PSU advice

[m0cea]

Right this is what I have to start with
ASUS A8N Sli Deluxe with a 3200 winchester chip.
XFX 6800GT
1Gb Corsair
4 sata drives
DVD rom
DVDR
4 case fans
and quite a few USB devices

The whole kit is working fine with my Enermax PSU which from memory can give out about 430watts. The motherboard has a 24 pin connector the the PSU has only a 20 pin connector.
I think from what is connected at the moment that I may be pushing the PSU to it's limits and I have run out of connectors left any other devices.

Firstly what am I missing by only having a 20 pin PSU connected??

Secondly have any of you guy got any experience with the Jeantech 600watt or Hiper 580watt PSU's that PC World sell?
I believe that both are the modular type and wonder what your experiences are with this type of connections and are they just a gimmic.

Ta

[alexander]

430Watts is ample for that.

[SilentDeath]

If its running stabily then there wont be much advantage to upgrading. If it were a new system I would recommend to buy a decent 500w+ psu but yours should be more than adequate as its a decent brand.

24pin connectors just stop the wires from overheating from carrying too much current (which would create a fire risk). Theres no performance or stabilty advantage apart from this. 24pin is important for more recent mobos as 20pin connector has only 1x12v wire - which could probably do 10-15A before causing issues (although rated for about 5-7A).
I dont think any existing mobo/cpu combos would have a problem with 20pin connector.

Modular connectors are usefull but most people would not need them. Very usefull if you use the psu in a test rig or often swap hardware.
I converted my 550w CWT psu to be modular, with 8 molex connections on it - should have put more though!

PCworld is probably going to charge 25% more than any online shop. Iirc the hiper was £70, no idea what pc world want for it...

[Rys]

If it were a new system I would recommend to buy a decent 500w+ psu but yours should be more than adequate as its a decent brand.

There's not much merit in that statement. There's a corollary between high-output and lots of room on 12V for current pull with high-quality PSUs, but the two don't have to go together. You can get sub-500W with lots of +12V capacity and you don't have to spend a fortune either.

Your comments on stability are spot-on though, thanks for reinforcing that

[Nox]

DFI nf4 boards REQUIRE you to have a 24 pin PSU. Its not an option with them anymore.

Nox

[unrealuniverse]

24pin is important for more recent mobos as 20pin connector has only 1x12v wire - which could probably do 10-15A before causing issues (although rated for about 5-7A).

power supply wires are very resilient to high amperage, i've drawn 20A through one and it only got warm. not a fire risk whatsoever.

just get a 20 to 24 pin connector

[Dark Horse]

I've got a hiper 480w and its been good to me. You also get a nice toolbox

Check the review of the 580w here:
http://www.xtremeresources.com/modul...t&id=78&page=1
Good thing about it is that it has a peak rating of 630w although it is actually 580w so they undersell it to make sure it will perform for you.

[Scarlet Infidel]

All the quality power supplies tell you the power they can sustain. For example my 480w Tagan can supply a constant 480w but can then supply up to 580w power at peak for one minute.

The cheaper makes sometimes qoute the peak power instead.

[StormPC]

Get the OCZ Modstream 520 if you want a super-clean wiring job. If your computer is outside the case get the OCZ Powerstream 520.

Your Enermax is more than enough for what you have, but if you overclock or plan to use the SLI you should get a better PSU.

[unrealuniverse]

For example my 480w Tagan can supply a constant 480w but can then supply up to 580w power at peak for one minute.

which 480W tagan do you have as mine will only peak at 500W for 60 seconds.

[8bit]

I love my akasa paxpower 460w. and its got a blue LED fan in it! only thing is no modular cabling...

[unrealuniverse]

modular cabling isn't needed if you have spare drive bays and no window as you cannot see the mess anyway

[m0cea]

Thanks for the info.

The case is a Coolermaster ATCS which has all the bays occupied and has very little room left hence why I was considering the modular design PSU

I was looking at the modular type also because I was hoping to get the cables a bit better organised so I could maximise the airflow through the case at the moment the side panels are off.

PC World prices aren't too bad when you consider the P&P charged by some companys in fact it worked out cheaper in some cases.

[TooNice]

I don't know why, but despite not going cheap, I've still ran into issues.
First, my Antec 480W blew. I suppose I was lucky it didn't take the rest of my system.
I replaced it with a 600W Enermax Noisetaker (overkill, but I didn't have time to weight my needs, so just went for the top of the range of an established brand). Well, so far nothing has fried, but for some reason, Winbond hardware doctor is reporting an error for my -5V voltage =/

[SilentDeath]

I don't know why, but despite not going cheap, I've still ran into issues.
First, my Antec 480W blew. I suppose I was lucky it didn't take the rest of my system.
I replaced it with a 600W Enermax Noisetaker (overkill, but I didn't have time to weight my needs, so just went for the top of the range of an established brand). Well, so far nothing has fried, but for some reason, Winbond hardware doctor is reporting an error for my -5V voltage =/

What is -5v reading at? or is it missing altogether? If it is missing then it is also floating - meaning it could be anywhere from 0v to +5v depending what is connected to the other end. Not something to be worried about.

Many psus dont include a -5v rail as no modern components acctually need it.

If you have had a psu fail it could be related to bad mains power, if you have a second blow then getting a UPS is a good idea.

[TooNice]

I've posted this a while back: http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=35904

I never bothered looking into it further, since it hadn't fried anything, and I can't afford to get my PSU replaced yet again. Especially since I am not even sure if its faulty.