Sparkle PSUs

[Element-Xero]

This company has a good reputation, correct?

I ordered a 400w from newegg and according the the sticky it puts out a supposed (combined 3.3 and 5.0) 235w, which is very respectable. I was just wondering if it just looks good on paper, or if it was as quality as it seems. Has anyone ever had any trouble with them?

thanks.

(not that it matters after the order, i suppose ;))

[rlemieux]

they are good quality and the majority I have heard from them has been praise.

[Da Whip]

I will take a Sparkle any day. They are priced good and perform better.

[Element-Xero]

great :)

Maybe this will do the trick to stabilize my oc.....

little tip though, stay away from "Deer" brand PSUs. It came with my case before I got really into the hardware scene, and I haven't replaced it until now. The 5.0v rail IDLES (!) at about 4.86
and I've seen it as low as 4.80 full load. I gotta get rid of this thing! :beer:

[Diggrr]

You'll love your Sparkle. That 400watter from NewEgg is my 3rd.
Very heavily built, dual line filters inside, and you won't hear the fan because of a built in PWM circuit to throttle it.

The only odd thing is, it doesn't have a power switch to turn it on/off...odd.

[Ridenow]

I killed a 350 Sparkle, one day it just quit. I think it might have been a little overloaded.

[KeyboardCowboy]

Originally posted by Da Whip
I will take a Sparkle any day. They are priced good and perform better.




I aggre with Da Whip, I have used for them for quite sometime, and when i bild a computer for someone, i always use Sparkle's.


They are a little cheaper the Antec psu's, but are build just as well.


Diggrr, I noticed that too, only my 300W's have on/off switches on the back, not the 400's or 350's though.

[larrymoencurly]

Sparkle is supposed to be among the best. Their parent company is FSP, Fotron-Source-Powerman, and they also make PC Power & Cooling's supplies.

[larva]

The sparkle power supplies are amongst the best available. I've used many thousand and they are more reliable than any other power supply I have tried in number. The also boast impressive capacity. The 3.3+5v ratings for the current lineup at newegg:

250W- 175
300W- 200
350W- 220
400W- 235

These babies are heavy and really dole out the power. I've used both the 300W and 350W models on my P4, never had a system that the 350 wouldn't power. The 250 and 300W versions are amazing devices for the money, and severely outclass any other power supply below 30 dollars. The 300W powered my machine as described in the sig below, and did it well. Highly recommended.

I upgraded out of boredom to the 350w unit. It does blow cooler air than the 300w did, due to being lightly loaded. The fan in the 250 or 300 is silent, the NMB model in the 350w is a little loud. Thankfully there are no warranty stickers to prevent you from installing the 80mm fan that strikes the compromise you favor. The 350w version matches the 3.3+5v rating of the 431 Enermax, so the the 400 may not be required. My system below has 7 80mm case fans, and exhibits rock solid 5.05v at all times and loads.

[eh?]

i have a sparkle 400 watt and my only complaint (well not really a complaint) is my 5v drops to 4.95 :) other than that every this is over what it should be...

[Demont]

i just picked up a sparkle 350 from newegg last week, I give it the thumbs up. the 5.00 pretty much just hangs out at 4.99 no matter what i do to it. Oh yeah i got it for 48 dollars shipped.... you cannot beat that. sparkle all the way.

[Tismedt]

I have a 400 and a 300 and they both work fine. One odd thing I noticed on the 400 is MBM shows my 5v 12v as 4.89 and 11.81 but Digidoc5 shows 5.044 and 12.12. I tend to believe the digidoc. I have tested with a multimeter (cheapo) and it seems to confirm the digidoc. For the money IMO you can't go wrong

[Morpheusman]

Originally posted by Tismedt
I have a 400 and a 300 and they both work fine. One odd thing I noticed on the 400 is MBM shows my 5v 12v as 4.89 and 11.81 but Digidoc5 shows 5.044 and 12.12. I tend to believe the digidoc. I have tested with a multimeter (cheapo) and it seems to confirm the digidoc. For the money IMO you can't go wrong

I agree. Sparkle makes good power supplies. I think their at least as good as Enermax.

[neo86]

My Antec 300 watt psu's voltage never drops below 5 and 12 for some reason ever since I got this new abit board.

Damn iwill mobos screwing me over.

Basically, I think Antec PSU's rock!!

Sparkles are good also, but if you find a cheaper price on an Antec go for it!

[WyrmMaster]

Originally posted by Tismedt
I have a 400 and a 300 and they both work fine. One odd thing I noticed on the 400 is MBM shows my 5v 12v as 4.89 and 11.81 but Digidoc5 shows 5.044 and 12.12. I tend to believe the digidoc. I have tested with a multimeter (cheapo) and it seems to confirm the digidoc. For the money IMO you can't go wrong

Thats because there is voltage drop in the motherboard between the ATX connector and the voltage regulator. Its normal. MBM shows my 5v @ 4.8, and my DD5 showes it at 4.97.

[scornduffer]

Originally posted by KeyboardCowboy





I aggre with Da Whip, I have used for them for quite sometime, and when i bild a computer for someone, i always use Sparkle's.


They are a little cheaper the Antec psu's, but are build just as well.


Diggrr, I noticed that too, only my 300W's have on/off switches on the back, not the 400's or 350's though.

I just got my Sparkle 350 pwer supply last night and THEY DO HAVE AN ON OFF POWER SWITCH on the back.

My question is, my voltage is below 12v & 5v slightly. Any advice?

[lemmyslender]

I've got a Sparkle 300, no problems at all using it. 5V & 12V lines are always just a touch above. Works great.

[Demont]

Originally posted by scornduffer


I just got my Sparkle 350 pwer supply last night and THEY DO HAVE AN ON OFF POWER SWITCH on the back.

My question is, my voltage is below 12v & 5v slightly. Any advice?

mine has the switch too. right next to the quality grill. :D
what exactly are your numbers at. mine runs about 4.99 most times... occasionally dipping. if i put the vmem and vcore up to 2.8 and 1.85 and then i run prime95 and seti at the same time... and its a warm day... ive seen it go to 4.88.

[scornduffer]

Originally posted by Demont


mine has the switch too. right next to the quality grill. :D
what exactly are your numbers at. mine runs about 4.99 most times... occasionally dipping. if i put the vmem and vcore up to 2.8 and 1.85 and then i run prime95 and seti at the same time... and its a warm day... ive seen it go to 4.88.

I just installed the power supply last night and I'll be checking the numbers tonight.

The reason I bought it was I had an Enhance power supply that came with my case and I was having rebooting problems with windows xp. The power was cutting out. It was 300 watt with combined power output of 175watts.

The Sparkle is 350 watts with combined power output od 220 watts.

Steve:)

[Demont]

Originally posted by scornduffer
The Sparkle is 350 watts with combined power output od 220 watts.

Steve:)

I know, some 400watt PSU's dont even have 220 watts... gotta love that.

[Element-Xero]

havent hooked it up yet, but i was using it to test the lcd i built (with the ATX connector jump) and some cc's, and I gotta say its DEAD SILENT. I seriously cannot hear a thing if until i put it directly on my ear. I'll post voltages once I get it in, but I'm gonna transfer my whole system at once into a new case, so I'm gonna wait to install it till that case mod is done :)