PSU Recommendations

[flave]

The specs of the propsed computer are as follows:

Coolermaster Praetorian (4x 80mm casefan)
Abit av8 board
AMD Athlon 64 3200 (90nm, socket 939)
1gb corsair pc3200 (may upgrade to 2gb in the future)
geforce 6600 gt (agp 8x)
thermalright xp-90 (with 92mm fan)
80gb seagate SATA hdd (i will probably add at least 1 more hdd in the future)
16x dvd/48x cd drive
floppy

that's about it. i was looking at the vantec "stealth" 520w, but the more research i do the more that seems like overkill. i'm wondering if you have any experience with it and what a good power range to run all my stuff would be. from what i've read here and elsewhere, 400w+ is what i'm shooting for, but i don't really want to spend the extra $25 to get a 520w psu if a 400-450w will do the job just as well. that being said, i want this box to have some expandability so i don't want to go with something too small either. thanks in advance.

 

[akira34]

What will you be doing with the system? If you're going AGP, seriously think about going with the 6800GT video card. with an after-market cooler, it's not difficult to get it up to 6800 Ultra speeds.

How much are you looking to spend on the PSU? I'd take some real serious/hard looks at the Antec 480W NeoPower PSU as well as their TruePower line. Some of the thermaltake PSU's are decent, but I'd trust the Antec PSU (from the above lines) more than one from tt. You can see what I'm running in my tower off of the NeoPower PSU, without a single hitch.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Read the other million threads.

If you are looking for quiet and powerful the OCZ 420Watt powerstream PSU is incredible and is very quiet. Also i would look at Tagan, Seasonic Super Tornado Series.

-Kevin

 

[akira34]

Whatever you do, don't go for a cheap PSU. Look at the Amp rating on the 12V rails... If you see a 450W+ PSU with under 20A on the 12V rail, keep looking. Also read all over both this site and others about PSU's that either work really well, for a long time and those that fail fast. Also check to see how the company that made the PSU takes care of failed ones that are under warranty still... If a company can't do good repair/replacements under warranty then that would be one notch against them. Also, don't go by just one person... People alone can have different results, check to see what the trend is on the PSU's. 20 people might have had excellent results with a make/model, but one person with poor/bad results doesn't make for a bad company. Also, a PSU might run fine under good environmental conditions, but when things heat up it could fail. That's where some reliable reviews come into play. I wish that more review sites/sources would torture test PSU's to see how they fair. Put them under a wide range of temps and see how well they stand and deliver. If it's good over it's entire temp range, then you can use it with confidence. By the same token, take note of ones that fail when they start to heat up. Figure out what temps your system typically runs at and use that as a baseline for how the PSU should perform. Take a temp reading from the back of the PSU, or put an accurate thermal probe into your case to see what it's really like in there.

Bottom line, do some research on your own and then weigh how they all compare before you make a purchase...

 

[HomerSapien]

seasonic tornado 400w should be plenty. Most places carry it for about ~$90. If you do decide on this one, make sure you get a revision 3, which will include pci express and actually sata power cables, not adapters. The revision 2 had some problems with the fans spinning up at odd times.

edit: oh yeah, one thing to consider is how quiet you want it. This alone can add to the cost of the unit. silent pc preview has reviews of different psu's in terms of quality and noise.

 

[HardWarrior]

I just replaced a Vantec Stealth that started to misbehave after about 2-years. If you're a gamer, with an eye on future expansion, I suggest a well-reviewed, name-brand PSU between between 400-500 watts. ATX 2.0 is the standard you should look for.

 

[leepark]

How important is the PSU in a system? Why are they so important? What is the appropriate W to get for a new system? How are the stock psu's in cases, e.g., Antec sonata, Tsunami, etc.? How are the OCZ ModStrean 450W and Aspire Turbo Case 500W?

 

[akira34]

Originally posted by: leepark
How important is the PSU in a system?

CRITICAL... Without stable power everything else will run like crap, if at all.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: leepark
How important is the PSU in a system? Why are they so important? What is the appropriate W to get for a new system? How are the stock psu's in cases, e.g., Antec sonata, Tsunami, etc.? How are the OCZ ModStrean 450W and Aspire Turbo Case 500W?

I have the ModStream and it suits my needs just fine. Not loud, (not the absolute quietest but not loud) and pretty stable across the board.

I like the connections on it too. Although it's not totally modular, it's sweet nonetheless.

 

[render]

Seasonic Tornado 460W A3

 

[Waylay00]

Modstream is a rock solid PSU.

 

[leepark]

How is these PSUs?

Rosewill 500W Silver Aluminum housing Power Supply with 2 x 80mm Crystal Fans, Model "RE502-SLV" is $55.49

COOLMAX Black 450W 14cm Silent Cooling Fan Switching Power Supply, Model "CR-450B"
$52.50

Thermaltake W0014 Silent Purepower 480W with Black housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power Supply $56

MGE Vigor500 500W Power Supply with dual LED fans, P4 and AMD Approved, Model "PSVG-500" $60.50

ENERMAX Noisetaker Series 370W Power Supply, ATX 12V V1.3 compatible: Support latest P4 and Athlon 64 platforms, Model "EG375P-VE-SFMA" $46.99

***Anyone know what the stock PSU in a Tsunami Dream is like?

 

[CraigRT]

only one I'd go with out of those would be the Enermax, but it's not terribly strong... should be enough though I guess.