On the hunt for a new PSU...

[Sobek]

Hey guys.

Recently, one of my PSU's has decided to start crapping out and causing a myriad of random problems. I currently run dual 500w Superflower psu's. Now I honestly haven't taken the time to work out amperage ratings and 12v rail ratings that are suitable for what videocards and such...too much hassle, they just worked But now,I'd prefer to just get a single PSU that will happily power my system, so i'm asking your help in discovering the right one for me. I'll list all the devices in my system, along with my overclock so you can get a good idea of what I need to find...

A64 3200+ @ 2.7ghz
3gb Corsair ddr400
DFI NF4-SLi motherboard
6x IDE hdd's
2x Sata hdd's
2x Cd/DVD rom
x1900xt (Considering going to two x1900's crossfire on a new motherboard)
2x Pci hdd raid controllers
Audigy 2 soundcard

So as you can gather, I need a pretty decent PSU to keep everything stable with my overclock in place. With my current PSU's, i've had to clock all the way down to 2.2ghz and remove a number of hdd's just to keep my system stable. With too many devices on, my 12v rail drops to an average of 10.76v, my videocard draws 24.5amps (while my PSU clearly says it will only supply 20 amps...go figure), and when my system boots and tries to apply my x1900 clocks (via ATI Tool, i'm one of the unlucky few who's x1900 refuses to ram up to 3d clocks when CCC isn't installed, so I use ATI Tool on startup) I get severe screen corruption until my system hardlocks. Reducing my overclock and removing devices brings my 12v up to 11.10 average and clears up the corruption.

So, can anyone suggest a good PSU for me that isn't some ridiculously over-expensive price? Things i've looked at have included the Antec TruePower 2.0 550w, and the Silverstone 600w SLI ready, though because I don't know a lot about PSU's, and reviews don't help too much, i'm stumped as to what to choose. I live in Australia and as a result i'm probably limited in my choices of hardware.

Thanks for any help!

*edit* The one PSU that i'm running now shows 2x 12v rails, 12v1 rated for 18 amps, 12v2 rated for 20. I'm guessing that means my 12v rail has a combined amperage of 38amps? I remember reading that for an x1900xtx it's good to have about 35 amps....that sound right? Bah.. el confuso.

 

[The_Wolf_Who_Cried_Boy]

This is a little dated but still comprehensive, (assuming you haven't seen it).

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&redirect=yes

Personally I'm looking to upgrade at the end of the year and currently my power supply choice is between the Enermax Liberty 620W and the Silverstone ST60F. My expected power draw would not be as exorbitant as yours but either model is a solid choice and should be able to handle.

OCZ also has a good reputation, you might want to consider this:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_gamexstream_power_supply

You may not want to pay top dollar but given your setup a PSU is not something you want to skimp on.

I've seen all three brands available online down here in Aus.

 

[Geo]

Well, 72 hrs in I'm still happy with the aerocool zerodba 620w.

AMD X2 4200@2750
X1900XT
Raptor 150
Older PATA
Two opticals

Very, very quiet. I'd even call it silent. No fan on the back, 13.5cm fan on the bottom.

It's replacing an Akasa 650W that was an absolute champ in stability, but it was just too bloody loud for me. 80mm fan on the back (none underneath) with no user adjustment. So, now it's my backup.

 

[Sobek]

This is a little dated but still comprehensive, (assuming you haven't seen it).

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1359&redirect=yes

Personally I'm looking to upgrade at the end of the year and currently my power supply choice is between the Enermax Liberty 620W and the Silverstone ST60F. My expected power draw would not be as exorbitant as yours but either model is a solid choice and should be able to handle.

OCZ also has a good reputation, you might want to consider this:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_gamexstream_power_supply

You may not want to pay top dollar but given your setup a PSU is not something you want to skimp on.

I've seen all three brands available online down here in Aus.

Thanks for the response.

That is the exact Silverstone I was considering. I was wondering, where abouts have you seen that OCZ psu available? Everywhere i've seen either doesn't sell them, or is out of stock for an unkown period of time. I'll do some checking up on those psu's for now

 

[Skrying]

Geo, that Aerocool sounds pretty nice. I need to replace my aging Antec Truepower. Plus an Aerocool PSU would go nice with my Aerocool case.

 

[Sobek]

Well, 72 hrs in I'm still happy with the aerocool zerodba 620w.

AMD X2 4200@2750
X1900XT
Raptor 150
Older PATA
Two opticals

Very, very quiet. I'd even call it silent. No fan on the back, 13.5cm fan on the bottom.

It's replacing an Akasa 650W that was an absolute champ in stability, but it was just too bloody loud for me. 80mm fan on the back (none underneath) with no user adjustment. So, now it's my backup.

Looks like a solid PSU. I noticed the OCZ is a quad-rail PSU, which should do wonders for stability when overclocking, and has a higher amperage on the +3.3v rail to boot. Might be the psu of choice for me.

What ram are you using in your overclock there Geo? Any Dividers? I'm forced to run with a max 1.83 divider, everything else crashes and reboots after POST. Which sucks

 

[Geo]

Looks like a solid PSU. I noticed the OCZ is a quad-rail PSU, which should do wonders for stability when overclocking, and has a higher amperage on the +3.3v rail to boot. Might be the psu of choice for me.

What ram are you using in your overclock there Geo? Any Dividers? I'm forced to run with a max 1.83 divider, everything else crashes and reboots after POST. Which sucks

Oh, the RAM is pretty vanilla. If I could go back I'd probably do it a little different. I'm not pushing it at all. It's Corsair PC3200 Twinx204803200c2pt. Two 1GB sticks. Running the FSB at 250 (4200 is 2200 stock, I believe), but the divider is 4/5 on an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium. So the RAM is actually ticking at 196.4 according to cpu-z. 3-3-8 2T. Very unexciting.

I actually started with thinking I wouldn't do anything other than the built-in OC that Asus offers which is 10% (220). Then one day I got bored and started fiddling, and got it to 250 stable. CPU cooler is a Zalman CNPS9500. Case is a black Gigabyte 3DAurora.

Finish it off with a pair of Dell 2405fpw, a Logitech cordless mouse & keyboard, and a an Xbox PC gamepad (wired, damnit). Oh, and X-Fi Music.

Now you know more than you ever wanted to about my rig.

 

[The_Wolf_Who_Cried_Boy]

Thanks for the response.

That is the exact Silverstone I was considering. I was wondering, where abouts have you seen that OCZ psu available? Everywhere i've seen either doesn't sell them, or is out of stock for an unkown period of time. I'll do some checking up on those psu's for now

Hmmm....

http://www.scorptec.com.au/browse/24/90 had OCZ's but they've been delisted????
(Top service always)

Maybe OCZ are changing distributors if other retailers out out of stock as well?

http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=245 Carry Enermax
(I haven't used them so can't vouch)

 

[swaaye]

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10854

 

[obobski]

I'd suggest the Antec NeoHE 550W, it's tri-12v, should handle your system ok.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103941

And if you want enermax:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=

 

[Mangler]

If you're looking for a silent psu, then you might want to look at the s12 series from seasonic:
http://www.seasonicusa.com/s12.htm