psu decisions..

I posted a question about psu's a couple days back.. Went out today to check.. I was recommended Fortron or Antec here, and told Enermax are good too but too expensive.. well, I haven't been able to find even ONE Fortron in all of Toronto, at least not the 10 or so shops I know and visit all the time.. Antecs are out there (TrueBlue 480 and such) but they are extremely expensive (Which is odd, since I thought you said Enermax was too much money).. I did however come accross an Enermax 465W (431W rated I believe, 465 is the code on the box) dual fan.. will this thing be enough for my system below, considering I also run cameras and cordless devices on a regular basis as well as what you see below, AND I will be o/cing my new barton 2500+ to at least 1.9V by at least 500mhz, if it will go that far.. please let me know.. I also have the option of a Enermax 561 (don't know the power output of this baby, but its definitely more, and way more expensive).. any info is appreciated.

Enermax isn't a bad brand, that 465w is still a pretty decent psu. Not sure how exchange rates and such affect prices in canada but I think here in the US that Enermax is one of the pricier brands, yet I don't think you are buying anything extra for that increased price, except for the name.

I have seen alot of Canadien members complain that they are not able to find fortron. Its sad

more..

Thanx for the info.. the supply in question is $99 in canada (canadian dollars), so about $65US.. The Antec 480 that I was talking about is a crazy $179CND, so thats out of the question, and I am not sure how much better it is.. so here in canada it seems Antecs are more then Enermax.. any info on the Enermax 561 model? I think its only moderatly more in price then the 465, but shuold be much more powerful.. The store people in all stores tell me the reason Enermax is better then Antec of the same performace is better surge protection, but thats about it.. anyhow, I just need to know if this supply will handle my system below plus a serious overclock of a barton or tbredB, I want to o/c as much as it will go with my cooling, no matter what cpu I get..

EDIT: One more thing, this enermax is dual fan, on at the bottom, one at the rear.. its safe to assume that the one at the bottom blows air into the power supply from the caseair, and the one at the rear blows it out, correct?

Since you're in Canada, look for Channel Well too (OEM for Antec) - I recommend the CWT-430AD 430w or higher. These would be the Truepowers.

Fortron sources I know of in Canada are:
www.directdial.ca - search for "fsp"
www.cbit.ca - full line, Winnipeg
www.ntcw.com - look under Aopen, Vancouver
www.eglobalci.com - search for "power supply" and scroll down to the SPI models, Vancouver
www.razorcomputers.net - Sparkle, Scarborough

edit: Found another two:
www.dangeo.com - Sparkle and SPS, Calgary
www.shoplci.com - Sparkle, Montreal

Thanx a lot for that info bud.. So you think I should go for the Sparkle 460 rather then the Enermax 465? let me know wattup.

Sparkle is made by Fortron/Source so you really can't go wrong.

Ok, well, here are the two serials for the two psu's I am deciding on.. BOth are the same price, the only diff is that the Sparkle is OEM and the Enermax is retail which comes with full warranty and all that..

Enermax EG465P-VE or
Sparkle FSP460-60PFN

I believe that max output of the Enermax is 431W, and the max power of the Sparkle is 440W, or so it says on their sites.. In tests, they both perform better then rated.. so I guess its just my preference, I think the Enermax looks better, and has 2 fans (I couldn't find any pic of the Sparkle to see if it has a fan at the bottom).. anyhow, what do you think?!

Keep in mind the Sparkle 460 is an EPS unit meant for server boards with a 24 pin ATX connector. It's possible it may come with an adaptor for 20 pin boards, but I'd drop the retailer an email first. Personally, I'd see if they can get the Fortron 530 instead - the 460 has somewhat weak 3.3 and 5v rails to allow for higher 12v.

There was one place I found in Ottawa that carried the Channel Well CWT-480AD 480w for $99, but sadly that place no longer carries them. A pity, that one would have been perfect