need a good PSU

[Tommunist]

What I'd like...

24pin obviously
6pin power connector for my GPU
solid 12V amp rating (24+amps)
500+W
stable

I have a hard time understanding all the specs on these things so I was hoping someone could reccommend something....

 

[ribbon13]

http://pcpowercooling.com/products/powe...ghperformance/turbocools/510/index.htm
The 510w Express or SLi are the very best

The 6pin gpu and 24pin atx really don't matter, most video cards should come with one to attach to a molex. and there are 20pin to 24pin adapters. getting a decent psu to begin with should be priority.

 

[Tommunist]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
http://pcpowercooling.com/products/powe...ghperformance/turbocools/510/index.htm
The 510w Express or SLi are the very best

The 6pin gpu and 24pin atx really don't matter, most video cards should come with one to attach to a molex. and there are 20pin to 24pin adapters. getting a decent psu to begin with should be priority.

the only reason I was going for the 6pin GPU plug was that I have a "hardcano" which is eating up three 4 pin connectors and an LED that is using another. I'm running a bit short on power leads....

holy shnikies!!! 200+ dollars for a PSU - I figured ~130 was the max I'd have to spend on this....

 

[ribbon13]

That's a popular budget psu
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-934&depa=0

I would get this instead though
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-478&depa=0

 

[Tommunist]

I was under the impression that sparkle doesn't have a very good reputation....

how does this guy look...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-155&depa=0

 

[Matthias99]

holy shnikies!!! 200+ dollars for a PSU - I figured ~130 was the max I'd have to spend on this....

It is. The PCP&C, while excellent, is way overpriced IMO. It's just not that much better than the other 500-600W units out there.

But unless you're planning on building some kind of monstrous SLI rig, anything about ~400W or so is just overkill. You need about 100W for a fast CPU, another 100W for a fast video card, maybe you have 100W worth of drives, RAM, etc. (but probably more like ~50W, unless you have a big RAID array or something like that). You just don't need a 500W PSU (or, heck, even a 400W PSU) for a system like this, as long as it's actually decent quality and has at least 18-20A on the +12V rail.

 

[Tommunist]

SLI is most likely in my future - hence the large amount of power...

 

[ribbon13]

Sparkle's are outsourced to Fortron, and Fortron makes really nice psus... so I'd like to know where you heard that.

ocz at 26a/12 vs the fortron relabel at 36a/12v.... i think it's obvious.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Tommunist
I was under the impression that sparkle doesn't have a very good reputation....

how does this guy look...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-155&depa=0

Sparkle is generally pretty well-regarded. I believe the higher-end ones are actually the same PSUs as Fortron (I'm not sure which, if either, of these companies actually makes them).

That OCZ is also very popular these days. Still overkill for 99% of systems, but popular.

 

[ribbon13]

By newegg votes the sparkle wins too.

It has Active PFC to boot.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Tommunist
SLI is most likely in my future - hence the large amount of power...

In that case, yes, you probably want to be looking at 400-500W PSUs. 500-600W is still a *lot* more power than you'll need, unless the next-gen CPUs and graphics cards start pushing ~150W each (in which case your bigger problem is going to be keeping your computer from catching on fire ).

 

[Tommunist]

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-478&depa=0

is there a way to figure out the number of connectors on this and if it has the 6pin PCI-E and SATA power connectors? The PSU I bought originally for this system is pretty much out of connectors so I really don't want to run into this situation again...

 

[Tommunist]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
By newegg votes the sparkle wins too.

It has Active PFC to boot.

is the 67% efficiency rating anythign to be concerned about?

 

[ribbon13]

Yes. The mere fact that they tell you that is a good sign. That's a damn good value for a computer psu (3 rails 12v/5v/3.3v) with PFC.

http://pcpowercooling.com/products/cooling/accessories/popups/indexdrivewye.htm
http://pcpowercooling.com/products/cooling/accessories/popups/index_PCI_Ex.htm

You can get those elsewhere too, but i can't find em on newegg (but I know they have em)

 

[techfuzz]

I have a couple of the 450W puppies that have been nothing short of spectacular. They're a bargain compared to the "known-brand" PSU's out there.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-154-015&depa=0

techfuzz

 

[ribbon13]

He mentioned SLi in the future and you're reccomending a 12v/20a?

Two high end video cards. Think heat. Think derating chart. Think no-no.
Here's an example of a derating chart.
http://pcpowercooling.com/pdf/Turbo-Cool_510_vs.pdf

 

[Tommunist]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
Yes. The mere fact that they tell you that is a good sign. That's a damn good value for a computer psu (3 rails 12v/5v/3.3v) with PFC.

http://pcpowercooling.com/products/cooling/accessories/popups/indexdrivewye.htm
http://pcpowercooling.com/products/cooling/accessories/popups/index_PCI_Ex.htm

You can get those elsewhere too, but i can't find em on newegg (but I know they have em)

yeah - if I'm going to go through buying those extra cables and splitting my 4pin power cables I would just keep my current PSU. If I'm buying a new PSU I want it to already support all my current and future needs.

I currently have this psu....
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-123&depa=0

 

[Tommunist]

any reccomendations about what I should do now? You guys have me all nervous now but my cheapness is causing me to balk a bit at throwing down another 100+ dollars on a PSU....

 

[Steg55]

I would recommend this for an SLI rig
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-101-509&depa=0

Dont be fooled by the 480w tag - it is one of the most power PSUs on the market in terms of Amps per rail.

Seems to be marketed under the E-Power name in the US and doesnt get much publictity in the states, however in Europe its selling like mad - Tagen is afterall a german company. It IS one of the best PSUs on the market.

Steg

 

[ribbon13]

Well, what you have is fine for now, but I wouldn't throw 2 high end cards on it. Is being cheap on a psu worth two friend vid cards, possibly the mobo too?

 

[Tommunist]

well - i doubt fried - possibly (although I think most likely not) unstable....

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
That's a popular budget psu
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-934&depa=0

I would get this instead though
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-478&depa=0

Sparkle rules.
all of the new PC's that come into the building have an SPI 300W or greater PS.
never have any problems.

 

[Tommunist]

one other thing I was wondering about - how do you know if a PSU is a single rail or a dual rail? I hear that single rail is better but how do I know if a particular PSU has this setup?

 

[ribbon13]

it would say so in its specs

like 12v1 15a 12v2 15a

 

[Tommunist]

ah i see now - thanx...

I think I'm actually going to go with the OCZ one which I know the amp rating isn't quite as good as the sparkle (but I feel that it is still high enough for even an SLI system) but I like the fact that it's all set up for PCI-E and that all the cables are removable (less clutter = better airflow). I do wish I could tell how long the cables were on it....