looking for a good psu

[jawknee530]

I'm looking for a good psu and am looking at the Corsair hx520 but am open to suggestions otherwise.. I'm replacing the Antec Truepower in my sig and putting that one in my fiance's computer.

question1: is amps on the 12v or on the 3v and 5v more important?

question2: since the Corsair is made by Seasonic should I just skip the middle man and get a Seasonic PSU?

question3: the specs of the Corsair hx520 are as follows-

3.3v-24amps 5v-24amps 12v1-18amps 12v2-18amps 12v3-18amps

if you loaded all of those rails to their maximum amperage then wouldn't that be a lot more than the 520w that the psu is rated at? Would I be correct in assuming that the 520 is the continuous output of the psu and if you loaded all of the rails it would be a peak output that it couldn't sustain for long?

question4: I also looked at the Corsair vx550. It has one 12v rail compared to the three that the hx520 has. also the hx is modular while the vx isn't. I'm wondering if the build quality will be the same between the two. Also since the hx doesn't have an OCP per rail then isn't the hx's three rails the same as the one on the vx?

question 5: i could save some money and get an Antec Earthwatts since I hear that it's on the same quality level as the Corsair. Looking at my rig in my sig do you think I would benefit from the Corsair over the Antec?

thanks for your time

 

[MarcVenice]

amps on the 12v rail is key. http://shop4.outpost.com/produ...sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

that should do the job just fine.

 

[jawknee530]

so a psu with 35amps and 32amps on the 3.3v and 5v isn't any better than one with 20amps and 24amps there if the 12v amps are the same?

 

[MarcVenice]

I wouldn't dare saying that just like that. Why don't you mention the PSU's you're talking about? General thumb of rule is that a powersupply with a good 12v rail will have sufficient amperage on the 3.3 and 5v rail as well, because getting lots of amps on the 12v rail is far more expensive then getting lots of amps on the 3.3 and 5v rails. That's because of the components and the qaulity they have to use. I suppose there are exceptions though.

Also, nowadays pc's tend to get the most energy from the 12v rail(s) because that's where the cpu/gpu/hdd's and such all get their power from. Where as back in the days I think it was the 5v rail mainly supplying the cpu with power.

 

[jawknee530]

This is one that I'm looking at. it has high amps on the 5v and the 3.3 but theres others that are the same wattage with lower amps on the rails.

 

[MarcVenice]

If you insist on modular, I guess it's okay. But I don't know much about the smartpower series from antec. I do know the earthwatts 500w got a pretty good score from jonnyguru though, which is mostly because it's seasonic built: http://www.jonnyguru.com/revie...s.php?id=51&page_num=4 Personaly I'd save 20$ and go with some that's AND more efficient, 80%+ vs 70%, AND has been given good reviews.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: jawknee530
This is one that I'm looking at. it has high amps on the 5v and the 3.3 but theres others that are the same wattage with lower amps on the rails.

SmartPower units are JUNK! After 18 months the Fuhjyyu capacitors will start swelling and venting and that leads to system instability.
Antec will be very good about RMAing it and will even send you a better unit...ain't that just swell?!

The Earthwatts is the best cheap PSU ATM.

 

[jawknee530]

question added to original post

 

[mpilchfamily]

Well first of all the 2 x 17A rails of the Earthwatts 430W unit only offers a max of 34A on the combined +12v rails. So the EW 500W offers 34A vs. the Corsair 520W that offers 40A. So you are getting 20 more watts and 6 mre amps for the exstra mney. So is that 6A really worth the exstra money too you? Personally i think having a single +12v rails is much better then dual rails and its worth the exstra money IMO.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Well first of all the 2 x 17A rails of the Earthwatts 430W unit only offers a max of 34A on the combined +12v rails. So the EW 500W offers 34A vs. the Corsair 520W that offers 40A. So you are getting 20 more watts and 6 mre amps for the exstra mney. So is that 6A really worth the exstra money too you? Personally i think having a single +12v rails is much better then dual rails and its worth the exstra money IMO.

in reality those are not dual rails......you know that.......

 

[mpilchfamily]

Thats right. Totaly forgot about that.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Well first of all the 2 x 17A rails of the Earthwatts 430W unit only offers a max of 34A on the combined +12v rails. So the EW 500W offers 34A vs. the Corsair 520W that offers 40A. So you are getting 20 more watts and 6 mre amps for the exstra mney. So is that 6A really worth the exstra money too you? Personally i think having a single +12v rails is much better then dual rails and its worth the exstra money IMO.

in reality those are not dual rails......you know that.......

True, but they still may put an annoying OCP that makes these "dual rail" PSUs frustrating at times. I've personally never ran into that but I've heard of some ppl who have.

For reference the Corsair has "3" rails but no OCP per rail, only a total OCP so you can pull 40A through one rail if you so desire. Not sure if the earthwatts is the same or not.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
Well first of all the 2 x 17A rails of the Earthwatts 430W unit only offers a max of 34A on the combined +12v rails. So the EW 500W offers 34A vs. the Corsair 520W that offers 40A. So you are getting 20 more watts and 6 mre amps for the exstra mney. So is that 6A really worth the exstra money too you? Personally i think having a single +12v rails is much better then dual rails and its worth the exstra money IMO.

in reality those are not dual rails......you know that.......

True, but they still may put an annoying OCP that makes these "dual rail" PSUs frustrating at times. I've personally never ran into that but I've heard of some ppl who have.

For reference the Corsair has "3" rails but no OCP per rail, only a total OCP so you can pull 40A through one rail if you so desire. Not sure if the earthwatts is the same or not.

most quote dual rail or even multi rail PSU`s allowed you to pull the amps if need be through one rail....note i said most NOt all!

 

[John]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
For reference the Corsair has "3" rails but no OCP per rail, only a total OCP so you can pull 40A through one rail if you so desire. Not sure if the earthwatts is the same or not.

It's the same. FWIW the Corsair uses industrial grade 105C caps, 40A vs. 34A on the 12V rail, modular, 120mm fan (~21dB) vs. 80mm, and has a 5 yr. warranty. If you don't mind paying the extra ~$20 go with the Corsair. The EarthWatts 500 was $50 @ Fry's/Outpost but it's back up to $90 now. However it's only $72 shipped @ ZZF.

 

[jawknee530]

does the earthwatts allow you do do this? it sounds like the corsair does from their product page and what's been said here.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

These Clowns should stop pumping multiple rails. 3, 4, even 5 rails sounds impressive to noobs. Most quality PSUs use the same termination for the 12V lines. Therefore, we're looking at xx amps at 12V. 12V @ 34A with 50C ambient is more than enough to drive any rig.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: jawknee530
does the earthwatts allow you do do this? it sounds like the corsair does from their product page and what's been said here.

Do what? If you're asking if the EarthWatts is a single rail w/out OCP then that question has already been answered.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: jawknee530
This is one that I'm looking at. it has high amps on the 5v and the 3.3 but theres others that are the same wattage with lower amps on the rails.

Stay away from the Smart Power stuff!!

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Maybe I should replace my Smartpower sooner than I planned, then. Bad things don't seem to be happening yet, but I'll need to replace it in the next few months for a GPU upgrade anyway (unless the G92 is very power efficient - not likely). I'll take a look inside tomorrow.

1. What should I be careful of when opening it (Never done it before)? How long do the capacitors hold a charge for - just to be safe?

2. Where will these capacitors be, if they aren't readily visible?

 

[jawknee530]

added info to original post

 

[jawknee530]

question added to original post

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: jawknee530
My fiance's pc doesn't have a powerful enough psu. I'm looking at buying a Corsair 520hx for my machine and using my current antec truepower in hers. I'm also looking at this psu from Seasonic for around the same price. the corsair is manufactured by Seasonic I'm told so wouldn't a Seasonic psu be just as good or even better because they want their own psu's to be the best? I like the modular of the corsair but if the seasonic is better maybe I should go with it.

edit: her machine's specs: E6300 | ga-945gcm-s3 | 2GB g.skill ddr2-800 | 1 SATA HDD | 1 DVD Drive | 7900gt

If it was Me :

SILVERSTONE SST-ST60F ATX 600W

Silverstone is Built like a Tank, and is Modular.....

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: jawknee530
I have a question regarding psu power ratings. The corsair hx520 specs are as follows:

3.3v-24amps 5v-24amps 12v1-18amps 12v2-18amps 12v3-18amps

if you loaded all of those rails to their maximum amperage then wouldn't that be a lot more than the 520w that the psu is rated at? understand that I'm completely ignorant on the subject and if anyone can point me to some good information to help me understand this i would greatly appreciate it.

also, how does the corsair vx550 compare to the hx520?

You have Four Different Threads, and ask all these questions within them.... take the answers that are being given, and stay on task and on subject... otherwise the moderators might take action...

Redundant threads and the same questions three times gets just a bit irritating..

 

[nyker96]

good choice! I'd get corsair when on sale , good price and very good PSU.