Selecting a Power Supply

[O Nemesis 0]

I need more power because 350w is just not enough. I want a PSU with 600w or more and the PSU has to have AFPC and more than 80% efficiency at full load. It must be modular too. Another thing that would be nice is blue LED's. Are there any quality PSU's that can be recommended?

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[madmat]

The Tt Toughpower 750 I reviewed a bit ago should fit the bill nicely. No blue LEDs but it has everything else you're after.

[O Nemesis 0]

So I read your review and I think this will fit nicely in my NZXT Apollo Case. However will the Thermaltake sticker thing that says tough power be on the window side (left if you're in front of case)?

[madmat]

Yep, it is.

[O Nemesis 0]

So I've been thinking about buying a toughpower 750w. But then I came across the Silverstone ST75F ATX12V/ EPS12V 750W

here are the links for both
silverstone :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817256009
thermaltake: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153038

Which one should I get? They are the exact same price

[madmat]

Depends on if you have enough room for an oversized PSU or not. The Tt is just a tad bigger than a regular ATX power supply while the Silverston is huge. Myself I'd go with the smaller of the two since they're both solid performers and both deliver on their ratings.

[sbrehm72255]

I'd also go for the Tt Toughpower. they're a solid PSU made by Channel Well and have a pretty solid rep. I'm using a Xclio, which is basicly the same PSU (Channel Well), and couldn't be more pleased with it.

[Baron]

The Corsair HX520/620 would also be a good choice.
The only thing it lacks is the bling of an led fan.

[Rory Buszka]

The Corsair power supplies are Seasonic-designed, and very quiet as reviewed by SilentPCReview. If you do not care about Bling (as I do not), the HX supplies from Corsair are probably the best options.

[Rob Williams]

Ahh, Seasonic makes those. I actually just received one, and I have to say it looks extremely solid. Can't wait to pop it in a machine. Even the packaging is the best I've seen for a PSU, heh.

[madmat]

The new X-Pro series from Ultra are pretty solid, I've got a prototype 600W unit that I've been playing with and it's nice as heck. No modular cables sadly but still pretty spanky.

[Rob Williams]

What's the X-Pros offer over their other non-modular supplies?

[madmat]

The 600W version I have has a single 12V rail, 80%+ efficiency, APFC and is a very solid PSU.

[Rob Williams]

Ahh nice, sounds good. Ultras been pumping out some great stuff lately.

[werty316]

With the G80 out and about and the R600 just around the corner its good to see Ultra is keeping up to date.

Ultra X-Pro 750W (http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=52&pPath=548&productID=554)
A single 12V rail with 50A is darn good.

[BloodSugarWilksM]

How do you know if a PSU will fit into a particular case??

I am buying this PSU and this case does anyone know if they will work together?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146027

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703005

Thanks so much!

[Rory Buszka]

It looks like any other standard-length ATX power supply to me. You should be good in that case even with an extended-length power supply like their Silencer 750W.

Welcome to the forum.

[BloodSugarWilksM]

Awesome, thanks - I'm so excited and such a geek! :)

[madmat]

The Silencer 610 is a bit bigger than a standard ATX PSU to the tune of 1.5" to 2.0" but it still should be fine in that case, I don't see you having any issues.

[Rory Buszka]

Well, so it is.

Silencer 610: 7.1" deep
ATX Standard: 5.9" deep

So, the Silencer 610 is actually 1.2" deeper than the standard ATX power supply. I suppose I should have done more homework before I said that it looked like a standard ATX power supply, instead of just eyeballing it.

[madmat]

I've got ATX PSUs that are 5.5" deep so I've always gone with that as the minimum depth for ATX power supplies.

[BloodSugarWilksM]

Cool, so PSU's can be larger but typically they're just longer?? Like how do you guys know it will fit in the case? I can't find specs for my case i.e. dimensions for PSU space etc.

Thanks for the tips, I really like this case too, it's going to be so awesome! :)

[BloodSugarWilksM]

Oooh I have another question, please help!

What's the deal with this on my Silencer 610:
Type: EPS12V

Will that work with my motherboard??
ASUS M2N-E Mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131022)

If anyone knows for sure that would be awesome! I'm confused on this whole EPS12V and ATX12V stuff... :(

[madmat]

EPS is the 8 pin power used for servers, typically the PCP&C stuff will either have both 8 & 4 pin or come with an adapter.

As to the size, yes it'll fit there's plenty of depth between the rear of the case and the rear of the drive bays.

[BloodSugarWilksM]

Excellent, thanks! I did some research and I think I read that EPS12V is backwards compatible with ATX12V so that rocks. Thanks again.

[Merlin]

Silverstone ST1000w just came out, it will even run the elect weed eater

Deckard

[Rory Buszka]

Just a little mini-review for y'all...

I bought an Etasis ET750 750W power supply recently. Etasis is the OEM for three of the Silverstone Zeus series power supplies, the 560W, 750W, and 850W, but they've entered the market under their own brand name as well. It's an extended-length power supply with two PCBs, and it offers four 6-pin PCI-E power connectors and both four- and eight-pin motherboard power connectors. The Motherboard, PCI-E, and ATX12V 2.2 cables are all sleeved with expandable mesh, while the SATA and 4-pin Molex cables are braided. The PSU itself has a silver painted finish, and it's one of the most well-packaged power supplies I've seen. It also has quad 12V rails, for powering four voracious video cards separately. In testing by sites like JonnyGuru.com, the ET-series Gaming Power Supplies turned in remarkably good results, remaining stable and clean even at high loads. This isn't surprising, given the fact that Etasis made their name in the server power supply market long before they turned an eye toward the PC enthusiast market.

The problem I have with most power supplies isn't with voltage sagging or ripple, however -- it's with operating noise. Etasis advertises that the single 80mm fan in the power supply is controlled by "IFM", or "Intelligent Fan Management", which is a thermal fan control circuit. Placing the fan on the interior end of the power supply allows the internal space of the PSU casing to act as a muffler. Unfortunately, the Sanyo Denki "San Cooler 80" fan inside the unit runs way too fast to be silent, even at its lowest speed. The structure of the PSU allows most of the fan noise to be damped out, but what's left is the sound of turbulent airflow. The overall noise level isn't loud, but it's not even what I'd call 'quiet', and in that regard, the ET750 power supply is a major disappointment.

[NicePants42]

The problem I have with most power supplies isn't with voltage sagging or ripple, however -- it's with operating noise. I'm with you, man. 100%.

Etasis advertises that the single 80mm fan in the power supply is controlled by "IFM", or "Intelligent Fan Management", which is a thermal fan control circuit. Placing the fan on the interior end of the power supply allows the internal space of the PSU casing to act as a muffler. Unfortunately, the Sanyo Denki "San Cooler 80" fan inside the unit runs way too fast to be silent, even at its lowest speed. The structure of the PSU allows most of the fan noise to be damped out, but what's left is the sound of turbulent airflow. The overall noise level isn't loud, but it's not even what I'd call 'quiet', and in that regard, the ET750 power supply is a major disappointment.You probably saw this one coming a mile away - it's sad how we get taken in by the same marketing promises, hoping that maybe some new technique will actually make the PSU quieter - and then reality strikes. Then your perfect hindsight kicks in: "A silent 80mm fan? What was I THINKING?"

I purchased the PCP&C silencer 750 thinking that since PCP&C is such a high-end brand, they must really MEAN silent. Wrong. This thing is like a freaking hair dryer under load, even though it's air intake is ambient.

At this point, my next PSU purchase is probably going to be something from the TT toughpower series. [H] reviewed the 1200W unit recently (http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzMCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0), and the efficiency ranged from 82 to 87% - plus it uses a Yate Loon 140mm fan for cooling.

[moon111]

My SuperFlower has a 14 cm fan with a speed controller. Modular cables. Attractive finish. Really quiet. Some come with LEDs. (Mine did not) I wasn't worried about wattage, etc... my hardware isn't the most demanding.

I must say, I really like the concept of a single 14 cm fan. And with three speed settings, going from practically silent to a soft wind is nice.

[Merlin]

I went with the Silverstone ST 1000w with 14 cm fan. Mainly for the dual 12v rails for a total of 82 amps peak load.
I can't even tell if it's running it's so quiet.Even at high loads it stays quiet.
THe fan is on the inside, bringing in ambient air and exhausting inside.
JUst as the exhaust is expelled, the case fan ( Thermaltake Armor Aluminum ) takes the air back outside.

Merlin

[NicePants42]

I went with the Silverstone ST 1000w with 14 cm fan. Mainly for the dual 12v rails for a total of 82 amps peak load.
I can't even tell if it's running it's so quiet.Even at high loads it stays quiet.
THe fan is on the inside, bringing in ambient air and exhausting inside.
JUst as the exhaust is expelled, the case fan ( Thermaltake Armor Aluminum ) takes the air back outside.

Merlin

That's great and all, but I can't find a review of the ST1000. The largest and most recent Strider series review I can find is the ST850 at Jonnyguru. (http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=101) The review isn't exactly stellar.

IIRC, Decathlon = Modularized Olympia, but I think the Striders are another beast.