Budget Power Supply ($30-$40)

[Confuse]

I was looking for a decent 350W power supply around the $30-40 range, prefferably in the 30s to mid 30s. It will be used to power a P4 2.4Ghz (800mhz fsb) with an Abit AS7 and 512MB PC3200. 1 100GB 7200rpm hd, 1 60GB 5400rpm hd, one 48X CDRW, 3 80mm fans, and probably a Geforce4 card (not sure yet). I've been reading several PS reviews, but a lot of them seem a bit too high end for me, I don't plan to do any overclocking nor demand the best. Just something reliable and prefferably a bit quiet. I hope I'm not being too demanding for my budget, recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!

-Damian

 

[joshg]

This one from Newegg is a very good unit. However, you might find the +12V a touch low if you plan on adding a lot of fans directly to the PSU, and if you are overclocking a bit... However you should be very O.K. with it IMHO.

Also, this Enermax model has a much higher +12V rail, but the combined output of the +3.3V and +5V is only 185W, which is a touch low, IMHO, and this one is a little more expensive.

Someone might have better recommendations than me, but that's just how I see it as fitting in your budget.

I'll bet the Fortron would work out nicely for you.

 

[Confuse]

Thanks for your recommendation! I really appreciate it!

-Damian

 

[mcveigh]

I reccomend investing in a quality power supply. Like a case and monitor it will last through many upgrades.

personally I love the antec truepower line.

 

[Dug]

I second joshg recommendation.
I have the 300w version that is powering an XP oc'd to 2.3Ghz, ATI 9700, 60gbhd, dvd, cdrw, and 3 case fans.

It is extremely quiet.

 

[grant2]

You think $40 u.s. is budget for a PS???

Man, I pay $40 canadian (that's like $28 u.s.) for a Power supply + 17" Case!! And even then I feel like i spent too much!

 

[NTB]

Another vote for the Fortron PSU...I just wish they made the 350 and up versions with a 120mm fan, like the 300W has.

Nate

 

[Corporate Thug]

fortron is a quality PSU that wont break the bank

 

[Cheep]

NTB, they do.

 

[Lyfer]

Allied True 450W - $40 at newegg, I have nothing but great stability and overclock success with this PSU. I recommend it to all my friends, and you should give it a try!

 

[Confuse]

First off, thank you all for your input. After giving my PS situation more though I came to agreement with mcveigh's statement of making a good investment into a PS to carry on further upgrades. The Fortron looks great for the price but the Allied looks even better and would save me a few bucks in the long run if it would survive another upgrade or two. With that in mind, what are the chances of reussing a a PS like the Allied 450W for the next year or two? Thanks!

-Damian

 

[Shimmishim]

yay!!! people that finally know what tehy are talking about

both the fortron 350 and the allied 450 are GREAT psu's...

didn't realize newegg had them now for 32.00 ... the cheapest place before was directron and they were 38.00


anyway....

when you are overclocking, the key rails to watch are the 3.3 and 5 v rails...

the fortron and allied fluctuate by less than ~1% in these rails under load... this is very important to keep a stable overclock...

they have a combined 225 to 230W on the 3.3 + 5.0 v rails combined which is more than enough for overclocking...

i think either psu's will last you a long time down the line...

 

[newbiepcuser]

How about this one from newegg.com -->allied 400 watter

 

[Corporate Thug]

i thought the ALLIED was a Deer Psu which was of poor quality?

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: shady06
i thought the ALLIED was a Deer Psu which was of poor quality?

it used to be but these are good stuff

 

[Lyfer]

Get the Allied. Personally I would spend the few extra $$$ for the 450W PSU.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

I'd suggest HEC/Compucase 350W.
It's in this price range,
and its quality is at Enermax, SPI level.

 

[Mem]

Chieftec PSUs are great on price and very good quality,I believe they do a 360w and 420 and lower wattage models.

 

[chr6]

budget, try getting a sparkle, reliable, good stuff, not too pricey either.

 

[Chaotic42]

No offense to you personally, but I'm tired of seeing these kinds of threads.

The PSU is *very, very* important. Would you buy a Ferrari and put 85 octane in it? No. Why buy a $1000 system and put in a cheap PSU?

My suggestion? Pick up a PC Power and Cooling PSU. It will last you many-a-system.

Sorry

 

[filmmaker]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
No offense to you personally, but I'm tired of seeing these kinds of threads.

The PSU is *very, very* important. Would you buy a Ferrari and put 85 octane in it? No. Why buy a $1000 system and put in a cheap PSU?

My suggestion? Pick up a PC Power and Cooling PSU. It will last you many-a-system.

Sorry

I can't agree with you more on this one.

 

[Lyfer]

Originally posted by: filmmaker

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
No offense to you personally, but I'm tired of seeing these kinds of threads.

The PSU is *very, very* important. Would you buy a Ferrari and put 85 octane in it? No. Why buy a $1000 system and put in a cheap PSU?

My suggestion? Pick up a PC Power and Cooling PSU. It will last you many-a-system.

Sorry

I can't agree with you more on this one.

THats why you get the $40 Allied True450W.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Lyfer


THats why you get the $40 Allied True450W.

Let's comapre:

PCPC warranty- 5 years
Allied warranty- 1 year
PCPC MTBF- 100,000 hours
Allied MTBF- 50,000 hours (site says about 100K)
PCPC 5V-30A
Allied 5V-40A
PCPC 12V-34A (38A Peak)
Allied 12V-18A

Yes, the 510 is expensive, but look around on the internet. Check out 2cpu.com. Those people are harder on PSUs than any other hobbyists (unless there is a 4cpu.com ). I don't think you'll find one complaint, gripe, bitch, or anything about PCPC products. I have a 350W on my dual Celeron. It's 5 years old now. I've had *zero* problems with it.

Just my $.02

 

[Chumpman]

After Allied's past troubles, I'm not sure I can trust anything they sell.

 

[Mem]

The PSU is *very, very* important. Would you buy a Ferrari and put 85 octane in it? No. Why buy a $1000 system and put in a cheap PSU?

I agree with that statement up to a point,however you don`t need to spend a fortune to get a GOOD quality PSU,look at good brands like Antec,Sparkle,Enermax,Enhance,Chieftec(Chieftec PSUs are made by Channel Well Tech) etc and you can`t really go wrong.