Which PSU should I use on my new i7 920 build?

[jjmIII]

He guys (girls) .

I am not a PSU guru, and just need a simple answer.

I have in my possession an Enhance 500 and Antec 430.

Which would be best in my i7 920, Asrock x58, 6gb DDR3, single 9600gt (soon to be two), 640gb & 1.5tb, twin DVD-RW Rig???

I'm sure bigger is better, but just want to be sure.

 

[xenolith]

Originally posted by: jjmIII
He guys (girls) .

I am not a PSU guru, and just need a simple answer.

I have in my possession an Enhance 500 and Antec 430.

Which would be best in my i7 920, Asrock x58, 6gb DDR3, single 9600gt (soon to be two), 640gb & 1.5tb, twin DVD-RW Rig???

I'm sure bigger is better, but just want to be sure.

There's your answer.

The Enhance should suffice as long as you don't go too crazy with overclocking.

 

[jjmIII]

I guess I just wanted to ask about quality of PSU, since the wattage is so close. I have a new Corsair 400w (400CX) sitting here too.

The Enhance does have dual PCI-e, which I may need, so I guess it's a no brainer.

 

[jjmIII]

The Enhance should suffice as long as you don't go too crazy with overclocking.

Ya, I ran the Antec PSU calculator and it looks real close with two 9600gt's. Think it will be ok? I guaged it at 100% load on the calculator, and it was only a few watts under 500!

 

[Lunyone]

I'm not sure the Enhance PSU is a good one or not. It looks like it'll support about 29A on the combined 12v rails. The Antec and the Corsair supply 30A on the 12v rails, so they would be a better option, IMHO. The only thing that you'll need if you SLI is the extra 6 pin PCI-e power connector (which usually ships with the GPU). They usually supply a 2 x 4 pin to 6 pin PCI-e adaptor within the GPU box. I'd much rather have the Antec or the Corsair, if it was up to me.

 

[jjmIII]

I'm not sure the Enhance PSU is a good one or not. It looks like it'll support about 29A on the combined 12v rails.

Huh, it has two 12V...18A each, or 36A total???

The Antec has 2 x 17A...or 34A total. The Corsair has a single 30A.

Not sure where you got the info, unless I'm reading something wrong (which is possible).

 

[Spikesoldier]

get a new psu for your new machine. the i7 platform is known for drawing more power especially when overclocked.

may i suggest a quality psu from brands like corsair, seasonic, pc power & cooling - of the 600w class and up.

my choice is the pc power & cooling. i like the single +12v rail design and i run a c2q q9550 @3.7 8gb 80gb ssd, and ati 4890 @900/1100 on their 750w silencer unit. i ran a double orthos and furmark for full stress load on the system for two days and the log for HWMon showed that the +12v rail did not even budge from 11.97v during the entire test.

i wouldnt trust either of those psu's you have on hand to that caliber of machine. get yourself a new power supply especially if those you have are used and if you are set on overclocking. buying a new, quality unit will give you peace of mind and add expandability to the pc, ala second (or third) graphics card.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: jjmIII

I'm not sure the Enhance PSU is a good one or not. It looks like it'll support about 29A on the combined 12v rails.

Huh, it has two 12V...18A each, or 36A total???

The Antec has 2 x 17A...or 34A total. The Corsair has a single 30A.

Not sure where you got the info, unless I'm reading something wrong (which is possible).

You don't just add them up. If you look at the sticker closer you will notice that the Enhance supplies ~350w on the combined 12v rails (150w for 3.3v & 5v + ~3A on the 3vsb line = ~153w total). You take the 3.3v/5v/5vsb lines combined and subtract from the total wattage. So you get 500w (total) - ~153w (3.3v/5v/5vsb) = ~348w. Now you take the total watts on the 12v rail and divide by it by 12v = 348w/12v = ~29 amps. Most quality 500w PSU's usually have 34 amps on their rails, so this is why I threw up the flag on the Enhance PSU. See the Enhance PSU sticker below:
http://c1.neweggimages.com/New...mage/17-372-002-04.jpg

Now on the Antec 430w PSU you have clearly stated amount of watts for the combined 12v rails, which is 360w. Plugging in the numbers to our equation (watts/volts=amps) you get 360w/12v = 30A!!! This is the same amount that the Corsair 400cx puts out, so they are basically the wattage PSU. See the Antec PSU sticker below:
http://c1.neweggimages.com/New...mage/17-371-006-04.jpg

Now if I had all 3 PSU's on hand, I'd probably go with either the Corsair 400cx or the Antec 430w PSU, if it was up to me.

 

[Beanie46]

Originally posted by: Lunyone


You don't just add them up. If you look at the sticker closer you will notice that the Enhance supplies ~350w on the combined 12v rails (150w for 3.3v & 5v + ~3A on the 3vsb line = ~153w total). You take the 3.3v/5v/5vsb lines combined and subtract from the total wattage. So you get 500w (total) - ~153w (3.3v/5v/5vsb) = ~348w. Now you take the total watts on the 12v rail and divide by it by 12v = 348w/12v = ~29 amps. Most quality 500w PSU's usually have 34 amps on their rails, so this is why I threw up the flag on the Enhance PSU. See the Enhance PSU sticker below:

Psssttt......that's not how you determine max. combined output for the +12V rails, either. With Enhance, you've just about got to call them to get the combined +12V rail rating....Enhance doesn't publish them.

As for total combined +12V load capacity, since the model just below his, the Enhance ENP-5140GH, a 400W unit, has 28A available on its +12V rails combined, I think you're a tad off in your "calculations".

Well, in defense of what you said, it is true that if all the minor rails were full loaded simultaneously, then all that would be left to the +12V rails would be the 29A.....but that will probably never happen since modern rigs these days are +12V heavy and the minor rail draws are fairly insignificant. You'll never see the minor rails pulling their full rated capacity.....unless you're trying to power up a Pentium III computer.

 

[theAnimal]

The Enhance is 36A according to this thread.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: Beanie46

Originally posted by: Lunyone


You don't just add them up. If you look at the sticker closer you will notice that the Enhance supplies ~350w on the combined 12v rails (150w for 3.3v & 5v + ~3A on the 3vsb line = ~153w total). You take the 3.3v/5v/5vsb lines combined and subtract from the total wattage. So you get 500w (total) - ~153w (3.3v/5v/5vsb) = ~348w. Now you take the total watts on the 12v rail and divide by it by 12v = 348w/12v = ~29 amps. Most quality 500w PSU's usually have 34 amps on their rails, so this is why I threw up the flag on the Enhance PSU. See the Enhance PSU sticker below:

Psssttt......that's not how you determine max. combined output for the +12V rails, either. With Enhance, you've just about got to call them to get the combined +12V rail rating....Enhance doesn't publish them.

As for total combined +12V load capacity, since the model just below his, the Enhance ENP-5140GH, a 400W unit, has 28A available on its +12V rails combined, I think you're a tad off in your "calculations".

Well, in defense of what you said, it is true that if all the minor rails were full loaded simultaneously, then all that would be left to the +12V rails would be the 29A.....but that will probably never happen since modern rigs these days are +12V heavy and the minor rail draws are fairly insignificant. You'll never see the minor rails pulling their full rated capacity.....unless you're trying to power up a Pentium III computer.

Well my point was thinking about the worse case scenario. Yeah I'm sure if has more available, but their sticker doesn't state that, which throws a flag up in my world. I know what the Antec and the Corsair can do, so I recommend them. Now the 1 review that I did read about the Enhance was pretty good, but it was like 3 years old That doesn't mean it's a bad PSU, just one that I wouldn't recommend over the Antec to Corsair. That is my opinion, so with everything else, please do your RESEARCH for yourself. I try and be thorough with my research before recommending any part.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: Lunyone
Well my point was thinking about the worse case scenario.

No, your point was totally incorrect baloney. Furthermore, despite bragging about your research, you've remained ignorant of the excellent track record of this 36A Enhance build under its own name and Silverstone's.

 

[jjmIII]

Here is the review as a Silverstone unit.

I'm wanting a Corsair 850TX, but wonder if I'm wasting my money?

The Enhance 500W does get good reviews!

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: s44

Originally posted by: Lunyone
Well my point was thinking about the worse case scenario.

No, your point was totally incorrect baloney. Furthermore, despite bragging about your research, you've remained ignorant of the excellent track record of this 36A Enhance build under its own name and Silverstone's.

Where did I say that I did extensive research on the PSU? I stated that I had read 1 review on the PSU. I also stated my points and that my viewpoint was my opinion, so don't make me out to be something that I didn't start off with. I think I clearly stated where I was coming from and was just trying to inform the OP of the situation. All research takes time and not everyone wants to put in that time. I'm not out to create fights or flame wars, I'm just trying to help someone out with a decision. I'm not sure what your agenda is, but mine is to try and help someone out in need.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: jjmIII
I'm wanting a Corsair 850TX, but wonder if I'm wasting my money?

If you're never going beyond two 9600 GT, then you are wasting your money. If you are, then you won't be wasting your money.

The Enhance is very good, but isn't perfect. I think because of the way the rails are loaded it has a difficult time with high draw on the PCIe lines. I had five of the Enhance 500W and I've tested several with a highly overclocked GTX 285 and the PSUs will trip and reboot the computer.

 

[jjmIII]

Thanks Zap. I always appreciate your advice .

Buuuuttttt, I bought the Corsair 850W anyhow .

I want to OC my i7 920, and know I have plenty of juice.
My HSF arrives tomorrow along with the new PSU.