Which FSP model?

[dhoggan]

Hi,

I am in the market for a new PSU to upgrade to, and after reading around a fair bit, I have decided on FSP. The problem is I am not sure which model to go for.

The system is is for is:

Abit NF7-S mobo
AMD XP3200+ CPU
nVidia 6600 AGP graphics
1 160Gb Seagate HDD - PATA
6 300Gb Seagate HDD (RAID 5) - PATA
High Point RocketRAID 454 PCI card.
2Gb Crucial memory (2 * 1GB)

The system acts as a file server and so no overclocking.

My concern is the HDD array. According to the Seagate datasheet the max draw of their HDD is 2.8A = 19.6A drain on the 12V line. Would either the 600-GLN or the 700GLN suffice, or is the HDD drain too much? I see the PSU has quad 12V lines, but each has a maximum rating of 15A.

Also, it looks as if the PSU has only 4 molex PATA connectors - so I would have to use moles splitters (from maplins) - would this cause a problem?

I hope these aren't dumb questions, but PSU are a technology that confuse me.

Regards,

Dave

[[FSP] Grace]

Hi Dave,

Sorry for my late reply. I was on the road on the 5th so only read your request yesterday. I had to check with Taiwan about the part re - 6 300Gb Seagate HDD so just talked to them and got the answer.

The product manager in our head office told me that there would be a problem if all the 6 HDD start up the same time. Supposedly, there should be an external RAID box for the HDD array and there would be "delay start". If that's the case or your High Point RocketRAID 454 PCI card has this "delay start" function, it would be okay. Under this condition, we suggest using FX700-GLN (Epsilon 700).

BTW, the listing on current stock says 15A but can achieve 18A. Our head office will update the label for the new stock. However, the main thing is that we have passed all the safety certificates for the 18A.

Also, Epsilon series have 6 PATA connectors not 4.

Hope this helps.
Grace

[dhoggan]

Sorry for the delay; I was waiting for Seagate Tech support to get back to me.

According to them, the only time that the drives require the 2.8A is at drive startup; after that the power consumption drops to normal operational levels of 12.8W. This gives an operational drain of 7.5A for all seven drives.

I see that the 600-GLN now has a rated capacity of 18A with a surge peak of 22A. Does this mean that if there were a demand for 22A on a given 12V rail, the PSu could supply it transiently? If so, for how long?

Regards,

Dave

[[FSP] Grace]

Hi Dave,

I will need to check this with our RD team then get back to you.

Thanks
Grace

[[FSP] Grace]

Hi Dave,

I have talked to our engineer about the max output current. He said 18A is the guaranteed output current and 22A as the peak rate. We don't guarantee any rate between 18A and 22A to sustain.

Thanks
Grace