PSU Question

[pp05]

500 will do. Heck even a 430 would be fine.

Go for 80plus rated PSU. If you want silence as well - look at Seasonic/enermax.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

How about This one? Also is there anything I need to check for compatibility?

If you are willing to spend the extra on the Antec PSU the SeaSonic S12 II SS-500GB and the CWT buillt Corsair VX550W are considered better units:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

Reviews for the Seasonic PSU:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/psu...-ii-500w-psu/6

Reviews for the Corsair PSU:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/psu...power-supply/6

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story4&reid=62

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2007/...0w_vs_hx520w/8

Even the 450w HX450W and 500w OCZ PSU will power a Q6600 and an HD4870 fine.

[Pob255]

Antec Earthwatt's is a good PSU, but I'd go for that OCZ CAT linked to, modular, large slient fan and cheaper while still being decent. (even with out rebate it's $10 less)

And prey that the lump of that was that psu you had hasn't damaged any of your components when it died.

[Lightstryk]

yea but one question I kept on having was that many PSU's that I saw(like the OCZ you guys suggested) did not have the fan by the plug-part, rather on top;but aren't cases closed off at the top? Why put the fan only there?
Additionally does it fit cases the same way as the other ones? (that's one of the major reasons I got the PSU that I did. It looked just like the one my PC came with) =/

[watercooled]

They use the fan in this position in most modern PSUs because it allows the MFR to use a larger, quieter fan which can move more air. Also you put the PSU in with the fan facing into the case, so it would be pointing down in a case where the PSU is mounted at the top.

[Lightstryk]

But wouldnt it have to suck air from behind it?
Also,do those have the same dimensions as the other ones?

[Zhaoman]

no the fan blows air into the psu and the air is pushed out through the back. the fan does not face the top of the case, it faces down.

and yes almost all mainstream psus are a standard size so you really can't go wrong with dimensions, fans etc. just don't get one like the last two you got... get a quality one like the ones that have been suggested

[Pob255]

Yes PSU's can go in ether way up, on newer case layouts where the psu is below the motherboard you can have the fan faceing up or down (if the case has a ventalation hole in the bottom)

Some cases where the psu sits above the motherboard still have space above the psu, so you could mount the fan pointing up then.
If you have an inch or more of clearence between the top of the psu and the top of the case you'll be fine to mount it fan pointing up, however it's generally better to mount this type of psu with the fan pointing down.

With this type of psu only the back and fan area is open all the other sides are solid* so the air is only sucked in through the side with the fan and flows out at the back as that's the only way the air can go.
* some do have a very small vent on one side to improve air flow around a hot component, in this type a very small amount of air will be pushed back inside the case.

This is a standard ATX psu, so it's a standard size, exactly the same as the el-cheapo psu's you've been destroying, but probably twice as heavy, with slightly thicker wires and caseing.

There are some cases that use smaller psu's that can be right pigs when you need a replacement, but they are fairly rare, although they are still standard sizes, just different a standard.

EDIT: * good example of what I ment here (Thermaltake W0116RU)

Below the sticker on the side you can see a very small air vent

[Lightstryk]

Well, there's barely any space(quarter of an inch) between my PSU & and the top of my case so I don't think if it faces either way it'll be good. =/
Also, what do you guys think of this one?
My other option is this one. I'm worried the first one won't hold up becuase it has a combined power of 29A on the 12V rails and a >65% efficiency while the 2nd one has a combined 34A with over 80% efficiency, should i give up the $30?

[Zhaoman]

Dude, Pob might have been slightly unclear about this: in your case, the PSU is mounted with the fan facing *down*. It will be drawing air from your case into the PSU and exhausted out the back. You do not need any clearance above your PSU because the fan *won't* be on top.

The fan is shown facing up in pictures simply to show it off

The Antec sounds like a decent enough PSU so I'd be happy to recommend it. Size and air-flow wise it will be identical to the ones already mentioned (drawing air from your case and pushing it out the back) so I personally would consider the ones CAT suggested simply because they are better quality units for your money.

[Lightstryk]

Alrite I'm just gonna get the Antec because I don't wanna take any chances.
By the way, how could a busted PSU damage my system, doesn't it just like not give out power anymore?

[Saracen]

Well, it'd depend on what went wrong. Bear in mind a PSU takes (approx) 240v in, and puts out what's supposed to be 12v and 5v, within certain tolerances. If it's broken in a way that means it's outside those tolerances, it could be WAY outside them. Imagine what happens to a motherboard, or hard drive, etc if it gets 50v, or 120v when it's expecting 5v or 12v.

I had a PSU blow and it fried a motherboard, a rather expensive video board, three out of four hard drives (no idea why one survived) and the CD burner. And one of the drive it "fried", well, it quite literally blew a ruddy great hole in one of the chips on the controller board on the drive. It also stunk out my office with that acrid electrical burning smell for about a week.

[peterb]

Alrite I'm just gonna get the Antec because I don't wanna take any chances.
By the way, how could a busted PSU damage my system, doesn't it just like not give out power anymore?

It depends on the failure mode. As Saracen says, if the regulator fails, the output voltage will rise to levels where it will destroy other components.

Better quality PSUs have over voltage protection - if the output voltage does rise outside the permitted tolerance, the PSU will just shut itself down. The effect is that it "has just stopped working" - the underlying fault is not immediately obvious.

Similarly it will protect itself against short ccts. I once saw a PSU that melted all the wires on its output connectors as a result of a short cct. The replacement (better PSU) shut itself down safely under the same circumstances.