Power supply approvals?

[LRW]

Wow, it's been VERY hard to try to find a quality PS in my budget! I just
about need an electrical engineering degree to feel comfortable with all the
requirements and tips and suggestions....

I've narrowed my search down to three PS's. Now, as for the numbers, they
seem comperable. And I've gotten feedback that manufacturers can lie (sure,)
but I can't know if they are or not...so I just have to take it at face
value that these respected namebrand companies aren't going to lie.

Antec
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...atalog=58&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1&section=1
Spec Sheet:
http://www.antec-inc.com/specs/sl350_spe.html
Sparkle
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-103-486&catalog=58&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1
Spec Sheet
http://www.sparklepower.com/pdf/FSP350-60PN.pdf
Fortron
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-966&depa=0
Spec Sheet
http://www.fspgroupusa.com/proddetail.asp?linenumber=3

They're all 350 watt for about $40 sale price (don't know what list prices
are.) They each have 220-230 watts on the 3.3+5v lines. And I respect
Antec's honesty that it's MTBF is only 50k hours while the other two are
100k...50k is still long enough for me.

So, what I've decided to go by, is approvals. Someone in a thread mentioned
CSA 2.2 or something. Now, I don't know what any of the approvals are beyond
UL and FCC, so if maybe I can get some recommendations based on these
certifications, it can help me decide.

The Antec: UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, NEMKO
The Sparkle: UL 1950, CSA C22.2 Level 3, IEC 950, TUV 60950, NEMKO (CB
Report)
The Fortron: UL,CSA level 3,TUV

The Fortron I think I like better because it has 230 watts on the 3.3+5v as
well as rated at 100k hours...but it has the least approvals. Does that
really matter? The Sparkle has the most approvals...but is that really
important? Does the Antec have all the approvals one should really care
about (in the US?)

Thanks for feedback! I'll be making my purchase tomorrow, so I'll stop
bugging people. =)
Liam

 

[JAD]

Although you c o u l d do better buying a PSU that is above 50$, but in the long and short any supply could fail at anytime. Look at
the years of warranty and whether or not they cover damaged components should it be a QC problem..

 

[Guest]

I've narrowed my search down to three PS's.


Fortron
www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-966&depa=0

They're all 350 watt for about $40 sale price
They each have 220-230 watts on the 3.3+5v lines. And I respect
Antec's honesty that it's MTBF is only 50k hours while the other
two are 100k...50k is still long enough for me.

Realize that MTBF is not the same as lifespan but is the likelihood of
failure during middle age. In other words if you have a Las Vegas
sign made up of 1,000 lightbulbs with a MTBF of 1,000 hours, you can
expect a failure every hour. But more importantly, MTBF numbers for
PC power supplies are rarely based on tests run on samples of the
actual products but on estimates derived from industry failure rates
for the internal components and for switching-mode power supplies in
general, and that's assuming that the manufacturer simply didn't pull
a number out of a hat. This is why all stated MTBF numbers are
suspiciously either exactly 50,000 hours or exactly 100,000 hours.

Of the 3 power supplies in your list, I don't see any advantages to
the 350W Antec because it's one of their Smartpower or Solution Series
models, which aren't known for being as beefy as their Truepower
models of similar power ratings. The Fortron and Sparkle supplies
seem identical, only one was photographed upside down, and one is
painted grey while the other is plated with either chrome or zinc.

So, what I've decided to go by, is approvals.

That's probably not going to be helpful because safety approvals are
all about the same (I'm sure compliance engineers want to hang me for
that ignorant statement), except maybe CE (done on the honor system --
no actual test samples required), and almost all of the worst
performing power supplies have earned legitimate approvals from
several organizations. Still, I would never buy a supply that wasn't
UL or CSA approved, and approvals must be verified (www.ul.com,
www.csa.ca, etc.) because some are faked, even when registration
numbers are printed on the product. FCC approval is also faked,
probably more often than the safety approvals are, even for products
that were originally certified (EMI/RFI components removed in
production). But all 3 of the power supplies in your list show FCC
approvals on their stickers, and I'm sure they're legitimate because
of the reputations of their manufacturers and because I've seen the
EMI/RFI filters in them.

The Fortron I think I like better because it has 230 watts
on the 3.3+5v as well as rated at 100k hours...but it has
the least approvals. Does that really matter? The Sparkle
has the most approvals...but is that really important?

If you looked inside both, you'd probably see virtually no
differences, not even for the safety certifications of the high
voltage AC components.

It seems that all 3 supplies have exactly the same 220W 3.3+5V rating.
The 3.3+5V capacity is important for motherboards that run the CPU
from the +5V, as do those with only a single 20-pin ATX connector and
possibly also a 6-pin Aux connector. But most newer motherboards also
have a square 4-pin connector or a disk drive power connector (Asus)
and operate the CPU from the +12V, therefore requiring less than 70W
of 3.3+5V capacity.

 

[Bill Turner]

In other words if you have a Las Vegas
sign made up of 1,000 lightbulbs with a MTBF of 1,000 hours, you can
expect a failure every hour.

_________________________________________________________

That would be true only if the failures were truly random. In the case
of a light bulb, the failures would normally come after a long period of
operation. If you power up your sign with all new light bulbs, you
would most likely see a bunch of failures centered around the 1000 hour
point.

IOW, it depends on the failure mode of the component. Some modes are
random and others are proportional to hours of use.

Remember the old saying about statistics?

 

[LRW]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this and my other two threads regarding
PSUs!
A lot of advice and help I'm very greatful for. =)

Based on which, I had decided to go with the Fortron. Which as of this
morning was SOLD OUT at Newegg!! >:-(
So, after some searching for the same model elsewhere and finding it on
average $12 more expensive, I decided to get the Sparkle which is the exact
same thing, except no manual fan speed adjuster. =/
But $3 cheeper and in stock, so I won't complain. =)

Thanks again, all!!
Liam

 

[jeffc]

Although you c o u l d do better buying a PSU that is above 50$, but in

the long and short any supply could fail at anytime. Look at

the years of warranty and whether or not they cover damaged components

should it be a QC problem..

That's probably the best suggestion. If you're on a tight budget, then the
warranty might be more important than the MTBF. Odds are a better one will
last longer, but a good warranty covers those odds (assuming you can live
with your computer being down for a week.)

 

[Wooducoodu]

if noise is at all a concern i'd eliminate the antec.