Power Supplies...Again

Techy said:
i wouldn't trust it, get an enermax 400W+ or equivalant .

here's a rough guide for you chris

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

James
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That powerchecker thing is a little over the top!

I checked my comp i got from dell, it said ti needs 350, and it only come with a 250 and it works perfect!

Also, it sez my friend needs a 380 and he only has a 300 and his works fine, i mean he can play far cry with setting up for hours and have no probs! Maybe they do it as just a precautionary, but i wouldnt go by it if i was buying a PSU! very inaccurate.
 
...here's a rough guide for you
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... and that's just what it is ... however, computer manufatures are always cutting corners and it comes as no surprise to me that one corner they cut are with the PSU. I've seen too many system to count that have come through my workshop that need a new PSU ... and when the likes of Del (only used here as an example) want £58 for a £15 item I can not see thier reason.

If your "building your own" don't skint on the PSU always get one that will do the job and some.

but i wouldnt go by it if i was buying a PSU! very inaccurate.
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I would ... its a very good guide to the individual item power needs.

"you get what you pay for!" ;)
 
If you want a guide to PSUs, write down loads of sizes (from 250watt - 550watt) on a piece of paper, get a pin, close your eyes and stab down on the paper, and see what you get.

I think thats what that sites does, just soem random generating.
 
haha - i would always go for something a little more though not much more than i needed and would make sure it has all the funky qualities like undervoltage protection and active pfc etc etc.
 
What that site does is assume everything in your computer is running at full tilt and all at the same time, so imo it is fairly accurate.

Yes, I know most will say I'm running all that stuff on a lower powered PSU than what that site recommends. So am I in one instance, actually.

But what it does is give you the worst case scenario, covers all bases, so to speak.

As mucks says, you only get what you pay for.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

A PSU supplies current to all that high tech equipment you didn't mind shelling out for, so why skimp on it?

imo, a good, quality, PSU is worth paying the asking price for.
 
Its just, you can pay an extra £50-£100 for power your not going to use! Especially when your going for one of the higher ends of PSU's.

Of course you would like to be over, thats pretty darn obvious, but not a ridiculas amount over which leaves you short of cash!

I think 400watt is enough in anycase, well aslong as you've not got 6 HDD's, 12 Case fans and somehow powering a microwave oven off it :p .
 
what i meant is if the site says you need a 400w - get a 400w thats high quality (antec, zalman etc) as opposed to generic....or Q-tec.
 
I would definately recommend going for a higher spec PSU such as the TaganTG480-U01.
Tagans units are currently rated as some of the best in the world.

The trouble with cheaper brands such as q-Tec is that they are not able to offer stable voltages under load, and are generally not reliable (ie. they often fail within the first year). And as all of the components you spend so much money on require stable volts, they MUST have stable volts. Whilst small power fluctuations may have been OK for components in the past, todays components often containing complex microchips with millions of microscopic transistors, are extremely sensitive to even the smallest fluctuations - a small spike from a cheap PSU can prove fatal for some components.

So please dont underestimate the humble PSU. Money spent on a good PSU now WILL save you money in the long term - either because it will simply last longer and/or it wont fry your expensive components such as graphics cards and CPU's.

I would aim for 450w upwards. Whilst you may only need 350w now newer components are demanding more and more power. So 450w+ is good for future proofing your system, and will ensure there is power in reserve for your current config.

Buy the best power you can afford - you wont regret it. Performance PSU's generally run on the quiet side too, especially the Tagan.

Hope this is of help. :)
 
dont just look at the wattage my generic PSU is 450W but is only good for 6 Amps at 12 volts and with all of my parts running full i'll probably be drawnig more than that
 
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