Antec vs Zalman Power Supply

[Fidelis K]

I'm building a new Core 2 Duo system and have to decide on a PS. I've had a
good luck with Antec (quiet and reliable) but I've read many posts about
Antec's PS quality going down (less quiet and unreliable). How about
Zalman's power supply units? I guess they must be very quiet. Has anyone had
experiences with Zalman?

 

[MikeB]

I'm building a new Core 2 Duo system and have to decide on a PS. I've had a
good luck with Antec (quiet and reliable) but I've read many posts about
Antec's PS quality going down (less quiet and unreliable). How about
Zalman's power supply units? I guess they must be very quiet. Has anyone had
experiences with Zalman?

Hi, I don't have any advice for you, but was wondering if you have any
advice for me on how to size the PS for a home-built system? I'm also
planning to use a Core 2 Duo processor.

 

[Fidelis K]

Hi, I don't have any advice for you, but was wondering if you have any
advice for me on how to size the PS for a home-built system? I'm also
planning to use a Core 2 Duo processor.

Anything over 450W is sufficient. My current system has a 430W PS and I've
never had an issue. I have 2 DVD drives, 3 HDs, 1GB ram, P4 2.8GHz, Radeon
X850 Pro, 3 additional PCI cards, and a bunch of fans.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I'm building a new Core 2 Duo system and have to decide on a PS. I've had a
good luck with Antec (quiet and reliable) but I've read many posts about
Antec's PS quality going down (less quiet and unreliable). How about
Zalman's power supply units?

I have no experience with Zalman, but they're made by Fortron-Source,
which is good.

Antecs are made by two different companies, Channel Well Technology
(TruePower, SmartPower, Neo) and Seasonic (NeoHE), and Seasonic is one
of the best manufacturers anywhere. The CWT Antecs are also good, but
unfortunately CWT uses Fuhjyyu brand electrolytic capacitors, and if
you check at www.badcaps.net you'll find that this is one of the worst
brands. However Fortron-Source is also using Fuhjyyus in some of their
models, so Zalman could be affected by this as well.

To find the best power supplies, check websites like www.jonnyguru.com,
www.tomshardware.com, www.xbitlabs.com, and the forums at
www.overclockers.com, www.hardocp.com, www.extremeoverclocking.com, and
www.xtremesystems.com.

 

[John Doe]

I'm building a new Core 2 Duo system and have to decide on a PS.
I've had a good luck with Antec (quiet and reliable) but I've read
many posts about Antec's PS quality going down (less quiet and
unreliable).

Where have you read many posts like that?
My guess is you/they/whoever are talking about a specific power
supply. Maybe Antec built a lemon, it happens.

All of the TruePower 2s are popular and highly rated on NewEgg.

I recently purchased an Antec TruePower 2.0 TP-II 380.

Current voltage level readings:

1.42
3.30
5.00
11.90-11.97 (fluctuates)

I'm sure those are not perfectly accurate readings,
but they are readings.

Sorry, I can't tell if it's noisy because I can't hear it


I wish they would route the wires neatly, but I guess none do.
Functionally it doesn't really matter.

 

[johns]

In the last year, I bought 16 Antec SLK1650B cases with 350watt
SmartPower
power supplies in them. So far, 8 of them have failed ... all the same
way ..
2 x 1000microfarad electrolytics in the startup supply become leaky and
swell and burst. I repaired 4 of them myself, and they work fine. I
sent 4
of them back to Antec for warranty repair .. primarily to see if they
would
actually do it ... and they came back repaired under warranty. In
several
other machines, I have used the TruePower power supplies, and none
of them have failed, and they are in the same crappy environment.

johns

 

[Fitz]

I'm building a new Core 2 Duo system and have to decide on a PS. I've had a
good luck with Antec (quiet and reliable) but I've read many posts about
Antec's PS quality going down (less quiet and unreliable). How about
Zalman's power supply units? I guess they must be very quiet. Has anyone had
experiences with Zalman?

Just to throw another hat into the ring, check out the Corsair HX620 (or
520)

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=945

After reading a few reviews and owners feedback, it's what I'll be
replacing my
Antec with for an upcoming upgrade.

Fitz

 

[John Doe]

In the last year, I bought 16 Antec SLK1650B cases with 350watt
SmartPower power supplies in them. So far, 8 of them have failed
... all the same way .. 2 x 1000microfarad electrolytics in the
startup supply become leaky and swell and burst. I repaired 4 of
them myself, and they work fine. I sent 4 of them back to Antec
for warranty repair .. primarily to see if they would actually do
it ... and they came back repaired under warranty. In several
other machines, I have used the TruePower power supplies, and none
of them have failed, and they are in the same crappy environment.

My last supply was a 350W SmartPower and seemed to work just fine.

 

[johns]

My last supply was a 350W SmartPower and seemed to work just fine.

I'm guessing crappy environment .... student lab .. hot
in summer .. dusty. Even Antec can't build for that.
I went after the Air Conditioner dudes, plus setup
"hibernate" function after 45 minutes idle time. That
seems to be holding pretty well, but my TruePowers
had no problems. They have the big fans. Those
Smart supplies are built too tight, I think.

johns

 

[Jeff]

Fidelis K wrote:

Just to throw another hat into the ring, check out the Corsair HX620 (or
520)

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=945

After reading a few reviews and owners feedback, it's what I'll be
replacing my
Antec with for an upcoming upgrade.

Fitz

I was just about to suggest the same. I just bought the Corsair 620 the other day but haven't even turned it on yet, as I'm still
waiting for a processor. It is made by someone else (can't remember, but I think perhaps Seasonic?) - there are only 3 attached
cables, and the rest are attached only if you need them (I think that the Zalman had a similar design, that was my second choice).
The fan is on the inside to decrease noise.

Jeff

 

[Rod Speed]

I'm guessing crappy environment .... student lab ..
hot in summer .. dusty. Even Antec can't build for that.

Oh bullshit. Just use high temp caps.

I run all my stuff in that sort of environment and have only
ever had one cap failure, in a Humax satellite STB which
has seen exactly just the one cap in the power supply fail
in the bulk of the Humaxes that people I know personally use.

I went after the Air Conditioner dudes, plus setup
"hibernate" function after 45 minutes idle time. That
seems to be holding pretty well, but my TruePowers
had no problems. They have the big fans. Those
Smart supplies are built too tight, I think.

Or they just used ****ed caps.

 

[jt3]

Had that with a 450 Enermax; replaced cap myself. Replaced with 2
successive Antecs since that, no problem, but I have heard the same sort of
report as Johns.

Joe

 

[beerspill]

I'm guessing crappy environment .... student lab .. hot
in summer .. dusty. Even Antec can't build for that.

Antec doesn't build anything. They have it built and designed (except
for
cosmetics) by other companies, and one of those companies uses crappy
capacitors and runs its fans at slow speeds. $10 worth of Japanese
caps
will improve the reliability of these Antecs, whether they're
Smartpowers
or Truepowers, more than air conditioning and more frequent use of
hibernate mode will.

 

[Gary]

I was just about to suggest the same. I just bought the Corsair 620 the
other day but haven't even turned it on yet, as I'm still
waiting for a processor. It is made by someone else (can't remember, but I
think perhaps Seasonic?) - there are only 3 attached
cables, and the rest are attached only if you need them (I think that the
Zalman had a similar design, that was my second choice).
The fan is on the inside to decrease noise.

Jeff

If your looking to replaced your power supply don't over look PC Power &
Cooling power supplies. They are not cheap and I have been using them for
years in builds and have never had a failure yet. Just hold one of there
power supplies in one hand and another brand in the other and you will even
feel the quality just in weight. http://www.pcpowercooling.com/home/

 

[John Doe]

Antec doesn't build anything.

Obviously since Antec is a brand name.

They have it built and designed (except
for
cosmetics) by other companies,

That sounds fishy. Even assuming it's partly true, it makes no
difference anyway, the brand name is what matters.

and one of those companies uses crappy
capacitors and runs its fans at slow speeds.

I would ask for citations, but I know your reply would bounce off of
too many rails.

$10 worth of Japanese
caps
will improve the reliability of these Antecs, whether they're
Smartpowers
or Truepowers, more than air conditioning and more frequent use of
hibernate mode will.

Decreasing ambient/room temperature makes a big difference for
electronic components.

 

[Rod Speed]

beerspill whoever.com wrote

Obviously since Antec is a brand name.

That sounds fishy. Even assuming it's partly true, it makes
no difference anyway, the brand name is what matters.

I would ask for citations, but I know your
reply would bounce off of too many rails.

Decreasing ambient/room temperature makes
a big difference for electronic components.

That isnt the problem with those bad caps.
The problem is that they are bad caps.

And the dust claim is just plain silly with cap failure.

 

[John Doe]

I had no trouble with "those" bad caps, whatever "those" is
referring to.

My last power supply was an Antec 350W SmartPower. I think it's the
22 amp at 12 volt version which apparently was an update to the
original. It still works just fine. Before that, I had an Antec 230
W supply. It still works just fine.

My current power supply is an Antec 380 TruePower. The whole
TruePower series is exceptionally well liked by hordes of users.

That's my experience/research. Your experience (if you have any)
might be different. Maybe I'm just better at picking decent power
supplies.



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From: "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa gmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Subject: Re: Antec vs Zalman Power Supply
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:03:22 +1000
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John Doe <jdoe usenetlove.invalid> wrote

beerspill whoever.com wrote

Obviously since Antec is a brand name.

That sounds fishy. Even assuming it's partly true, it makes
no difference anyway, the brand name is what matters.

I would ask for citations, but I know your
reply would bounce off of too many rails.

Decreasing ambient/room temperature makes
a big difference for electronic components.

That isnt the problem with those bad caps.
The problem is that they are bad caps.

And the dust claim is just plain silly with cap failure.

 

[beerspill]

That sounds fishy. Even assuming it's partly true, it makes no
difference anyway, the brand name is what matters.

I suggest you look at Channel Well and Seasonic supplies. They're
identical to Antec's, except in cosmetics.

I would ask for citations, but I know your reply would bounce off of
too many rails.

Antecs made by Channel Well contain Fuhjyu caps, which are considered
poor, while Antecs made by Seasonic usually have Teapo caps in them.
Teapo isn't great but is much better than Fuhjyu.

Decreasing ambient/room temperature makes a big difference for
electronic components.

Do the calculations. Caps rated for just 2000 hours at 105C is expecte
to last for about 5 years of continuous service at 60C, but it appears
most Antecs will develop at least one bad Fuhjyu after just 3 years of
far less strenuous conditions.

 

[Rod Speed]

I had no trouble with "those" bad caps,
whatever "those" is referring to.

Irrelevant to the problem Johns was talking about.

My last power supply was an Antec 350W SmartPower.
I think it's the 22 amp at 12 volt version which apparently
was an update to the original. It still works just fine. Before
that, I had an Antec 230 W supply. It still works just fine.

My current power supply is an Antec 380 TruePower. The whole
TruePower series is exceptionally well liked by hordes of users.

That's my experience/research.

Not relevant to what is being discussed.

Your experience (if you have any) might be different.
Maybe I'm just better at picking decent power supplies.

Or its pure fluke given the failures Johns has seen.

 

[John Doe]

I suggest you look at Channel Well and Seasonic supplies. They're
identical to Antec's, except in cosmetics.

It doesn't matter. It's no different than your boss telling you to
do something. Doesn't matter whether you work in the same building
or are owned by the same parent company your boss works for.

Antecs made by Channel Well contain Fuhjyu caps, which are
considered poor, while Antecs made by Seasonic usually have Teapo
caps in them. Teapo isn't great but is much better than Fuhjyu.

That's interesting but I don't see any citations.

Do the calculations.

That's from experience.

Caps rated for just 2000 hours at 105C is expecte to last for
about 5 years of continuous service at 60C, but it appears most
Antecs will develop at least one bad Fuhjyu after just 3 years of
far less strenuous conditions.

Again, that's interesting but I don't see any citations.

You lumped the new TruePowers into your bashing and I have a feeling
you are wrong at least about that. I haven't seen anything except
glowing reviews for the entire line of TruePowers.