I'm always full of advice on computers, but not the PSU... I know a generic is a POS, and I know not to go under-rated...
well... I went a "bit" underratted, and it lasted about 2 years.... I blew capacitor # C112 on the board of the PSU (I opened it up and looked for the one that is stupid hot inside the unit with it nothing more than plugged in idle...) and frankly, I dunnothat A- its worth repairing since its not up to what wattage I need, and b- wether I trust "my" repaired PSU in a 1,200$ machine...
frankly, I think I would rather a new one... I haven't been looking at the market in awhile, but I'd like to see at least 700 watts, as my 500 watt didn't cut it...
I want one that will survive hell, a fire, and a planecrash, and it needs to do it and STILL hold a steady 12V rail under full load.
I'd like to keep it in the 140$US price range... I'm not in the market to sink 200$ on a friggin fancy smanchy over-rated pos again...
advice?
edit: FYI the unit I killed was an Ultra X-Connect 500w Modular unit. (model# X-ULT500P)
edit 2: I'm considering this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817163108
PSU died... need advice...
Moderator: Moderators
Get this one:
520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... sair%2bPSU
or
620W
http://www.techonweb.com/products/produ ... 057&src=FG
Review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article692-page1.html
520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... sair%2bPSU
or
620W
http://www.techonweb.com/products/produ ... 057&src=FG
Review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article692-page1.html
The new Corsair PSUs are not only aimed at the power-demanding PC gamer, but also the growing class of quiet PC enthusiasts who also want to be able to run some seriously powerful gear. The HX620W and HX520W deliver clean, ultra-stable power under a wide range of demanding conditions. They also happen to be about the quietest fan-cooled PSUs we've tested to date, matching the best of the Seasonic S12s. They are also energy efficient, matching and even besting many of the 80 Plus certified models we've tested. The modular sleeved cables ease the challenges of keeping the system tidy and aerodynamic for optimal airflow, which is especially important if you wish to maximize cooling with the slowest of fans for the lowest noise. To top it all off, Corsair offers a five year warranty, which is the longest for any computer power supply we know of.
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Archangel of Death
- Posts: 854
- Joined: 28 Jan 2005, 18:15
Personally I'd suggest an Antec Truepower Trio. It has a few advantages over that Silverstone one.
1. Its rated at, and reviews confirm, that the Antec has closer and tighter voltages, at idle and load. Even when pushed towards the max rating the Antec keeps them stable.
2. Multiple rails are actually falling out of favor lately because the amperage is divided over the rails, with no crossover. Basically, you could be burning out one rail and have a second with nearly no load, but no way to share the load. The Truepower Trios however have all 3 rails connected in parallel, meaning they work as one big rail. Thus, that problem with multiple rails is completely non-existent, and even if you jabbed a screwdriver into one (and survived?) it would probably still run on just two at a lower power.
3. There is a good reason people use 120mm fans over 80mm fans: noise. The Antec Truepower Trios are known to be fairly quiet, the Silverstone Zueses not so much (thats probably a pretty bad understatement...)
4. Lower cost, barely.
5. I would have bought one if I had the cash to spend on it. After all the months of research I was doing that has to say something for them.
6. Its pretty much a modified version of one of Seasonic's models (if you didn't know, most PSU's are built by one of a few companies, with a few modifications by the particular name slapped on them. Seasonic would be on or near the top of the list of actual builders), one of the ones known to be particularly good.
edit: The one Relative posted looks to have many of the same plusses as the one I posted, but with the added bonus of modularity. Of course, modularity also costs more money, and it doesn't quite match the power output either.
1. Its rated at, and reviews confirm, that the Antec has closer and tighter voltages, at idle and load. Even when pushed towards the max rating the Antec keeps them stable.
2. Multiple rails are actually falling out of favor lately because the amperage is divided over the rails, with no crossover. Basically, you could be burning out one rail and have a second with nearly no load, but no way to share the load. The Truepower Trios however have all 3 rails connected in parallel, meaning they work as one big rail. Thus, that problem with multiple rails is completely non-existent, and even if you jabbed a screwdriver into one (and survived?) it would probably still run on just two at a lower power.
3. There is a good reason people use 120mm fans over 80mm fans: noise. The Antec Truepower Trios are known to be fairly quiet, the Silverstone Zueses not so much (thats probably a pretty bad understatement...)
4. Lower cost, barely.
5. I would have bought one if I had the cash to spend on it. After all the months of research I was doing that has to say something for them.
6. Its pretty much a modified version of one of Seasonic's models (if you didn't know, most PSU's are built by one of a few companies, with a few modifications by the particular name slapped on them. Seasonic would be on or near the top of the list of actual builders), one of the ones known to be particularly good.
edit: The one Relative posted looks to have many of the same plusses as the one I posted, but with the added bonus of modularity. Of course, modularity also costs more money, and it doesn't quite match the power output either.
I would honestly pop a new capacitor in there, grab an mm and check the power stability. You might have had a flawed cap that blew at lower than the rated power, and you may not see the problem again.
Course, if you up your power requirements later, you'll need to buy a new PSU anyway...
Even if you get a new PSU, try to fix the old one. Old computer supplies are the best power regulators for electronics projects.
Course, if you up your power requirements later, you'll need to buy a new PSU anyway...
Even if you get a new PSU, try to fix the old one. Old computer supplies are the best power regulators for electronics projects.
I have seasonc PSU and it's great, I'd recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151027
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151027
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Felix the Cat
- Posts: 2383
- Joined: 15 Jun 2005, 17:30
good PSUs like Seasonic are honestly rated, meaning hardly anyone needs more than e.g. 430W. even a 380W would be ok for most. you'd only need the bigger ones if you run e.g. SLI with 2 power-hungry video cards or have lots of hard drives etc. i run 4 drives and a dual core system on a 430W and its only using about 200W total so even thats twice the size it needs to be (but some margin is good). there is a huge price ramp according to PSU capacity.
true but a good modern system with power efficient components and on a good make of psu.. draw per rail shouldn't be a concern any more. this is more a concern where people were using big old graphics cards on cheap PSUs.
i believe power suppplies have become some sort of penis substitute .. in a big way. subconciously buyers seem to think "moar power!"=faster, and that somehow their system will be better? it's a placebo. and a way for PSU makers to sell overengineered solutions.
2nd, PSUs are often more efficient when working at a % of their max, so by buying a much bigger PSU than you need you not only wasting money up front, you are wasting it all the time your computer is running.
exception of course would be if you ARE using unusually high power drain components (or multiple of them) or are likely to upgrade to them.
why PSUs have reached such crazy heights (1000W?) just as the competition between CPU and GPU makers is for energy efficiency, makes no sense to me. i suspect its a similar economics to CPU mnfrs, where the higher end modals don't cost much more to make, but that's where most of the profit and dev payback comes from.
in a nutshell: don't fall for marketing work out and pay for just what you need. this is one place where buying bigger can be a total waste of money.
the OP didnt state his system specs so we can't calculate what he needs. there's a good chance the old PSU would have failed on any load. who knows :p i stick with my Seasonic recommendation.. no bling, money spent where it matters.
the one you linked to has an 8cm fan - will be noisy. 12cm are quiet.
i believe power suppplies have become some sort of penis substitute .. in a big way. subconciously buyers seem to think "moar power!"=faster, and that somehow their system will be better? it's a placebo. and a way for PSU makers to sell overengineered solutions.
2nd, PSUs are often more efficient when working at a % of their max, so by buying a much bigger PSU than you need you not only wasting money up front, you are wasting it all the time your computer is running.
exception of course would be if you ARE using unusually high power drain components (or multiple of them) or are likely to upgrade to them.
why PSUs have reached such crazy heights (1000W?) just as the competition between CPU and GPU makers is for energy efficiency, makes no sense to me. i suspect its a similar economics to CPU mnfrs, where the higher end modals don't cost much more to make, but that's where most of the profit and dev payback comes from.
in a nutshell: don't fall for marketing work out and pay for just what you need. this is one place where buying bigger can be a total waste of money.
the OP didnt state his system specs so we can't calculate what he needs. there's a good chance the old PSU would have failed on any load. who knows :p i stick with my Seasonic recommendation.. no bling, money spent where it matters.
the one you linked to has an 8cm fan - will be noisy. 12cm are quiet.