Power supply advice needed...

[Flallen]

I posted this under the power supply/case forum, but thought that I would repost it here for those of you that may not frequent that forum as I would like your input as well.

Going to be building a pc soon. either q6600 or e8400 OC'ed. 8800GTS card.

Right now I have this power supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817139004

which is is $85 after MIR + another $10 for shipping = $95


but I was looking and noticed this one:
COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-650-ACAA-A1 650W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817171023

which is is $100 after MIR with free shipping.


So, for like $5 more can go from the 550W to the 650W power supply. I probably don't need more than the 550W, but for just $5 more wondering if I should just go ahead and get the 650W.

 

[Andrius]

I think you can get the Corsair for ~$70 from
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX-550W-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

Cooler Master makes great cases ... buy their PSUs don't share that reputation. 550W is good for a one graphics card system.
Unless you plan on doing SLI but 650W might be a bit slim for that too.

 

[dagger]

Judging by specs, the Cooler Master psu is stronger. 12v rail ratings at 3x19amps vs 1x41 amps, plus higher 12v and overall wattage.

Here's what I use, for comparasion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101029
850 watts, 12v rails at 4x20amps.

Be sure to read the newegg buyer feedback reviews. Ignore the good reviews, just read the ones rated at 1 or 2. You want to know if it's just noobs whinning or if there's actually something wrong with it.

 

[Flallen]

Thanks, guys.

Think I will prob go with the $70 550W from buy.com. free shipping too. I might would look at the 650 harder if I was going to SLI or something because of the multiple rails. But, I don't plan to SLI.

 

[mihirkula]

^...For dual GPU SLI 550W is quite sufficient...so don't worry, 550VX is a great buy.

 

[Zorg]

Judging by specs, the Cooler Master psu is stronger. 12v rail ratings at 3x19amps vs 1x41 amps, plus higher 12v and overall wattage.

The published specs don't tell you the quality of the components or design.

Cooler Master PSUs are junk. Apparently the 1000W is better, but IMO it is a good idea to steer clear of all Cooler Master PSUs.

 

[Andrius]

^...For dual GPU SLI 550W is quite sufficient...so don't worry, 550VX is a great buy.

I'd rather not have 2x 8800GTS( 2 x 150W max) and an OCed quadcore(120W+) on a 550W PSU. Maybe I'm silly but it'd be running close to the limit and that's a bad idea even for a high quality unit like the Corsair. Just my thoughts.

 

[Shadow703793]

Judging by specs, the Cooler Master psu is stronger. 12v rail ratings at 3x19amps vs 1x41 amps, plus higher 12v and overall wattage.

Here's what I use, for comparasion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101029
850 watts, 12v rails at 4x20amps.

Be sure to read the newegg buyer feedback reviews. Ignore the good reviews, just read the ones rated at 1 or 2. You want to know if it's just noobs whinning or if there's actually something wrong with it.

Dagger, CoolerMaster PSUs are considered Tire 4/5 (except the higher end ones ie 700W which are ~Tire 3).

See:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

Remember Watts do not equal quality.

 

[Shadow703793]

The published specs don't tell you the quality of the components or design.

Cooler Master PSUs are junk. Apparently the 1000W is better, but IMO it is a good idea to steer clear of all Cooler Master PSUs.

Agreed!

 

[dagger]

Dagger, CoolerMaster PSUs are considered Tire 4/5 (except the higher end ones ie 700W which are ~Tire 3).

See:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

Remember Watts do not equal quality.

Lol, nice chart. It's a wonder manufacturers didn't sue those guys for defamation, considering how they list brands like that.

But yeah, I have no idea what brand is good or not. Listen to people who do.

Looking at that, mine is on low tier 4, but all rails output is rock solid on stress. Plus, it haven't got a single bad buyer review on Newegg, only 4 and 5s on a scale of 1-5. I wanted to buy brand name first, but saw the price, and then the good reviews, and considering newegg's return policy, decided to go for the bargain instead.

How scientific is that chart? How big a cross sample for each model of each brand do they test? It should be at least 500+ per model to be statistically significant.

Btw, just noticed something. On the psu, it says "Zumax" with "epower" only in the fine print. Maybe they saw the chart and tried to ditch the bum rep?

 

[Andrius]

If Ultra's guys saw that chart they'd sue alright...
They sue everybody. Then they take 350W hardware, put a 600W sticker on it and sell it for $100+.
You can't go wrong with that chart IMO. An Enermax Galaxy dies from time to time. But 10 minutes before it dies it still offers 99.9% accurate voltages.
And it doesn't take a $350 motherboard with it when it goes.

 

[Zorg]

But yeah, I have no idea what brand is good or not. Listen to people who do.

Looking at that, mine is on low tier 4, but all rails output is rock solid on stress. Plus, it haven't got a single bad buyer review on Newegg, only 4 and 5s on a scale of 1-5. I wanted to buy brand name first, but saw the price, and then the good reviews, and considering newegg's return policy, decided to go for the bargain instead.

For the most part the brands are listed in alphabetical order within each tier. The order within the tier has no significance. I noticed that you didn't list the Brand of PSU in your sig, are you embarrassed? Maybe you should be looking at a new PSU as well. I guess that's like the blind leading the blind.

How scientific is that chart? How big a cross sample for each model of each brand do they test? It should be at least 500+ per model to be statistically significant.

Don't you think that expecting testing on 500+ PSUs of each type is ludicrous. They test and or dissect the PSUs to determine what components e.g., capacitors etc. are used and the design of the PSU itself. I'm sure they get their data elsewhere as well. The list should be used as a guide. If your PSU is a tier 4 or 5 it is probably junk.

 

[dagger]

Actually, the current psu is a replacement for this one, which keeps crashing my new rig.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194004
After monitoring output, it's clear. Output voltage fluctuates far too much. No wonder. I purchased this after some guy online recommended this exact model. Ignored some of the... rather humbling reviews it got on newegg because I thought they were just noobs whinning. After getting burned on that, I returned it, got the first bargain listed, and was pleasantly surprised with the rock stable output even on high stress.

Looking at the chart, it's on tier 2.

Not saying it's bad. Surely I just got a bad apple. You really should read the user reviews though. Hey, at least the bad apple I got didn't explode like that poor sob who wrote one of the reviews.

 

[Andrius]

Never had the chance to handle a Liberty(I guess I should be happy about that). INFINITIs are quite good
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194021
Installed two with no issues. I had a Galaxy 850W die on me about one hour into my friend's build (15 minutes after installing Windows (we checked the voltages a few minutes before that and they didn't move at all). 2 reboots later it just dies. No smoke. No fire. Nothing. The replacement unit still works 1 year later and powers a nice little WS with 8HDDs.

 

[Zorg]

Just because the PSU is well respected doesn't mean there will be zero failures. Dagger, just out of curiosity what is the model of your PSU?

It appears that Newegg is having a hell of a sale on PSUs. 750TX, Silencer 750 and the Enermax.

 

[dagger]

Just because the PSU is well respected doesn't mean there will be zero failures. Dagger, just out of curiosity what is the model of your PSU?

It appears that Newegg is having a hell of a sale on PSUs. 750TX, Silencer 750 and the Enermax.

I built the rig only one month ago. Both models are linked in eariler posts. And yeah, anything can be defective. It's a matter of luck.

 

[Andrius]

^dagger's rig plumbing : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101029

I don't know if it's the pictures on newegg but it looks like it's been put together with caveman tools. Look at the gaps in the metal casing!

Those cables look like you could kill someone with them. The rear voltage switch is so 1995 ... what's it for ?

 

[dagger]

^dagger's rig plumbing : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817101029

I don't know if it's the pictures on newegg but it looks like it's been put together with caveman tools. Look at the gaps in the metal casing!

Those cables look like you could kill someone with them. The rear voltage switch is so 1995 ... what's it for ?

That gap is the width of the cross bars that held the fan guard in place. It can't be helped. That voltage switch is so it can be used in Europe... and Asia... and everywhere else other than US.

 

[Zorg]

That's a Topower unit. I couldn't find any reviews on it. I noticed what I assume is yours that said

...recommended models from what they considered "good" brands, which cost around $200 for a 500 watt model with around 40amps total on 12v rails. review on Newegg that stated

That doesn't make sense because the Silencer 610 has been only $119 for at least a few months.

Since you are not loading the ePower very heavily, maybe it will work out good for you, I hope so.

 

[Zorg]

That voltage switch is so it can be used in Europe... and Asia... and everywhere else other than US.

I think what he meant is that you don't see that anymore. I thought that switch wasn't used on any of the newer active PFC PSUs. The odd thing is that the ePower claims to have active PFC and also has the switch. Go figure.

 

[Andrius]

With Active PFC I wouldn't expect to see the input voltage selector yes.

If you check the label you'll see it's not a 110V/230V switch.
It says something like 1.3 ATX / 2.x ATX (from newegg images).

It's a good thing PSU looks don't really matter. The age of bling is at hand.

 

[Zorg]

I pulled it up on the ePower website it does have auto voltage input.

Auto switching circuitry provides universal AC input 110-240VAC

The numbers on the switch correspond to ATX standard revisions. I couldn't find anything on the site and no manual.

Epower Technology - Model: ZU-850W

I would like to see a full review on this PSU with load testing. Maybe one day.

 

[Andrius]

Not likely. I doubt the manufacturer wants the bad press (so they don't send out press samples).
Since it doesn't cost all that much maybe someone will sacrifice one to the gods of Chroma.

Why would a PSU need to switch between ATX 1.3 and 2.x? Isn't 2.x backwards compatible by default?
Never really bothered to check the differeces between the two so I'm just guessing.

 

[dagger]

Lol, so many things I haven't noticed. A google search yielded some results. Apparently, they call it a 12v rail Turbo switch, and it's used to split/combine 12v rails.

Still, what's the net effect of this? I couldn't find any information on exactly how this matters. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[Andrius]

From what I know about rail design, splitting the load over several rails can reduce the strain on components (they can be less powerful so cheaper) in each rail. It also has benefits for OCP (less current through "one" wire).
The down side is you can only put "smaller"(say 200W) loads on the seperate rails. Combing the rails in such a design might not really be a good idea (unless you have one overdesigned rail and route everything throug it). But my PSU design knowledge is limited to the voltages and reading the specs.