i'm looking for a new power supply. I want at least 500w and great preformance. I also eventually plan to watercool it, so it needs to have good interior room. This is the part im stuck on. I can get everything else I need to know from reviews, but its hard to judge space. and stores wont let you take them apart. I'm thinking of the enermax noisetaker. Can this be successfully watercooled? from the bit-tech review, it looks like it has plenty of space (and it would fit in with my color scheme).
A standard ATX PSU always has the same size (3.4"H x 5.9"W x 6"D). There is no more or less room. If you want to watercool it, look for the type of transistor case on the power transistors (TO-220, Pentawatt, TO-3, ...) and how the transistors are oriented. It is a pain to make a heat sink for TO-3 because the legs stick out of the cooling surface. A number of TO-220's in a row are easy to cool. Get a square Aluminum tube, clip the transistors on (don't drill/tap the tube or it will leak) and make a hose-to-square adapter for the ends, then cool. Worked for me for power amplifiers. Some 1U PSUs have a square hollow tube with internal fins as heat sink and a fan at each end. Modding those for water cooling should be easy, remove fan -- put on hose adapter -- start cooling. I think this is one http://www.istarusa.com/A-I-Star CAD Drawing/TC-1Uxx/TC-1Uxx.pdf (no I didn't open mine, it is only two weeks old and I need it badly).
Well I've just ordered a Silverstone Zeus ST52f - it's the 520W model, with twin 12v rails totalling 31A and a funkeh titanium black finish for around £70-£80. review: http://www.techimo.com/articles/i230.html
for the best of the best if the budget permits, go for a top end zippy, PCP&C or OCZ powerstream power supply
