It appears you have not yet registered with our community. To register please click here...

 
Go Back [M] > Hardware Madness > General Madness - System Building Advice
Which Power Supply? Which Power Supply?
FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Which Power Supply?
Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 28th December 2004, 19:18   #1
CobraX
 
Posts: n/a
Which Power Supply?

Hi folks,

I'm gonna upgrade my current PC config this February. It's going to look like this (unless I change my mind on some parts):

- Athlon64 3000+ S939 Boxed
- Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
- 2x 256 MB DDR SDRAM PC3200 (Corsair Value Select maybe?)
- Leadtek Geforce 6600GT 128 MB

The only part missing here is the power supply (I currently have an Antec 300W power supply). I searched the web but I can't make a decision on which power supply to choose. Here are my candidates:

- Antec NeoPower 480 (seems rather noisy at full load according to silentpcreview)
- Nexus NX4090 (400 Watt)
- Antec TruePower 430
- OCZ PowerStream 420
- OCZ ModStream 450

Now the things I'll keep from my current config are:

- 2x Seagate Barracuda IV 7200 RPM UDMA100
- SB Live! Player 1024
- Adaptec AHA-2930U SCSI
- Plextor PX504 (DVD writer)
- 2x 80mm antec case fans
- Quickcam Pro3000 (USB)
- Canon i560 (USB)
- M$ Intellimouse Explorer (USB)
- My keyboard (PS2)

Now looking ahead in the future tells me that those seagate drives will be replaced by 2 SATA drives, (noisy) antec casefans will be replaced by papst fans, 512 MB DDR SDRAM will be added later on + another 6600GT will join his "older brother". Initially I'm not really planning to overlock my system.

Now that you guys know my power needs, I'll tell you what features I like about power supplies:

- the absence of noise (or at least as less noise as possible)
- Modular PSU (I hate those cables that make it hard to mess around in my case)
- Stability

If you take this into account, the OCZ ModStream/Antec NeoPower 480 would be obvious choices, but still I'm not 100% sure of these 2 PSUs. The NeoPower 480 is noisy at full load according to silentpcreview. SilentPCReview also says the following about the ModStream 520:

Despite the modest start SPL of 26 dBA/1m, the fan in the OCZ-520 would not be considered really quiet by most silent computing enthusiasts. Even at 4.6 volts, this fan produces bearing noise in a distinct rhythmic chatter. The problem may be exacerbated by the brittle clear plastic frame. Motor noise is fairly good, representing a low hum that is noticeable mainly at lower speeds when it is not overpowered by air turbulence. At higher voltages, the rhythm of the bearing chatter increases in speed and volume, and air turbulence begins to overpower the hum of the motor noise.

And also, are the PowerStream series better than the ModStream series? I noticed that the PowerStream series get more attention (just because of the adjustable volt lines?).

I hope you guys can help me out .

Edit: Oh yeah did I already mention I like the blue light fan on the ModStream PSU?
 
Old 28th December 2004, 19:30   #2
Madshrimp
 
jmke's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: 7090/Belgium
Posts: 79,022
jmke has disabled reputation
Default

According to SilentPCReview almost every single PC piece is noisy, except fanless things

the PowerStream series is OCZ's high end PSU line mainly due to the adjustable voltage rails; also check the specs for amount of A. for each rail.

If you can live with the extra cables, I could also suggest the Sharkoon 480W unit http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=get...&articID=2 65 which is only available in Europe afaik;
__________________
jmke is offline  
Old 29th December 2004, 07:58   #3
Member
 
easypanic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,823
easypanic Freshly Registered
Default

OCZ Powerstream is very good. It has good and stable voltlines.

But it's equipped with loads of cables....
__________________
|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\||____
|....The BEER TRUCK.... ||||'""|""°\_,__
|___Just for You___l||__|__|___|) _____|
|(@)(@)""""""""""""**|(@)(@)****|(@)|
easypanic is offline  
Old 12th January 2005, 01:28   #4
CobraX
 
Posts: n/a
Default

So I kind of figured out which power supply to get. It will be an OCZ PowerStream but I don't know which one yet. The candidates are the 420, the 470 and the 520 watt version. I will now show you guys the most extreme setup that I'm going to use in combination with the powerstream and I'll hope you guys can help me out on which version to choose then.

- Athlon64 3000+/3200+ @ 2.6 Ghz (air cooled)
- 4x 512 MB DDR SDRAM PC3200 (dunno @ which speeds) -> all memory slots in use in other words
- 2x PCI cards in use
- 1x PCI-E card in use
- 2x Leadtek GF6600 GT PCI-E @ default speeds
- 2x 80mm papst (?) casefans
- 4 usb devices (mouse, keyboard [could also be ps2], printer, webcam)
- 2x SATA HD 7200 RPM
- 1x floppy drive
- 2x DVD Writer/Rom
- onboard things like soundcard, lan, firewire can also be used

Will the 420 watt version be strong enough for this config?
 
Old 12th January 2005, 01:31   #5
Member
 
Sidney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 15,738
Sidney Freshly Registered
Default

Try getting a case with two 120mm case fans instead.
__________________
lazyman

Opteron 165 (2) @2.85 1.42 vcore AMD Stock HSF + Chill Vent II
Sidney is offline  
Old 12th January 2005, 01:41   #6
CobraX
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by lazyman
Try getting a case with two 120mm case fans instead.
Why choose 120mm fans instead of 80mm fans? Better cooling but also noisier? I currently have a Chieftec Dragon case. It's an old model (BD I believe) but you probably know it. It's a full tower (black) model and the fan holders inside the case are for 80mm fans only. If I would buy another case it would be this one. So still no 120mm fan holders.
 
Old 12th January 2005, 03:24   #7
Member
 
Sidney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 15,738
Sidney Freshly Registered
Default

Less noise given the same CFM is the reason.
Do what want you want, only answer since you asked.
__________________
lazyman

Opteron 165 (2) @2.85 1.42 vcore AMD Stock HSF + Chill Vent II
Sidney is offline  
Old 12th January 2005, 08:31   #8
Madshrimp
 
jmke's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: 7090/Belgium
Posts: 79,022
jmke has disabled reputation
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by CobraX


Why choose 120mm fans instead of 80mm fans? Better cooling but also noisier?
bwahaha

larger fan -> less noise for same CFM
thus 120mm is better for case cooling!
__________________
jmke is offline  
Old 12th January 2005, 10:53   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 923
187(V)URD@ Freshly Registered
Default

Maybe some 30€ cheap PSU like I got , best 30€ i ever spend imo

Cheap / stable / no noise / chilly / excellent lines.

review 1
Review 2
Review 3
Review 4
Review 5
__________________
AMD Opteron 146@3ghz H2O Storm | DFI NF4 Ultra-D | 2*512MB Gskill LE | X800GTO˛@X850XT-PE | 2*250GB Hitachi | Modded Aopen H600B| Seasonic 600W | MX510@450HZ | 19\" TFT BenQ 937s+ |3DMARK2001
AMD XP2400+@2600+ | Epox 8rda+ | 2*256 Twinmos BH5 | Club3D 9600Pro | Maxtor 80GB + 200GB | server + moviestation |
187(V)URD@ is offline  
Old 12th January 2005, 14:41   #10
CobraX
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by lazyman
Less noise given the same CFM is the reason.
Do what want you want, only answer since you asked.
Well thx for the advice but I checked all 120mm papst fans and there's no fan with less than 20 dBA (or max 20 dBA) so I guess that's too noisy.
 
Closed Thread


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
FSP Group Power-Mod 700 Watt Power Supply Review jmke WebNews 0 22nd October 2008 12:54
Corsair Launches New Power Series Power Supply Line jmke WebNews 0 14th October 2008 19:58
Topower 850Watt Quad Graphics Card Power Supply jmke WebNews 0 15th September 2008 13:36
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W Power Supply jmke WebNews 0 30th December 2007 17:49
Thermaltake announces semi passive 380/520W Dual Power Supply jmke WebNews 0 2nd December 2006 08:39
Corsair HX620W Modular Power Supply Review windwithme WebNews 6 9th August 2006 09:47
Corsair goes PSU with HX Modular Power Supply Series! jmke WebNews 5 1st August 2006 18:17
High Power 560Watt Power Supply HPC-560-A12C Sidney WebNews 0 21st February 2006 07:11
OCZ Announces 600 Watt PowerStream Power Supply jmke WebNews 0 28th October 2004 00:30
ACRyan launches Power Supply with removable cables and adjustable volt rails jmke WebNews 4 15th June 2004 19:08

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:57.


Powered by vBulletin® - Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO