What Kind of PSU should i buy

plainman007 · 10-25-2009, 04:43 AM

Hi,

Im planning to upgrade the PSU in my workstation.

Current Config :
Intel Core 2 Duo, 3 Ghz / 4 GB Ram, 800Mhz / 3 x 250gb SATA / NVidia 8400GT / Sony DVD Writer / Dual Monitor.

Ive been having problems adding a 4th 500 gb drive. Tried many. All of them would run for a few hours and then get corrupted or were simply later inaccessible. The last attempt i made with a 500gb brand new drive caused intermittent performance. I immediately inplugged the drive and have been using that drive now for months on another system with no problems. Ive also tried all sorts of trouble shooting such as trying different ports etc. But found that all ports worked. But they just couldnt take a 4th drive. No matter which one it was. So i think its the PSU that isnt able to support my entire rig.

So the bottomline question of this post is, what power rated PSU should i go for considering my current config above + adding a new drive + new sound card. Or in the future of i want a seperate raid enclosure to be added on. Is it adviseable to go for a high rated PSU or is going too high a bad thing too ?

Thanks...

XJ. · 10-25-2009, 10:43 AM

400 Watts would be enough for your current rig - so I think something else is going on.
Too high isn't a bad thing, it's just a waste of money. Buying a good PSU is the best thing to do. I like PC Power & Cooling my self - but there are other good ones as well, here is a good site to check: JonnyGURU.com - Corsair TX950 950W Review

Newegg often has sales running on the PCP&C 610Watt unit - while it might be overkill, it's solid as a rock.

One other thing I found that can fix allot of hardware stability problems - an automatic voltage regulating UPS (AVR -UPS). I bought one from APC and my occasional disk corruptions problems went away (YMMV).

plainman007 · 10-25-2009, 03:20 PM

Hi XJ,

Thanks for your input.

I 'THINK' my PSU is 350 Watts.

.

Ill open up the cabinet tomorow or so and read what the label says.

Is there a menu in the OS that can id the PSU make and power rating ?

. Tall order huh.

Regards...

hawkeyelom · 10-25-2009, 10:50 PM

IMHO, you need more than 400 watts. Keep in mind that the actaul deliverable wattage is less than the "official" rating.

I would recommend the Antec Signature 650 PS. Not cheap, but their top of the line, over 80% efficiency.---Check it out.-- They also make an 850, but I don't think you need that.

No problem with having a bit more prower than you actually need, the PS will run cooler, more stable, and last longer and give you some headroom for the future..

I have had the 650 in my system for just over a year--no problems--very stable.

plainman007 · 10-25-2009, 11:29 PM

Hawk > Yes i was told the same thing by the dealers here. They said a PSU that says even 400 watts will never be actual 400 watts but somewhere lower. Thanks to standards. I dont have access to the brands you mentioned as im on the opposite side of the globe from the US. But if im right your saying i need a 650 watt PSU right ?

Thanks

hawkeyelom · 10-26-2009, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainman007

Hawk > Yes i was told the same thing by the dealers here. They said a PSU that says even 400 watts will never be actual 400 watts but somewhere lower. Thanks to standards. I dont have access to the brands you mentioned as im on the opposite side of the globe from the US. But if im right your saying i need a 650 watt PSU right ?

Thanks

What brands can you get and where are you located? Around 650 or better is what I would shoot for. Antec's website has an app to figure out wattages for you system and periperals. Many other sites have similar apps.

In my opinion, you should get a high quality PS regardless of brand!

Can you order through the web to expand your choices?

*johnrr6* · 10-26-2009, 08:40 AM

Wattage is important----but more important is the Amperage allowed on each of the rails....and balance between the rails and the way the draw is distributed.

I've seen systems run totally fine for YEARS on absolutely junk PSUs----but they are an accident waiting to happen....

I personally like Seasonic units....and have had good Antecs and Fortrons

But here is an 80 Plus Sunbeam with 25A on each of it's Rails with decent ratings and with Rebate----it's $30 !!

Newegg.com - Sunbeam PSU-ECO650-US 650W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

fvbounty · 10-26-2009, 10:05 AM

Just my 2 cents, you can't beat Corsair PS, good price, always Great reviews, some of the best cables in the business (easy to route) and the best part they are very quiet, plus a Great warranty!

PeterT · 10-26-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvbounty

Just my 2 cents, you can't beat Corsair PS, good price, always Great reviews, some of the best cables in the business (easy to route) and the best part they are very quiet, plus a Great warranty!

plainman007 · 10-27-2009, 06:38 AM

Hi,

Seasonic, Antec, etc are brands i wont get here in this junk of a place im right on the other side of the globe from the US. Here we only get junk products. Its pathetic in my place you dont get any of the warranties you are offered in the USA. In fact ive bought so many products (projectors, video servers) etc officially with a bill from the authorised dealers and even though that product has an advertised 3 year warranty on it internationally. In my place alone they will offer you just 1 year on even that product. WITH THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY Sticker on it. Thats the way the work here. Theres ever that ever has more than a 1 year warranty on it.

Anyway back on topic. The brands available here are Iball. Then Samyu. And other kinds of accidents that are programmed to happen. Some soon. Some later.

Ive never ever been able to get my hands on arctic silver thermal compound for years. Still looking.

10-25-2009, 04:43 AM	#1
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	What Kind of PSU should i buy Hi, Im planning to upgrade the PSU in my workstation. Current Config : Intel Core 2 Duo, 3 Ghz / 4 GB Ram, 800Mhz / 3 x 250gb SATA / NVidia 8400GT / Sony DVD Writer / Dual Monitor. Ive been having problems adding a 4th 500 gb drive. Tried many. All of them would run for a few hours and then get corrupted or were simply later inaccessible. The last attempt i made with a 500gb brand new drive caused intermittent performance. I immediately inplugged the drive and have been using that drive now for months on another system with no problems. Ive also tried all sorts of trouble shooting such as trying different ports etc. But found that all ports worked. But they just couldnt take a 4th drive. No matter which one it was. So i think its the PSU that isnt able to support my entire rig. So the bottomline question of this post is, what power rated PSU should i go for considering my current config above + adding a new drive + new sound card. Or in the future of i want a seperate raid enclosure to be added on. Is it adviseable to go for a high rated PSU or is going too high a bad thing too ? Thanks...
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10-25-2009, 10:43 AM	#2
XJ. Back at the Zone! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NH, USA Posts: 6,365	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy 400 Watts would be enough for your current rig - so I think something else is going on. Too high isn't a bad thing, it's just a waste of money. Buying a good PSU is the best thing to do. I like PC Power & Cooling my self - but there are other good ones as well, here is a good site to check: JonnyGURU.com - Corsair TX950 950W Review Newegg often has sales running on the PCP&C 610Watt unit - while it might be overkill, it's solid as a rock. One other thing I found that can fix allot of hardware stability problems - an automatic voltage regulating UPS (AVR -UPS). I bought one from APC and my occasional disk corruptions problems went away (YMMV). __________________ Folding temporarily on hold :-(
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10-25-2009, 03:20 PM	#3
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy Hi XJ, Thanks for your input. I 'THINK' my PSU is 350 Watts. . Ill open up the cabinet tomorow or so and read what the label says. Is there a menu in the OS that can id the PSU make and power rating ? . Tall order huh. Regards...
(Offline)

10-25-2009, 10:50 PM	#4
hawkeyelom Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 211	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy IMHO, you need more than 400 watts. Keep in mind that the actaul deliverable wattage is less than the "official" rating. I would recommend the Antec Signature 650 PS. Not cheap, but their top of the line, over 80% efficiency.---Check it out.-- They also make an 850, but I don't think you need that. No problem with having a bit more prower than you actually need, the PS will run cooler, more stable, and last longer and give you some headroom for the future.. I have had the 650 in my system for just over a year--no problems--very stable. __________________ You can never be too thin, too rich, or have enough bandwidth System: Antec P182, Antec Signature 650 PS, Intel DP45SG, Kingston Hyper X 4GB (2 X2) DDR3-1066 @ 1066, CPU: DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16 GHz (9.5 x 333), Video:Saphire 4850 I GB, Samsung SyncMaster 2443 BW, Disk Drive:Seagate 250 GB-SATA, 2 Optical Drives: Asus DVD-18 X 48, TSSTcorp CDDVDW, NEC USB Floppy, Realtek USB 2.0 Card Reader. Currently NO OV Clock Vista 32-bit SP2. Current BIOS 118
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10-25-2009, 11:29 PM	#5
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy Hawk > Yes i was told the same thing by the dealers here. They said a PSU that says even 400 watts will never be actual 400 watts but somewhere lower. Thanks to standards. I dont have access to the brands you mentioned as im on the opposite side of the globe from the US. But if im right your saying i need a 650 watt PSU right ? Thanks
(Offline)

10-26-2009, 08:40 AM	#7
johnrr6 Lucky Amateur Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,934	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy Wattage is important----but more important is the Amperage allowed on each of the rails....and balance between the rails and the way the draw is distributed. I've seen systems run totally fine for YEARS on absolutely junk PSUs----but they are an accident waiting to happen.... I personally like Seasonic units....and have had good Antecs and Fortrons But here is an 80 Plus Sunbeam with 25A on each of it's Rails with decent ratings and with Rebate----it's $30 !! Newegg.com - Sunbeam PSU-ECO650-US 650W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies __________________ i7 920 @ 3.5 Ghz Win 7 Ultimate Edition 64 Bit Asus P6T Deluxe, BIOS 1701 Vigor Monsoon III LT 6 x 2 Gig Mushkin PC12800 ATI HD 4870 X2 2 x 500 Gig Seagate SATA II HDs in RAID 0 Samsung SATA TruDirect DVD Burner w/Lightscribe Seasonic 600W PSU Creative X-Fi Titanium sound Lian Li AO5B Black Case Hauppage 1800 TV Card
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10-26-2009, 10:05 AM	#8
fvbounty Eat Wild Pacific Salmon Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Alameda Ca Posts: 5,660	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy Just my 2 cents, you can't beat Corsair PS, good price, always Great reviews, some of the best cables in the business (easy to route) and the best part they are very quiet, plus a Great warranty! __________________ New Gaming rig - Asus P5E3 Deluxe Wi-Fi - Intel QX9650 - CORSAIR TWIN3X2048-1600C7DHXIN 6GB PC3-12800 - Sapphire HD 5870 Vapor-X 1 gig - 300 gig VelociRaptor W7 - 150 gig Raptor XP Pro - 320 gig WD 3200YS Data - Corsair HX 620 watt PS - Creative X-Fi Titanium PCI-Express - Altec Lansing ADA885 THX 4.1 Speakers AMD FX 55 - XP-90C & SilentCat 9 - Asus A8N-SLI with Swiftech MCX159 - 2X1024 Corsair 3500LLPro 2-3-2-6 1T - 2X BFG 6800GT OC Zalman VF700-CU - 1 WD 74 Gig Raptor boot - 1 Seagate 7200 sata data - Nec 3500A - Plextor 716AL Slot Loader - Enermax EG 701 AX 600 watt PS - Silverstone Temjin TJ03B case with side window - G7 lazer mouse - Cannon Pixma I8500 printer - Windows XP Pro SP2 Slipstreamed - Dell 2405FPW lcd
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10-27-2009, 06:38 AM	#10
plainman007 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 377	Re: What Kind of PSU should i buy Hi, Seasonic, Antec, etc are brands i wont get here in this junk of a place im right on the other side of the globe from the US. Here we only get junk products. Its pathetic in my place you dont get any of the warranties you are offered in the USA. In fact ive bought so many products (projectors, video servers) etc officially with a bill from the authorised dealers and even though that product has an advertised 3 year warranty on it internationally. In my place alone they will offer you just 1 year on even that product. WITH THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY Sticker on it. Thats the way the work here. Theres ever that ever has more than a 1 year warranty on it. Anyway back on topic. The brands available here are Iball. Then Samyu. And other kinds of accidents that are programmed to happen. Some soon. Some later. Ive never ever been able to get my hands on arctic silver thermal compound for years. Still looking.
(Offline)

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