I'm looking for some help in picking out a good modular power supply for my computer. Something with 500+ watts. I need the modular (cable management) because I want to reduce the amount of cables that are clustering up my case.
The specs for my computer are in my sig. Keep in mind that I plan on upgrading to a 8000gts 320mb or possibly a 8600 if they come out.
Thank you for the recommendations. And no I do not plan on going sli in the future.
Before buying a modular power supply at least read this. Just take it for what it's worth and do more research if you find your curious. http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/ Specifically the last one.
[QUOTE="jremi"]Before buying a modular power supply at least read this. Just take it for what it's worth and do more research if you find your curious. http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/ Specifically the last one. thanks for the link. i read number 3. which stated that the wires may become loose and lose connectivity. has anyone with a modular psu experienced this problem? or does anyone know if the modular psu's last a significantly shorter time than normal psu's?
[QUOTE="j3ninja"][QUOTE="jremi"]Before buying a modular power supply at least read this. Just take it for what it's worth and do more research if you find your curious. http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/ Specifically the last one. thanks for the link. i read number 3. which stated that the wires may become loose and lose connectivity. has anyone with a modular psu experienced this problem? or does anyone know if the modular psu's last a significantly shorter time than normal psu's?
They last just as long as any other PSUs, as long as it is of good quality like the Corsair. The modular unit having slightly more resistance is true, but it isn't that big of a deal.
Just make sure you stay away from Hiper and Apevia(ASSpire) PSUs, they are terrible.
[QUOTE="jremi"]Before buying a modular power supply at least read this. Just take it for what it's worth and do more research if you find your curious. http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/ Specifically the last one. Yeah, and they're not just trying to advertise their own gear.
"We initially started with a Silverstone 600W SLI certified power supply, but running some games resulted in the system powering down under full load. We next moved onto a higher rated Thermaltake PurePower SLI certified 680W unit. But while most games ran most of the time, the system would still occasionally shut down. Finally, we ended up using PC Power and Cooling's massive TurboCool 850 SSI. This just goes to show that if you really want to build something that pushes the bleeding edge, make sure you have the right power supply."
Seriously. You don't need 800W+ of power to run SLI. That's the myth. Your computer is probably running at less that 200W almost all the time. Only at peak loads during games would you actually need more power. At that rate, anything around 600W will be fine. While I'm all for bigger and better, you have to moderate that with little things like, oh, reality and stuff.
If your computer is shutting down on an SLI rig with a 600W+ power supply, there's something else wrong. Most likely the input voltage from your power socket. How many other things do they have plugged into the one circuit? A big nasty 6-plug power board, perhaps?
"However, problems occur with this design when the load exceeds 50%-60%. Because the 120mm fan consumes about 1.5” of vertical space inside the PSU, heat sinks, capacitors, and other components are about 30% smaller in height compared to a PSU with a rear-mounted fan. The smaller parts can handle less current, so the maximum power available with the 120mm design is limited. And, because the heat sinks have less surface area, more air flow is needed with this design to keep the thermal situation under control. With 80%-100% load, the 120’s fan speed can double and the noise level can jump by up to 20dB."
A 120mm fan produces more airflow at lower speeds (and thus noise) than an 80mm fan at a given voltage. The reduction in physical space is offset by a larger fan. There wouldn't be much point in having one otherwise.
They forgot to mention that.
I have a 120mm-mounted PSU, and it's by far the quietest thing in the box. Especially at high loads.
Its also the false advertising of PSU makers. It may say 600W but at what temperature? 25C? Well thats just not plausible in an air cooled case. At 50C it may only make 450W but they fail to mention that. Thats why quality PSU's like the ones from Corsair say guaranteed to produce its advertised wattage at 50C.
[QUOTE="reticulate"][QUOTE="jremi"]Before buying a modular power supply at least read this. Just take it for what it's worth and do more research if you find your curious. http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/ Specifically the last one. Yeah, and they're not just trying to advertise their own gear.
"We initially started with a Silverstone 600W SLI certified power supply, but running some games resulted in the system powering down under full load. We next moved onto a higher rated Thermaltake PurePower SLI certified 680W unit. But while most games ran most of the time, the system would still occasionally shut down. Finally, we ended up using PC Power and Cooling's massive TurboCool 850 SSI. This just goes to show that if you really want to build something that pushes the bleeding edge, make sure you have the right power supply."
Seriously. You don't need 800W+ of power to run SLI. That's the myth. Your computer is probably running at less that 200W almost all the time. Only at peak loads during games would you actually need more power. At that rate, anything around 600W will be fine. While I'm all for bigger and better, you have to moderate that with little things like, oh, reality and stuff.
If your computer is shutting down on an SLI rig with a 600W+ power supply, there's something else wrong. Most likely the input voltage from your power socket. How many other things do they have plugged into the one circuit? A big nasty 6-plug power board, perhaps?
"However, problems occur with this design when the load exceeds 50%-60%. Because the 120mm fan consumes about 1.5” of vertical space inside the PSU, heat sinks, capacitors, and other components are about 30% smaller in height compared to a PSU with a rear-mounted fan. The smaller parts can handle less current, so the maximum power available with the 120mm design is limited. And, because the heat sinks have less surface area, more air flow is needed with this design to keep the thermal situation under control. With 80%-100% load, the 120’s fan speed can double and the noise level can jump by up to 20dB."
A 120mm fan produces more airflow at lower speeds (and thus noise) than an 80mm fan at a given voltage. The reduction in physical space is offset by a larger fan. There wouldn't be much point in having one otherwise.
They forgot to mention that.
I have a 120mm-mounted PSU, and it's by far the quietest thing in the box. Especially at high loads.
You do realize that they didn't write that article about the Silverstone, ThermalTake and PCP&C 850w. The Silverstone seems to be strong enough on the +12v rail, though without actual testing we don't know how the exact numbers or if the +12v rail will hold up, ripple-wise.
The ThermalTake Purepower, definitely cannot run the high-end cards in SLI/Crossfire, has 36amps on the +12v and I have a feeling it probably puts out even less.
I posted that purely for informational purposes. That's exactly why I said to take it for what its worth. Of course they are advertising for their products, at least IMO I found it to be informational not just pure marketing bull that we see so many other places. In regards to the SLI issue, I do believe that with a few hard drives (which I have) and 2 optical drives w/ 2 8800GTX a big PSU will be needed. 750 is hardly overkill and with the high effecieny rating I will still be only using the power that is being drawn. It's not like it draws a continuous 750W.
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