ATC PSU

[Grumps]

Hi All

I was in urgent need of an ATX PSU, and my local store had a unit labelled:
X-Power ATX-700TW. The box says that it has 4 separate 12V outputs each at
16Amps. Obviously, not at the same time!

Whilst it seems to run ok, and all voltages measure (voltmeter) within 2% of
stated values (idle or under load), I wonder if this is going to be a
reliable unit or whether I should replace with something better soon.

System specs:
Intel P4, 3GHz, 1Gig RAM, 2xIDE HD, 2xSATA HD, 2xDVD, ATI X1950Pro, TV
tuner, Firewire, Ethernet card, two case fans, FDD.

The old PSU was a 3 year old Enermax EG495, and it just decided not to start
last night. That was an urgent purchase too.

Any suggestions for a replacement (if deemed necessary) would be welcome.

Ta.

 

[Grumps]

Bum! I checked the spelling, but forgot the subject. Of course I meant ATX.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I was in urgent need of an ATX PSU, and my local store had a unit labelled:
X-Power ATX-700TW.

I wonder if this is going to be a reliable unit

The old PSU was a 3 year old Enermax EG495, and it just
decided not to start last night. That was an urgent purchase too.

X-Power is a brand from HEC/Heroichi, and HEC's quality is all over
the place, depending on the model, although their worst aren't
absolute trash but just seem to be very weak and will usually shut
down in time rather than suffer damage. To find out if your HEC is
among the worst, turn it on near an AM radio tuned to a weak station,
and if the reception disappears and all you hear is a whine or hiss,
then the PSU is a low quality model.

Is it possible for you to post some photos of the inside of the X-
Power at a place like ImageShack.com or Flickr.com? Someone may then
be able to tell you how good or bad the PSU is.

 

[Grumps]

X-Power is a brand from HEC/Heroichi, and HEC's quality is all over
the place

Well, that'd explain why the 600W PSU I bought 1st didn't work at all!
But I had no choice but to buy another of the same make. It's all they had.

, depending on the model, although their worst aren't
absolute trash but just seem to be very weak and will usually shut
down in time rather than suffer damage.

Well, my system is only about 160-200W (as reported by my UPS), so hopefully
this 700W(???) PSU will suffice.

To find out if your HEC is
among the worst, turn it on near an AM radio tuned to a weak station,
and if the reception disappears and all you hear is a whine or hiss,
then the PSU is a low quality model.

I'll try that. Thanks.

Is it possible for you to post some photos of the inside of the X-
Power at a place like ImageShack.com or Flickr.com? Someone may then
be able to tell you how good or bad the PSU is.

I can't really do that without voiding the warranty. It's got stickers on
the screws.

 

[kony]

Well, that'd explain why the 600W PSU I bought 1st didn't work at all!
But I had no choice but to buy another of the same make. It's all they had.


Well, my system is only about 160-200W (as reported by my UPS), so hopefully
this 700W(???) PSU will suffice.

If I'm understanding you right that you had bought the exact
same make, model and series in 600W and it wouldn't work
(and this due to insufficient current not just an outright
defect), then 700W would also seem to be incapable of longer
term use since the labeled specs appear deceptive. It isn't
a large jump in capacity if seen on a relative scale even
when the absolute wattage is a large overrating.

I would seek a refund from the local seller, they shouldn't
be offering only these overrated units, then I'd ask what it
would cost to special order something else (already having
an idea what the alternative costs online) and until then,
read some PSU reviews as there are quite a few online these
days found through a google search. If minimizing system
downtime is important then you might first call and ask for
the refund, buying online and then taking the PSU back in a
few days when the replacement has arrived.

We dont' know what you paid though, as there is typicaly a
markup buying from a shop but a PSU more honestly rated
would tend to cost more in a 600W version, and you do need
only 600W max if that, a 700W quality PSU would be overkill.

There are plenty of online PSU reviews you can seek with a
basic Google search to determine what looks good if you need
to have the shop special order something. If you can get
the refund instead then you have a good chance of ordering
whatever you want online instead, though availability may
vary per region.

 

[Grumps]

If I'm understanding you right that you had bought the exact
same make, model and series in 600W and it wouldn't work
(and this due to insufficient current not just an outright
defect),

No, I believe it was an outright defect. It would not even work in a very
undemanding PC (5 year old Athlon, 1xHD, simple graphics card). It blew the
fuse in the power cord (and again after I replaced it).

My employer will cover the cost as the PC belongs to them, but it is in my
home office. Currently, I only suspect the PSU's build quality, not the
ratings. We do have some 1Ohm resistive loads (250W) that I can attach to
this PSU, to see how it really will behave. But maybe there's no point.
As to a refund, I'm not sure I can claim that's its underrated and have been
mislead. It does seem to work ok, and the voltage regulation appears spot on
(+1.5% on all +12s and +5).

When I'm in my 'proper' offices tomorrow I can check to see what PSUs they
have (we build PCs to ship with our hardware and software, but that's not my
area of expertise).

Thanks for your comments.

 

[Grumps]

No, I believe it was an outright defect. It would not even work in a
very undemanding PC (5 year old Athlon, 1xHD, simple graphics card).
It blew the fuse in the power cord (and again after I replaced it).

My employer will cover the cost as the PC belongs to them, but it is
in my home office. Currently, I only suspect the PSU's build quality,
not the ratings. We do have some 1Ohm resistive loads (250W) that I
can attach to this PSU, to see how it really will behave. But maybe
there's no point. As to a refund, I'm not sure I can claim that's its
underrated and
have been mislead. It does seem to work ok, and the voltage
regulation appears spot on (+1.5% on all +12s and +5).

When I'm in my 'proper' offices tomorrow I can check to see what PSUs
they have (we build PCs to ship with our hardware and software, but
that's not my area of expertise).

Well, we have stock of Seasonic S12 II 500W. These seem to be regarded as
'good', so I may swap the old X-power out.

 

[powersupplycables]

I used to sell power supplies and whether a power supply will work for
you depends not just on the physical components you have in your
system, it also on your applications.

If you are running a game server or email, apparently it's going to
use lots of power and may not be enough for you. But if you just use
it for the regular microsoft office kinds of application, then it's
OK.

So please take account of the applications that you are going to use.

Jennifer
http://www,powersupplycables.com/

 

[manny]

With power supplies you get what you pay for, as long as the wattage is
equal to or greater than the one that was in,

My best PSUs cost $10 US apiece, and the last one I bought, a 500W
Antec Basiq (Fortron-Source) was $5.

It's more important to get a good brand, like Seasonic (some Antecs,
like their NeoHE, Earthwatts, Trio, and maybe Quatro), Lite-On, PC
Power & Cooling, Zippy-Emacs, Etasis, Delta, and Fortron-Source/
Sparkle.

 

[kony]

My best PSUs cost $10 US apiece, and the last one I bought, a 500W
Antec Basiq (Fortron-Source) was $5.

but that's not their regular MSRP nor even the regular sale
price. Sure, anyone can look around and find some deals but
the regular price has a floor below which you won't find a
decent PSU per a given wattage.