Power Supply ratings....TOTAL NEWB!

[mateor6]

ok so i know that there are different PSU out there and they all seem to be different(watts and price range). what i really want to know is what makes one better than another.....? i am in the amrket for a new power supply but done want to get a POS.....if you guys can explain to us what it is that differs in the power supplies.

an obvious difference is the watts.

why did my entire computer case and power supply cost me 30 bucks but im looking at power supplies and they are close to 100 bux alone???? did i just get a POS in the case? is that why my computer took a dump on me a few weeks after i bought it?

lets hear what you have to say.

[Grumper]

The real answer is, you do "get what you pay for" a $30 case and PS is nuts if you plan on keeping the computer for more then a couple of weeks. if that long, the power supply will falter and will not hold up. A quality PS can last for years with no problems. As for a cheap case, the edges are dangerous [ sharp] and it will vibrate and in general just be a "cheap case"

It really boils down to the intergerity and quality of the product you want to buy a Ford Escort and drive it to Florida, and when you pry yourself out of the Escort you will know you have made a long trip in a cheap car. Same trip in a Lexus and you will feel fine.

Cheap Power Supplys all supply the necessary voltage to start a computer, as long as you dont want this computer to do very much and or for very long.---a quality PS like Antec will run and run and run as long as you size it right. Im building a new rig and a 550watt Antec will power it regardless what I throw at it. Now these cheap PS try to find a brand name on it , or an address or the FCC Standards logo on it---you will not.

Then theres the chance of a fire in the computer if the PS fails--who do you go to ????---you want trouble free 99.9% of the time go with an ANTEC, I have never had a problem with that product. If your not going to build a monster go with a Antec 400 watt model SL400, you will be happy.

[Whyzman]

Here's an excellent read:

http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/

[risk_reversal]

One other aspect is that the rails on cheapo power supplies will over time deteriorate whereas the quality of the output on a good psu will remain constant over time. Deterioration in the voltage outputs from the psu will have negative repercussions on the rest of your hardware.

Similarly to Grumper, I too run a quality Enermax 550W psu.

Good Luck

[mateor6]

thanks guys!!

actually the case is a GREAT case....just the PSU was JUNK!!!

i replaced the power supply this weekend and it started right up. WOO HOO!! love the easy fix!!

i went with a Antec trueBlue 480 and it works great.....

thanks for the replies!!!

[Gamehendge Jazz]

I'd like to throw in the very common question: How much power do I need?

Is wattage selection a situation of "covering all power needs and then some" or less cut and dry? Getting into a situation where a PC is built to perform fairly intense tasks of large file audio/video editing, mid-level gaming, and DVR.

[Whyzman]

Here's the same link I provided above...excellent read on power supply needs:

http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/

[risk_reversal]

And here are some more links as regards psu info and calculators, the last one is definitely worth looking at:

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

http://www.challenge-my.com/goopsulator/

http://www.adecy.com/psu/

Good Luck

[britt]

what do you guys know about "Powmax" ps? i bought a rosewill case(since been replaced by a Thermaltake TsunamiDream) and put my old(Powmax) ps in the new case....now, i know i only paid 30+ dollars for the case, but the ps is still running(knock on wood). did i luck out, or are Powmax ps's good, or can i expect it to go out at any time? thanks for the help.

[Grumper]

Your situation is like the old saw of "whistling past the grave yard" Its not such a great thing that each time you boot up a little voice says [" will it make it?] Not to mention everything your PS feeds wants a constant voltage and the chances of that happening for a long time is a long shot.

So is it worth it ?????????????????? thats up to you my friend. Me, I like that margin of safety and only use quality parts.

Powmax ???? is there a UL or IEC approval on it, does it meet FCC Class B standard??? ---Google up POWMAX and see what is said.

[Grumper]

Here are a few reviews from NewEgg

POWMAX LP6100D ATX 400W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CB, CE, TUV, FCC - Retail
Model#:
LP6100D

Item#:
N82E16817163013



Price:
$27.50



Results per page: 10 25 50 100 Page: 1 2 (2) Next »
N/A, 8/2/2004 12:11:38 PM
Quality of Quantity
I got this PSU after my other one took a power hit. I got it for its low price but it turns out that it really isn't worth it. I am using an ASUS A7N8X-x mobo and the software that comes with this mobo, Asus Probe I believe, keeps alarming me of the 3.3. I would definitely spend an extra couple bucks on a power supply that has better performance. After some research it seems that Ennermax and Antec make really good PSUs. There a good article on extremeoverclocking.com if you wan to learn about PSUs. CAdude, 3/15/2004 3:24:47 PM
Quality of Quantity
i read the reviews after I had purchased this power supply and was worried sick while waiting for it to arrive thinking I just wasted 30 bucks on some junk.
I have to say though...I've been quite happy with it since putting it in (i am running a dual boot system of mandrake linux and xp on a 10G HD, 250 RAM Pentium IIII box)
maybe it's the particular config and hardware i have in my box, but i have not had any problem at all. N/A, 2/24/2004 11:44:08 AM
Quality of Quantity
After installing this PS the motherboard monitoring software said the 3.3VDC was all over the place. Checked it with an O'Scope and there was about 1/2 volt ripple at around 600HZ. Packaged PS up and sent back to NEWEGG for a refund with no problems. _MRBIGSHOT|, 2/24/2004 1:19:10 AM
Quality of Quantity
worked for 4 days and than it smoked. the rails were all overthe place. i purchased for a back-up and put it to use in a 4th system just to try it out. i wasnt very impressed with the power output of the unit. i can say i wasnt working it to hard at all. 1.2 gig athlon, 30 gig harddrive, standard read only cdrom, 2 case fans. (just a small file server) and 4 days she went up in smoke. you should look elsewhere on newegg for a better power supply. N/A, 12/9/2003 5:26:25 AM
Quality of Quantity
My experience with this reflects what the previous reviewers experienced. First of all, it is extremly light, it just "feels" cheap. It lasted about 2 months, and I had boot problems with my P4S533 with a 1.6a at 150 fsb (2.4). very weak 5 volt rail. I had an antec on this board for a year and a half, then I needed it elsewhere and bought this as a cheap alternative. So I turned the FSB back to 1.6 and it worked ok. replaced it with another and put it back in box for about 3 months. built a stock system and decided to use it, it popped immediatly, smoke and all... IMO, total junk N/A, 9/14/2003 12:43:56 AM
DO NOT BUY
I've purchased PSUs from them before. They might be on the "AMD Approved list (Leadman), but their PSUs xxxx and die within a couple of months. Don't waste your money. Get a better quality PSU. dr00pa, 8/1/2003 12:33:54 PM
Hot running, and the rails are off!
Stay Away from this! It is cheap, but the rails are very off...

3.3 = 3.15
5 = 4.65
12 = 12.5
(MEASURED WITH A MULTIMETER, EXCEPT THE 3.3 WITCH WAS MBM)

I also had to install an extra fan, because my computer couldn't stay on for hot days, it would randomly shut off from the heat. I actually burnt myself taking the power supply out to install an extra fan! THIS THING IS A FIRE HAZARD! scholes18, 7/23/2003 10:43:51 AM
cheap buy
First of all New Egg is fast when i ordered this on a Sunday night I think and got it Tuesday.PS works fine and very cheap.The only downside of this power supply, it only has 6 molex connectors.I have 2 rom drives,1 hard drive,VGA card that need its own power{ati 9700 pro},and 3 case fans.So I ended up using my 330 watt enermax still but I'll use this powmax when building another system. N/A, 7/22/2003 6:12:53 PM
Great price for the power
OK, I used it to replace my original Cyberpower PC 350W no name PS, so my sights weren't set too high. But I put this in and no more reboot and lockup problems on my XP1800 GF3Ti500 running 5 fans, two optical drives and one hard drive. This was my first, and definitely not last, purchase from Newegg. Ordered Sunday night, got it Wednesday. $35 with free shipping. I have yet to hear a bad thing about ordering from these guys. James, 6/19/2003 11:18:11 PM
For $35 It's What You'd Expect...
I wasn't expecting much from this power supply. I'm ordering a higher end one once I can afford it, but this one caught my attention because of the high amps on the 12+ volt rail. After installing new P4 system (x2 120mm, x4 80mm (including CPU), x2 hard drives), the 3.3v rail dips below acceptible levels and the 12v rail is dangerously low. So, as expected, you get what you pay for. I will NOT be overclocking this system till I get a better power supply.

[britt]

wow! thanks for the info...i have to agree with one of the guys when he said that it was really light. i took it out of my case and i was like "wow, this does feel pretty flimsy", when i had picked up other brand name ps's and they were heavy as bricks. i guess you DO get what you pay for.