PSU with detachable / modular cable management Vs stable cable (Recommendations)

[retroborg]

PSU with detachable / modular cable management Vs stable cable (Recommendations)

Hello,
I was thinking about upgrading my PSU and I was looking at the following 2 Thermaltake PSUs

THERMALTAKE W0132U TOUGHPOWER 1000W (Modular Cables)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153053

THERMALTAKE W0155RU TOUGHPOWER 1000W (Non Modular Cables)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153056

Other than modular cable management, does the W0132U offer anything more?
Are modular cable PSU as stable as non-modular cable PSUs? I heard some time ago that they're not as reliable. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Also what's the difference between THERMALTAKE W0132U TOUGHPOWER 1000W
& THERMALTAKE W0132 TOUGHPOWER 1000W?
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.650669

My current setup:
Intel Core 2 Quad 9550 2.83GHZ @2.83GHZ (Regular Fan-Cooler)
Kingston HyperX 2GB 800MHZ @833MHZ
Asus P5B-E Intel 965 chipset (On-board 1Gbit Lancard)
2 x 1TB Seagate 32MB Cache Hds (Sata II)
2 x 512GB Seagate 16MB Cache Hds (Sata II)
Asus nvidia 7950GTX 512MB
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatality Titanium Pro (PCI-E)
Winfast PVR 3000 Deluxe TV-Tuner (PCI)
1x Plextor DVD-RX 18x
1x Pionner DVD-Rom 16x
1 x 1.44 Floppy
Logitech Web-Cam (USB)
WinXP Pro

I'm considering about upgrading to a high-end GPU soon, so what type of PSU would I need for the above setup?

Thanks in advance.

[Webby]

That system could be run off a 500W PSU without a problem, so unless your planning on going for crossfired 4870X2's I would be looking for a PSU in the 450-700W region rather than 1kW.

As to the modular verses fixed cable argument I have seen people mention it on forums (the idea that the additional connector slightly lowers the voltage) however if you look at reviews of modular PSUs I have never encountered one where they mention it as a fault.

So I guess it all comes down to if you have somewhere to hide the spare cables and/or you want to spend the extra money on a modular supply.

I personally would not buy Thermaltake given the option although they have received some good reviews of late I would rather stick to Corsair, Seasonic and Enermax.

[retroborg]

After reading some of the user reviews at Newegg, I see that these Thermaltake PSUs received some bad points...

I'm currently using a Thermaltake 650W SLI verified,
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.700418
But after I updated the Bios, upgraded my CPU to a Quad 9550 2.83GHz from Duo 6600 2.4GHZ, installed a Creative SB Fatality X-Fi, a Logitech Web-Cam, and another 1TB Seagate HD, I'm experiencing some random resets when running WinXP Pro.

Even worse, (some times after the random reset), when DOS bootup screen comes up, a message tells me that the CPU overclocking failed, press F1 to got to Bios setup. But when I go to Bios everything is set ok. However I have not overclocked the CPU!

I'm thinking that this might be caused by the PSU or a bad Bios battery?

Never the less I re-installed WinXP Pro, since it was needed regardless the random resets.
So I'll see how it goes now.

Thanks in advance.

[Webby]

Don't forget that your motherboard was never designed for use with 1333FSB processors and certainly not 45nm ones, possibly not even quads. So while the settings for the CPU are stock thats actually overclocking the motherboard from 1066 to 1333 (25% overclock) you may need to increase the northbridge voltage a bit to gain stability (may be called MCH voltage).

[retroborg]

At the ASUS home site it is stated that this specific board can support 45nm CPUs, Quad Core & FSB1333 via Bios update.

However the voltage increase seems logical, but shouldn't that have all ready been applied automatically? the CPU settings are set to Auto after all...
I will look at the voltage settings however when I get home, but I'm not sure what are the correct voltage settings for this specific CPU and M/B!
I wouldn't want to mess things up more than they are...
I've read that you can damage the CPU if they're not applied properly!

Thanks for the info!

[Webby]

Yes this is where things get a little blurred, the board has a BIOS update to support the newer chips but it was never designed to run with them, it just happens that it can run them.

If the voltages are set to automatic then it may be that the northbridge voltage has already been increased (of course it might not), if however the voltages are manually set you may need to increase it. You are unlikely to damage anything by increasing your NB voltage if you do it sensibly (ie small steps rather than big jumps).

Probably worth trying some stability tests like Prime95, Orthos, OCCT or Intel Burn Test to increase the chance of finding a problem quickly if after raising the voltage a few points you still are experiencing system instability then it may be time to look at other possibilities like as you thought the power supply.

[retroborg]

Ok, so I checked the bios menus but I could not find the NB voltage (or MCH voltage).

The only available voltage options are in the "Configure System Frequency/Voltage" menu:

CPU Vcore Voltage:
Auto [Set]
1.7000V
1.6875V
1.6750V
1.6625V
1.6500V
1.6375V
1.6250V
1.6125V
1.6000V
1.5875V
1.5750V
1.5625V
1.5500V
1.5375V
1.5250V

Memrory Voltage
Auto [Set]
1.800V
1.90V
2.00V
2.10V

FSB Termination Voltage
Auto [Set]
1.200V
1.300V
1.400V
1.450V

Spread Spectrum
Auto [Set]
Disabled
Enabled

And in the Hardware Monitor menu, the voltage displayed:
VCore: 1.128V
3.3V: 3.24V
5V: 5.094V
12V: 11.985V

So, what do you suggest?

Thanks in advance.