Power Supply Noob

[Nick63]

I am looking for a new power supply as I feel my Aopen 350gu{it buzzes louldly at times as well} is not good enough for my healthy overclock to be as stable as I want. I want the best overall psu out of the following lbelow or if you know of a definitve psu please recommend it.

Antec 380W Power Supply, Model "TRUE380" -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-907&depa=0

Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...17-103-8&catalog=58&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0

Antec 480W Power Supply,Model "TRUE480" -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-909&depa=1

Antec 550W Power Supply, Model "TRUE550" -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-910&depa=0

Antec 550W Power Supply With 2 Fans 5.25 Control Panel, Model "TRUE CONTROL 550W" -RETAIL http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-922&depa=1

Antec 550W Power Supply, 24-Pin, Model "TRUE550 EPS12V" -RETAIL http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-918&depa=1

Fortron 400W Power Supply For Intel P4 and AMD XP CPU, Model "FSP400-60PFN RET" -RETAIL http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-974&depa=0§ion=3

Fortron Source 400W Power Supply With 12CM Fan, Model "FSP400-60PNU-R1" -RETAIL http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-962&depa=0

Fortron 530W Power Supply, Model "FSP530-60GNA" -RETAIL
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-968&depa=0

Thermaltake W0013 Silent Purepower 480W with Silver housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-153-008&depa=0§ion=3

 

[Corey0808]

well first things first what are you running for components? Also you might not necessarily need a high wattage pwoer supply just something good. For example I'm using an Antec true430 with the following:

Abit Nf7-S V2.0
Mobile Barton 2500+ @ 2.5gHz
DVD-ROM
CD-RW
2 IDE Harddrives
Audigy 2 ZS
Geforce 3 Ti200

 

[Maximilian]

I would say an Antec True 430 would suit you fine but since your overclocking you might want to go with a True 480 just to be safe.

 

[Ilmater]

How much do you want to spend?

What is your system makeup?

You need to tell us things like:

CPU/Overclock
RAM
Hard Drives
Optical Drives
PCI cards
# of case fans (if it's excessive)

before we can tell you which PSU you need.

 

[Nick63]

I am running an Intel 2.6 overclocked to 3.35. Have two hard drives, two cd roms{1 rw}, 3 usb devices, 3 fans, Live 5.1, Radeon 9700pro AIW, and I gig of ram. MBM shows some strange voltages too. $125 max, but the best for the least is good. Being ready for upgrades is in mind too.

 

[Ilmater]

That's the stuff. Now, given that, I'd completely agree with:

Originally posted by: Soviet
I would say an Antec True 430 would suit you fine but since your overclocking you might want to go with a True 480 just to be safe.

I really think that you'll have enough power in the 430, but if you get the 480, then you can never worry about the PSU being your problem. For instance, I got an Enermax 435 and I found that I could never be 100% sure that my PSU wasn't the problem with getting the best stable overclock because it wasn't totally inconceivable that I would be stressing it with my components.

 

[Nick63]

MotherBoard Monitor shows that under some load my +12.00 volt drops to 11.37 and it may be dropping lower. My -12.00 is consistently around -7.0 and my -5.0 showed -3.38 under some load. I say some load as I run JV powertools with the reclean function on as I check MBM readings.

By the way I am amazed at how much response I got so quickly to my post Thanks to you all.

 

[Ilmater]

NP on the quick reply, I just happened to come in when you posted.

As for your readings, those are pretty abysmal, but you should really invest in a $10 multimeter from Sears (or Radio Shack, I don't care) and test it yourself. Just take an extra molex connector and touch the multimeter to it. It will give you better readings. Plus, the most important readings are when you're starting up (because your system is stressed as much as it possibly can be, with everything drawing from the PSU), and MBM obviously can't help you there.

However, I will say that my -V lines looked a little strange on MBM as well, so it may not be the best gauge of performance.

 

[Nick63]

Hey Ilmater,

Thats a good suggestion, but since this psu buzzes at times{I have to rap it with my knuckles to make it stop} I am just going to replace it. I don't trust it. Under load it really bogs. I hear the fan pull way down under stress, anf at times like these it will occcasionally reboot. So, I will just spend the money on the psu and hold off on a tester. I did not know MBM might be inaccurate. Nice to know though

 

[Gagabiji]

@#*$. I just linked all of them and then closed the wrong web page. GAH!

But yeah, go with like the 480. And as for the quick reply...hey. It's the Anandtech Forums.

 

[Tates]

IMHO, the most overlooked component is the power supply. A good power supply can mean the difference between a moderate overclock and moderate stablility to a high overclock and rock stable performance.

I recommend a Tagan 480 watt PS from ajump.com for a mere $78 shipped. It is a beast that is quality built, has seperate power on all rails, has 10 molex connectors, 2 SATA connectors, is quiet and futureproof.

 

[chinkgai]

so i just bought some no name brand ("just pc" is the brand) 425 watt psu from frys for 29.99.

my system is as follows:

xp 1700+ (soon to be xp-m 2400+ with some ocing)
abit nf7-s
gainward gf4 ti4200
three usb ports used (wireless keyboard, usb mouse, and a hub)
3 hdds
1 optical drive
1 floppy
1 gig ram pc2100
sb live card
nic card
and total of five fans including the psu fan

you guys think i should return it and get something better? budget is an issue...so if this psu will last me a yr or two i'd be happy.... what u guys think?

 

[Nick63]

Tates
I had stumbled across the Tagan 480 since I posted this thread, and while the little I read about it was great I wanted more sources that gave it a thumbs up. The Antec 480 has been suggested here and maybe I should have just gone on and gotten it, but I don't operate that quickly{better safe than sorry}. I read the ripple was better on the TruControl 550, but the voltages on the Antec Tru480 were better on some reviews. I am inclined to believe this probably varies some within particular models. That is, one Antec 480 might do better than another Antec 480. Plus I am not sure having adjustable voltages is a plus on the Truecontrol 550. I have also have thought long and hard about a Zalman 400 and a Fortron 530. I guess I need to draw staws. Ilike the 2 fans on the Antecs and the Tagan, but some said the Antec 550 was quite loud, at least with the fans turned up a lot. The Tagan has a lot of line lenght to deal with, at least if I remember the review correctly. Yet, I have the Tagan tied for the top spot right now.
Anybody else with some ideas feel free to help out.
Thanks for the link and input.

 

[Nick63]

One Bump Only