Another which PSU thread..

[Xable]

Yesterday after nearly two and a half years my Tagan TG420-UO1 420W PSU went bang with a flash of light and stream of smoke, thankfully, it didn`t take the rest of the system with it.

I like the tagans build quality and it ran fine (up untill it blew up of course), but expected it to last a bit longer TBO so looking for an alternative.

My Current system:

MSI KM4M-V

AMD Athlon XP 2800+

2X Crucial 512MB, 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700

Onboard Graphics

1X WD 40GB

1X WD 80GB

1X 90mm CPU fan

Plextor Premium CD Writer

Floppy drive

I`m after something that`s capable of running the above (and maybe a few extra HD`s in the future) for at least 10 hours a day, be as quiet as possible, energy efficient, stable and eventually blow up gracefully

I`ve got my eye on these

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/...plies/qt-07400f

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/...ies/nesteq-psus (450W)

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/...ies/fanless423w

Not sure if these are over kill but their quiet

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/...s/yes-fl-550atx

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/...pplies/nova600w

Maybe even this but it`s tagen and not sure if 320W is enuogh anyway

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct....123&subcat=

Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Xable

[jcarle]

Corsair 620W hands down.

[DonDamm]

You didn't mention the video card, but remember that 160w is reserved for the CPU. That's why in a dual processor system you'll see the specs top out at 80w per processor! Subtract that from the rating of the psu you're considering and what's left is what you have for the video card(s) and the drives. If you are a big gamer and have 2 of those 8800GTS cards, expect about 200+w for them. Low level cards draw about 40w and the rest in between. Your drives draw a big chunk (50+w) each on startup and this is what often stresses a psu over time. Drive startups can now be staggered with some drives to help with this, but don't count on it. If you're not running dual vid cards, then jcarle's recommendation is a good one. Look at SeaSonic, too. You'll also find names like Enermax will deliver very good performance, but always check where it's made. Antec used to have really good ones and then they farmed out the manufacturer and the quality went down.

[Xable]

I use onboard graphics, meant to mention that..

Reading around the Corsair has got all praise, I like the modular cables. My only concern is even the 520W version might be a bit overkill, there is a 450W version I see but it doesn`t have the modular cables.

I`m going to look into your suggestions now DonDamm. From what you`ve said 330W would be ample? I guess with most people using beefy cpu`s and graphic`s, there`s not going to be anything in the lower power range that checks every item on my list.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Xable

[Zxian]

Get the Corsair HX520. Even if it is "overkill", it's an excellent PSU. Top notch efficiency, noise, and stability. You can't go wrong. It's powering my Q6600 based system without a hitch.

[ripken204]

i'm with jcarle and zxian, the corsair 620HX and 520HX are great power supplies. i'm running the 620HX and i love it. i especially love the modular cables and the 120mm fan.

[Xable]

I see it`s actuall inards are made by Seasonic who are apparently also good, so I thought to go with a seasonic because they have lower watt models available, but they have an extra fan and don`t have modular cables :/

Looks like it`s a Corsair 520HX then.. time for price hunting.

Thanks for your help guys.

[Xable]

Had I not come here and asked I wouldn`t of gone with the corsar. It`s been in since friday and I`m very happywith it, PSU`s have come a long way since two and a half years ago and with the 5 year guarantee I`ll not be buying one for a while, accept, like the tagan I probably will because by then they`ll have come even further I`ll want a newer, greater model, but still.

Thanks all.