Who Makes The Best Power Supplies

ryguy101077 · Feb 27, 2005, 10:20 PM

I need to order a new power supply and would like to know who makes the best ones. I'm tired of using cheap ones that don't last long and don't hold up to the standard.

Please Help.

email me: ryguy101077@yahoo.com

riles9262 · Feb 27, 2005, 10:23 PM

antec, ocz, ultra, enermax are all good...there are many others too.

Volcom929 · Feb 27, 2005, 10:45 PM

PC Power and Cooling are one of the best IMO and many others will agree. They are quite expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Tipstaff · Feb 28, 2005, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volcom929

PC Power and Cooling are one of the best IMO and many others will agree. They are quite expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Couldn't have said it better Volcom.

Antec would be my next choice after that. SilenX are expensive, but damn quiet. They aren't meant for pure power, but cleaner power and stability. As for UltraX, they're ok, but they use way too much shielding as to make the cables very inflexible, and their 12v lines can be a bit twitchy.

- Tip

CDsDontBurn · Feb 28, 2005, 12:59 AM

agreed, PC Power and Cooling is awsome. Next PSU on my list would be OCZ, followed by Antec, Enermax, Ultra, Athena, Allied. There are several other different companies out there of course, but those are just a few that come to mind when i think about them.

PandaZ3 · Feb 28, 2005, 02:14 PM

Here is another vote for

http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/home.htm

but I do have three Antecs too and I believe Seasonic's are good too.

Necrosis · Feb 28, 2005, 02:51 PM

PC Power & Cooling is good though mine did blow up. The OCZ Power Stream I have in it's place is working the same, and running cooler to boot.

jasonbourne · Feb 28, 2005, 05:03 PM

Im Realy Happy With My Tk 520w Pure Power

Matth · Feb 28, 2005, 05:20 PM

Seasonic and Fortron seem to be respected middle name supplies
Tagan seem to be a more regional name.

Another good measure, is to note how honest the specifications are... hyping the total power above all else is usually the sign of a poor supply, and a poor supplier.

These days, the 12v rail is getting to be the most important, though it once only drove motors and nothing else - now it powers the CPU, the the graphics card, a stack of drives and the fans - several good supplies (and NO bad ones) have two independent 12v rails.

The biggest problem is finding a good "middle ground" PSU... any fool can go and buy cheap junk, or spend a fortune on an "overclocker's delight".
The trick is finding a decent PSU for a "normal" system - if buying in person, I'd favour (unless one was alumium cased) the on that felt reassuringly heavy ... skimping on heatsinks is one of the usual things in a low grade PSU - if you can see through the fan grille, a sparse interior with small "bent plate" heatsinks is a really bad sign.

CDsDontBurn · Feb 28, 2005, 07:13 PM

the easiest way to find out if a PSU is good or not, is to simply put it up to the "weight test." If you see two PSUs and both boxes say 500w, pick both of them up and the better PSU will be the heavier one

. Mind you that the heavier one will also be more expensive. But if you'll be buying the PSU online, then the weight test will be pointless because you cannot pick one up to see for yourself.

BurL · Feb 28, 2005, 07:38 PM

I have a thermaltake 560w Purepower and ever since I got it my overclocks are stable. It replaced my old antec 430w which I thought was good, but then I got my TT and now I realize my antec was just an average PS.

BWX · Feb 28, 2005, 07:56 PM

ANTEC 550watt

bake15 · Feb 28, 2005, 08:27 PM

i've had a zalman,antec,fortron and ocz.the ocz is the best i've had,the adjustable rails and the build quality is what swings it for me

Zardon · Feb 28, 2005, 08:31 PM

OCZ powerstream.

Logla · Feb 28, 2005, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

OCZ powerstream.

here here!

Randy P · Feb 28, 2005, 10:21 PM

From my personal experience Sparkle and Enermax are quite good.

Lowfat · Feb 28, 2005, 10:37 PM

PC P&C would be number one without a doubt. The Sparkle/Fortron, OCZ.

I have a thermaltake 480w, its decent, but loud as hell.

swimtech · Feb 28, 2005, 10:48 PM

From what I have read and experience - PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, Enermax, and Vantec.

Take to heart what Matth mentioned - need high amps on the 12v line(s).

Asmoday · Feb 28, 2005, 11:06 PM

My OCZ Powerstream 520w is the best PSU i've owned. Ever......

Geminiwave · Feb 28, 2005, 11:10 PM

PC power and cooling is absolute best.

Antec aint too shabby though.

Drakon · Mar 1, 2005, 02:24 AM

hmmm, with all these votes for OCZ, i'm thinking of buying the Powerstream 520w and swapping out my X-Connect. Then either sell it or use it in my old rig which i'm giving to my mom (it currently has a cheiftec 340w PSU).

spottymonster · Mar 1, 2005, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakon

hmmm, with all these votes for OCZ, i'm thinking of buying the Powerstream 520w and swapping out my X-Connect. Then either sell it or use it in my old rig which i'm giving to my mom (it currently has a cheiftec 340w PSU).

Excellent idea.

PCP&C are the best, I just couldn't afford one. I like this OCZ a lot too. After those two brands, fortron is the next best one. PCP&C and OCZ are pretty reasonable with their wattage claims, however, many people consider fortrons to be underrated. If you're looking for a 24pin PSU, the fortron blue storm is a very solid PSU at a very reasonable price (~$80)

Silentpcreview.com has very good reviews of the units themselves and utilize good testing methods. Ignore their noise concerns, our definition of a quiet PC would make them go insane

BWX · Mar 1, 2005, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spottymonster

Excellent idea.

PCP&C are the best, I just couldn't afford one. I like this OCZ a lot too. After those two brands, fortron is the next best one.

Fortron better than Antec? I don't think so. Maybe comparable, but better?

Lowfat · Mar 1, 2005, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWX

Fortron better than Antec? I don't think so. Maybe comparable, but better?

I'd take a Fotron anyday over an Antec PSU.

BWX · Mar 1, 2005, 07:04 AM

Oh well, differences in opinion I suppose...

Does Fortron make a PSU with adjustable rails?? That's one of the reasons I like my Antec.

CDsDontBurn · Mar 1, 2005, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmoday

My OCZ Powerstream 520w is the best PSU i've owned. Ever......

indeed

. I second this notion

.

spottymonster · Mar 1, 2005, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWX

Oh well, differences in opinion I suppose...

Does Fortron make a PSU with adjustable rails?? That's one of the reasons I like my Antec.

You can adjust the rails of any forton, just not as easily as the antec. Its usually very unnecessary, as the voltages are very tight from the factory. Crazy voltmodders need only apply.

Robert McClelland · Mar 2, 2005, 05:11 AM

Rosewell are very sweet psu

I have np issues so far

Sneaky · Mar 2, 2005, 05:45 AM

It seems that the x-connect isnt very good..I really like how it removes excess cables from the comp giving it a much cleaner look, but is the performance that bad?

Anyway, when i do build my next pc itll have one of the above recomended psu's, i think ill check out the ocz's

Drakon · Mar 2, 2005, 05:53 AM

well the performance of the x-connect seems fine to me. i do need to test it with a DMM to see what the real volts are.

Feb 27, 2005, 10:20 PM	#1
ryguy101077 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Who Makes The Best Power Supplies I need to order a new power supply and would like to know who makes the best ones. I'm tired of using cheap ones that don't last long and don't hold up to the standard. Please Help. email me: ryguy101077@yahoo.com

Feb 27, 2005, 10:23 PM	#2
riles9262 Driverheaven brewmaster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 4,842 Rep Power: 70 System Specs	antec, ocz, ultra, enermax are all good...there are many others too. __________________ A beer a day keeps the doctor away.

Feb 27, 2005, 10:45 PM	#3
Volcom929 DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 175 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	PC Power and Cooling are one of the best IMO and many others will agree. They are quite expensive, but you get what you pay for. __________________ AMD FX-53 w/ XP-120 & Panasonic 120mm Panaflow fan Asus A8V Deluxe Rev 1.02 BIOS 1009 ATI Radeon X1950 Pro AGP 2 GB Corsair XMS PC3200XL 2-3-3-6 Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro 2*WD 10,000 RPM Raptor Hd's Raid 0 120GB Seagate 7,200 SATA LiteOn 8x dvd +/- RW LiteOn 52X CD-RW LiteOn 16X DVD-ROM PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 Deluxe

Feb 28, 2005, 12:59 AM	#5
CDsDontBurn 127.0.0.1 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,458 Rep Power: 202 System Specs	agreed, PC Power and Cooling is awsome. Next PSU on my list would be OCZ, followed by Antec, Enermax, Ultra, Athena, Allied. There are several other different companies out there of course, but those are just a few that come to mind when i think about them. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Feb 28, 2005, 02:14 PM	#6
PandaZ3 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cornelius, Oregon Posts: 417 Rep Power: 0	Here is another vote for http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/home.htm but I do have three Antecs too and I believe Seasonic's are good too. __________________ It has to be Plugged In? To electricity? Video cards in house, 5770, 4650, HD 3870, X1950 XTX, X1900 XTX, X1900 XT and X1900 Crossfire, 2 X1800 XT's, X850 Pro, X800 Pro, AIW 9600XT, 9600 Pro, 9550 SE, 9200, 7000. XFX 6800 GS

Feb 28, 2005, 02:51 PM	#7
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 129 System Specs	PC Power & Cooling is good though mine did blow up. The OCZ Power Stream I have in it's place is working the same, and running cooler to boot.

Feb 28, 2005, 05:03 PM	#8
jasonbourne DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: great yarmouth uk Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	Im Realy Happy With My Tk 520w Pure Power __________________ http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...asonBourne.jpg

Feb 28, 2005, 05:20 PM	#9
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,411 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	Seasonic and Fortron seem to be respected middle name supplies Tagan seem to be a more regional name. Another good measure, is to note how honest the specifications are... hyping the total power above all else is usually the sign of a poor supply, and a poor supplier. These days, the 12v rail is getting to be the most important, though it once only drove motors and nothing else - now it powers the CPU, the the graphics card, a stack of drives and the fans - several good supplies (and NO bad ones) have two independent 12v rails. The biggest problem is finding a good "middle ground" PSU... any fool can go and buy cheap junk, or spend a fortune on an "overclocker's delight". The trick is finding a decent PSU for a "normal" system - if buying in person, I'd favour (unless one was alumium cased) the on that felt reassuringly heavy ... skimping on heatsinks is one of the usual things in a low grade PSU - if you can see through the fan grille, a sparse interior with small "bent plate" heatsinks is a really bad sign.

Feb 28, 2005, 07:13 PM	#10
CDsDontBurn 127.0.0.1 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,458 Rep Power: 202 System Specs	the easiest way to find out if a PSU is good or not, is to simply put it up to the "weight test." If you see two PSUs and both boxes say 500w, pick both of them up and the better PSU will be the heavier one . Mind you that the heavier one will also be more expensive. But if you'll be buying the PSU online, then the weight test will be pointless because you cannot pick one up to see for yourself. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Feb 28, 2005, 07:38 PM	#11
BurL Liver SUCKS!!!! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 228 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I have a thermaltake 560w Purepower and ever since I got it my overclocks are stable. It replaced my old antec 430w which I thought was good, but then I got my TT and now I realize my antec was just an average PS. __________________ If I had a bean burrito I would smash it all over my chest.

Feb 28, 2005, 07:56 PM	#12
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,665 Rep Power: 109 System Specs	ANTEC 550watt __________________

Feb 28, 2005, 08:27 PM	#13
bake15 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wigan,UK Posts: 582 Rep Power: 0	i've had a zalman,antec,fortron and ocz.the ocz is the best i've had,the adjustable rails and the build quality is what swings it for me

Feb 28, 2005, 08:31 PM	#14
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 177	OCZ powerstream.

Feb 28, 2005, 10:21 PM	#16
Randy P HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 476 Rep Power: 48 System Specs	From my personal experience Sparkle and Enermax are quite good.

Feb 28, 2005, 10:37 PM	#17
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,251 Rep Power: 99	PC P&C would be number one without a doubt. The Sparkle/Fortron, OCZ. I have a thermaltake 480w, its decent, but loud as hell. __________________ 27" iMac: i5 750 * 80GB X25-M G1 * 4GB DDR3 * HD4850 Stacker: 2600k * P8P67 Pro * 4GB DDR3 * 80GB ioXtreme * 30GB X25-E * (2) HD6950 * Asus D2 * Enermax Revo85+ HWD: (2) Xeon E5649 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * 8800GTS * 1000W Antec FT01BW: (2) Xeon E5645 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * GTS210 * Gigabyte 800W Odin GT Storage: (2) Sans Digital TR8M-B * 29TB

Feb 28, 2005, 10:48 PM	#18
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	From what I have read and experience - PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, Enermax, and Vantec. Take to heart what Matth mentioned - need high amps on the 12v line(s). __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Feb 28, 2005, 11:06 PM	#19
Asmoday Demonic Join Date: May 2002 Location: In the cold, dark north... Posts: 5,198 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	My OCZ Powerstream 520w is the best PSU i've owned. Ever...... __________________ How You can help Hardwareheaven by using Digg

Feb 28, 2005, 11:10 PM	#20
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 62	PC power and cooling is absolute best. Antec aint too shabby though. __________________

Mar 1, 2005, 02:24 AM	#21
Drakon DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Floatin'... Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 56	hmmm, with all these votes for OCZ, i'm thinking of buying the Powerstream 520w and swapping out my X-Connect. Then either sell it or use it in my old rig which i'm giving to my mom (it currently has a cheiftec 340w PSU).

Mar 1, 2005, 07:04 AM	#25
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,665 Rep Power: 109 System Specs	Oh well, differences in opinion I suppose... Does Fortron make a PSU with adjustable rails?? That's one of the reasons I like my Antec. __________________ Last edited by BWX; Mar 1, 2005 at 07:48 AM.

Mar 2, 2005, 05:11 AM	#28
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,252 Rep Power: 193 System Specs	Rosewell are very sweet psu I have np issues so far __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2242746

Mar 2, 2005, 05:45 AM	#29
Sneaky DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0	It seems that the x-connect isnt very good..I really like how it removes excess cables from the comp giving it a much cleaner look, but is the performance that bad? Anyway, when i do build my next pc itll have one of the above recomended psu's, i think ill check out the ocz's

Mar 2, 2005, 05:53 AM	#30
Drakon DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Floatin'... Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 56	well the performance of the x-connect seems fine to me. i do need to test it with a DMM to see what the real volts are.