Help in picking up a PSU for my system

[minty]

Hello

Well, Im terribly disappointed

After a quick trip to the computer mall (the only one here in my city) this morning, and after wasting it all trying to find a "good" PSU as stated on this forum, specially trying to follow instructions from the guru, mpilchfamily, seems I wasnt able to find A SINGLE ONE.

Hard to believe, but well, its south america after all :roll:

So I didnt wanna do it, but Im gonna HAVE to order it from amazon, like I did with my other parts, just didnt wanna because of the shipping costs... but there is no other solution.
The only thing "close" to a "real" PSU as a thermalake 450W, but I checked the label and said 20A for the 12v+ rails, but obviously Im after 32A at least, and maybe not 450W but higher.
Obviously "good" computer parts are hard to get here (they are still selling Intel D's and 6600 GT as the "ass-kicking things you should buy" :roll:, and prices pretty high too), and the PSU unfortunately wasnt the exception...

So, the thermalake 450W is outta the question and now I have to find a descent PSU that will allow me to power on my new baby.

Having in mind AMAZON is the only place that will take my international credit card (and also I have bought in ANTOnline and J&R through amazon), please dont tell me to check newegg or something like that: wont work.

My "new" system that should arrive next week (I try to be as detailed as possible in case that information is important for you):

E6600 (will overclock it to 3 Ghz)
Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
eVGA 8800GTS 320
OCZ 2GB PC2-5400 Dual Channel
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA Internal 500GB
"Old" Maxtor 7200 (I think otherwise its 5200 or w/e) IDE 80GB
"Old" LG DVD-RW
"Old" LG CD-RW
"Old" El Cheapo TV Tuner (PCI)
1 connected USB device (audio interface) 24/7 and other intermitently (likely USB memory, Drawing Tablet or GamePad)
MAYBE 2 extra fans in my mobo, but they are going to be El Cheapo, aka 7 bucks each (Maybe my case will have 2 or 1 by default, I dunno, havent bought it yet).

I dont think my Acer LCD 19"W has influence, as well as my Logitec 540x speaker system, nor my Optical Genius Mouse and "Simple" el Cheapo PS2 keyboard.

I dont care about fancy-ness nor "loud" sounds, basically the most basic "good" PSU I can buy for this system.

Yes, I did read the PSU101 guide as I stated above, but as you see this is more difficult than just saying "yeah, I live in the US so Ill buy one tomorrow anywhere"... Im at mercy of amazon and what they have to offer

I left the shipping costs (international carrier to my country) off, since you guys dont have to care about those.
This is currently what I see in amazon, and apparently they could be good as per the PSU101 guide and the US reference list, leaving aside the ones with asterisk as mpilchfamily says they might no be good for hi-end systems, though I dont know if he specifically refers to Quad Cores and 8800GTX (not my dual core and 8800GTS).
If you guys could recommend something cheaper, good
Anything higher than 90 bucks, Im afraid is too expensive.

Antec Neo HE 550 PSU Power Supply $79.99+7 US (paying shipping)
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-450 450-Watt Power Supply Unit $61.95 (Free shipping)
Antec Neo-HE-500 500-Watt High Efficiency Power Supply Unit $88.15 (Free Shipping)
EARTHWATTS 380 Watt ATX12V V2.0 Psu $51.77 (Free Shipping)
Antec Neo-HE-430 430-Watt High Efficiency Power Supply Unit $67.99 (Free shipping)
True Power Trio 550W P/s $83.64+$7 (Paying for Shipping)
True Power Trio 430W P/s $63.62+7 (Paying for Shipping)
Thermaltake TR2 470W $72.01 (Free Shipping)
Thermaltake Purepower RX 450-Watt $88.99 (Free Shipping)
Thermaltake TR2 W0101 550-Watt Power Supply for ATX 12V 2.0 $87.50 (Free Shipping)
Thermaltake TR2 W0093 500-Watt Power Supply for ATX 12V 2.0 $78.75 (Free Shipping)

Thanks a lot for your time and sorry for the big post

 

[miahallen]

Antec Neo HE 550 PSU Power Supply $79.99+7 US (paying shipping)

Perfect for your system, and budget...look no furthur. This is a great PSU. It's know for it's quality, and fairly low noise output. Plus it's one of the most energy efficiant models on the market right now. On top of that, neweggs price it $30 higher 8O buy it now!!! 8)

 

[apt403]

Miahallen is 100% right, awesome price, awesome unit.

 

[minty]

Wow! Well then if nobody objects Ill grab that one :lol:

Actually after checking your signature miahallen, I saw

Enermax Liberty 500W (w/ YL fan swap)

Since your PC looks better than mine, I made a comparison between that and the Antec Neo-He 550 and they seem similar, so I guess Ill be fine

Thanks again for your time

 

[minty]

You know what? Im giving a second thought to the Neo-He... too much "bad" vibes coming from like, 90% of the population who ordered it, and got them DOA :?

Maybe any other of the Antec models will do? Like the True Power Trio or EarthWatts?
Cant really risk myself, since Im "all or nothing" in this situation where I cant obviously return defective products back to the US ($$$$$$$$).

Though I guess there could also be "bad" reviews because of inexpert people or maybe people who just wanted to talk bad about it... I guess once you've read all the experiences you start to doubt like I am now

I know there are always chances to get DOA parts... but in this case it seems to be more to it... like a LOT of people complaining their units were DOA, or worked fine for days or weeks then bang, all gone

-----------edit:

Antec True Power Trio 650W, $99 (plus ~6 shipping)
I might be willing to raise my budget up there though it will be hard for me.
But currently cant find anything under $90 as the Neo-He that is supposed to be "good". Its all in the $120 hood.

What do you think about this one as well?

-----------edit 2:

Antec EarthWatts EA-500 500W, 70.99 Free Shipping

The True Power Trio seems to face the same story as with the Neo-He. A lot of bad reviews
But this one scores good on JhonnyGuru/whatever site.

Someone on newegg says it will work for his 8800GTS + E6600.
It only has like 32A on the 12V+, but anyway I wont upgrade this computer, so no R600, crossfire, SLI, etc etc etc. Just what I have now, period.

What do you think? Or maybe Im just damned and Antec is no good and you have to buy like a $200 PSU to power on a system like mine, and expect it to last for more than 1 or 2 days? :?

 

[miahallen]

First of all, people are more likely to write a negative review after a bad experiance than a good review after a positive, so it's natural for products with generally good pro reviews to have higher than average bad consumer reviews. Second, Antec was one of the first companies to build enthusiast PSUs and they have an extremely good reputation with quality control. Every company puts out a lemon hear and there, but usually they defective batch is short lived, they address the problem, and later revisions are better. This may or may not be the case with the neo-HE-550, I have not done the research.

It's the only PSU I would highly recommend from you list. I'm sure the Tt's would serve your needs, but they are known for being a bit louder.

 

[apt403]

Plus, The NeoHE, Trio, and Earthwatts lines are all made by Seasonic, one of the best power supply manufacturers around. So you've got Seasonic's and Antec's quality testing going into your product.

 

[Rugger]

I've actually had both a good and bad experience with the NeoHE series. The first NeoHE that I got was a 430W in an Antec P150. It has run great, is quiet and more than enough to run my rig. When I needed to upgrade the PSU for another rig I decided to get another NeoHE430W because I was so happy with the first. That one came DOA from Newegg. Tested it myself and didn't believe it so I took it to a local shop - it was definitely DOA. YMMV...

 

[minty]

I see.

Well it is kinda what I thought, but in the PSU 101, the review for the Neo-He is not that good... on the other hand the review for the EarthWatts 500 at jhonnyguru seems to be just fine, and gives me a bit of more confidence.

But then I wouldnt know if this EarthWatts line suffers the same DOA effect than his older brother, the Neo-He.

So... would you guys also recommend that "Antec EarthWatts EA-500 500W"?
I think its the same as the Neo-He 500, only that is not modular, whatever that is (I think you can detach the cables right? Or that also they are "covered" and not like let lose? If that's it, then I dont care since after all I never look for "sexy" computers as I dont sleep with them).

Thanks a lot again for your time

 

[apt403]

Modular cables can be detached from the unit. Sleeved cables are the ones that are covered in cloth, plastic, ect. Though most, if not all, modular cables are sleeved, since modular cabling is usually researved for the more expensive units.

I don't see any reason not to recommend the EarthWatts psu, it's a nice unit, and it's 80+ certified.

 

[miahallen]

The following three reviews come from silentpcreview, they are one of the leading authorities on cases, power supplies, and noise (or the lack thereof). Their testing methodologies are the envy of the industry:
Antec Neo HE 430 power supply
Antec TruePower Trio 550
Antec Earth Watts

Concerning the problems with the Antec Neo HE line:
POSTSCRIPT 2: NeoHE INCOMPATIBILITIES

 

[minty]

Thanks once again for your time guys and your valuable replies.

By now you guys must be cursing me, but still cant make up my mind :?
I found someone complaining about a DOA unit (Earthwatts)...

The ONLY choice I have is this

Enermax Liberty Series ELT500AWT power supply ($99+10 shipping)

This is like, over my budget and all... but it doesnt give me much confidence you all say "take that Antic" but in your signatures I never see one :? :lol:

So, is that Enermax good enough for my system and overall they are more trustable than Antec?

This is the last question I promise...

Thanks

 

[miahallen]

Hey I'm not knockin the Enermax, but my first one took a dump on my after only 5 or 6 months. It was still working, but something was rattling around in the fan or something, a terrible noise...anyway Enermax took care of it for me, and the second one has been much better, I've had it for about 8 months now. I was not happy with the stock fan though (that's why I modded it), it was WAY TOO LOUD!

But, it's great quality, and gets good reviews for everything but noise. If you're willing to break your budget, it's a good choice! Both companies are known for good quality products. My old computer has an Antec Smartpower 400W PSU that's still kickin after almost 6 years of service.

 

[apt403]

It's an awesome unit, I have the 620w version and love it. NickS over at Xtremesystems is currently testing that unit, it's held up fine at a near 100% load overight (I'm assuming 10-12 hours), not many power supplies can do that.

Don't worry about the fan in the Liberty, it's near silent, mine is anyway...

 

[miahallen]

It's an awesome unit, I have the 620w version and love it. NickS over at Xtremesystems is currently testing that unit, it's held up fine at a near 100% load overight (I'm assuming 10-12 hours), not many power supplies can do that.

Don't worry about the fan in the Liberty, it's near silent, mine is anyway...

I guess "silent" is a pretty subjective term, :? and each of us has our own tolerance. My system is pretty quiet, so when mine ramped up under load, it was LOUD! 8O

I happen to be stressing mine right now as well. With the system you see in my sig (including OCs), I'm running ORTHOS + rthdribl right now (10 hours and counting!), no problems so far!

 

[minty]

Well after reading other DOA cases on newegg for the enermax... I just ordered the damn Earthwatts from amazon. 70 bucks.

I guess after all you cannot trust PSUs.
To be honest I havent read a lot about DOAs on Videocards, MoBos etc... (yes, there are but its just they are not the common factor), but in PSUs I guess you always have to pray not to have a DOA piece in your hands :roll:
Sucks if you ask me.

miahallen, while your experience with the first enermax wasnt good, I have to say Im happy for it, in the sense even "ass kicking" units have their faults too... so I dont feel *that* guilty for having ordered the Earthwatts.

Time will tell I guess. Ill pray every day.

Thanks a lot for your help guys, best of luck!!

 

[miahallen]

No problem, best of luck!