At the heart of any computing system is the power supply. As with most things in life, power supplies can vary wildly in regards to quality, performance, styling, and capabilities. Sadly, many system integrators and even large original equipment manufacturers often install whatever power supply happens to be the cheapest to purchase while barely scraping by with minimum wattage requirements. Perhaps even worse, many people purchase power supplies with massive wattage ratings, only to be disappointed when their systems become unstable or power intensive components like hard drives fail due to poor regulation and erratic voltages.
A common analogy could be that a power supply is like the fuel pump in your automobile. Sure, you can install whatever you want, but it is highly unlikely a pump designed for your four cylinder hatchback will deliver the fuel needed to power the eight cylinder monster sports utility vehicle that shadows your car at red lights. In a similar sense, you likely would not purchase a cheap aftermarket pump for your luxury sedan. The same goes for a computer power supply. All ATX power supplies deliver electricity (fuel), but the ratings and quality are certainly not consistent with all brands and models.
Power supply recommendations are as numerous as the people actually reviewing the products. Regardless of personal preference, many quality brands are readily available via today's market: Antec, Enermax, Sparkle, etc. One of the latest players in the PSU game is Raidcom Technologies. We were pleasantly surprised with the recently reviewed RaidMax LP-6100E 500w, and today we are following up with the more economically priced RaidMax LP-6100D 400w. Unlike our previous review, this article serves a dual purpose to not only review the product but to examine how a quality PSU compares to a more common unit found in many OEM systems, the Powmax LP-8800D 400w.
Check out the review at
Techimo.com
Jun 13, 2003, 02:59 AM
