Thermaltake Toughpower or Purepower never had any issues with them at all, got 2x1200w and 1x1000w i guessing close to there full load 12v limits as well for cases that have the PSU at the bottom the cables for the 12V 8pin block cable could do with been 1-2 inch longer so it can be put behind the case but it does fit under the PCI-e cards fine (same i guess could be for the ATX 24pin one as well i guess but the rampage extreme II is big motherboard for an antec 902 case) only issue i have is Sata Hdds (more so WD or samsung) when i connect 3 of them of one of the cables i have issues with the disk not fully powering up or its clicking (seems more like its an HDD issue thought as i have got 3 dead hdds now WD green 2x, WD black and samsung F2, never had issues with segates before)but in other systems i had no problems cost of the PSUs seem to match there Quality (£150 or more for the 1200W version)
Guys I run a Corsair 520w modular PSU. It's great and has never missed a beat. Question is, would I need to change this for something more powerful if I upgraded to an i7, ATI 5870 and DDR3 RAM? I currently run the below spec machine and recently measured it's power output - on idle it pulls ~160w and the most power I could get it to draw was ~270w whilst running L4D2. Do I really need something like a 650w or 700w PSU for an upgrade? Current spec: C2D Q6600 Asus mobo 4GB DDR2 8800GTS 320mb 1x HDD 1x DVDRW Cheers
Hi FreQ I'd stick with the Corsair it will be fine if you are not overclocking. If you keep an eye on the power consumption of the new system it will give you an idea of the spare capacity should you choose to overclock in the future. Don't forget the DC power will typically be 15 to 20% below what you measure at the wall. For a question like this you may want to start a new thread. Saves getting it muddled up and lost in the general PSU discussion.
Thanks Tonpal The way I measured was from the wall socket - using a power metre in between the plug and the wall socket to measure the actual watts pulled from the ac power. I'm not sure if that's the best method, but it was the only way I thought would be accurate.
I was going to ask - what do you mean about the DC power being lower than what you measure at the wall? I assumed that if I was pulling 270w from the wall, that I had roughly 250w remaining that I'm not tapping into. Maybe that's not how it works, I don't know much about power supplies.
Power supplies use power in the process of converting 230V ac to 3.3V/5V/12V dc. Typically PSUs are over 80% efficient but that still means that 10-15% of the power measured at the wall is being used by the PSU. Therefore if you measure 270W (assuming 80% efficiency) 54W will be used by the PSU which in turn means the computer is using 216W.
Ahhh....I understand now. http://www.corsair.com/products/hx/default.aspx The yellow 520w is my unit - and is 80% efficient as you mentioned. That means I'm only pulling a max of about 220w from the PC on load... Unless new kit will double my power usage, it seems that this psu should have no problems with a new build. Very much doubt I'd be overclocking. Cheers tonpal
Pretty much. My estimate is your new kit will pull between 300 and 350W. Once you get it let me know if I am any good at estimating power consumption.
I recently reviewed the Ultra X4 1050w, and I was EXTREMELY impressed with the build quality and the power delivered. It's 80 Plus Bronze as well... http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/frontpage/?q=node/405 Next on my docket is the Enermax MODU87+ 800w, it's 80 Plus Gold certified and if its PCB is any indication if the 1050 was military grade this came from a UFO. I'll let you know how it goes.
Antec TruePower New 650W $110 not including $20 rebate Corsair TX650W $100 not including $20 rebate Corsair HX650W $120 not including $10... you Yanks really love your mail-in-rebates, eh? Next time, put a separate thread in, helps keep things tidy
Just used a Corsair VX550W for a budget style build and it was great. The PSU was sturdy, came with some nicely sheathed cables, and I'd say solid under Prime95 and some reasonable load on the GPU.
I haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know how much they have been mentioned, but I'd like to give a nod to Be Quiet. After reading various reviews, I opted for a Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 750W, and it was slightly more expensive than the mainstream PSUs like the Corsairs, but I've been thoroughly impressed. I started off with a Q6600/8Gb PC2-8500/P5BD with with a multitude of disks and other paraphernalia, and have now moved up to an i7 combination. Throughout the PSU has been silent and cool, and as far as I can possibly tell, has delivered a smooth and steady power. I think there are 6 x 12v lines @18A so it would take one hell of a machine to max it out. Less importantly, the presentation is fantastic (it's the only PSU I've seen that is good to look at) and the range and quality of the nicely braided modular cables is impressive. It's hardly expensive, for what you get, but it's a few pennies more than the mainstream, but I'd recommend it.
Its getting there ... just a bit more to do (I was away for 1 week for... reasons... keep posting suggestions
How come your re-doing the entire list Moyo? I know this was in the list before but IMO it should be again when you get round to sorting it, the psu I'm talking about is the Enermax Revolution 850W PSU - 91% Efficiency Certified. I've got one and it's very stable and well deserves it's rightful place on the list.
