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Will this psu have enough power?

M

MasterShake

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 28, 2005
Messages
392
I've been looking to get a new psu this weekend. I'm thinking of getting a Seasonic S12 430 watt power supply. I'm not sure if it will be enough power for my system and if it will be good for overclocking. My current system includes a dfi lanparty nf3 250gb, a64 3000+ newcastle @ 2400 mhz, 512x2 ddr400 @ 480 mhz, 2x80gb sata drives in raid-0, a dvd-rw and combo drive, an overclocked 6800gt and 3 case fans. My current psu's rails go up and down so much it's scary, I think it's messy my video card up. I will probably add another harddrive or two in the future and a soundcard and video capture card. Here is a link to the power supply calculator thing: http://takaman.jp/D/?M=PbQBcG5HBdHdSCgHFTiUTkG5DfHttG5uG5vPDMZ&english The rails on the Seasonic are +3.3V@30A, +5V@30A, +12V1@14A, +12V2@15A. I looks like it will be enough but I don't know if it will be enough for a few upgrades (not sli) and if it is a good overclocking psu, which will be very important. It's probably not a pc power and cooling, but I don't have that kind of money. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ;)
 
possible alternatives would be the OCZ Powerstreams or Modstreams
(there is some debate as to which are tighter) or Antec Neopower

they are all rated at 3% load regulation and for the OCZs its reasonable to assume at least the leads with the ferrite cores exceed spec in AC Ripple as well

the S-12 600W also exceeds spec in AC Ripple its not unreasonable to think the 430 may as well

the Seasonic and Neopower are ATX12V v2.0 supplies with split +12V rails
the Powerstream is more flexible with that capacity having a single +12V rail and is an ATX12V v1.3 hybrid

lacking the second rail really isnt that much of a drawback in a well regulated supply
the OCZ Powerstream also has adjustable pots (use a DMM not the LEDs) which likely is an advantage to an overclocker


all that said review > http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=890628


both the Seasonic and the OCZ at rated at 40C, not an unreasonable temperature goal for a PSU enclosure and would thus have their full rated capacity available
the rating temperature of the Neopower is unknown but certainly not as low as generics or flash in the pan rebrands (typically 21>25C)

as far as potential upgrades run some more numbers
keep in mind that the formula I use is 100% CPU\GPU\mobo and a single optical
and 25% HDDs and fans for a worse case senerio
(your actual average will be far lower)
running a startup draw normally isnt important unless your building Network Attached Storage in which case youd likely have a HBA that can stagger the spinup of the drives


for OCing the tightest load regulation and lowest AC Ripple is where its at
that of course can be completely irrelevant if the mobo's own Voltage Regulation Scheme & thermal solution isnt up to snuff or you simply get unlucky with your ICs

its both a matter of luck, science and art form ;)
 
I have to get a psu with a 120mm fan on it because of my Silverstone tj06 case. It's a btx/atx hybrid that has the motherboard upside down and the cpu and ram isolated in a wind tunnel. The video card and hard drives are then cooled by a front intake fan an exhausted through the psu. The drives are right below the psu. That rules out the powerstream, which I had been very interested in. It's pretty much between the seasonic and modstream. The modstream is modular which is nice, but I have read that it might not be good since it may add more resistance, etc. Hopefully I'm making the right decision with the Seasonic.
 
either Im sure would be fine
jonnyGURU seems to think the modstream hes tested is actually better than the Powerstream he tested (opinion prior to that had it reversed)

the added resistance is mistly something that concerns the mobo connector and an adapter effecting the +3.3V rail
there is no +3.3V in a typical 4 pin molex, the added resistance is thus minimal
Id persinally have greater reservations about a lead working itself loose inadvertantly when Im working in the case.

your sort of in a comparible grey zone where there is no clear cut winner
 
What is the benefit of an atx v2.0 supply? Is it better to have that? The Seasonic and the Modstream are within 5 bucks of each other. I can't make up my mind :confused: The seasonic is supposed to be very quiet though.
 
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