Recomendations on a $20-$40 500W PSU

[vinayag]

I need to get a good PSU because of my new PNY 9600gs. I have a AMD dual core 3600 (enery efficient), have two hard disks and two cd drives and 4 fans. I will never ever do SLI nor do I ever overclock any of my stuff.

My budget is about $30 (yes, you read that right) and Im adamant about not following the herd that chants only Antecs and other PSU's that cost a fortune. Im convinced that all the stories about these PSU's burning down are because people stretch them to their limits.

Im very tempted with the Dynapower 500W as it has very good reviews on newegg. Also am tempted by the free with shipping offer for the Ultra V Series 500W from FRY's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817255010
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4587977

What is your opinion ?

My only issue is that I will buy in the US when I come next week and take it back to India (240v) immediately. So the PSU should have a switch to toggle the voltage.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I wouldn't trust the reviews on Newegg, first of all. Second, out of morbid curiosity, how much have you spent on the rest of the hardware in your machine? The stuff that this $30 PSU is going to be powering.

 

[vinayag]

I know exactly where this discussion is headed ! I agree that $30 is peanuts compared to the money I spent on the machine, but then I have never ever seen a PSU blow up a machine. Maybe not experienced enough ?

Ok, let me take a step back. I hear good things about Fortron Source. Is this true ? How about :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104901

 

[acegazda]

Plain and simple: If you skimp on the psu, you will get burned down the road.
Solution: get a good one initially. You don't need anywhere near 500w for a 7900gs (I saw your other thread) so get a quality 400w unit.
Those fortrons are OK, but their "fsp" series are better. Get the fsp400-gln for $55 shipped and be better off. Check out ewiz.com.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: vinayag
Ok, let me take a step back. I hear good things about Fortron Source. Is this true ? How about :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104901

Either of those should be fine.

 

[vinayag]

The first Fortron I mentioned was the FSP series, if that is what you meant. I guess then that is a good option. I just hope they do not burn at 240volts that I will use them in India.

Thanks for all the input guys in my various threads. You guys rock.

 

[smthmlk]

a fortron 300-400w AX series (models mentioned above) is going to be your only safe bet with a budget that low.. I would count pennies to get up into the $45-55 range if I were you.

 

[vinayag]

Agreed. Just that when you convert $10 to India rupees, they look like a lotttttttttt !

After a bit of googling, Im convinced that Fortron is the way to go. Given my setup, do you think the 350w one I listed above will do the trick ?

Newegg mentions this : +3.3V@22A, +5V@21A, +12V1@18A, +12V2@16A, -12V@0.3A, +5VSB@2A
Seems plenty to me at this point.

Or maybe should make it future proof and go with the Forton 400W.

 

[Aikouka]

Most PSUs either have the switch on the back to switch voltages or they are auto-sensing (My PC Power and Cooling 750W Silencer is an auto-sensing PSU for example). So, I wouldn't worry about India's power grid accepting your PC or vice-versa.

 

[Ayah]

At that price, the FSP is all you're gonna get.

 

[RebateMonger]

Back in the days of AT power supplies, I successfully used cheapie power supplies. I frequently built PCs for friends using Fry's $18 cases ($18 INCLUDING the power supply).

However, since ATX came into being, I've had rotten luck with "cheap" power supplies. I've had several fail, some of them with sparks flying, and one destroyed two motherboards by the time I caught it.

Do you need a 600-watt, $120 supply? Probably not. But I'd look for one that has a good reputation for reliability.