Power Supply Question

[MysticGohanX]

When I bought my computer a few months ago, I just slapped on some crappy COMPUSA brand 300w p/s. I can't believe that I waited this long to address this issue, but as I type, that powersupply is dying. So anyways, I'm getting a new Powersupply, finally, but I want to know what wattage would be appropriate for me. I was debating between an Antec 350w, and an Antec 400w, or an Antec TruePower 380 if necessary. Here are my system Specs:

AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Leadtek A250 (Geforce 4 Ti4400)
Western Digital 80 GB S.E.
COOLER MASTER HHC-001 (the CPU cooler)
Two case fans

So what do you think? Thanks for your time, and I hope you know a bit about powersupplies, because I dont want to spend more on a power supply that my system doesnt need.

 

[JohnCoach]

Well a power supply you should never go cheap as it can be used for your next 3 or 4 systems with the new power hungry video cards .A 450 psu is ok i use startech power supplys there not cheap but they are good

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by JohnCoach on 04/19/03 12:17 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[kmiller]

I am using the Truepower 330 w/ my nforce 2 board, xp1700 @xp2200, 512mb ram, geforce 3, two HD, cd, sound card. A great supply w/ plenty of juice and very quiet

 

[FO_SHO]

i have read nothing but EXCELLENT reviews on the Antec Truepower. It was the BEST among enermax, thermaltake and some others on a test at occafe or somethin....

 

[jamarno]

Antec TruePower is an excellent choice but is an unnecessary expense. Check www.directron.com for their Fortron (Sparkle) power supplies, especially the 350W model, $38, which is made by the same company that produced one of the top-rated supplies in Tom's Hardware Guide's tests. Like the TruePowers, it's underrated by about 30%.

CompUSA power supplies are made by at least two companies. I don't know who makes the chrome plated or aluminum ones, but the painted steel power supplies are by Powmax, a brand that scored low in Tom's tests, which found that its 500W Leadman sibling fell short by 74W, making it weaker than the 350W Fortron-made product. Some 400W+ Leadman/Powmax/Robanton supplies have underperformed 300W high quality supplies.

 

[MysticGohanX]

Thanks everyone for your advice. The TruePower 330 is a bit out of my league (61.99 w/ shipping from newegg.com), but I have only read good things about it. The Fortron is what really got me though. Tom's Hardware guides rated a 350w Fortron FSP @ 380w, and Fortrons are cheap.

So now heres the debate:
Fortron FSP 350w vs. Antec TruePower 330w

Id probably go with the Fortron, but what would you do? I havent heard much about Fortrons reputation as a power supply company, but I've heard of Antecs reliability.

Also, is this the right Fortron?
http://www.directron.com/fsp35060bn.html
Because for 38.00 usd plus shipping, this PSU is the obvious choice.
"Also recommended is the Fortron FSP. This model achieved a maximum output of 450 watts - and it was quiet." 450w out of a 350w psu?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by MysticGohanX on 04/20/03 10:36 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[jamarno]

Tom actually found that a 350W Fortron-made supply was capable of putting out 454W. Directron is a good dealer, and $38 is a very low price for a top quality 350W power supply, but a slightly different version, the FSP350-GU, seems to be available for $30 at www.logicalplus.com/hi35p4posu.html . Beware that not all Fortron-made power supplies have temperature controlled fans, even if they're labelled "Noise Killer," which sometimes refers only to the fan, not variable speed operation.

 

[bum_jcrules]

NewEgg also sells Fortron PSUs. I have 3 of the 350W PSUs.

<A HREF="http://www.millionmanlan.com/MMLDefault.asp" target="_new">Million Man LAN 2 is June 25-29, 2003 in Louisville Kentucky... Be there!</A>

 

[fiask0]

I have a TruePower 430 in my nforce2 box and it runs great. Never had a problem with it.

 

[dekra]

I bought a XASER III with 7 fans? Would a 350 WATTS of PSU be sufficient? Here are the specs:

P4 2.8 GHz
ASUS P4C800
1024MB DDR 3200
ENERMAX EG365X-VE(W)(FCA)
ATI RADEON 9700
CDRW/DVD
MAXTOR DIAMONDPLUS 120GB 8MB
SB AUDIGY2

The power supply is only 350watts, Would this be sufficient?