I have not built the system yet, but I've ordered this particular case Just4PC 757 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=988483&CatId=0) . I wasn't paying much attention to the PS issues, but I accidentally ran into couple of sites like this one here and read that about 99% of the messages are saying not to use the cheap PS especially the ones that comes w/ the case and on top of that I saw Just4PC brand in the "Not To Get" list.

I am upgrading from Pentium 200MHz to P4-3.0GHz (15x faster! wow!) and back in the original Pentium days, I don't think there were much issues w/ PS or at least I hadn't run into any PS problems... So... is the PS that comes in Just4PC cases or in any other cheap cases really that bad and risky to use? If so, how much of a risk am I taking?

I am guessing that major PC brands like Dell, IBM, HP, and those non-brand ones built in local computer stores would be using the PS that comes w/ the case or a fairly cheap PS. I am guessing their users aren't having much problems with these PSes otherwise they won't have their businesses...

So... is there a very good chance that this PS that comes in Just4PC case will crash my system often and maybe kill the motherboard or burn the computer? Or does it depend on what I do? I am not a gamer (I think Tyrian in DOS was about the latest that I've played). I am mainly going to use this PC for video editing, converting, and burning DVDs and VCDs... and as a file server as well.

I know I will get a lot of "replace that PS w/ a good one" kind of responses, but I hope I do also get some of the positive responses (but not just because I wrote that here).

Few more information that I should probably add is that I will be using these components:
- 1 motherboard w/ 4 built-in USB ports, 2 built-in Firewire ports, built-in sound, 1 built-in ethernet port, and 2 SATA port ( Gigabyte GA-81PE1000Pro-G (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128231) )
- 1 Gig of RAM
- 1 generic AGP 4x/8x graphics card w/ 128MB
- 1 IDE hard drive at this point but would like to add about 2-3 more.
- SCSI CD-ROM Drive
- 1 DVD burner
- 1 keyboard and 1 mouse
- PCTV card
- SCSI card

Please help and thank you all in advance...

- Ki

So... is there a very good chance that this PS that comes in Just4PC case will crash my system often and maybe kill the motherboard or burn the computer?
A very good chance? I'd say no, not a very good chance of killing the motherboard or burning the computer. A reasonable chance of causing some system instability? Definitely, especially with that power hungry processor, and even more so if you're using a mid-level or higher graphics card and/or more than two drives.

You're probably about to spend $600 or more on new equipment, right? Sensitive equipment that runs on electricity. Why use the cheapest possible power supply (and that's what usually comes with a case, especially a $40 case - not knocking the case, mid you, I'm just saying...) to run that investment? Why not go ahead and spend the $ to get something that you know you can depend on?

I am just hoping that this PS will be stable enough to do what I want to do. I hope leaving it on for 24-7 won't make it worse... I would spend extra $ on PS if I had extra $, but my budget is pretty tight so I'm just trying to find the quality stuff at the cheapest price and ordering things at different places and etc... I am even waiting 2 weeks for the case for the local store pick-up so that I won't have to pay for the $15 shipping for $40 case, you know what I mean?

I was just hoping for some assurance that I won't run into so many problems or some big problems because of the PS...

Please continue to add your comments.. I'd like to hear from others as well and decide...

I understand that your budget is that tight - I had to do some scrimping and scraping myself when I built my new system recently - but really and truly, it will save you a lot of money in the long run, and even more so, a lot of time and aggravation, if you get a high-quality PS now instead of trying to depend on your default PS. I can testify to this not just because everyone else says so, but from personal experience, as I spent half the summer of 2002 having various PS-related problems before I finally twigged to what was wrong and bought an Antec TruePower. Shop around, and you will find something close to the price you want. I paid $90 extra for an Antec 480W PS on top of the $40 case I bought because stable, reliable power really IS that important to your system.

-Joe-

I was lucky... The PS I got with a cheap case died after about 2 uses and didn't fry anything in the process.... It only took me a few hours to figure out it was the PS, so I did a lot better than some people who suffer with those pieces of crap for weeks as they fade in and out...

I took that PS apart to see what it looked like inside... It was pretty pathetic compared to a high quality PS... Even if you just get a cheap ThermalTake:

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=58

It would be better than the excuse for a PS that you got with that case....

Using the bundled PSU is like playing Russian Roulette. Sometimes you're fine and sometimes really bad things happen. I once got an Enlight case that came bundled with a 300W Enlight PSU. That thing is still alive today, used for running/testing older systems. On the other hand, I had a bundled PSU die a horrible sudden death on me (no flames, just sparks) and a few months after replacing it, the CPU died. Delayed reaction, but I know it was caused by the PSU. Once the CPU died, I had to trash the whole system (good thing it was old! :p) because it wasn't worth the risk to keep it.

There are good stories and there are bad stories. I myself don't mind using a bundled PSU for an older system or secondary system or just plain cheap system. But when it comes to an expensive system or your main system, don't play Russian Roulette. You say you don't have the money now, but do you have the money twice? Can you replace all that hardware if the worst thing were to happen to it? Do yourself a favor, eat spaghetti for the next month, and get even that cheap Thermaltake PSU for $37. Then you can keep that bundled PSU around for testing purposes or whatever.

On a more historical note, PSU's of the past didn't have to be all that great. Before and during the Pentium era, you quite often saw PSU's in the 30-75W range. And that was for the whole system! :eek: My P4 uses that much power alone during normal operation! Power requirements have skyrocketed, and not just in terms of raw wattage, but also in reliability. 10% voltage variances used to be standard, but now most good quality PSU's can reach down to the 3-5% range. They also have to be beefier in terms of their sudden output surges. If my computer is at idle, the whole thing probably only uses 150W. But if I start up a game like BF2 (pretty!) then my computer suddenly needs about twice that! The CPU usage spikes, the hard drive is busy loading, the vid card kicks into high gear, and the RAM is pushing several GB's per second! All of that requires massive amounts of power at very specific voltages at a millisecond's notice. That's not an easy task, so the importance of the PSU in a modern system is much much higher than it was when your Pentium 200 system was made.

Alright... the responses weren't what I was hoping to hear, but yes, I am bit worried that the default ps might fry my motherboard, cpu, hd, ram and etc... I guess it will be safer and better to just get a good ps than to keep worrying about when things might go wrong.... I saw this deal at Newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103924
What do you think? Good enough?
Also, this particular one only has 1 fan on top and my case only has opening on the back... Does anybody here know if that fan blows air into the ps then the air goes out to the back? Or the fan blows air out of ps through the top and the little space I may be will be OK? Darn thing the rebate ends Monday, so I hope I get the answer quick enough...

I hope instaling PS to the case is easy... I've never done that before and am bit scared to mess w/ such high power electricity. The main part that I worry about is connecting the ps to the power button... or maybe it doesn't connect to the power button directly... I guess I will have to see when I get it...

Does the PFC matter much? I think that's a whole another topic... I hear it's good to have but I see not so many Antec PSes have them... so maybe not....

Thank you all for your comments... I do appreciate them...

Well, I searched around and found this one to be the best fit... http://www.provantage.com/buy-7ants024-sp-500-atx-12-volt-v2-power-supply-dual-fan-size-500w-antec-supplies-cables-shopping.htm
It has two fans (front and back) and should provide enough power....
Newegg usually is pretty good, but this time Provantage seems to have a better deal on this... Not bad for $73.77 (including shipping). I hope this is not one of the bad series from Antec... I hope I get all these stuff by this Friday, so I can work on assembling them over the July 4th weekend!

Going from a cheap case PS to an Antec is a big jump... Antec is quite good... You could probably do fine with something less ambitious if you don't want to spend that much...

Installing a PS is easy and it doesn't have any power in it until you plug it in... You will plug the connectors into the motherboard and the power switch also plugs into the motherboard, so it shouldn't be a big deal... IMO, The hardest parts of building a system is picking the parts and setting up the cooler on the CPU...

Yeah, it's a big jump. I figured 450Watt is probably enough, but with few more bucks, I can get 500, so I figured I would get the 500 watt one since I do have lots of junks to attach from my old computer... I fugured I would invest little more while I am investing so that I won't have to worry about the power issues later... I am hoping that ATX motherboard continues to stay for another 5 years or more so that I can use this same PS for later upgrade....

Darn, this Antec PS must be very demanding... I've just placed an order at 3 different places since the first two were out of stock after I placed an order! I hope this place has it...

Thank you all again for all the wonderful comments... and tips on how to install PS... Makes me feel better now...

I suggest checking the place you want to order from at this site before placing the order... Some online vendors will make you pay in more than just $$$...

http://www.resellerratings.com/