PSU related question

[AlexV]

So, I`m building a rig and I`m a bit troubled as to what PSU to get for it. It`s a Pentium D 940, 2 gigs of Ram, an x1900xt, that Asrock Crossfire Mobo, 2 HDDs, DVD-Writer. It`s gonna become a Crossfire system, so the PSU has to be able to cope with that in the future.

I`ve read many reccomanding huge 600-650W PSUs, but It`s my opinion that that`s an exaggeration. OTOH, I haven`t dealt with PSUs in a long time(and that has been biting my ass lately:|), so I`m open to some good advice. As a question, are those Asus PSUs any good?

And no, the specs for the rig are set in stone, so no AMD luvin this turn)

 

[_xxx_]

Don't bother that much with the wattage rating, look at the amperage of the 12V and 5V rails. My 420W Tagan PSU has 25A on 12V, while there's a bunch of cheap PSU's with 550+ watt which have less than 20A on 12V and are thus actually weaker.

So a high-quality, high-amperage PSU with 500W or above should be more than enough.

EDIT: this would suit you well and the quality is top-notch, the important cables all have fantastic shielding and ferrite rings, along with gold plugs.

 

[AlexV]

Thx, much appreciated. I had another question though, what`s the catch with the dual +12V rails?I see some PSUs have something along the lines of 12V1 and 12V2(with low amperages for either, like 14-15 amps for a 450 Asus and 18 18 for the 550 one):|

 

[_xxx_]

Thx, much appreciated. I had another question though, what`s the catch with the dual +12V rails?I see some PSUs have something along the lines of 12V1 and 12V2(with low amperages for either, like 14-15 amps for a 450 Asus and 18 18 for the 550 one):|

2 separate 12V outputs means that they don't influence each other under load. With one output, if some component is power-hungry and makes the voltage break down due to high current, it affects everything connected to it. With two, only that part will be affected and the rest still has a stable supply.

I haven't bothered looking which rail does what, but that's the better version since your biggest power-eaters get separate, "strong" supply rails. I guess one is for the gfx and the other one for the mobo, drives and the rest.

EDIT: and you want them both to be at least 20A in your case

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

I can recommend the new Enermax Liberty PSUs. Silent, big thermally controlled fan, well ventilated, modular cables, separate dedicated rails for (dual) graphics cards, autosensing everything, etc.

Antec was having problems with their new PSUs and several types of motherboards, even after they had supposedly fixed the problem, but the Liberty seems to be a good alternative.

 

[AlexV]

Thx again guys. Gah, where are the good old days when you bought a crap case with its crap PSU and never had to look back These things aren`t exactly cheap, from what I`ve seen...now I understand why some ppl love consoles:|

Edit:Would this be any good:Vantec Van-460NP?www.vantecusa.com for info...it has 30Amps on the 12V rail:/

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Thx again guys. Gah, where are the good old days when you bought a crap case with its crap PSU and never had to look back These things aren`t exactly cheap, from what I`ve seen...now I understand why some ppl love consoles:|

I tell you what, if you shop carefully you get a heck of a lot more PSU for your money today than you did a few years ago. Given the sort of money you spend on parts for a high end gaming rig, £50-£100 for a good PSU isn't really that much.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Edit:Would this be any good:Vantec Van-460NP?www.vantecusa.com for info...it has 30Amps on the 12V rail:/

I had a Vantec Stealth and overall wasn't very impressed. The only PSU I've had that actually expired (after three years of use). The switch to change the fan settings wore out fairly quickly, and it wasn't anywhere near as quiet or as efficient as they claimed. It also carried a price premium for the name that wasn't justified IMO.

 

[AlexV]

Any good PSU-review sites around?Hexus had that big round-up, but that`s mostly it. I know that by comparison these things are cheap, the catch is that before you never needed to bother with em`, their price was invisible And the rational consumer will always be pissed off when he sees a new-separate price rear its head

The thing is that some things around here are hugely overpriced-actually most of them. For example, the Tagan PSU that _xxx_ reccomended is 99 euros in his link and here it`s 135...and not all of the brands are to be found as well. That Vantec was interesting due to its amperage mostly...and it seems to be from a new-line of theirs, though your input makes me wonder:|

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Any good PSU-review sites around?Hexus had that big round-up, but that`s mostly it. I know that by comparison these things are cheap, the catch is that before you never needed to bother with em`, their price was invisible And the rational consumer will always be pissed off when he sees a new-separate price rear its head

SilentPC also seems to do a lot of stuff on PSUs. Otherwise you just have to Google or follow the review links from the manufacturer's website.

I don't think the price was ever invisible, just you always got one with a case and as part of the price of a case, and mostly it was cheap and nasty. Now you can buy cases without PSUs and get what you like. Just like PSUs, cases have also gotten more sophisticated and better designed, and with a wide price range for you to choose from.

I think on the whole you get a better product today and better value for your money especially considering the higher heat and power (and lower noise) requirements for running today's rig.

BTW, an additional recommendation is to make sure you get a PSU with a big 120mm thermally controlled fan in the base - very quiet, very good at cooling the case and PSU and much better than a little 80mm fan in the back.

 

[thehulk]

the best : http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=T51SLI

 

[_xxx_]

I would avoid PSU's with modular cables. Lots of people have problems with the contacts as well as the layout. I read many rather bad user reviews on the Enermax parts, though I haven't tried them myself.

As for the price, it's as always: you want something good, you have to pay. And as far as the quality goes, I yet have to see anything that matches these Tagan parts in the same price range.

 

[_xxx_]

the best : http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=T51SLI

That's also a good one, but that's almost too much. How's the noise level with those?

 

[AlexV]

If that`s 200 bucks over there it`s certainly around 300 here, and I`m not sure they have a distributor around. And 300 for a PSU is a bit on the extreme side, at least for me

I`ll probably be getting that Tagan, or a 550 Asus, but the Asus is a little skimpy on the 12V amps, having only 18 for each.

 

[_xxx_]

That 18A is not really good, might be lacking for a crossfire system. I wouldn't buy it. You might encounter misterious lockups and all such things which will make your head explode. A good PSU makes life much easier.

Good alternatives are OCZ ModStream 520 (good but a little bit more noisy and with modular plugs), Enermax Liberty 500 (also modular plugs) and CoolerMaster RealPower550 SLI. They're all more expensive around here, though.

 

[AlexV]

Thx m8. So the Tagan it is, after all. Do you have an opinion about that Vantec that I asked about above?

 

[_xxx_]

Nope, never even heard of that brand.

 

[AlexV]

Is there any difference between the U15 Tagans and the U22s?I can`t seem to find a U22 530 one, but I`ve found several U 15s.

EDIT:nevermind, found the difference on their site:|