Power Supplies...

[skinman2]

Hey!

I'm looking to build a new computer and I'm stuck on which power supply to get.

Below are 3 PSU's that I'm stuck...:

1) Thermaltake 420 Watt

2) Enermax

3) Antec TRUEPOWER 430 Watt

Any suggestions?


Thanks!

 

[bgeh]

i'll go with the Antec........

 

[JZilla]

Originally posted by: bgeh
i'll go with the Antec........

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: JZilla

Originally posted by: bgeh
i'll go with the Antec........

 

[Mem]

They are all very good PSUs, Antec PSUs are popular here for good reason so you`ll get a lot of positive votes, also Antec have very good customer support .I would be happy with any of the 3 PSUs.

 

[nebula]

Thermaltake - $55 220W on 3.3v + 5v
Enermax - $54 - 185W on 3.3v + 5v
Antec - $83 - ??? How come Antec does not tell me this number? I'm sure it's very good though.

I have the Thermaltake and I'm happy with it. Since I'm more cost conscious, that's the one I'd buy.

 

[dragfree]

Checkin' this thread out 'cause I'm looking for new PSUs, too. Every one you mention is good quality. For quiet & steady power I like Antec TruePower (have 2 of them), but in the U.S. they lack active PFC. Best bang for buck has to be the TT Silent Purepower 420 with active PFC--but it's probably the loudest of the three. For several dollars more you can get the Enermax with active PFC, too. That might be what I would choose if noise were not a major issue for me. Zalman & Nexus both make very quiet 400 watt PSUs with combined +3.3v & +5v rails rated at 235 watts, and with active PFC for around $100 each.

Why does active PFC matter? I have 5 boxes on the network and live in California. Thanks to Gray Davis, I pay more than $0.20 per KWh for electricity (above an artifically low baseline). PSUs without PFC (like U.S.Antec Truepower) cost me $10-15/month in wasted electricity--each! That means an efficient 300W active PFC unit can pay for itself in a few months, and a 400W unit starts saving me $15/mo in about half a year. (Now what am I going to do with an assortment of used Antec, Fortron, HEC, etc. PSUs? Ebay?)

BTW, nebula, the reason Antec doesn't specify combined power for +3.3v & +5.5v rails is that they aren't combined--each runs independently of the other--that's the whole point of the "TruePower" line of PSUs.

 

[slicksilver]

Get the Fortron FSP350 one ......I'm telling you wont be sorry....This is one top notch power supply which is underrated....Check out what Tom had to say about it.....Also its a hot favorite amongst the mods at oc-forums.com. The best part is that it is only $32 at newegg. This PSU is more than sufficient for most applications and hardware. If you dont think its not good enough get the FSP400....but that costs $60:Q.....

Hope this helps

Raj

 

[nebula]

The TT Silent Purepower is the loudest of these three? Wow, I thought it wasn't loud at all. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to give a listen to my system again and find out what's making the most noise.

Thanks for the clarification on the Antec dragfree.

 

[extro]

Before you spend a fortune on a PS read this.

 

[dragfree]

The Fortron 350W is a great value (I have one in one of the kids' gaming machines) if noise isn't an issue. Not that it's particularly loud--it might even be a bit less noisy than average. But no PFC. They do make active PFC units, however, like the 400W FSP400-60 PFN ($60 at Newegg). Unless electricity is very cheap where you live, the extra $ spent on active PFC will save you plenty in the long run.

And, yes, nebula, I think the Thermaltake is a bit noisy--at least my 420W sample was, due to both a noisy fan bearing and a bit of coil buzz as the unit warmed up. Maybe mine was a bad one. I sure liked the strong current ouput, but not enough to put up with the noise.

 

[Lyfer]

Allied True 450W - $39 @ newegg. Great for overclocking and runs my rig rock stable.

 

[Sideswipe001]

(Now what am I going to do with an assortment of used Antec, Fortron, HEC, etc. PSUs? Ebay?)

If you have one of those Antec TruePower 430s, I'd take it off your hands for you.

 

[GnomeCop]

people love those antec power supplies, therefore you must buy it

 

[garaget]

I still think antec is overrated, good customer service is hard to come by though

Who needs a 430watt when you can run it cooler and quieter on a better quality 300-350 watt.. unless you are going to run a las vegas light show and about 10 fans i don't see the point, or multiple drives+hds.. you can't be using that much if you are using it for personal computing.

Sorry, I don't know what kind of system you are building though so please list your parts + purpose before asking for recommendations cause we can also recommend a less wattage psu if you don't need that much.

 

[CrystalBay]

I have the Thermaltake 420 active PFC... 2 of them in fact, very stable and Quiet...

They need to do a new power supply round-up within the next few months....