Hey guys, I am in need of a new PSU after my eMachines computer decided it wanted to fail. I don't really have any power hungry components, just a nVidia Geforce FX 5200 PCI and an TV PCI card. The computer runs a Pentium 4 Northwood. I need a really cheap but capable power supply. Can anyone recommend something? I don't really want to spend more then £30-40! Thanks!
hi mega, this is pretty good, although it's only ATX2.01 but that shouldn't be a problem with a 478, and it's dual rail and misco are very good, basically order the three day delivery & you'll probably have it on mon of tue because misco were bought by argos & they are v v good
What does ATX2.01 mean? What are the differences in ATX x.xx power supplies? What does that mean? Sorry you will have to excuse my ignorance when it comes to power supplies I know less then I should about them!
dual rail is basically 2 12v rails so one rail gives power to the mobo and one to the components atx is the manufacturing standard i think. the older atx standard had more amps for the 5v rails whilst the newer ones have more amps for the 12v rail/s
I've been doing a little window shopping and found the following power supplies: Hiper 350w Hiper 350W Single Fan low noise PSU Antec 350W Antec Basiq Power 350W ATX 12V PSU Arctic Power 500W Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E, SATA, 20+4, ATX12V, 8pin +12V Connectors - Retail Boxed SilverPower 400W SilverPower True 400W PSU The only review I can find of the above is for the SilverPower here. Which power supply do you think would be the best to go for?
yeah, generally PSU's with only 1 rail are usually crap, however, PSUs with 2, 3 or 4 rails are usually better quality, nowadays i think you can only get PSUs with upto 4 rails, but that will probably change yeah, it just the version / revision, i think the latest is 2.2 but it may have changed cos it was a while ago since i did the reaseach as for the PSU to get mega, personally i prefer Antec, however, the Arctic kicks ass Edit: sorry for delay, Broadband was down Edit:either get the Antec of Arctic, i think the Hiper uses it uses a cheapo sleeve bearing fan & i've never heard of the SilverPower but it could be a rebadged Antec but i dunno, so, don't get that
I've spent nearly all day wondering which PSU to go for, so in the end I really had to force myself to pick one because I was taking too long deciding! I decided against the Antec because it lacks a PCI-E connector which I may need for future expansion. The 13a on the 12v rails also seems a little low. I also decided against the Arctic because it only has one SATA connector which may become a problem in the future. I came close to choosing the SilverPower but did not for two reasons. I only have a MicroATX case and the external fan fitted to the SilverPower would barely fit in! I also noticed it only had one 12v rail at 18a. I don't know the significance of only one rail but decided it's probably best to get a PSU with two 12v rails. Finally, that leaves the Hiper power supply. It has all the connectors I require and may need in the future. It also has two 12v rails at 15a which is higher then the Antic. My only concern is with the sleeve bearing fan. Especially considering the reason I am replacing my existing PSU is because the fan died! Still I feel it's a calculated risk and I've been satisfied with Hiper products in the past. Thanks for your help guys!