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POWMAX 500w??

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I used that PSU for some time (6 months) with no problems on a raid system 6 drives (HDDs and CDs) and an XP 1700 // But from what I read they only put out 450W so I think you would do better with the sparkle 350 (it put out over 450W at tomshardware)
 
Can you say "Duck" ??? Your 300watt Antec, in real life is better than anything PowMax makes...Period...Your system is probably one of the few that might, really need more power than a 350watt Sparkle PSU will produce...And even still, the 350watter will run your system standing on its head compared to that PowMax...and the "Duck" is for what you will have to do if you run that thing with your system, Kaaa...Powww...Maxxx...(that is the sound it will make when it goes up in smoke)...LOL...just kidding...:D
 
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For the price it is not that bad I am running my duallie with one:D The rails are solid. It probably wont last a long time and I do not have a lot of stuff in this system. I would like to hear from someone else who has actually used a Pow Max though. as for the post above mine do you have any links or anything to back up your representation of them.
 
No links or reviews or any of that stuff...But like Daemonfly I have been on the recieving end of smoke billowing out of a 400watt KaaPowwMaxx 9804 SEL case...I have one running my 733 Celly but that will change tomorrow...Got a SX630II for a box I am building and took the SmartPower 300 (SL300S) out of it and exchanged it with the 350watt Fortron from Directron...So PoMax and Deer are two power supply's that I will flame in a heart beat...The Deer actually caught on fire...I was not please to say the very least...I am sure people run them and have had and continue to have good luck with them...But not me..:eek:
 
POWMAX is made by "Leadmen" and they do make a lot of the OEM PSU's I do know that they are not (by far) the best but depending on what you are building it may be fine for you
 
I would put the antec back, the powmax's allong with future power recently were added to my crap list of companies once I did a little research. I saw a pow max 450 today that only put 150 to 3.3 + 5v rails combined. I would guess the 500 isn't much better.
 
Tom's said that the 500W Powmax/Leadman could put out only 426W, while a 350W Fortron/Sparkle managed 454W.

Powmaxes aren't that quiet, but they seem to be put together decently. Tom's said that it didn't blow when shorted, and another website said that a 600W Robanton (same company) survived an accidental short.
 
I know nothing about psu's. so plz dont flame me for asking stupid questions lol.

These psu's output 426W, 454W, etc, automatically right? You dont go in and change anything right? If they do, then why does the POWMAX said to be a 500W when it only outputs 426W?

And how does the Sparkle 350W manage to output that much when its only said to be a 350W?! Im confused lol..
 
Read this thread by Larva... http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=150384 ...This thread will give you some meaningful information about power supplys...The comparison of audio amplifies is a perfect example of how certain manufacturers will use different ways of rating a amplifer...There is "peak power"...RMS...high current...the list just goes on and on...One thing I still do not understand is in that thread they talk about the 3.3 and 5 volt rails combined...I am looking at a SL300S Antec right now and this is what it seezzzz...DC Output (a positive and negative) reading for the 12v, 5v, and 3.3v...On the next line it seezzz...Max Output and then Min. on the third line...Larva talks about the importance of the 5 and 3.3 volts rails combined...Still have not figured out the math on them...But I know what to buy and what to stay away from...Just read this thread and you will have a clue anyway...:)
 
Forget the price and get this one, it is 45.00 plus shippin... http://store.yahoo.com/xpdirect/35sparpowsup.html ...With a Chieftec case it will run you over budget a few bones...But you can not think but know that you have one of the best bang for buck combinations that will last you for years...The PowMax 9804 is 34.00 bones at www.directron.com/ look under beige mid-towers, it comes with a 400watt KaaPowwMaxx PSU...and I have used literally dozens of them for people who want CHEAP !!! My 733 Celly is sitting in one...Really if you think about it the monitor and case are two things that you just cannot escape...And the PSU is something that could be almost as important as the motherboard...Talk about heart and soul...You can also get the 350watt Fortron from Directron with one single 80m/m fan, which I try to use in every box I build if the budget will allow it...Here is a link to the Fortron from Directon...It is 38.00 bones instead of 45.00...Save you a few duckies...and believe me they are quiet...If the 350 Fortron with the single 120m/m fan is quieter then it could be considered silent in my book anyway...http://www.directron.com/fsp35060bn.html ...If Directron were not 1 mile from my house so I can get it "NOW" I would already have the single fan 120...But one thing for sure first thing in the morning I am ordering one...Shucks the 300watt single 120m/m fan Fortron from Directron could probably power the box in my sig no sweat...Think I will go buy one of those tommorow and check it out...:)
 
thanks a lot for all that info and links. I'll look into it..

quick question, is an Antec 480w True Power a lot better than the Sparkle 350w? what are your opinions?
 
PSUs put out only as much power as their loads draw, and www.tomshardware.com got the 426W and 454W numbers by loading down the PSUs until they either quit, blew up, or one of their output voltages drooped below specs. Those tests showed that Fortron, Antec TruePower, and HEC PSUs were able to put out 30% more than their rated powers, so I don' t know which one is better, but I noticed that Fortrons have the bigger transformers (large yellow thing) in them than other PSUs of the same rating. A 300W Fortron's transformer may be as large as a 500W+ Powmax's.
 
I have the 430TruePower's in both of my box's...Nice PSU's, whisper quiet, rock solid, stable...My first one was kinda of flakey for a couple of weeks, got a RMA from Antec, no big hassel from the guy I was talking to, but for some reason when I started to pull it, I whipped out my trusty Antec ATX power supply tester (dont laugh) Radio Shack Multi-tester and all my voltages where great...3.319, 5.01 and 12.12...Has been great...The second one has been rock solid since day one...It does have the "fan only" headers for a maximum of 3 case fans, that adjust according to system temps...Nice power supply...Kinda pricey compared to the 400watt Sparkle/Fortron and probably not one bit better...;)
 
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