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suggestions for a power supply

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Kalcium King

New Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2002
I'm asking which power supply would be good to use in a chieftec case. I have seen power supplies with a fan on top and I would like to know if these would fit in a case without holes on the top. I was thinking of a antec 430 watt, but i'm open to other suggestions as long as they would fit in the case. The system will need a lot of power so i decided agaist using a case with a generic power supply.
 
chieftec=plenty 'o room

The chieftec case is very nice and has a lot of room above and below the supply. The true power 430 you mentioned is a good unit, and there are many other reasonable choices. As the resident FSP supporter I recommend FSP (Fortron Source Power) units, sold under the sparkle, power man, or FSP labels.

Newegg has the sparkle units and directron has the FSP versions. The true power supplies are nice as well, but do steer clear of the smart power series if the load is stiff. Enermax is another popular brand, but not the equal of the Sparkle/FSP or True Power units. Vantec is selling some stout supplies under the Stealth name, but they are a bit on the coslty side.

Chief amongst the benefits of the chieftec case is great ventilation. Since you will not be relying on the power supply fan to ventilate the case the number of fans is somewhat unimportant. More fans does allow them to spin slower at a given volume delivered though, allowing a lower noise floor.

Being a system integrator by trade I tend to gravitate towards the FSP supplies. They just offer more for the money than the alternatives. Consider the following models

FSP-350-60BN(x)
FSP-350-60BT(x)
FSP-400-60GN(x)
FSP-400-60PFN
FSP-460-60PFN

Directron also has good deals on the True power lineup. Units that would be suitable for your needs include:

TP 380
TP 430
TP 480

All of these supplies are stout, and all are available for well under $100 at http://www.directron.com/powersupplies.html

HEC also makes first rate supplies, but they are somewhat rarer in the marketplace. Don't dismiss one if you find a HEC of adequate wattage though, they serve well. There are a lot of fine supplies available at a moderate cost these days, personal taste will play a large part in the exact choice. Your choice of the chieftec case fitted with a brand name supply is a wise one, any of the above will thoroughly outclass the generic supplies most cases are fitted with.
 
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