Kill A Watt readings

behr · Post by **behr** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:23 pm

Kill A Watt is showing at full load my computer is using around 166Watt/260VA. Power supply is Antec True 380s. I think it has efficiency 65%. I would like to buy a power supply quiter, cooler and more efficient.

What would be the minimum watt I would need? What would be a safe watt with some leverage?

Thanks.

burebista · Post by **burebista** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:58 am

Antec EA380, Corsair CX400/VX450.

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:22 am

Anything above 400 is overkill IMO. WIth that said, there aren't many quality PSU's below 400 W. What burebista suggest are great options. Possibly fan-swap the PSU's if you want them to be even quieter.

loimlo · Post by **loimlo** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:56 am

I doubt there's any EarthWatts made by Seasonic being left in stock since Antec switched supplier to Delta several months ago. I know nothing about Delta PSU acoustics, therefore I can't comment on it.

Seasonic S12 II 330W seems to be a good fit under your circumstance. Btw, Enermax Pro82+ 385W is good as well.

behr · Post by **behr** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:25 am

Thank you for your suggestions. The problem I have with Antec True 380s is after a while PSU heats up and fan ramps up and becomes noisy.

1. I looked at the Antec Earthwatts before. I saw them at sale a few times. But, many people say they are loud. I am guessing it is similar to my Antec 380.

2. I read good reviews about Corsair. I will look into CX400. The only thing is I would prefer to have dual 12V line. Which one would be better 1 12V at 30A, or 2 12V at 15A? HX520/620 are getting very good reviews but I think they are too much for me.

3. I was interested in Enermax after good review here, but then saw many complaints.

4. It seems that Seasonic is the best option in terms of quiteness and reliability.

Joe Public · Post by **Joe Public** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:19 am

When it comes to single or dual/multi rail, either would be just fine. Keep in mind that if you buy a PSU that's Seasonic made, it may be single rail, even though the label and specs say multiple, i.e they have no separate OCPs on 12V. This is evident in models such as for instance the Corsair HX and Antec models. (Antecs Delta made units are not like that AFAIK).

behr · Post by **behr** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:52 pm

I used to think multi rail was better than single rail since power source would be independent in each rail. But, I researched after you mentioned. Some people say single rail might be better for high power systems. As you said, some multi rail power supplies maybe actually single rail. I think at low power levels as mine, it is not that important.

I look at the noise levels of the antec power supplies reviewed on this site. They seem to be trailing the silent power supplies by a few dbs. But, these are old reviews. Test environment has changed. Although since there is not any new Antec review, I think they are still not upto par.

Antec power supplies are reliable (I am using mine for 4 years) and cheaper. So, it might be a good compromise.