BFG 1000W EX Modular

[raffiy]

Does anyone have any experiance with this PSU? My local best buy was running it on clearance at 50% off, so I grabbed one. From the reviews I've found, it seems to be a decent power supply that functions well if you keep it below max load. Is this accurate?

To put this in perspective, Best Buy had this PSU for $120, but a non-modular 750W Corsair for $130.
Is it worth keeping at this price?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[shovenose]

100w??? do you mean 1000w?

 

[shovenose]

i would say, yess, it is worth it at that price. according to smoe online reviews i read, it has a badly large amount of ripple, especially on the 12volt rail #3.
however, it has lots of power (amperage) compared to the below-linked, high quality antec psu.
the second link is to a better quality 1kw (1000w) psu that i suggest you buy. however, i understand that it costs almost double. corsair is one of the best/is the best psu brand.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

 

[raffiy]

Yes, I did mean 1000W, sorry. From what I read, the ripple occurs at higher loads; I do not need the full 1000W right now. I will be running a

HD 5850
2 x DVD Drives
2 x 750 GB Drives in Raid
Phenom X4 9750
and a stock motherboard for an inspiron 546 (my next upgrade)
in an Antec 902 case

This will not come close to maxing the power supply, will it? How dangerous is that ripple, and will it be negligible at the lower power draws? I am new to building computers, so I am not confident in my ability to interprete the review graphs, but from what I read it does function very well at lower wattages.

 

[klsdivan]

For that setup a good 500w will easily do you, unless you get another 2x5850's

 

[jsc]

Of the 1 kw BFG or the 750 watt Corsair, I'd buy the Corsair.

BFG PSU's tend to have weak 12 volt rails for their capacity.

The 1 kw Antec has a 12 volt 70 amp output. That's the same usable power as the 850 watt Corsair.

klsdivan is right. A good 500 - 550 watt PSU will do if you are not going to Crossfire.

 

[raffiy]

I am planning to do crossfire after I get a capable motherboard, and as it stands now, I have already purchased the 1000W (they were nearly out of stock). Is it worth returning, or will it do?

 

[Raidur]

I think it'd do but its a mighty lot of overkill. If it was me i'd return it, but I think you'll still be fine with it. How long is the manufacture warranty on the BFG?

 

[leon2006]

I recommend CORSAIR for new PSU....

BFG PSU reviews are not that impressive.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Here's the review on the BFG....gets a 7 outta 10.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=151

For a 5850, a 500 watter will do just fine....The EA-500 for example gets a 9.5 performance rating

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=35

To my mind however, the sweet spots are at 650 (single GFX and OC'ing) and 850 watts (twin GFX and OC'ing). The price difference between an 500 watter and 650 are small and PSU's hit their peak efficiency at about 50% load.


For comparison purposes , the list below contains performance ratings (10 scale) at jonnyguru.com / prices as per newegg on 02/26/2010 and ones w/ double asteris (**) made it onto silentpcreview.com's Editor's Choice List:

Note: Just because you see a brand name on this list, never make the assumption that their other lines are of matching quality. Silverstone for example has other models w/ 6.0 and 7.0 ratings.

650 watters

Antec Signature 650W (10.0) OOS **
Seasonic X-650 650W (10.0) $160 **
Silverstone Olympia OP650 (10.0) NFS

Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 650W (9.5) NLA

Antec Earthwatts EA650 650W (9.0) $75

Antec True Power Trio 650W (7.5) NLA

XFX XPS 650W XXX Edition Power Supply (7.0) NFS

Antec NeoPower Blue 650W (6.5) NLA

BFG BFGR650PSU 650W (6.0) NLA

NorthQ Black Magic Flex 650W PSU (5.0) NFS


850 watters

Antec SG-850 - 10.0 ($220) **
Antec CP-850 - 10.0 ($110) ** (requires compatible case)
XFX 850W Black Edition 10.0 ($185)
Corsair HX850 850W - 10.0 ($180)

Antec TruePower Quattro (TPQ-850) - 9.5 ($150)
Corsair TX850 - 9.5 ($140)
Seasonic M12D 850W - 9.5 (NLA) **
NorthQ Giant Connector 850W - 9.5 (NFS)
Etasis ET850 - 9.5 (NLA)
Silverstone Zeus ST85ZF - 9.5 (NLA)

Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W - 9.0 ($250)

Thrmaltake Toughpower XT 850W - 8.5 ($216)
OCZ Z Series 850W - 8.5 ($200)

NorthQ Black Magic Flex 850W - 8.0 (NFS)
Coolmax CTG-850 - 8.0 (NFS)

SilverStone Decathlon DA850 - 7.5 ($230)
Enermax Galaxy DXX 850W EGX850EWL - 7.5 (NFS)

SilverStone Strider ST85F - 7.0

Silverstone Element ST85EF 850W - 6.0


NFS - Not For Sale / NLA = No Longer Available

 

[raffiy]

I think it'd do but its a mighty lot of overkill. If it was me i'd return it, but I think you'll still be fine with it. How long is the manufacture warranty on the BFG?

It has a lifetime warranty, and it is the cheapest power supply I can get locally.

This is my first build, so can someone explain what the voltage variations would do and if they would be damaging to hardware, and could you explain the affects of the aforementioned weakness on the 12v rails. *

Edit: Would anyone explicitly recommend the:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+750W+ATX+CPU+Power+Supply/9358303.p?id=1218090912061&skuId=9358303&st=750w&contract_desc=null
$120 is towards the top of my PSU budget, so a 850w is out.

*After rereading the review on JohnnyGuru, it seems that the hardwired cables are just fine. Would I be using anything other than these to power basic items? It has " one PCI-E chain, the ATX connector, the EPS12V/ATX12V cable, one Molex chain, and one SATA chain" hardwired to it according to JohnnyGuru.

 

[logan the huge]

Apparently, the review samples with the issues were pre-production models and according to the BFG rep at HardOCP:
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034763981&postcount=39

The ripple problem's been addressed in production units by using larger caps.

That's basically the same solution Oklahoma Wolf used to fix the problem (detailed on the bottom of page 4 of his review):
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=151

You should be fine.

 

[raffiy]

Thanks for all the advice, but thanks to some fortuitous sales, I can get the corsair 850W for less than 100 dollars. I am going to order it this evening.

 

[raffiy]

Best answer selected by raffiy.