Good Psu?

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:31 am

I am buying a new power supply. I don't know if I should get one that has 2 fans or one? my current 250w psu only has one fan going out the back.

Also what brands do you suggest (specific PSUs would be better)

I heard that the 12v rail should be as high as possible. I have a p4 2.8, cd drive, cd burner, floppy, radeon 9800 Pro, 768mb ram

thanx

lenny · Post by **lenny** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:41 am

Before you get hit with the backlash, here's my reply:

Two fans vs. one fan : two fans = more noise. You don't really get more airflow (max. airflow = airflow of slowest fan) unless there is a lot of resistance to airflow within the PSU.

Brands : Fortron, Seasonic are favorites. Antec - depends, mostly pretty OK. Many others are Fortron PSUs with custom fan control circuits. Check the reviews and recommended section. For you, I'd recommend looking into Seasonic S12-330. If you want more headroom, S12-380 or S12-430. They're pricey, but active PFC + good efficiency = a good thing.

12V rails, and wattage in general : more doesn't hurt anything other than your wallet.

I had a configuration similar to yours running off a Fortron 300W.

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Fri May 13, 2005 11:44 am

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817103908

I think this is what i'm gonna get because people seem to recommend enermax and antec the most (it also has 26a on the 12v rail!) I can get this one at http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... 53&_LOC=US for $65 (cheaper than newegg! I couldn't believe it)

The only thing holding me back is that it has a 20 pin connector, which I have but will i be able to use it to upgrade to a newer motherboard later? like to a 24pin mobo?

What do you all think?

(edited so the links work now)

dfrost · Post by **dfrost** » Fri May 13, 2005 12:30 pm

People at SPCR recommend Seasonics the most, and have nearly universal appreciation for the very quiet, cool and efficient S12 series up to 430 watts. Have you read this review of the S12-430? All PSU's in the S12 series have a 24-pin connector, and include a 24-to-20 adapter. I'll disagree with lenny on one point: in the S12 series, more wattage apparently adds noise at the 500 and 600 watt level because of the different fan controller.

If you haven't already, be sure to read this article about power supplies. Don't necessarily believe that

the 12v rail should be as high as possible.

I would have been quite satisfied with an S12-380 if it had been available when I made this excellent PSU upgrade.

And Welcome to SPCR!

alglove · Post by **alglove** » Fri May 13, 2005 1:26 pm

Wakkoguy, the links you posted do not seem to work for me. Can you double-check that they work?

lenny · Post by **lenny** » Fri May 13, 2005 1:32 pm

alglove wrote:Wakkoguy, the links you posted do not seem to work for me. Can you double-check that they work?

He's referring to the Antec True430. Not sure what mangled his URL.

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Fri May 13, 2005 10:49 pm

dfrost wrote:People at SPCR recommend Seasonics the most, and have nearly universal appreciation for the very quiet, cool and efficient S12 series up to 430 watts. Have you read this review of the S12-430? All PSU's in the S12 series have a 24-pin connector, and include a 24-to-20 adapter. I'll disagree with lenny on one point: in the S12 series, more wattage apparently adds noise at the 500 and 600 watt level because of the different fan controller.

I want to spend around $60-$70 (including shipping) also, is it ok to have a fan that points directly into the case? here is my pc www.poorreflection.com/Rahul/pc

What can you recommend in that price range that is around 400w (I wanna have this sucker in my next system as well, hence a 24pin connector)

unregistered · Post by **unregistered** » Sat May 14, 2005 11:52 am

Check out the S-12's here (cheaper than Newegg) highly recommend dealer.

http://www.pcalchemy.com/index.php/cNam ... 1d781c5f68

scorpionv · Post by **scorpionv** » Sat May 14, 2005 2:49 pm

antec and enermax are the most respected "mainstream" psu's. seasonic just doesn't have as widespread distribution as those two, although this is changing. i've seen seasonic s12's popping up at a few local electronic stores.

ditto what pretty much everyone said, get a seasonic. it's much quieter than any of the antec's or enermax's, and a very high quality product. seasonic's stated wattages are also very conservative.

pcalchemy.com and bestbyteinc.com seem to have the best prices, and the S12 380w seems to be the best value, and should be more than enough to power your system.

dfrost · Post by **dfrost** » Sat May 14, 2005 4:40 pm

pcalchemy.com and bestbyteinc.com seem to have the best prices, and the S12 380w seems to be the best value, and should be more than enough to power your system.

and your next system, too, unless you insist on dual high power (and high expense) graphics cards.

The Seasonic S12 fan pulls air from the CPU area, which works for this PSU because of the excellent fan controller.

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Sun May 15, 2005 11:48 am

You have me leaning towards the s12 however, why is the 12v rail split into two? what good does that do?

Also, is it a 24pin or 20pin (how would you know?) and the wires look all jumbled together? Won't that constrict airflow in the case?

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Sun May 15, 2005 12:10 pm

wakkoguy wrote:You have me leaning towards the s12 however, why is the 12v rail split into two? what good does that do?

Also, is it a 24pin or 20pin (how would you know?) and the wires look all jumbled together? Won't that constrict airflow in the case?

12v being split in two is something that came about from the ATX 2.0 standard. It's meant to separate the power used by the CPU from the components, but nobody's 100% sure which lines do what. (At least, I can never find a consistent answer.)

S12s are 24-pin (ATX 2.0 again, though they come with an adapter), and I don't know what you mean about the wires? Every power supply has wires, it's your choice as to if you jumble them up or not.

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Sun May 15, 2005 12:12 pm

Will 380w be enough for my current rig and possibly future rigs?

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Sun May 15, 2005 12:32 pm

It's certainly enough for your current rig (you have a 250W at the moment!) but it really depends on what your future rigs will be. What's it to be used for?

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Sun May 15, 2005 1:34 pm

The enermax noisetaker is also on the recommended list. Does that mean its mainstream or just quiet? I'm not sure if you are looking for two fans or a good deal but here is a 370W enermax noisetaker like the one that was tested for 43.00. Its an atx v1.3 so it just has a 20 pin atx connector, but according to my asus manual you can plug the 20 pin connector into the 24 pin header with no problems. You don't need an adapter. If you ever need 24 pins you will also need more power.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817103444

Also it looks like you have a dell. You may not want a bottom fan as the dell has a very well thought out ventilation scheme. Not like the seasonic bottom fan - rear exhaust - cpu fan collisions.

And furthermore, 2 nexus at 6v are quieter that one nexus at 12v. I just took a look at mikes article on two vs one fan.

That is a dell. You do not want a fan on the bottom. Maybe someone can recommend a rear fan model.

You want a seasonic super silencer like the 350w model at pcalchemy.

scorpionv · Post by **scorpionv** » Sun May 15, 2005 2:08 pm

if you're looking for a good deal on a super silencer (i.e. rear fan model seasonic) look no further.

http://bestbyteinc.com/prodinfo.asp?num ... -SEA-SS300

wakkoguy · Post by **wakkoguy** » Sun May 15, 2005 4:37 pm

frankgehry wrote:Also it looks like you have a dell. You may not want a bottom fan as the dell has a very well thought out ventilation scheme. Not like the seasonic bottom fan - rear exhaust - cpu fan collisions.

That is a dell. You do not want a fan on the bottom. Maybe someone can recommend a rear fan model.

You want a seasonic super silencer like the 350w model at pcalchemy.

You can see the dell that I have at http://www.poorreflection.com/Rahul/pc/
I understand what you mean by the ventilation scheme however, there is no other way for hot air to get out of the case. The ventilation system is just over the chipset. So won't it be better to get a psu that will get the rest of the hot air out, even if it is through that small gap?

I was also told to get at least a 400w for now (I know I don't need that much now) but so I won't have to upgrade in the future.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Sun May 15, 2005 5:20 pm

If you put a psu in with a bottom fan in won't be able to get enough air, the fans will speed up and make a lot of noise and I don't think you want that. The psu that's in there now does have a vent at the front so it is exhausting air from inside the case. So I think the seasonic does as well.

One other psu you might consider is the antec smartpower 2.0. It has a fan in the rear (exhaust) and one in front (intake). I have the 500w version and I think it is great. They also have smaller models, but I'm not sure what the prices are now. There haven't been any reviews yet however there is another thread on the smartpower if you want to search for it or just look through the power supply forum.

The 350w seasonic will be enough power. (no longer made)
You can get a 400w antec smartpower for $60. (my choice)
Or you can look for a for something like a fortron which will be noisier buy cheaper.

Bolas · Post by **Bolas** » Sun May 15, 2005 7:20 pm

Hi Guys,

Anyone bought a Seasonic psu in Australia ?

cheers

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon May 16, 2005 10:31 am

www.pcpowercooling.com has dell upgrade psu's. I would look into them very seriously since they are made especially for dells.