PSUs

[Darkness]

I currently have a Qtec 650W psu. Used a few online wattage calculators and they said my computer (as it is) needs about 400-450W so 650 has plenty of room for expansion.

My problem is im thinking of upgrading my computer from an xp2200 to a p4 3.0ghz ht and from the ati 9800XT to the ati x800XL (pcie) and my current psu is rather lound and asking on another forum people said that qtec psus die easily and take out the entire computer.

Has anyone had any bad experiences with them and also does anyone know of any alternative, im looking for 550w upwards and am into case moding so ones that come with some braiding on would be ideal for me.

Ive been looking at the SilenX 600w iXtrema Pro PSU from kustompcs, it has a 24pin motherboard connector which my new motherboard will have and also seems to have braiding around the main power cables but at £140 its rather pricey but is supposed to be rather quiet.

Does anyone know of any cheaper shops or any alternative psus i could get

 

[CobaltBlue]

Dang your making me feel worried now. I've been on my £9.99 500W Ebuyer PSU for sometime now. I don't know if you would consider this a high load:

P4 3.06 Ghz 800FSB 1MB Cache
Motherboard
Radeon 9800 Pro (the one that needs molex power)
3 7200rpm hard disks
3 opical drives
3 PCI cards
About 3 case fans

No problems whatsoever. Its quite quiet too.

 

[Darkness]

Its just what ive heard, the qtec psu's dont last. Most devices use 12v and qtec have a good 3.3v rating but the 12v is poor (feel free to correct me if wrong)

Im currently running
4 IDE hdds
1 sata drive
dvdrw
dvd
9800XT
audigy with live drive
2 pci cards
and a few usb devices

Im just a bit worried as im considering spending nearly £600 on a new system and not wanting to psu to take it all out.

 

[muckshifter]

The Q-Tec Bomb

I've seen a few ... that I had to replace.

An Antec TruePower 480w would serve you well ... and don't let the difference in wattage fool you.

 

[crazylegs]

The Antec is a great Psu..... But so is this baby, i run this 550 watt aeropower in my main machine and it is a superb piece of kit.....


http://www.overclock.co.uk/customer/product.php?productid=17218
Check it out from Overclock.co.uk.

 

[Darkness]

That looks a good psu, high power, cable sleiving etc. but is it quiet.

would also be nice if it was 24pin but that doesnt realy matter

 

[crazylegs]

Och yeah its super quiet......read the review on there website and that will tell you all the specs.

 

[CobaltBlue]

Good PSU Brands (also expensive!!)

Enermax
Antec
SilenX
Tagan - arn't too bad

 

[Darkness]

Are aeropower any good, they seem to have good reviews.

Im thinking about getting the AEROPOWER -The black / silver line 550W, its got braiding, is very shiny and aparently very quiet. The AEROPOWER II+SE looks good, but im not sure about the uv ractive stuff, i dont know if i like it or not., also black/silver goes with everything if i change my colour theme in my case and the aeropower black/silver is slightly cheaper.

I thing, this is a 20pin motherboard connector, ive thinking of getting a motherboard with 24 pin, does this matter at all?

 

[Kye]

All i can remember is that 24-pin manage power better or somthing like that.

Im looking for a PSU, but there are too many options, some qualities that one PSU will have another one lacks, but the one that lacks that importent thing will have somthing the other PSU will have.

I could of said that less confusingly

 

[muckshifter]

Are aeropower any good, they seem to have good reviews.

Im thinking about getting the AEROPOWER -The black / silver line 550W, its got braiding, is very shiny and aparently very quiet. The AEROPOWER II+SE looks good, but im not sure about the uv ractive stuff, i dont know if i like it or not., also black/silver goes with everything if i change my colour theme in my case and the aeropower black/silver is slightly cheaper.

I thing, this is a 20pin motherboard connector, ive thinking of getting a motherboard with 24 pin, does this matter at all?

If a 20 pin is what the motherboard calls for, then get a 20 pin. But if your motherboard calls for a 24 pin and you are shopping for a new PSU anyway, go ahead and buy a 24 pin one, even though a 20 pin one would probably still work correctly.

 

[Darkness]

In that case does anyone know of any decent psu's which 24pin, at least 550W that are quiet, preferably with braiding (being a case modder) and for less than £100, obviously the cheaper the better being a student.

 

[muckshifter]

Enermax ... whether you find one under £100, I don't know ... I'm sure others here will have an oppinion.

 

[ChristopherP]

The X-Pro ones look pretty good... they are getting more and more popular - originally just sold at novatech now at Overclockers...

Don't know if they have a 550w though... i know they have a 460w and they arent badly priced. They are fully braided too

 

[PotGuy]

Surprised nobody has mentioned Thermaltake's purepower silent psu's. Been using htem for my last 2 rigs and they have never failed me, constant good qualtiy power. Look good too