I am sold on Sparkle

[Misfit138]

Recently, I built a machine for my daughter out of spare parts.

EPoX 8RDA3I Pro
Unlocked Barton XP3000@12x220 1.7v
Leadtek 6800
Maxtor Diamondmax9
2 optical drives, floppy
1 gig OCZ performance series pc3200
Sparkle "Power Q" 300w PSU
5 case fans

After countless hours of abusive gaming, benchmarking and P95, this little 300w PSU is kicking major a$$! With the geforce6800 I was expecting crashes, freezeups, or.....something! I am quite pleasantly surprised that this modest PSU is so robust. I am using a Powerstream 520, which I love, but next time I'd like to try a Sparkle for value and performance.
Any comments welcome....thx!

[meionm]

You like loud things?, what 6800 do you have, if you don't have anything Like Gt or Ultra then it doesn't look so great

[s random]

sparkle is a good company it is forton after all, its a company that puts together a good unit!

[larva]

You like loud things?, what 6800 do you have, if you don't have anything Like Gt or Ultra then it doesn't look so greatThat wooshing sound is the point whistling past your ear. He wasn't saying the supply would run anything, he's saying it's basically free, of obvious quality, and a lot more capable than any numbers would suggest.

[larva]

Sparke is a subsidiary of Fortron Source Power, the real pros in PC power supply design and manufacture. Fortrons and Sparkles are the same units, and all deliver stunning value. Your supply is the absolute low end of the spectrum, but as you see, a low end Fortron is better than 'high end' junk.

There is an even more impressive 300W Fortron model. The Q series is based on the old FSP300-GT, which used to be balanced by the higher end FSP300-60ATV/BTV. Later the higher end 300 was upgraded to a 120mm fan, and is still sold under the FSP300-60PN model number. This unit will clealy outperform the Q series 300, and is still very modestly priced. But as you now know, even the Q is capable of great things if given a realistic load to drive.

[Misfit138]

Sparke is a subsidiary of Fortron Source Power, the real pros in PC power supply design and manufacture. Fortrons and Sparkles are the same units, and all deliver stunning value. Your supply is the absolute low end of the spectrum, but as you see, a low end Fortron is better than 'high end' junk.

There is an even more impressive 300W Fortron model. The Q series is based on the old FSP300-GT, which used to be balanced by the higher end FSP300-60ATV/BTV. Later the higher end 300 was upgraded to a 120mm fan, and is still sold under the FSP300-60PN model number. This unit will clealy outperform the Q series 300, and is still very modestly priced. But as you now know, even the Q is capable of great things if given a realistic load to drive.

I appreciate all the replies, and thanks, Larva for the perceptive response. I was aware of Fortron and Sparkle being one and the same but your extra info is well taken indeed.
This little $29 wonder is still making me grin and my daughter loves the fact that Guild Wars no longer looks like a slide show (her old Asrock mobo had SiS onboard video).
When I originally purchased the PSU, it was for an old XP2100 system, and when I built this 'new' system for my daughter I was doubtful it would hold up under the load.
I will certainly look into a Sparkle/Fortron when I am ready to upgrade my rig.

Thx again all who responded.

[Susquehannock]

Agree with Larva. Can say from personal experience the "Hi-Q" models are good though
not as beefy as the "FSP" models.

Have had a few Fortron/Sparkle 300w PSU through here. The FSP300-60ATV and
FSP300-60PN seem to be the same except for the internal layout to incorporate
the fans.
Both of which beat the pants off two generic 550w PSU in the exact same set up. :D

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I sure like mine ;)

Don't think I'd have bought the same model I did again, the 530w is severe overkill for this system, but after 10 months of 24/7 use it's purring along nicely.

[Gautam]

As soon as I get the Dothan back up, I think I'm going to swap my 530w out for the 300-60PN due to the noise. That poor thing took my AXP at 2.7 gigs and my A64 at 2.5. Quite the beast for the rating, and the price.

[Know Nuttin]

love my BlueStorm.

[Mico]

I've had a FSP (FSP350-60BN to be precise) and it has never failed. I run an AMD 2400+ (overclocked) 3 hard drives, a CD drive, a DVD drive, and on ocassion, a CD-RW. FSP are next to the best, but a whole lot cheaper.