480 watt PSU for 31 beans?

SornyPanafonic
By SornyPanafonic
Apr 14, 2004
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  1. hey i was looking to upgrade my PSU from 340 (which i thought was 450 according to its model number but no) to 480. i calculated how much wattage im using and its like 400 but with the overall power supply mulitplier its around 660. too many fans and drives and a 9800. the 9800 is the main cause for the power upgrade as its acting funky. when i try to watch tv with it, it hangs and then dies and so does my comp along with it.

    so i found a cheap PSU on newegg for $31 - 480watts
    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-163-017&depa=0

    the main complaints against it seem to be about its life span - but who cares its only $31 and when the time comes this comp is gonna belong to my lil bro so i'll be oook, hey hey

    watcha fellas think? thanks
    SornyPanafonic, Apr 14, 2004
    #1
  2. Nic

    Nic TechSpot Paladin Posts: 1,928

    The problem with cheap PSU's is that the specs are not up to the job of driving todays power hungry PCs. That 480w PSU you linked to is likely no better than the 340w one you're replacing (check out the +12v@17A rating). Do yourself a favour and get a decent 350w Enermax (450w prefered), as those will provide around 30A on the +12v rail. Nearly all cheap PSU's have poor +12v current ratings (i.e. 20A or less), and won't run power hungry components, such as graphics adapters, that suck large amounts of current from the +12v rails. Looking at your system specs, you seem to have spent good money all all the other components of your system, yet when it comes to one of the most important areas you go all cheap and start looking at the low end. A big mistake as far as I'm concerned, especially when a decent PSU doesn't cost that much more, compared to other system components.
    Nic, Apr 14, 2004
    #2
  3. SornyPanafonic

    SornyPanafonic Newcomer, in training Topic Starter Posts: 159

    SornyPanafonic, Apr 14, 2004
    #3
  4. vassil3427

    vassil3427 Newcomer, in training Posts: 822

    FAR better PSU....
    vassil3427, Apr 14, 2004
    #4
  5. Rory7

    Rory7 Newcomer, in training Posts: 164

    Pretty smart, reputable name. 5 out of 5 for all who used it. I know a few people who have them. Generally, anything in the 50 quid range from a well known pc hardware maker will do just dandy.
    Rory7, Apr 14, 2004
    #5
  6. SornyPanafonic

    SornyPanafonic Newcomer, in training Topic Starter Posts: 159

    aight sounds good.. i think this is a go

    ps is 480w enough? - planning on adding a third hard drive or something...
    SornyPanafonic, Apr 14, 2004
    #6
  7. Nic

    Nic TechSpot Paladin Posts: 1,928

    That PSU is good quality, but 18A on +12v rail is still pretty low by todays standards. If you're going to buy a new PSU then get something with at least 20A on the +12v rail, and preferably more. Enermax is a safe bet, as even a 350w Enermax will pump out around 26A at +12v, which is critical for next generation graphics accelerators and other power hungry components which feed of the +12v rail.
    Nic, Apr 15, 2004
    #7
  8. SornyPanafonic

    SornyPanafonic Newcomer, in training Topic Starter Posts: 159

    aaaah youre right...crappper...ima find a different one then
    SornyPanafonic, Apr 15, 2004
    #8
  9. ---agissi---

    ---agissi--- TechSpot Paladin Posts: 2,382   +15

    ---agissi---, Apr 15, 2004
    #9
  10. Vehementi

    Vehementi TechSpot Paladin Posts: 3,199

    Vantec? You mean Antec.

    Same logic can be used here as in this post -> link

    I as well would reccomend the Enermax 460W.
    Vehementi, Apr 15, 2004
    #10
  11. ---agissi---

    ---agissi--- TechSpot Paladin Posts: 2,382   +15

    Antec and Vantec both.
    ---agissi---, Apr 16, 2004
    #11
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