[milehile]

I'm wondering if someone could help me find a good power supply for under $70. I'm on a budget cause of the upcoming holiday season tapping my account dry :sigh: I know that this would be a feat on it's own cause finding a quality power supply for that inexpensive are far and few between. But if you could do this for me that'd be great. My specs are in the sig.

 

[Kalim]

Use the Power Supply Calculator & ad 30% to the total to see what PSU wattage is recommended for you.

I saw a deal with a solid 500W @ $54 after $30 rebate somewhere lately, but don't remember where.

In any case we'll need to know what your ideal Wattage range is.

 

[milehile]

I did the calculator and it said ~390watts. And that was with a couple added things I don't have quite yet but will in the future. Any additional comments are appreciated.

 

[milehile]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159040

Tell me what you think of this one. For $50 it seems to be a decent one.

 

[koala]

That PSU will be fine for your system. 95% efficiency (not sure how accurate this figure is, sounds a bit high), 36A on dual +12V lines, active PFC. Looks good for the price.

 

[milehile]

Is this a decent brand name? I'm not all that knowlegable about power supply's.

 

[koala]

It's not one of the top names like Seasonic, OCZ or Antec, but the specs look good enough for your system and price range.

 

[milehile]

Those 3 brands, you trust whole-heartedly?

 

[koala]

If you want to spend more money, have a look at these
Antec SmartPower 2, 500W, $70
Silverstone Zeus, 520W, $100

Those 3 brands, you trust whole-heartedly?

Definitely. See here for more information on selecting a good quality PSU.

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Hi,

This one listed by Koala is on sale this week for $59.99 with rebate, a great buy:

Antec SmartPower 2, 500W, $70

 

[Kalim]

Just to add to recommendations

I think for $99 this is a good piece aswell: Antct TruePower Trio 550W, 85% efficiency, tri 12V rails @ 18A each

Or get its elder brother @ 650W for the same price after $25 rebate here: Antec 650W

 

[milehile]

Thanks guys for the recomendations. I will look into it a little more thoroughly and see what my financial situation is next week.

 

[Kalim]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159040

Tell me what you think of this one. For $50 it seems to be a decent one.

Those details supplied are not correct.

Newegg mentions: "[email protected], [email protected], efficiency >95% at full load"

The COOLMAX CP-500T doesn't have 18A on both 12V rail.. thats the CU Series 500.

It has 16A and 18A on the 12V rails and there's no mention of efficiency on their website for this series but its been "taken" from the other series such as the CU500 which have: Efficiency>65% at full load, >95% at APFC, >90% at PPFC.

COOLMAx website comparison

A friend just called in work and I asked him about it, and he guided me aright on it, so I thought of quickly popping in and telling, although I have very little to no time. :smile:

Here's a Tagan 480W for $92 if you'd like to review it... as briefly done HERE

Thanks.

 

[milehile]

Absolutely. That power supply looks really solid in that guys review. Unfortunately, newegg.com is out of stock and it's a little more than i'd want to spend. I notice that Tagan is either owned by or owns E-Power. Is E-Power a good brand? Cause if so, I can get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817101013

I'm really really trying not to spend more than $70 on a power supply but that seems to be harder than expected. That Coolmax that I was wondering about doesn't seem like it's going to be a good one from your point of view. Again, thanks for any help that is sent my way.

 

[linderman]

Antec SP-500 watt will do nicely for $70.00

 

[Kalim]

Go for the Antec Smart Power 2.0 that koala listed. A very good buy at $59.99 for a 500W quality PSU.

 

[milehile]

Ok. I looked into Antec which you guys suggest over just about anything else (except for Enermax which is a little pricey for me) and found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817371004

It seems to be roughly equivilant to the SP-500 but has active PFC, which, if i'm not mistaken, is better than passive or no PFC. Am I right? I looked at the voltage on the rails and they both seem to be about equal. So, which is better overall, the Basiq or the SP-500?

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Ok. I looked into Antec which you guys suggest over just about anything else (except for Enermax which is a little pricey for me) and found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817371004

It seems to be roughly equivilant to the SP-500 but has active PFC, which, if i'm not mistaken, is better than passive or no PFC. Am I right? I looked at the voltage on the rails and they both seem to be about equal. So, which is better overall, the Basiq or the SP-500?

Hi milehile,

Darn, you do deserve an answer on this one. Would you believe that I don't know much about this power supply?

What I suspect is that it is basically the same supply, but in some European countries, Active PFC is a governmental requirement if they are to be sold in those countries. Therefore, I think this one is most likely (no guarantees) basically the same model and by adding the Active PFC (which costs more to manufacture), it becomes eligible to sell in the countries that require Active PFC. I would almost bet on this issue, but don't know that 100%.

Hope someone else has a take on this one, so we will wait to see.

 

[milehile]

Lol. Thanks for the try Tumbleweed. I really would like to know which would be the better buy. I mean, they are both about the same price even.

 

[Tumbleweed36]

Hi,

Oh, I am going to do some research, but wanted to tell you what my hunch was. If I find anything more, will get back to you.