i try and go with Antec, or Thermaltake, i see a bunch of those psus all over the net. I dont really wanna have deep pockets for this purchase. I still have to go after the 6600gt agp when it comes out, plus with xmas, i'll have to talk sweet to the gf

P.S. I dont plan on OCing my computer at all

 

[Ice Czar]

merge

I know there are help threads all over, i can never find the right answer for mine

UserCP (upper left) if its not just listed > all subscribed threads (upper right)

well the first one of those is an ATX12V v1.3 PSU with only 15Amps on the +12V rail
while the second one is a compatible but not compliant EPS12V with 18Amps on the +12V rail
while the Blue Storm above is an ATX12V v2.0
and has dual +12V rails, +12V1@15A, +12V2@15A, for 30 Amps

so you can see Watts isnt a good indication of where the power is getting delivered
but I do have a few other recommendations
Antec Neopower $115
Enermax Noisetaker 485 ATX12V v2.0 series $108 (note not all Noisetakers are v2.0)

Power supplies become increasingly expensive

When I initially asked about this on a mailing list, Solaris x86 advocate Al Hopper told me I was drowning in my tea, and that it was "all very simple". I love the simplicity of Unix people.

He explained that the later P4 CPUs take their power from a 12 Volt feed and, using the onboard voltage regulators, generate the high current, low-voltages they need to operate (anywhere from ~ 1.6V to around 2.7V). So the first requirement is a PSU that has plenty of power available from the 12V supply. Since the older ATX compatible PSUs didn't supply much current from the 12V section you have to ensure that your new PS delivers enough current (or power in Watts) from the 12V section. That's why using your old P3 ATX PS is a big "no-no".

He then described the history of the post-P3 power supply mess:

The earlier Athlon motherboard manufacturers decided to solve the 12v problem by using an additional 4-pin square connector to get the extra 12V those CPUs required. However many older PSUs didn't provide the 12V 4-pin square connector.

The motherboard makers then wised up and decided that there was nothing magical about a square 4-pin connector, so they put a normal hard disk type socket on the motherboard and provided the 12v power via a standard hard disk (4-pin inline) connector. Problem solved - you may now use your older PSUs provided they supply sufficient 12V current (many did not).

Further confusion came from PSU manufacturers not specifying the capabilities of the PSU in a way that allowed the end user to verify it's 12V power output rating.

In the meantime the ATX spec was saying "use the new 6-pin" inline connector - and very few motherboard makers implemented it.

Just to be sure, some motherboard makers, implemented *both* the hard disk style 4-pin inline connector and the square 4-pin connector. They said "use either or both in any combination you like".

The spec then evolved to the 24-pin main connector. Again, most motherboard manufacturers did not wish to make their customers mad by mandating that they replace their power supplies. This might cause their customers to avoid motherboard upgrades. Some used a "special" 24-pin connector with the extra 4-pin connection blocked off, or colored so that the user could plugin a 20-pin plug into the correct end of the 24-pin socket on the motherboard. Many others simply ignored the 24-pin requirement in the specs. Again - problem solved - use your older PSU.

now however, you actually need the extra amps on that 12V rail\s and if your board doesnt use the 24 pin it will on the next board (the Blue Storm comes with a 20 pin adapter)


as you can see I recommended the cheap seats from the start
afforbable but reliable


but feel free to link other supplies the main thing you should look for is a supply that is putting out around 28 Amps on the +12V rail(s), so that when you deduct a third of the amps to reflect the current at real world temperatures, you still have 18 Amps to power your rig (and any upgrades your likely to get)