Help me choose a good PSU

[ChesterMcCheese]

Two I've read really good reviews on are:
Seasonic Super Tornado: Problem - I live in Australia and there is not 1 in the whole country
Super Flower: Love the 14cm Problem: the 14cm fan model costs an arm and a leg.

Another one I've considered is the Antec True Power. I have not read any good reviews on it but I seem to like Antec products and supposedly its quiet.

Would u plz recommend me a good value PSU? I'm going to run a 6800GT and a 3500+ with 2 fans and 1-2 HDD (probably need about 450W). I know nVidia recommends 480W but I was thinking that since 480 isnt concrete a good quality PSU with lower wattage will be ok. I'm on a budget after all. Oh and I cannot get any eccentric brand names here.

 

[chilled]

This probably doesn't help but an AOpen 350W power supply just caught fire at the computing department of my university. That being saidwe've got about 300 more PCs that are using this power supply for the past year without any problems.

I've got a Thermaltake PurePower 420W which I found to be good value.

 

[Goi]

Antec, Enermax, Fortron, Sparkle all make great PSUs.

 

[whitelight]

If you can't get your hands on a seasonic, I'd highly recommend the Enermax Noisetaker series. Not only are they quiet, but they have >80% efficiency for most of the load range, which means your psu will run cooler. There's a review on it at Silent PC Review if you're interested.

 

[Quasmo]

Whats your price range?

 

[ChesterMcCheese]

In australian $ around 100-150 which equates to about $70-$100 US, but I'm not sure cuz things are just hella expensive here in australia

 

[CraigRT]

Vantec ION is a nice power supply
just replaced my ION with my Ultra X-connect 500W, but that's about $100USD, so not sure if you want to spend that much.
the Ultra is freakin' awesome though.

never had any problems with my Vantec, and it has an external AC plug too!

 

[dartworth]

Originally posted by: Goi
Antec, Enermax, Fortron, Sparkle all make great PSUs.

 

[ChesterMcCheese]

Sry but I'm going to sound a little bitter. I'm really not upset about anything tho. No really.

PSU advice makes less and less sense. Every single reply consists of a list of arbitrary brands which is claimed to have "never caused any problems" for the poster. No one is clear about why their PSU is good or bad, or even what makes a good PSU. If a PSU doesnt cause anybody problems, and has enough wattage, and is not too mindblowingly expensive *cough PCP cough Zalman cough Enermax*, its considered a good PSU right? So either make a list of PSUs which WILL cause problems for the user, or simply provide the cheapest possible PSU which will NOT cause me any problems (which is all that a PSU needs to do right?) My new rig is going to consist of an A939, a 6800GT and 2 fans and 1-2 HDD's.

One of the things which perturbs me is that in this **** hole in which I reside, the only brands I can get my hands on readily are antec (which are pieces of ****), Coolermaster, Thermaltake and Vantec (about which im getting mixed reviews). None of them are a cheap as a simple Fortron or nearly as good as a Super Tornado (or Enermax).

 

[darXoul]

Very correct. I won't follow the typical "give a few known names and claim they stand for quality" pattern and recommend a different PSU - 450W Be Quiet! ColorLine or BlackLine. Those PSUs are really good not because they are "brand products" but due to other reasons: (1) power stability and excellent amperages, e.g. on the important 12V rail, (2) good looks, (3) very quiet operation. That's quality in a nutshell. No horror stories of blowups (and I read many opinions), great fulfilment of declared specs in professional measuring. Unfortunately, those German PSUs only seem to be available in Europe - or they are simply hard to find in the States. BTW, Thermaltake's Silent PurePower and Antec's TruePower didn't even came close in one of the best roundups I read some time ago. Antec was at least solid. Tt was very disappointing.

 

[chilled]

Originally posted by: darXoul
BTW, Thermaltake's Silent PurePower and Antec's TruePower didn't even came close in one of the best roundups I read some time ago. Antec was at least solid. Tt was very disappointing.

FYI, I read somewhere (will try to find the link again!) that the TT Purepower series is made by Enlight. Enlight's PSU's look identical to me as well, but since Enlight only makes PSU's upto 420W I don't know who makes the more powerful ones.

 

[PliotronX]

It seems to me you have a misunderstanding of what a forum consists of. We are enthusiasts, some with ample experience, some with none at all, but we all share something in common... nobody is paid for writing here. You will not find an intricately written comparison of 50 PSU's from 20 PSU manufacturers. Not only would that be cost-prohibitive (maybe Nebor could pull it off ), but also time consuming. What you will find is an opinion from personal experience. It is up to you to ultimately make the purchasing decision, and the best you can get is an honest opinion here. I understand your disadvantage with living down under, but that is not anyone's fault here. You can kindly pick and choose advice given here and move on, or remain in confusion until pork flies around the world in eighty days.

 

[Bonesdad]

Why ask about Antec and then deem them peices of **** 2 posts later??? <Personal Experience warning!> I have had one in my machine for 3 years....it's performed brilliantly.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Why ask about Antec and then deem them peices of **** 2 posts later??? <Personal Experience warning!> I have had one in my machine for 3 years....it's performed brilliantly.

Ditto, my Antec has been running strong for quite a while now.

 

[Lyfer]

Originally posted by: chilled
This probably doesn't help but an AOpen 350W power supply just caught fire at the computing department of my university. That being saidwe've got about 300 more PCs that are using this power supply for the past year without any problems.

I've got a Thermaltake PurePower 420W which I found to be good value.

I've got a Thermaltake PurePower 480W and absolutely love it. It was $55 shipped free (gotta love Zipzoomfly) and has a nice fan adjustment knob. All my voltage has been rock stable, running 2 HD's, 2 opticals, 2 USB devices, A64 3000 @ 2.25ghz, OCZ 1gb PC3200 @ 225mhz, Radeon 9500@9700 PRO, and four case fans. My heart was originally set on a Fortron FSP400 400W for $60 @ axiontech BUT after reading anand's 2003 PSU roundup, the TT performed better than the fortron (plus its cheaper and has sleeved cables). I highly recommend the TT PSU, but if you really plan on spending $55+ more on a PSU, get the Fortron FSP530W, it has adjustable pots, sleeved cables, and fortron's reputation of excellence ( have you ever heard of a sucky Fortron psu?). It easily available for $75 at newegg/zipzoomfly/monarchcomputer.

 

[farmercal]

I have two Antec True power supplies. One is the 430 in my computer (3 years +) and another is a 330 I recently bought for my kids computer. I bought the second one because I have had zero power issues with the 430 and I'm over clocking. Everything I ever heard about Antec was good and that is what persuaded me to go with that brand. I have also heard good things about Fortron, Enermax and Sparkle. I think all the major brands are good power supplies and should serve one well. The best advice you will get is from someone that had USED the power supply for some time and can attest to it?s durability. A quick review won't tell you what will happen to that power supply in three years time.

 

[ChesterMcCheese]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Why ask about Antec and then deem them peices of **** 2 posts later??? <Personal Experience warning!> I have had one in my machine for 3 years....it's performed brilliantly.

Ah in that 2 posts I did a little bit of research. Not on the internet but from my friend's experience, supposedly he said that the power output is very inconsistent and that u need a 550W Antec to do a 450W's job (or something like that I didnt follow all his babble)

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: ChesterMcCheese

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Why ask about Antec and then deem them peices of **** 2 posts later??? <Personal Experience warning!> I have had one in my machine for 3 years....it's performed brilliantly.

Ah in that 2 posts I did a little bit of research. Not on the internet but from my friend's experience, supposedly he said that the power output is very inconsistent and that u need a 550W Antec to do a 450W's job (or something like that I didnt follow all his babble)

thats pure crap i have a True Power 430w and its been solid as a rock for 2 years now
click on the "puter" link in my sig to see what its been powering for 6 months now FLAWLESSLY

 

[tooltime]

i've two antec's and their both very good

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: ChesterMcCheese

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Why ask about Antec and then deem them peices of **** 2 posts later??? <Personal Experience warning!> I have had one in my machine for 3 years....it's performed brilliantly.

Ah in that 2 posts I did a little bit of research. Not on the internet but from my friend's experience, supposedly he said that the power output is very inconsistent and that u need a 550W Antec to do a 450W's job (or something like that I didnt follow all his babble)

thats pure crap i have a True Power 430w and its been solid as a rock for 2 years now
click on the "puter" link in my sig to see what its been powering for 6 months now FLAWLESSLY

Hell, look at what's in my system, running with a puny 380W TruePower...

 

[ChesterMcCheese]

Originally posted by: MDE
Hell, look at what's in my system, running with a puny 380W TruePower...

Thats good for you, but I'm not going to entrust my future super-components to a 380W with ordinary worksmanship and build quality. I'll say it again - just because it hasnt caused u any problems (*yet*) doesnt qualify it as a good PSU. 380W is more than enough for everyday operation but I dont wanna take the chance cuz it only takes a 1 in a million event then KABLOOIE! It happens to even the best of PSUs.

 

[farmercal]

but I dont wanna take the chance cuz it only takes a 1 in a million event then KABLOOIE! It happens to even the best of PSUs.

According to this statement...ANY power supply YOU buy COULD do the same thing. Where is the logic in that kind of thinking? 226 people have looked at this thread...if Antec was as bad as you have been told, don't you think more people (that have had a bad experience) would have chimed in and reassured you to stay away from them? I am not advising you to buy Antec but don't discount it because ONE friend said it sucked. I think if you go with any quality power supply you will be okay. It's the cheap ones that come free with the cheap cases that give people problems