Which PSU Dilemma...Antec, OCZ, Fortron, Enermax

I started with a 320 TTGI and my system was stable with the 3.4 Pressy, 2 drives, 1 DVD-R, and 5 PCI cards.

I ordered a 420 watt Enermax noisetaker with dual 12v rails (18a each, but only 29A total). I could not get 3.8 to work without restaring during hot cpu tester, so I thought "better power supply".

Since Antec is well recieved, and the 3 and 5v rails are separate I ordered the True550 (with the sigle 30A 12v rail).

12v is pretty solid at about 11.94 (voltmeter measured) which feels pretty good to me, but now I am wondering if I shouldn't trade up to something better.

the True550 with the 24pin connectro and 36A 12v rail is available for a few bucks more and that is very highly regarded.

Also, the Enermax EG701 600w is very highly rated, and has the dual 12v rails so future compatibility is preserved.

I do not like the style of the new ATX2 Antecs, OCZs or Fortrons because they only have a single fan inside, instead of the dual design of my true 550 and the Enermax. I have a server case, used for music recording, and quiet, as well as temp are important. The PS fans help keep air moving trough the case which is otherwise pretty stagnant since the intake fans are low noise and pretty far away.

Should I stick with my True550, or get the True550 server version, or the Enermax EG701 (I have always liked Enermax)? What to do?

I want to run my 3.4 D0 Pressy at 275x14. I have the RAM for it (GSkill TCCD) and am using an ASUS P4P800. I will probably upgrade to the P4C to get better voltage Mosfets and PAT at higher bus speeds.

I also plan to upgrade to a Asetek antarctica watercooling setup for the cpu and northbridge. The Vid card is a Matrox G450 dual, and i could care less about running its' heat into the watercooling system so it will remain passive.

Thanks!
Shane

You might want to shorten your initial post, a little bit. It is kind of daunting to sit hear and read it all. I'd say don't trust the multi, when it comes to fractions of a volt they are not always as accurate as they should be. So only trade up if you will be adding hardware that requires it. Or you if you really want to spend the extra money...

As for the water cooling, I'm going with a line voltage pump and my peltiers will have a seperate and old psu from another computer, because it is a lot cheaper than buying an uber powerful brand new unit.

redwraith94 said:

You might want to shorten your initial post, a little bit. It is kind of daunting to sit hear and read it all. I'd say don't trust the multi, when it comes to fractions of a volt they are not always as accurate as they should be. So only trade up if you will be adding hardware that requires it. Or you if you really want to spend the extra money...

As for the water cooling, I'm going with a line voltage pump and my peltiers will have a seperate and old psu from another computer, because it is a lot cheaper than buying an uber powerful brand new unit.

Click to expand...

Not trusting a multimeter is a pretty sweeping statement. Just like any other tool, you get what you pay for. You can buy multimeters that are accurate to within millivolts.

I am talking about multi's that are less than say twenty bucks. A fifty dollar multi I would maybe trust depending on who manufactured it. He was talking about spending what oh 50-80 bucks based on a partial volt difference, I was simply warning him that it may not matter.

Actually they make mults that are accurate to within picovolts, if you want to spend the money...

My multimeter is an extech and is pretty accurate. It was about $100.

I have just been reading so many posts about power supplies, and most seem to think that Antec isn't up to snuff like they used to be. I am getting the same overall feeling about Enermax here (although I have always had good luck with them). My Prescott chip is giving me some trouble going from 3.4 to 3.8 so I want to rulel out the PS absolutely.

Shane

Most people who say that the Antec TruePower 550W units are not up to snuff for a power-hungry system, are referring to the older models which had only 24A on the +12VDC rail. These older units are indeed poorly suited for a modern and overclocked computer, as they were not designed with the A64 standard in mind.

However, the TruePower 550W that you have right now, with a 30A +12VDC rail, is a perfectly fine unit for your system . I would not replace it unless you are having serious voltage droop issues with the unit. Antec PSUs are very respectable units, despite the recent decline in popularity because of a (perceived? imagined?) 'drop in quality' as of recently. Many people will say that Antec doesn't make PSUs like they used to, but I have seen absolutely no proof to back any of this up.

11.94V on the +12VDC is perfectly fine, and well within the safety margin for an overclocked machine . I would venture to say that upgrading your PSU will not improve your machine's overclockability to any noticeable degree.

That money for a PSU upgrade would be much better spent on a nice homebrew watercooling circuit for your processor .


And with watercooling on mind, I would like to strongly reccomend that you do not purchase a kit for watercooling your machine. Kits are almost always of much lower quality and of higher cost, than what you could put together for yourself from indvidual parts.

For some more specific information and help on putting together a homebrew watercooling loop, feel free to PM me, or check out our forum's excellent watercooling sub-section.

Heck, you already have quite a nice PSU. Why don't you stick with it instead of wasting money getting another PSU?

If you still had the TTGI 320W PSU, then I would have suggested looking at the TTGI 550W N-Plug PSU. One extremely nice unit for the price, and better value than Antec by quite a long way.

Thanks guys. Aside from potential other issues the Antec is pretty darn hot. My CPU temp increased by about 2C after upgrading (albeit much more power).

Since I can still return it I may just get the OCZ 520W and be done. I want to have a super PS that will last, and money is not the main concern. The PCP&C looks awesome, but for a recording studio will undoubtedly be on the noisy side. The 520W OCZ looks to be the next best answer, whikle still being quiet...and from what I've read it will certainly never be the limiting factor in the succesful clocks I achieve.

right?

Shane

I love the OCZ PSUs they kick major *** and look very good love their memory to!

Category 5 said:

Thanks guys. Aside from potential other issues the Antec is pretty darn hot. My CPU temp increased by about 2C after upgrading (albeit much more power).

Since I can still return it I may just get the OCZ 520W and be done. I want to have a super PS that will last, and money is not the main concern. The PCP&C looks awesome, but for a recording studio will undoubtedly be on the noisy side. The 520W OCZ looks to be the next best answer, whikle still being quiet...and from what I've read it will certainly never be the limiting factor in the succesful clocks I achieve.

right?

Shane

Click to expand...

After the last two years of dealing with their PSUs. I will never use another Antec PSU again. I do however, happen to like my OCZ Powerstream PSU though, almost as much as I like my PCP&C.

Argh. Pricing on OCZ here in Australia is horrendous, so it doesn't really matter how good their PSU's are over here.

Over there, well, depends on what tou're willing to pay.

Try taking a look at the TTGI PSU's with the 14cm fans. These'll shift plenty of air keeping your system cool. You can either let the PSU decide what speed the fan is to run at or set it manually. I Quite like the TTGI N-Plug series which copies design features from Antec's NeoPower and also some from Cooler Masters PSU's. They're quite reasonably priced.

If you don't like the idea of another TTGI PSU, then perhaps take a look at what's on offer from Fortron. I've no personal experience with them as they're not available in Australia, but from what I've heard they make an excellent PSU.