Hurry! Found great deal on 650watt CoolerMaster. $39.99!!

[lakedude]

Found great deal on 650watt CoolerMaster, $39.99 after $40 rebate, free shipping!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171014

 

[smelly_feet]

is that a good psu?

 

[MrCommunistGen]

I'd say no. Its in Tier 4.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

-mcg

 

[emp]

It's a laughable unit at best.

 

[mrmez]

I got one :/
My sys only needed ~500w so i figured an average 650w would be fine.

Handles my Q6600 @ 3Ghz, 4 sticks ram, 3Hdds, water pump ~10 fans, CCFL's etc with no probs.

Voltages are always stable and always very tight.

Problems... depending on ur case/air flow heat can be an issue. The fan will ramp to manage this fine, but then its easily the loudest component in ur rig. I took my fan out and replaced it with an antec 120mm which solved the problem.

Yeah it may be a tier 4 so i wouldnt push it to the max, but if u need ~500w its not really such a bad buy IMHO.

 

[emp]

Well if your system needed 500W under load you should've gone for a high QUALITY 600W+ unit like a Seasonic M12 600W or Corsair 620HX, in the long run you might end up regretting it.

 

[lakedude]

It's a laughable unit at best.

So you have one, or you have seen a detailed test?

I've got one but I've not used it yet so I really don't know if it is a good PS or not. I suspect that it is not the best and I also suspect it is not nearly as bad as you say. If you have proof to back up your opinion please post it. NewEgg's customers give it 4/5 stars so most are happy with their purchases.

 

[emp]

Most customers don't know what they are buying also. It's been reported as a Tier 4 unit, also Cooler Master is KNOWN not only for making great cooling solutions and cases, but also for their subpar power supply units. It will power your system if it's not too demanding, but the rail stability, efficiency, and overall quality of the unit leaves a lot to be desired.

Note: I believe the ONLY decent Cooler Master unit is the Real Power Pro 1000W, which is far beyond the price range of this unit.

To top it off, it only advertises 2 12V rails of 18A each, not mentioning combined power output, if it's peak or constant, or other information, which leaves me with a big feeling of uncertainty over the unit. If you feel that the unit works wonders for you, then I'm happy but people here are looking for help, not to be confused and make poor choices on their components (Especially one as critical and misunderstood as the PSU).

 

[lakedude]

I installed the CM650 this weekend.

It works fine and runs cooler than the previous unit but it is loud after it warms up which is surprising because it has a large 120 mm fan. It isn't as loud as my ATI 1950xt video card so I'm going to move it into that system so all the noisy stuff can be together.

I think the big issue with this PS is a matter of paradigm. At any price it is a crappy 650 watt PS if you actually need all 650 watts. If you think of it as a $40 500 or 550 watt PS it becomes quite a bit more attractive, in fact you really couldn't beat it for the money.

Now that is no longer for sale I wouldn't touch it as there are much better Power Supplies on the market at the price it is going for now.

Price makes all the difference. I'll put up with a little noise for $40. If it costs $100 it better be darn near perfect.

 

[jaguarskx]

I'll pass.

 

[pickie]

ill agree with EMP

ive had this a few times now, although they have been the crappy psu you get with a £20 case, but same goes for cheap ass retail ones

built 4 systems with the psu that comes with the case, around a year later all 4 systems go down around 2-3 months of each other, PSU FAILs

you get what you pay for, hence the reason for the PSU tier system

you cant skimp on a psu if you want to OC or have the latest hardware, £1000 worth of hardware could be destroyed because of an £20 psu

 

[Dax3000]

LOL Good Point, My Psu Was A Ultra 550 That Powered My System For A Year Over Clocked And It Died I Called Ultra And They Said Send It Back Which I Did And I Got A Brand New One Which I Put In My New C2D 6750 System. Always Get A Good Psu

 

[paq7512]

I just got a Coolermaster 550 for $30 shipped, and it is for a Unix build. But, the Coolermaster Extreme Power are not as good as the Coolermaster Real Power. Quite a big difference in quality.

 

[rodney_ws]

I'd say no. Its in Tier 4.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

-mcg

Bless you for posting that link. I'd been curious about the various tiers for a while.

 

[tlmck]

I would not use it even for free. Some folks forget that when a PSU fails, it can sometimes take everything else with it, depending on the type of failure of course. I have posted this before, but it applies to this thread as well.

"It appears you are bound and determined to get a cheap power supply. If that is your aim, then as soon as all your parts arrive, immediately take them to the nearest trash bin and dump them in. That is the same thing as buying a cheap power supply.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: the PSU is the "single" most important component in a computer. Without it, the rest is just an expensive door stop. If you buy a poor quality PSU, the rest of the machine will be poor quality as well.

To use a loose analogy, think of the PSU as the mother of all the other components. In Texas we have a saying: "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

Found great deal on 650watt CoolerMaster, $39.99 after $40 rebate, free shipping!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171014

Reminder, this is a tech forum, not for advertisement of parts. There is another forum here at Toms for that stuff. Please take it there.

Thank you.

P.S. I wouldn't touch that PSU with a ten-foot pole either.

 

[lunyone]

For the price you cant beat it, especially with free shipping. I run the 600w version and its got plenty of juice for me and I overclock like hell. 36a on the rails is enough for me to upgrade to the latest video card. It is a heavy solid unit, not a piece of junk.
As for Pickie, this is not a psu that comes with a case, its much better quality.

There isn't 36A on the 12V rails, this is only stated for each rail, not likely for a combined rating. I'm betting you might have 25 to 30 amps total for the PSU, but I'm only guessing, since the sticker on it doesn't give us enough data to figure it out. I wouldn't put a 8800gtx system on this, because it isn't going to last too long or might not be stable enough. Yes I'm sure it'll work for awhile, but the quality isn't there, so your gambling a little more there. I'd much rather use a Corsair/Antec/Seasonic/PC&C PSU any day than chance my $1000 rig on that PSU.

 

[aziraphale]

There is a direct link between the cost of hardware and it's quality. Overpriced new stuff excluded. But if you think you can get along with a cheap PSU please do so. Just don't expect any sympathy if your rig burns.

 

[lunyone]

There is a direct link between the cost of hardware and it's quality. Overpriced new stuff excluded. But if you think you can get along with a cheap PSU please do so. Just don't expect any sympathy if your rig burns.

EXACTLY!! Could'nt have said it better myself. Short and to the point!

 

[bobbknight]

After 1000's of PSU articles, why would anyone buy a PSU that is below Tier 2?

PCPower, Seasonic, my choices from now on.
But mostly PCPower.

 

[nukemaster]

Well add it all up and its still 32 amps of 12 and guess what....its not as bad as some would think.

I laugh at that Tier thing anyway. Durring its creation there were power supplies in tier 2 that had there re badged counterpart in Tier 4 and 5 and vise versa.

A good exaple was something like this FSP is less reliable then this OCZ when the OCZ was made by FSP.

Either way i would not call it a super high end. but it sure as hell does not belong with Apex and Rosewill(thats real power in 4 not extreme power). and is prices right for a budget machine thats gonna suck 200 watts anyway...

Hell my system takes 350 from the wall(FULL LOAD, Video and CPU's)....Go ahead, look at it in my profile...
Hint: Quad 3.0 8800GTX 6 hard drives ect....

Now for the math....when in doubt take away all other wattages and your are left with the 12 volt combined power in the worst case scenario....I call it worst because many rails can be shared resulting in more 12 when you are running less 3.3 and 5

start with 650(the rated output) then take away all the other power

3.3 x 28 = 92.4
5.0 x 30 = 150
(-)5 x 0.8 = 4
(-)12 x 0.8= 9.6
(sb)5 x 2 = 10

650
92.4
150
4
9.6
- 10
-------
384 watts left for 12.

384 / 12 = 32

There you have it 32 amps on the combined 12 volt rails. Not as bad as it looks

As for why is it loud(er)? small heatsinks? less space for heatsinks with the 120mm fan in the way? could be anything

 

[randomizer]

Anything to cut down on the price while maintaining semi-decent quality is what they do. Why do PCP&C PSUs cost so much? Coz they don't cut down on anything. That doesn't mean you need to get one, their PSUs are way overpriced.

 

[tlmck]

Well add it all up and its still 32 amps of 12 and guess what....its not as bad as some would think.

I laugh at that Tier thing anyway. Durring its creation there were power supplies in tier 2 that had there re badged counterpart in Tier 4 and 5 and vise versa.

A good exaple was something like this FSP is less reliable then this OCZ when the OCZ was made by FSP. Either way i would not call it a super high end. but it sure as hell does not belong with Apex and Rosewill(thats real power in 4 not extreme power). and is prices right for a budget machine thats gonna suck 200 watts anyway....

Just because a certain company makes a power supply, does not make it quality. It all depends on the spec under the hood. If they contract with another company to make a $30 power supply, then they will select low end components that fit the criteria. All they gave to do to get this wattage or that is to follow Ohm's Law. Heck, I could go over to Fry's and grab a bag'o'components and build myself a 1000 watter for about $30. I would never actually use it in a system though, or even plug it into the wall. It would however, pass the basic spec of 1000 watts.

Hell my system takes 350 from the wall(FULL LOAD, Video and CPU's)....Go ahead, look at it in my profile...
Hint: Quad 3.0 8800GTX 6 hard drives ect....

You also have a Tier 2, or Tier T, so you must believe in the list at least slightly.

Now for the math....when in doubt take away all other wattages and your are left with the 12 volt combined power in the worst case scenario....I call it worst because many rails can be shared resulting in more 12 when you are running less 3.3 and 5

start with 650(the rated output) then take away all the other power

3.3 x 28 = 92.4
5.0 x 30 = 150
(-)5 x 0.8 = 4
(-)12 x 0.8= 9.6
(sb)5 x 2 = 10

650
92.4
150
4
9.6
- 10
-------
384 watts left for 12.

384 / 12 = 32

There you have it 32 amps on the combined 12 volt rails. Not as bad as it looks.

Your math is correct, but just as I stated above, if the components are of poor quality at best, the end product will be the same. These companies contract with UL, CA, and whoever else to get the certification ratings, but what the little symbol on the side does not tell you is, what were the parameters of the certification? Was the sample submitted a true production line sample, or a golden sample created by high priced engineers using cherry picked components? Were the only parameters that it not catch fire during a highpot load test? What was the ripple effect when tested on a calibrated oscilloscope, or was that even tested?

Once again, unless you know the details, the only thing you have is reputation. I have been around long enough to know what makes a quality PSU, and $40 gets you a so, so model at best. These may be fine for Celeron level systems with integrated video, that are only used for light tasks such as web surfing, or E-mail. However I would never trust my critical data or even calculate a large spreadsheet on one. Poor quality power equals a flaky PC as a best case scenario. The worst case is the poor power supply fails and takes all your other components with them. I have seen it happen. There us no stench quite like burnt capacitors.

Occasionally you can get a decent deal when inventories are full. Even if a store has to sell an item at cost, they still save money on inventory taxes. Stores also use the "loss leader" tactic on occasion. Sell a product below cost to get people in the door. As you can see, it is about a lot more than simple math.

As for why is it loud(er)? small heatsinks? less space for heatsinks with the 120mm fan in the way? could be anything

Cheap fans, and/or poor grill design.

 

[nukemaster]

Just because a certain company makes a power supply, does not make it quality

Full agreed, but my example was the gameXtreme 700 vs FSP Epsilon 700.... They are 100% the same for components, with the exception to paint and an LED fan(well there is also a led in the power switch ).....and there was for a while a 2 tier gap in them(not any more, but how could you make that mistake to begin with)....

Most cheap psu's with high wattages do in fact deliver that wattage, just on the wrong rails. like those Turbo Gamer 500 watt psus a few years back....they ARE 500 watts its just 80%(wild ass guess, don't have once to get specs from) of it was on the 5 and 3.3 volt rails....

Was the sample submitted a true production line sample, or a golden sample created by high priced engineers using cherry picked components?

Can't argue with that. All companies tend to do this.

You also have a Tier 2, or Tier T, so you must believe in the list at least slightly.

It was on sale and i was in the market for a 600-700 watt psu with 80% efficiency to load about half way for maximum efficiency I am even looking at a pc power and cooling for even more efficiency and quieter operation...but for as you said net systems....the most common kind....even light gaming systems(4300, 8600, ect) it would be ok...