Ken said:
Reliability is going to be high on the list, as it will be powering a
large amount of storage. I have used Antec in the past with good
success. My question, I suppose, is whether it is worth spending the
money on a supply like PC Power and Cooling or whether there are some
reliable brands for less. If so, what are the brands I should look at?
Check the PSU FAQs at:
www.jonnyguru.com
www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=232592
www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1045259
Decent PSU reviews are rare. Almost all are at:
www.jonnyguru.com
www.slcentral.com (done by Jonny Guru)
www.hexus.net
www.silentpcreview.com
www.tomshardware.com
www.xbit-labs.com
Disregard reviews that don't load down the test units to at least 100%
full power, i.e. each unit's rated maximum power, rather than simply
use a computer as the load. Also disregard trivial voltage accuracy
ratings because it doesn't matter that one PSU maintains voltages
within 0.5% while another deviates 3-4%.
You don't need to spend big $$$ on PCP&C to get top quality. Other
great manufacturers include Zippy-Emacs, Win-tact, Etasis,
Fortron-Source (Hi-Q, PowerQ, Powertech, Trend, Sparkle -- look for
model number starting with "FSP"), Seasonic, Lite-On, NMB/Mineba, and
Delta. Of these, about the only ones readily available at the retail
level in the U.S. are Seasonic and Fortron, and Fortron is an
unbelievably low-cost bargain.
Also very good are Channel Well Technology A- and B-series (identical
to Antec TruePower and SmartPower), Enermax/Wavesonic/Casemart/Cooler
Giant,
If you want something that will last forever, look for one of those
brands with Japanese brand capacitors inside, some being Delta,
Seasonic, and Lite-On. Enermax uses lots of Taiwanese PC-Tur brand
caps, but I haven't heard of this brand having problems with premature
failure, and apparently they avoided the counterfeit electrolyte
scandal of a few years ago. PCP&C uses lots of Teapo caps, and I don't
know how good they are, but apparently they were never among the worst.
Antec uses lots of Fuhjyyu, except for their NeoHE series (produced by
Seasonic rather than Channel Well), which did use bad electrolyte.