Fortron, Antec, Rosewill, OCZ, Seasonic ??

[vois2]

OK, I gather that the PowMax 480W PSU (shipped in a barebones kit) is not reliable, to say the least.

Now I face a dizzying array of choices for a better PSU, and I am hoping someone will just make this easy for me. I don't want to obsess over details all the weekend.

NEEDED: A very reliable 400W PSU (from Fortron, Antec, Rosewill, OCZ, Seasonic??) with good +/-12V rail support. Please throw a make and model number at me if you possibly can do so. Thank you!

(The only specific model which people have previously named is a Fortron 350W but I am finding more negative user reviews for it than positive.)

Here is what it will power:
ECS L4VXA2 mobo
P4 478 533fsb 2.8 GHz
1.0Gig PC2700 RAM
BFG 6600 GT OC 128mb AGP (requires extra dongle)
single drive: CD-RW/DVD-ROM
floppy
120GB HD 5400rpm
case fan

 

[duality]

Your computer does not look very power-hungry; as a matter of fact it looks quite similar to my Celeron D system--and it came with a 250W PSU. Go figure.

But I digress; I am quite happy with my Seasonic S12-330, which can handle 330W (supposedly but I think it can handle even more). If that's iffy, go for S12-380, which is--you guessed it--a 380W power supply.

Antec SmartPower/TruePower works as well, but it will be slightly less efficient and a bit louder.

I advise you to stay away from Rosewill--they have poor efficiency and will heat up your room. Good in winter, bad in summer.

As for other brands, I have no experience and hence I will not make any recommendations from them. However, FSP Green PS FSP400-60GLN sounds very good to me. Just stick with name brands and don't waste your money going overkill in wattage department. 400W would be as far as I go; 450W if it is a bargain and is something I can trust.

 

[INeedCache]

Duality has given good advice. I most strongly agree with his advice to stay away from Rosewill. Will not go into details, but all of my experiences with their power supplies have been bad.

 

[Crashman]

The Fortron Source 300W power supply goes for as little as $22 and is more than enough for your system. I was just testing one on an overclocked P4 530 at 3.8GHz with two 6600GT cards in SLI mode, and it could game for, oh, like 20 minutes before lockdown.

BTW, that system would be pulling twice the load of yours.

 

[vois2]

Thanks to everyone for their help!

 

[ms2005]

I like the OCZ modstreams as they work well and are very quiet (120 mm fan) 2 480's and a 530.

It's a modular setup with plug in cables.

I have them powering AMD 3800, 3700 and 3500 CPUs with not problems including mild overclocking - can be a bit expensive

 

[ancient46]

I have had a Seasonic S12 430 in my computer for almost a year now and I would recommend it to anyone needing a power supply. It is very efficient which cuts down on the heat produced and lowers your electric bill. A by-product of the efficiency is low noise as the fan speed is temperature controlled. The unit is much quieter than the Sirtec one it replaced. As you would expect from a quality manufacturer the voltages are rock steady and the amp and power ratings are not inflated, you get what you pay for with Seasonic. Now if I can just do something about that NForce 4 fan the PC will really be quiet.