Help me decide on which PSU to get

[ctty]

I wish to get a PSU to power the system below:
XP2500+ @ 2.4GHz, 1.95V
1GB HyperX PC4000
Abit NF7-S @ 240MHz FSB(480MHz)
Maxtor DM+9 160gb SATA & AltasIII SCSI 18GB & DM+60 30.7GB PATA
PowerColor R9800Pro @ 433/350
TDK 48X CDRW
Sony 48X CDROM
Intel 100/S NIC
2 x 120mm low speed fans
1 x 120mm delta 0.6A
1 x Global Win 0.22A 80mm
1 x 0.19A 80mm
1 x NWB 92mm
1 x 40mm 5V
1 x Cold Cathode Light

I need very strong 12V, 3.3V & 5V lines to aid my overclocking, for with my SuperMicro 400W PSU, the 12V line is around 11.85V , my 5V line around 4.94V@ 2.3GHz, 1.85V. The Power Supply should also have room for expansion and adding of hardware. I am looking for a PSU that can maintain at least 11.98V(12V) @ full load & 4.99V(5V). I actually wanted the PC Power & Cooling 510 Dexule but the shipping adds 35% of the cost so it is too ex. The power supplies that I can find and will choose from in my country are:
Tagan 480W PSU w/ PFC(Silent)
HEC 525W PSU
Antec TruePower 550(no PFC, TrueControl Model not available)
Which should I take? Does PFC help to give a more constant voltage and reduce fluctuations in the current? I am currently thinking of getting the Tagan 480W as it has a more powerful 12V line than the HEC & Antec.

 

[Deathknight]

I would opt for the Antec TP or the HEC. The 550w TP is a great PSU, so if you can afford it thats your best bet out of the 3 choices you have there.

 

[dalilman52]

for those very strong 5v and 12v lines, i would go with the fortron 530w, its pretty cheap compared to the other expensive ones like antec or PC P&C

 

[ctty]

How's the Tagan 480W in comparsion to that? Honestly, I dun really like the HEC 525W. I have no problem with the Antec 550W, just that it only provides a max of 24A on the 12V line, while the Tagan has 28A. Besides, the Tagan can sustain 480W, with 500W max for 60s, while the Antec is rated @ 530W max. The price of the Tagan and Antec are the same, so I am still considering. By the way, Tagan is a German brand. Does PFC matters? Is it very important? Cause the Antec has no PFC while the Tagan has. Thx for helping.

 

[ctty]

for those very strong 5v and 12v lines, i would go with the fortron 530w, its pretty cheap compared to the other expensive ones like antec or PC P&C

I can't get that in my country(Singapore). Only the Tagan's & Antec...

 

[ctty]

Antec 550
+5V -5V +12V -12V +3.3V +5VSB
Max. Load
40A* 0.5A 24A 1.0A 32A* 2A
Min. Load
0A 0A 0.8A 0A 0A 0A
Load Reg.
±3% ±5% ±3% ±5% ±3% ±5%
Ripple V(p-p)
50mV 50mV 120mV 120mV 50mV 50mV
Tagan 480W

Which is better?

 

[dalilman52]

ooo...ic...since ive never heard of tagan, id suggest antec then...get a very good one, so u wont have to upgrade the psu in like a year

 

[RoyBoy]

The Enermax 465 watt series has more amperage per rail than your Tagan. The Enermax 465 has 35 Amps on the 3.3 rail and the 5.0 rail, and 33 amps on the 12 volt rail. It really works well for me. Suggest you consider it!

 

[Deathknight]

Hrm I think Enermax has some slightly exaggerated #s (as most PSUs do). I think there is certainly better bangs for your buck than enermax. This is the big problem with just reading labels, its hard to say how well they can be trusted unless you know how well the product performs. This is why I think its important to stick with the established good performers.

 

[R4z0r4mu5 Pr|m3]

Hrm I think Enermax has some slightly exaggerated #s (as most PSUs do). I think there is certainly better bangs for your buck than enermax. This is the big problem with just reading labels, its hard to say how well they can be trusted unless you know how well the product performs. This is why I think its important to stick with the established good performers.

it's not that enermax specs are exaggerated, it's just that some psu makers like fortron use specs under the ones their units actually put out, enermax make very good supplies but are also very expensive, i would also suggest the antec 550

 

[RoyBoy]

Well all I can say is I am running 6x80mm case fans, a Vantec Aeroflow HS/Fan, two Cold Cathode lights, a GPU fan on my ATI card, 3 Maxtor 7200 HDD's, 2 CDRW's, and a Nexus Fan controller on this rig and my voltage rails are stable at 3.44, 5.08, and 12.10.

If that is not a proven reliability and good performance, then please tell me how I would find one.

It is well known that the Antec, Enermax, P&C Cooling, and Thernaltake PSU's are the highest rated by overclockers.

Suggest you read my post as I was speaking about a comparison of the Enermax to the Tagan PSU he had indicated, not the Antec. I know the Antec is good but more expensive than the Enermax here in Canada.

 

[Deathknight]

Well we can call it a difference of opinion I guess I do believe that many brands overrate their PSUs, its not just a simple fact of Fortron underrating (which they do). For the cost Enermax is just not worth it IMHO. PC P&C for instance is a costly brand of PSU, but there is an obvious increase in quality for that cost, I just don't see that from enermax, at least not to justify the cost.

As far as TT goes(made by Sirtec), well I think there is better options(Fortron/Sparkle, Antec TP, PC P&C)

 

[Speed_Mechanic2]

There's no Fortron, Sparkle, or AOpen PSU's in Singapore? All FSP Group PSU's are built the same, and each one of these offer the FSP530-60 unit.

 

[ctty]

Unfortunately there isn't. Well, there used to be Enermax, but not now. Now there are only Antec, Tagan & HEC to choose from.