where to buy

[robmarti@tampa]

i have finally decided on two different psu the antec 48o neopower and the ocz 520 modstream. i like the fact that both are modular to decreae on clutter. i would like the ocz because more power, but max pc came out with psu roundup and i noticed that the best ones were the ones with active PFC. the ocz website states the only international models have the PFC, does anyone know where to get the PFC version in the US. otherwise it is the antec for me.

-rob

 

[Vertigo Acid]

as a consumer, active PFC is of little or no concern;
http://www.dansdata.com/gz028.htm

But if you're not being billed by power factor - and if you're a home or small business, you're probably not - then an Active PFC PSU, or any other kind of power factor corrected hardware, isn't going to consume any less real power than cheaper gear without PFC. It'll actually probably consume a little bit more, and that little bit more will be noticed by your electricity meter, though the cost per year of this extra is unlikely to be more than you can find down the side of the couch.

If you want to do your part to clean up the mains, then PFC PSUs are a good idea. This might also qualify as enlightened self-interest, because the rate that domestic power consumers are charged per kilowatt-hour is no doubt influenced by their overall power factor. Everyone who swaps out low-power-factor gear for PFC gear lightens the load on the grid, and this may delay power price rises (or, if you live in Happy Land, actually cause the price per kilowatt-hour to drop).

Active PFC PSUs may also deal with lousy mains power better than passive PFC units, but PC PSUs generally handle spikes and surges and dropouts pretty well already, and a proper outboard power conditioner is a better solution to that problem, anyway. So by all means, buy an Active-PFC-equipped PSU if you like; they do no harm, and they're generally high quality in other respects as well. But don't think that PFC of any kind is going to save you any money, if you're using ordinary domestic power.

So don't let that be your deciding factor between the supplies. I'd choose the Antec, but i'm biased! Also, i'd advise against worshiping the Max PC roundup; their weighted rating system is skewed anyway, IMO