Basic guide for the right power supply

[The Sorcerer]

^^ Well the whole guide has a detailed explanation on how a power supply should be judged and bought. I am pretty sure when you read that, you can make decisions accordingly.

 

[hash!!]

heh.. now now, i wouldnt post that entire write-up (spent atleast 15 minutes on that!) if i had it all sorted in my head, right?
im confused as to which psu to buy..
but its cool if you have issues, i wont bother posting.. i'l just go try knock on some other doors.. thanks anyway..

cheers,
Hari

p.s: you should move the admins to make this a locked sticky, if you dont want people sacrileging your sacred 'thread'.. i posted cause i thought this was a discussion, not a thesis..

 

[ntomer]

Hi,

I bought a new rig day before couple of days ago. The configuration of machine is -

Processor - Intel E8400
MoBo -
RAM - 2*1GB, Kingston 800MHz
HDD - Seagate 500 GB, 7200.12, 32 MB buffer
DVD Writer - LG, Sata, 20x
GPU - XFX 7900GS

I bought a generic (Branded - Circuit) 400W PSU with this. Then somebody suggested me that this PSU might not be able to support this configuration, so I searched a bit and found this wonderful link. After learning a bit about PSUs, I checked my rig's PSU and it is only 14A on +12V, means effectively 168 W.

This I guess is way too low for this rig, so I am planning to upgrade my PSU, please suggest me which one should I go for. I am have thought of the following alternatives -

Cooler Master 390W
Cooler Master 460W
Corsair 400W

Alsowhen I checked my PSU, I found that connections aren't done as recommended in this thread, so I've clicked a few pics of it. Please tell me is it alright?

The PSU -

*img12.imageshack.us/img12/7799/dsc0017ul.th.jpg

Connection view 1 -

*img404.imageshack.us/img404/4415/dsc0018ul.th.jpg

Connection view 2, notice how the GPU has been powered from a cord coming out of the DVD power -

*img22.imageshack.us/img22/2286/dsc0020ul.th.jpg

Thanks

Nitin

 

[The Sorcerer]

I checked my rig's PSU and it is only 14A on +12V, means effectively 168 W.

Maybe on paper, but real time would be different depending on the operational temps. Keeping the same current configuration in mind, Grab a cx400 or antec EA 430.
I am sure its just another intel board. Sad part about intel is their OEM is foxconn and they call themselves "original". They dont even bother to put heatsink on their south bridge. For a stock, they are enough, but leaving southbridge, northbridge and mosfets is something to be prevented at all cost to maintain the shell life of the board.

 

[ntomer]

Maybe on paper, but real time would be different depending on the operational temps. Keeping the same current configuration in mind, Grab a cx400 or antec EA 430.
I am sure its just another intel board. Sad part about intel is their OEM is foxconn and they call themselves "original". They dont even bother to put heatsink on their south bridge. For a stock, they are enough, but leaving southbridge, northbridge and mosfets is something to be prevented at all cost to maintain the shell life of the board.

Sorry, I forgot to mention the MoBo, it is Intel DG31PR.

Please check whether the connections done with the current PSU are alright? And if I for a Corsair CX400W, will I be able to connect it myself, or do you recommend to get it done by a pro. I am not a very techie kinda guy; although I am a Software Engineer, I complete my Engineering 11 years ago and have been in management role for last 5-6 year, so far away from techiedom

Thanks

Nitin

 

[The Sorcerer]

^^ No your questions are genuine and logical. Here's the thing. The problem is not the connection- Its all fine. But the problem is rail stability. Only real way to find a stability is using a load tester or an oscilloscope- some type of equipments which is not feasible for an end user. Reads from the multimeter is usually not accurate. measuring voltage spike, rail stability need different type of hardware. Softwares dont usually indicate accurate readings, but to an end user they do a pretty decent job. The thing, you need to check load on the rails during load because that is when the reading from a software is more accurate compared to idle. BUT doing stress testing on this psu is a risk job. Some of these power supplies dont even have any form of PFC. So any voltage spike can damage because newer tech is way more sensitive then the old ones in terms of power.
Let's take an example in the spirit of discussion between 2 techies. There 2 versions of cm extreme 600w-PCAR and PCAP. PCAP has passive pfc. PCAR doesn't have any pfc at all. To make silly, when coolermaster got lot of complaints, they replaced the cheap aluminum heatsink with a pure copper one and most probably put a passive pfc- so they labeled all the extreme series as passive series- whether it is aluminum or not. These are bit heavier than the cx400 and are cooler than the aluminum ones. But cx400 has active pfc and the efficiency is tested on 40 degrees operational temps. extreme series are tested on older specs that is 25 degrees Celsius.
Going for cx400 helps a long way.

 

[ntomer]

Thanx Sorcerer,

I've bought the Corsair VX450W for 4 grands; will try to install it myself tonight. Let's see how it goes

Thanks again,

Nitin

 

[The Sorcerer]

^^ Fantastic. After you change the psu, google iso image called memtest and burn the bootable image on a disc. Boot the system via the disk and let it run the memory test for 3-4 hours. Also google and download orthos and run a blend test for 4-5 hours. Test is necessary to run to be absolutely sure that no components are damaged because of the old psu- just a standard precaution i would recommend to prevent any issues that may come up in the future. But dont run the stress test on the old psu.

 

[The Sorcerer]

heh.. now now, i wouldnt post that entire write-up (spent atleast 15 minutes on that!) if i had it all sorted in my head, right?
im confused as to which psu to buy..

It is said- arrogance diminishes wisdom.
I told you to read the guide because I have made the recommendations with the pros and cons. If you didnt want to read the entire guide, if you scroll down (and it is perfectly clear), there are power supply recommendations being made for certain range (in terms of power consumption) allready. It is going to be the same thing I am going to advice so it doesn't make sense to say thing again.
As for the sticky, that is for the mods to decide. I haven't put up any request and usually I help other forums. Since the guide is pretty understandable for people who are end users and technically sound, I have made the thread here.

 

[hash!!]

It is said- arrogance diminishes wisdom.

no sh!t yoda!! hahahah.. sorry about that..
i read your guide. kudos, its in great detail, and its quite helpful..
just that im quite slow, hence i was still confused, for the simple fact that theres power calculators that recommend a wattage that i never used. and i know how amps matter too, and all that.. just that i couldnt figure whether i should go for a corsair or a cm.. anyway, its all good.. i shall do whats bound to work sureshot - buy more wattage...
oh, and sorry for the 'arrogance'.. i was tryin to pass it off as sarcasm, but we all deduce things in our own sweet way, dont we..
cheers!
Hari

 

[The Sorcerer]

i was tryin to pass it off as sarcasm

For? Any reason/logic to pass a sarcastic comment? The guide is put up for everyone to read. If people PM me personally or ask me the same question what I have allready answered in the guide, I will tell them to refer to the guide. If people don't want to follow the guide, it is purely their wish. If people dont have the patience to read it properly, I dont know- the whole guide is in the form of Q n A. If they want a straightforward answer, choose one of the recommendations.

 

[hash!!]

amen to that ^^

anyway, i went and bought a tagan stonerock 600w psu.. didnt have the 80 plus certification, but its website and its specs list says it gives maximum efficiency up to 83%.. so i figured its alright even if it gives me 75% + on the temps i'l be using it on.. also, the box says its max power is upto 700w.. dunno if i can really depend on that..
but well, it has active pfc, so thats one major difference from my old psu (i feel quite lame already to have upgraded from a 550W to a 600W.. a 50W upgrade sounds quite the hyperjump.. )

anyway, my system's in bangalore, so i'l hook it up once i get there, a couple of days later.. will post about it soon..

cheers!

 

[The Sorcerer]

Guide slightly updated with couple of faq and one MAJOR bump.

 

[j1n M@tt]

nice work man...keep it up

 

[shahad]

Hai Sorcerer
I have bought a gtx 260 with 216 cores.I want to buy a psu.Those corsair and cm is not common in my area.In a nearby shop I came across ZEBRONIC 700W PLATINUM PSU.My mobo is GA P31 DS3LIntel E4600,1 Sata hdd and sata dvd rw is present.Is the above mentiones PSU SUfficient for my setup.?
The graphic Card manufacturer shows that the card requires 38A Input power.

 

[The Sorcerer]

Why dont you just order it from an online shop? Why take unnecessary chances? Which city you are from?

 

[shahad]

I'm from Kerala
I got a Zebronic 600w pro series Psu Yesterday.Looks Well finished.I connected it to my 260 gtx and its all fine.I tried some intensive games maxed out.No trouble of restarting and all.It has got 3 12v rails with 16a each,2PCI E CONNECTOR.I think it will fine sing it.

 

[ntomer]

Hi Sorcerer,

Please have a look at this - *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1123166&postcount=8292

Regards

Nitin

 

[Ross]

I've searched nearly all computer shops in my city, the only available PSUs are Intex, MRon, Enter, Odyssey(@ Rs. 450-500), iBall(@Rs. 600).No one ever heard of Coolermaster or Corsair etc. At one shop i found Zebronics 400W(@ Rs 500) but they are sold loose ie without any package(i doubt they are original, but may be its just my hunch)..

Please suggest which PSU i should go for...

 

[asingh]

order it online..will have to wait a bit..but will get a genuine article