YAPSUT: Why does everyone think Fortron PSUs are so good ?

[flexy]

except the 550W ones the Fortrons are all really weak on the 12V side, most of them 18A or 20A on the 12V rail.

Why do people say these are good ?

Note: ASSSUME an A64 system with an high-end card like 6800Ultra/X800XT etc....i would NOT want to run such a system with 18A on the 12V..this wouldnt cut it.

The people who say "Fortrons are one of the best PSUs" probably dont overclock ?!

 

[Viper96720]

I would be using at least a 500W ps with the type of system your assuming. At that price range I wouldn't get a fortron either. Because if your building a high end system you should go with a high end power supply anyways. There good for mid range type systems or a replacement if you got a case with a crappy power supply.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: flexy
except the 550W ones the Fortrons are all really weak on the 12V side, most of them 18A or 20A on the 12V rail.

Why do people say these are good ?

Note: ASSSUME an A64 system with an high-end card like 6800Ultra/X800XT etc....i would NOT want to run such a system with 18A on the 12V..this wouldnt cut it.

The people who say "Fortrons are one of the best PSUs" probably dont overclock ?!

They are not weak on the 12volt rail. The 530watt has 28amps on the 12v rail?

There c/b some confusion about it because of the way they show the specs. 28/18amps doesn't mean 18amps in total, just the amps on one of the two 12v lines. I know Electrical Enginreers who work in the PC field that swear by them. They say they are "over-built, under-rated and under-priced". By under-rated they are saying that, for example, a 530watt is really more like a 550watt, or that the amps on the rails are actually higher than they advertise.

In other words, they're top-of-line at reasonable prices.

Fern

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: flexy
except the 550W ones the Fortrons are all really weak on the 12V side, most of them 18A or 20A on the 12V rail.

Why do people say these are good ?

Note: ASSSUME an A64 system with an high-end card like 6800Ultra/X800XT etc....i would NOT want to run such a system with 18A on the 12V..this wouldnt cut it.

The people who say "Fortrons are one of the best PSUs" probably dont overclock ?!

The 550W ones have two 12V lines, one for the CPU, and one for the peripherals. You are only looking at the amperage for one line. Two seperate 12V lines are found in most high-end PSUs, like OCZ PowerStream, Enermax, Antec NeoPower, etc.

 

[jterrell]

The 12v scores they show of 18a are actually wayyy low. Most OC'ers who bothered to mm them found them as high as 33 and always 28 or more.

Most companies report their high scores while Fortron lists the low scores.

So many companies actually buy Fortron psu's and re-badge them while upping the wattage rating on the box its not even funny. Check hardocp or ocforums for more nerd-oriented details.

 

[Goi]

I've always wondered about this too. The older 530Ws show 18A on a single +12V rail(newegg lists them as 2 numbers, but everywhere else, including Fortron's own website, lists only 1 number). Has anyone independently verified the higher amperage rating?

 

[flexy]

so are sparkles rebadged fortrons ?

 

[Kingofcomputer]

company name: FSP Group / SPI Electronic Co., Ltd.
product brand name: FSP / Fortron / SPI / Sparkle
also oem for Aopen's power supply (you can find that Aopen's model number is exactly same as FSP's).

 

[Thegonagle]

Maybe they're not the best, but they are a good value because they're stable, reliable, and not too expensive. They're a "no brainer" choice for somebody who wants something that gets the job done within the rated power but doesn't want to spend a lot on an ultra-deluxe PSU.

 

[Hyperlite]

well, i have a FS 530w, running XP-M@ 1.8vcore, 2.4ghz, 2xWD 80GB, cdrw, BFG 6800OC, **4** Vantec Tornados, Vantec ColdCathode, and this thing is rock solid. running 11.88 on 12v+ and 12.05 on 12v-, then 3.3, 5+, and 5-, exactly.

 

[TJones2]

Who actually manufactures Antec ps?

 

[Goi]

AFAIK, CWT does.

 

[elecrzy]

hyperlite: sheesh, you gotta be crazy to run 4 tornadoes. hehe =)

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Maybe they're not the best, but they are a good value because they're stable, reliable, and not too expensive. They're a "no brainer" choice for somebody who wants something that gets the job done within the rated power but doesn't want to spend a lot on an ultra-deluxe PSU.

Yep. Maybe they don't have the absolute best PSU in existence...but they're a bargain compared to some of the comparable units out there.

 

[Zepper]

Most of the Fortron PSUs in the channel are fairly old designs where the output is weighted more heavily to the 3.3/5V side. But they are excellent units that serve their users well. Most can put out somewhat more than rated in burst situations. By now there should be at least a few FSP models that are weighted more heavily to the 12V side. Reliability (and the quietness of the ones with 120mm fans) is what makes Fortron a preferred brand.
.bh.