It seems like a new technology and selling point. Will non-modular cable PSUs be extinct soon?

I'm about to buy a replacement PSU for my current 430w one (need 600w+). Would it be dumb to buy a PSU with no modular cables? Higher cost isn't an issue, if in fact PSUs with modular cables are more expensive. I'm not even sure of that.

As far as i know, the main reason for buying a modular power supply is so that you can selectively remove cables you don't need and thereby increase airflow in your case. So unless you are concerned about heat/airflow, then don't worry about buying a modular power supply. If the power supply you are considering is modular anyway, then go for it...they're virtually the same.

I've not noticed any difference. I used an Antec True Power 500 in my wife's new system, it does not have modular cables. Then, I upgraded my power supply to get ready for the 3850 or 3870 cards with an Antec Neo 550 that is modular.

Whereas I'd heard horror stories years ago about modular power supplies improperly hooked up, I did not encounter any issues. There was no way to do it wrong and everything was clearly labled.

While I did not need the airflow at the time, I probably will in the future and I'm glad I went with the Neo, it's a tier 2 power supply, whereas the True Power was tier 3. The only thing I have to be careful of is to not lose the cables that I don't need right now!

I'd go modular again over just tying the spare cables together and trying to get them out of the way, as I'd done with every PSU prior to the Neo.

Oy, how could I have typed "does not have cables", corrected to "does not have modular cables".

When comparing apples to apples a modular PSU will be slightly less powerful because of the less efficient design. You can check Thermaltake's site for examples I know the 1000W and 1200W come if both flavors and the specs will show the differences. For me it's modular.

Read this: http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/

Take that with a grain of salt 'cause they manufacture PSUs. An independent source would be better.

OK, now that you have read the marketing hype, go to this link and get good info.

http://www.jonnyguru.com

If you are talking about low quality PSUs such as Ultra, who use the cheapest quality connectors, then PP&C would be correct. However, on the higher end with Antec, Corsair, etc., this is not the case. My SmartPower 2.0 voltages are at 3% or better which is well within the 5% ATX 2.0 spec.

Connectors are a primary failure point in electronic systems. Properly specified connectors in a quality PSU should be OK, but don't connect and disconnect them many times; cycling the connector wears out the contacts and increases the electrical resistance. Increased resistance means heat, and heat can destroy the connector - literally blackened circuit board kind of destruction. Hook it up once and leave it hooked up.

I was having a similar discussion in a different thread, and this article was pointed out to me:

http://www.motherboards.org/articl [...] 488_1.html

Well written with lots of hard data and little opinion.

Soooo.... short answer yes with an if, long answer no with a but.

I have an Ultra 500W X-Connect with modular cables and it has worked perfectly for the last 2+ years. I'm not sure why so many peoploe seem to knock them. Part of secret as with any piece of equipment is to make sure it is more than adequately sized for what you need rather than running on the ragged edge so if calculate you need 475W don't buy 500W - buy 600W or 700W.

I don't know why so many people knock them either!! I mean really, they're virtually identical to normal power supplies, just more (yet very limited) potential for user error.

I don't know...maybe it's because some people see Ultra as the "no name" brand of computer technology, as they seem to have products in every category of computer stuff

Well Said.

And absolutely correct.

I've had the same PSU for about the same amount of time and it works great. I actually bought it to replace another Ultra which also worked great but had so many cables that it seriously was impacting air flow. Any ways the argument that the connecters on these modular PSUs cause such huge resistance seems non-sensical to me seeing as EVERY PSUs cables have to have at least 1 connector (the one that goes to the device). Nevermind the pass-through connectors seen commonly on fans which must cause much greater resistance when connecting another device through it. Once again I think this is just a lot of PSU over analyzing. Compaired to everything else in a computer the PSU is about as simple as it gets; Does it have enough watts? Amps? decent airflow? right connectors? then just make sure it's a good sturdy design and that's about all you have to care about.