Whats the best power supply for heavy OC ?

[retrospooty]

I have heard good things about Enermax, and very little about anything else. What about the Antec True control 550 ?

[Arkangyl]

I'd be interested to know too, my research yeilded the Antec TrueControl 550 and 2 Enermax PSU's

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-446&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-451&depa=0
Noisetaker 470w, Enermax website says 15a and 16a to the two 12v lines (31a total), only diff between two seems to be price and color....

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-432&depa=0
Enermax Whisper 460w
33a to the 12v line

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-922&depa=0
Antec TC 550w
only 24a to the 12v line though... pots are a huge plus though


I'm not mentioning the Fotron 530w because it only has 16/24a on the 12v line.

Personally I'm wondering 2 things, I know the 12v line supplies power to alot of imporant shiz (HD's, GPU, Opticals etc...) hence why I prioritize it highly, but are any of the PSU's really lacking in the 5v and 3.3v areas? Also I've heard stuff that soon SATA drives are going to want native SATA power which includes 3.3v along with the 5v and 12v currently supplied; as far as I can tell only a few Enermax PSU's and PC P&C PSU's have this new req.; any enlightenment?

[faruquehabib]

live and learn...

these are THE BEST :

www.pcpowercooling.com

34a on 12v rail :toast:

[`schr0et]

PCPC = The best money can buy, these guys are real proffessionals, they'll customize the power supply to whatever your needs are.

The best power supply for the money, with pots inside for tweaking:

Fortron 530 FSP-60 - Only $80 bucks for a kickass power supply that can work just as well as the PCPC!

`s

[retrospooty]

Originally posted by faruquehabib
live and learn...

these are THE BEST :

www.pcpowercooling.com

34a on 12v rail :toast:

Cool

the Enermax 550w has 36a on 12 v rail, and there are other models with 2 separate 12 v rails with 15a and 16a .

I know there is more to it than pure specs. The real issue is how stable is it under heavy load... Which is where alot of people say great things about Enermax... Is pcpc really that good ?

[lalPOOO]

PCPC is better then Enermax. PCPC is also pretty expensive. I'd go for the fortron.

[faruquehabib]

Originally posted by retrospooty
Cool

the Enermax 550w has 36a on 12 v rail, and there are other models with 2 separate 12 v rails with 15a and 16a .

I know there is more to it than pure specs. The real issue is how stable is it under heavy load... Which is where alot of people say great things about Enermax... Is pcpc really that good ?

oops, did i mention 38 amp peak?? and a 40 amp 5v rail?

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/highperformance/turbocools/510/index.htm

oh, and btw, pcpc UNDERRATES their wattage...the 510's are comparable to 550w - 650w of other companies.

[Lithan]

pcpc is the elite. Without going into server supplies that can reach into thousands of dollars, I doubt anything can beat a pcpc. A good fortron can equal it, but though fortrons are beefy bastards, they arent as polished as pcpc, and likely have slightly less spectacular voltage regulation... though I've never had any problems with my own.

[BuickBeast]

who has the Fortron 530w that everyone talks about the cheapest? I didn't even see it on the newegg site.

Also how quiet is it comparted to an typical Antec?

[ryanpgroovy]

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33654

any thoughts on this one ?

[`schr0et]

Ryan that looks really nice especially the 12V rating, most comps only offer 18-24A on the 12V line.

33 looks def nice! The 5V looks right on par aswell, I just have a bit of confusion on the 3.3 line... Isn't 28APM a bit low for the 3.3? I won't compare any current PS to the new OCZ since there haven't been any tests done by any of us, and more importantly I haven't used it yet :P But I'm used to see high 30's to low 40's on the 3.3

Any particular reason the 3.3 line Amps are a bit low?

Cheers, looks like OCZ is gonna be one giant force to be reckoned with :toast:

`s

[ryanpgroovy]

well its basicaly an allocation game since its a 520 watt we cant list the specs as adding up to more that 520 watts

3.3 volts seem to be the place that needed the least amperage

but worry not there rated consevatively and the higher wattages will be even beefier

[freecableguy]

P C P & C
Absolutely THE BEST that you can buy. If you want to KNOW that your PSU is not holding back you OC...get a PCP&C....

[`schr0et]

Originally posted by ryanpgroovy
well its basicaly an allocation game since its a 520 watt we cant list the specs as adding up to more that 520 watts

3.3 volts seem to be the place that needed the least amperage

but worry not there rated consevatively and the higher wattages will be even beefier

Nice!! :up:

I think I'm gonna be a guinea pig to test these new power supplies ;)

`s

[`schr0et]

Wow I just looked back at my first post on this thread and it makes me look like I failed the first grade...

You can blame ebay and buying XMS3502 that I've been looking for over a month now...

`s

[Hell-Fire]

You gotta love the 1% power regulation on the PCP&C.

I have used the Antec TP550, Antec TC550, Fortron 530, and the PCP&C 510 Deluxe.

I prefer the TP/TC550 and the PCP&C.

[retrospooty]

Thanks everyone !

It looks like PCPC is the answer. :D

[Popcicle]

... the first (and last) Enermax I ever ran was a couple
of years ago. A 350W unit. And true to the Enermax
line of PSU's it had the worst +5V leg I've ever seen.

One night I was surfin' around with the PC.... and the
damn Enermax exploded! Sounded like a shotgun. I
almost peed my pants.

Paper like confetti stuff flew everywhere.

Took me 2 days to get my cat to come down from the
ceiling.

Really jerked my chain when I discovered that Enermax
doesn't supply a warranty card with their PSU as there
is no warranty.

From there I went to Fortron (Sparkle). Damn good PSU's
for the price.

Finally moved on to PCP&C and never looked back. These
may cost a little more but they are the Rolls Royce of the
PSU industry. 1% voltage regulation, adjustable pots, and
tech/company support that is unbeatable. Bar none.

Get yourself a PCP&C unit and it will be the last PSU purchase
you'll have to make.


Pops.

[xgman]

pcpc 510

[Spec3]

OCZ looks like it's going to rival the PCPC. Externally adjustable pots!

[lalPOOO]

Originally posted by Spec3
OCZ looks like it's going to rival the PCPC. Externally adjustable pots!

Their specs don't mention anything about %1 voltage regulation though. But there is a good chance that they'll dominate the non PCPC market.

[Spec3]

Yeah maybe Ryan can tell us abotu the voltage regulation

[Lithan]

I have the fort 530. It's never been the loudest part of my system... and my system is pretty quiet.

Voltage regulation is perfectly acceptable. Not stellar though. As I said, this PSU is all about beef. I've never been able to get a voltage dip on the psu itself. One thing I would like is to be able to get a read (like mbm's high/low) from the Psu's output, rather than mobo readings. I might set something of the sort up eventually. I doubt it though. I'm quite lazy.

[sinn]

another vote for PCPC, those things absolutely rock man

[cowpuppy]

for 80.00 you cant go wrong with the Fortron 530w It has a 5 and 12v pot in side and a quick 3v mod and it's the best bang for the buck. Don't forget we will be getting a new mb connector (24 pin)in the next year or so wich will demand adapters or new psu for all. You can find the Fortron 530w for sale here http://www.directron.com/ and you can order the 24 pin it comes with a 18 pin adapter.

[Techmasta]

Originally posted by cowpuppy
for 80.00 you cant go wrong with the Fortron 530w It has a 5 and 12v pot in side and a quick 3v mod and it's the best bang for the buck.

The FSP-530 has a seperate pot for the 3.3 rail. No need to mod it.

[jmg823]

Originally posted by faruquehabib
live and learn...

these are THE BEST :

www.pcpowercooling.com

34a on 12v rail :toast:

yep, i heard thr "Turbo Cool 510" is the best

[The Virus]

Just go with the first Blue enermax(470w) thats posted above. It has 280w on +3.3 and +5 rail. That's the highest ive seen so far. It sure will benefit OCing because cpu's and ram use the 3.3 line.

[P4Northwood]

Why even risk it!! Just get the Antec True Power 550!... My 2 Xeons, while doing some testing last night literally blew up 420watt Sparkel.. My main supply is the True Power 550.. I had the motherboard removed from the case.. I was working on some voltage modifications.. So I used my backup power supply.. Well, while running some Cinebench, with Hyper-Threading enabled, about alittle more than halfway through, the power supply exploded!! My Xeons rule the roost around here.. Who are they to tell me what to do!! Blowin up power supplies...!!! This is ridiculous.. That was a good power supply!! Xeon's, the power shall set you free!!


This true story, brought to you by a proud owner of the Antec "Gets The Job Done" True Power 550!! With POTS :banana:

My 12v rail is @ 12.3v

[mluckey]

P4Northwood,

I'm curious...

The newer FSP units (Sparkle, Fortron, Zalman etc) have Over-Voltage, Over-Current protection, as well as short-circuit protection. I have two FSP units, one in my "toy", and one in the wifes setup.

I tested a FSP-400 / PN a few weeks back and accidentally touched the test leads together while checking the +12v line voltage, while the +12v was under max system load. The PSU shut down with a soft "thunk" sound, then nothing........ I was able to restart it a few minutes later with no ill effects to the motherboard or the PSU.

When you say "blew up" do you mean that it stopped working?
FSP would likely be interested to see a unit that "blew up", so they can fix the issue. Maybe they will fix yours, or offer a deal of some sort.

I also am interested to know how you avoided all the protections, and managed to kill a PSU such as these.

[ns_ripper]

Originally posted by `schr0et
PCPC = The best money can buy, these guys are real proffessionals, they'll customize the power supply to whatever your needs are.

The best power supply for the money, with pots inside for tweaking:

Fortron 530 FSP-60 - Only $80 bucks for a kickass power supply that can work just as well as the PCPC!

`s

so would it be possible to let them make a descent psu for a shuttle barebone? Let's say 300 - 350W

[`schr0et]

Originally posted by ns_ripper
so would it be possible to let them make a descent psu for a shuttle barebone? Let's say 300 - 350W

I won't say yes/no off the bat, but if you ask them I'm 99% sure the answer they give you won't be "no".

Go to PCPowercooling.com and send them an email or call them (its the best).

`s

[tombman]

PCPC is good, but this is the MAC DADDY of all psus ;)

Enermax 800 Series ;)
http://www.enermax.com.tw/product-08.htm

If you combine all four 12v rails you get >60 Ampere :cool:

http://www.enermax.com.tw/851%20Specification.htm

660 Watt of Love ;)

Personally i use a Enermax 460 with 32A @ 12volt.

[bachus_anonym]

PC Power and Cooling 510 Deluxe all-the-way... !!!
even though the Vio level on all rails is kind of skimpy with adjustable pots (at least the factory ones u can find inside).

but still, with 1% voltage regulation, peak 38A on 12v and peak 600W output - the best PSU money can buy... a lot of money, actually :D

[P4Northwood]

Originally posted by mluckey
P4Northwood,

I'm curious...

The newer FSP units (Sparkle, Fortron, Zalman etc) have Over-Voltage, Over-Current protection, as well as short-circuit protection. I have two FSP units, one in my "toy", and one in the wifes setup.

I tested a FSP-400 / PN a few weeks back and accidentally touched the test leads together while checking the +12v line voltage, while the +12v was under max system load. The PSU shut down with a soft "thunk" sound, then nothing........ I was able to restart it a few minutes later with no ill effects to the motherboard or the PSU.

When you say "blew up" do you mean that it stopped working?
FSP would likely be interested to see a unit that "blew up", so they can fix the issue. Maybe they will fix yours, or offer a deal of some sort.

I also am interested to know how you avoided all the protections, and managed to kill a PSU such as these.


I am just as baffeld as you my friend.. It happend so fast, I am just glad my face didnt get burned... All i can remember, is I was running the system around 235 1:1 cas 2-2-2-5, with HT enabled, I was fast approaching a time of 33 sec. in Cinebench.. My motherboard, and PSU were sitting right in front of me on my desk, bare.. The PSU was right in between me and the monitor, to the right of the motherboard.. Well, I was excited to possibly hit 33 seconds.. I mean, I may have hit 32.8 sec or something, the system was doing really well.. All of a sudden, "BOOOMMM", I see a huge flash of bright light from the PSU, and it kinda hopped off of the desk.. My first thought was that I have just blown several thousand dollars, in an instant.. Then, I noticed nothing seemed to be harmed but the PSU.. What a relief!! I was working on the facilitation of a droop mod.. I was doing some work on the ADP3180 controller for the PC-DL.. I attained a constant of no less than 1.549v.. This I believe, is where this particular PSU, had an issue.. The normal situation for my Xeons, is a 12.3v rail.. This PSU keeps the rail between 11.8v and 12v. Well, without the ability for the ADP3180 to let the PSU off the hook, I think the PSU gave up the ghost.. I sure like that PSU.. Its been a testing device for quite ahwile... Damn!!

[mluckey]

Freaky luck you have!

From your description, it sounds like a capacitor just gave up the ghost. It happens sometimes. The PSU may not be damaged though. did you try to replace the damaged part? Digikey has a large selection of high-temp, low ESR caps (I always use Panasonics). It would likely be under 10.00 bucks to fix it. Also, you should never stress a PSU without a fan assembly, even if the cover is off. The temps can skyrocket, and the HS doesn't do so well in stagnant air. I guess that you know this now.

I noticed on an FSP PSU newer than mine, that there are small vents, now cut into the case diectly in front of these caps. Possibly this is to avoid a stagnant air pocket near the caps, and maybe avoid the fireworks?


Later,

Mark

[PMM]

Originally posted by tombman
PCPC is good, but this is the MAC DADDY of all psus ;)

If you combine all four 12v rails you get >60 Ampere :cool:

http://www.enermax.com.tw/851%20Specification.htm


Funny that Spec say's Maxed 12v combined = 40amps ;)

Just to clarify.. PCPC 510 Deluxe peek power is 650W and
is rated as such at 510watts @ 40deg at peek 12v = 38amps.

But end of day it depends how hot your PSU is running
as per Enermax's spec if its running 50deg your only going to
get 75% of the power which means 495watts @ 50deg.

[P4Northwood]

Originally posted by mluckey
Freaky luck you have!

From your description, it sounds like a capacitor just gave up the ghost. It happens sometimes. The PSU may not be damaged though. did you try to replace the damaged part? Digikey has a large selection of high-temp, low ESR caps (I always use Panasonics). It would likely be under 10.00 bucks to fix it. Also, you should never stress a PSU without a fan assembly, even if the cover is off. The temps can skyrocket, and the HS doesn't do so well in stagnant air. I guess that you know this now.

I noticed on an FSP PSU newer than mine, that there are small vents, now cut into the case diectly in front of these caps. Possibly this is to avoid a stagnant air pocket near the caps, and maybe avoid the fireworks?


Later,

Mark

The PSU is sealed with the sticker still in tact.. It was running normally with the fans.. It was more than a capacitor.. The stench of burnt electronics components is still in the air.. I had a JGE EPS 550, that I shorted out, and the smell is the same.. It was a blood bath!! The Xeons won.. LOL!! Its all good.. That PSU had a noisey fan anyway.. Serves him right, for having a good job, and losing it.. His previous job, was in my wifes computer... 3GHZ P4, Photoshop, Excel spreadsheets, Word.. Basic office stuff.. But she complained of the fan being to noisey, so I had to remove him from that luxurious life, and brought him over to the torture chamber as a testing unit.. Now he sits under the desk in a box for dead or useless components, to be shunned for eternity for a lack of........ Well, you get the point!! LOL!!!

[Spec3]

Originally posted by PMM
Funny that Spec say's Maxed 12v combined = 40amps ;)

Just to clarify.. PCPC 510 Deluxe peek power is 650W and
is rated as such at 510watts @ 40deg at peek 12v = 38amps.

But end of day it depends how hot your PSU is running
as per Enermax's spec if its running 50deg your only going to
get 75% of the power which means 495watts @ 50deg.

But that's not a problem. Most computers that are fully overclocked and @ full load don't even draw 250W!!


For example my friend tested his system and here are the numbers he got. Sure a prescott or EE would pull more but it's not even close to 400W

DFI NFII Ultra Infinity
Athlon XP-M 2500+ @ 2.2GHz (11 x 200 @ 1.55V)
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro @ stock
OCZ 2x256MB PC3500 EL @ 200MHz @ 2.6V
7 fans (1x120mm, 2x92mm, 3x80mm, 1x60mm), all running at the lowest possible speed

Here are the numbers:

Peak during bootup: 215W
Idle: 151W
Load: 179W

Steve

[P4Northwood]

Originally posted by Spec3
But that's not a problem. Most computers that are fully overclocked and @ full load don't even draw 250W!!


For example my friend tested his system and here are the numbers he got. Sure a prescott or EE would pull more but it's not even close to 400W

DFI NFII Ultra Infinity
Athlon XP-M 2500+ @ 2.2GHz (11 x 200 @ 1.55V)
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro @ stock
OCZ 2x256MB PC3500 EL @ 200MHz @ 2.6V
7 fans (1x120mm, 2x92mm, 3x80mm, 1x60mm), all running at the lowest possible speed

Here are the numbers:

Peak during bootup: 215W
Idle: 151W
Load: 179W

Steve

Is that measurement taken with a PSU tester or software? This is most useful information.. PSU testers are indeed cheap, and would be an instramental tool at evaluating PSU performance and duty status.. Nice post!! Please answer questions!.. Thanks.

I am truley hoping that is your picture!! LOL!! Damn you fine!! hehehe!!

[PMM]

Depend's what your running agreed most people don't need
such a beefy PSU.

Others do esp once you start Ov-clocking and chuck things into
the equation like peltiers / water pumps multiple drives / cd/dvd
writers glowing case lights etc ect ;)

But its knowing which voltage rail need's it most no good having
a PSU with a killer 12v if the main consumption is on the 5v

You quote an AMD at a low clock and at 1.55v but once you ramp
that up ;) to the extreme get your Vcore up to 2+volts

this is a good site for calc'ing your system requirements....

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

[P4Northwood]

Originally posted by PMM
Depend's what your running agreed most people don't need
such a beefy PSU.

Others do esp once you start Ov-clocking and chuck things into
the equation like peltiers / water pumps multiple drives / cd/dvd
writers glowing case lights etc ect ;)

But its knowing which voltage rail need's it most no good having
a PSU with a killer 12v if the main consumption is on the 5v

You quote an AMD at a low clock and at 1.55v but once you ramp
that up ;) to the extreme get your Vcore up to 2+volts

this is a good site for calc'ing your system requirements....

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

Thats the best thing about the True Power 550 with POTS.. It has a killer 5v to.. Mine is at 5.15v.. My 3.3v under a load is 3.32v.. Now for $130.00, This discussion has ended with a clear and obvious winner!! Rock On Antec!!

[Spec3]

No it's not me in the pic...lol

The computer was testing with one of these pluged in so the readings are what the computer was actually drawing not an estimate.

http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html


And here is someone elses test

P4 2.4c @ 3.3 Ghz 275FSB
1 gig ocz pc4200el ram
1x cd burner (idle)
1x dvdrom (1dle)
2 x 40gig maxtors idle
2 x 30gb maxtors on raid card (loaded)
1 x radeon9800proAIW
1 x SB audigy 2
480W butterfly Tt psu
1 x 92 mm quad blue led fan
2 x 80mm quad blue led fan
1 x 120mm quab blue led fan
2 x 80mm Tt 21dba fans
linksys router
bell modem
and a partridge in a pari tree.

I ran 3dmark2003, and measured a peak of 2.6 AMPs without monitor or desklamp

3.2 AMP with ikea desklamp and Viewsonic 19" Professional series P95f+B

so..

2.6 A x 110volts = 286 Watts

3.2 A x 110V = 352 Watts

there you have it folks.. take away the router and the modem you have somewhere in the 250W range of power consumption!


Steve

[P4Northwood]

Originally posted by Spec3
No it's not me in the pic...lol

The computer was testing with one of these pluged in so the readings are what the computer was actually drawing not an estimate.

http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html


And here is someone elses test

P4 2.4c @ 3.3 Ghz 275FSB
1 gig ocz pc4200el ram
1x cd burner (idle)
1x dvdrom (1dle)
2 x 40gig maxtors idle
2 x 30gb maxtors on raid card (loaded)
1 x radeon9800proAIW
1 x SB audigy 2
480W butterfly Tt psu
1 x 92 mm quad blue led fan
2 x 80mm quad blue led fan
1 x 120mm quab blue led fan
2 x 80mm Tt 21dba fans
linksys router
bell modem
and a partridge in a pari tree.

I ran 3dmark2003, and measured a peak of 2.6 AMPs without monitor or desklamp

3.2 AMP with ikea desklamp and Viewsonic 19" Professional series P95f+B

so..

2.6 A x 110volts = 286 Watts

3.2 A x 110V = 352 Watts

there you have it folks.. take away the router and the modem you have somewhere in the 250W range of power consumption!


Steve

Nice work steve... But take my challenge, I dare you to plug in a 250W PSU into a 3.5GHZ Xeon system, and let it fold for 30min..

Or, I will give you some lee-way, send me your 350WATT psu, and I will hook it to my system, and let it run Seti overnight.. I promise you, I will have it smoked by the morning.. And have it back to ya on the next UPS truck smokin to your area!!

Better yet, run any of those 2 in a Dual AMD MP system, and you will really some smokin!!

Nice work Steve, but I dare you!!! LOL!!:toast:

But also, are you forgetting that by design, the PSU produces its own wattage? So the amount it draws from the wall, is not what is actually used.. I think the tester is designed to see how effiecient the items are.. Are they wasting energy.. Hell, I would live underneath the freeway, if my True power 550 constantly drew 550 watts from my wall!! LOL!!!! Most of us here would be at a local shelter!!

[Spec3]

True true. But not all of us run Dual CPU systems with 4GB's of ram and all that fun stuff. I'm just saying that in general 650W of power is overkill.....at least right now

Steve

[docah]

The amount drawn from the wall is precicely what is used. An added hit is that most psu's are only 60-70% efficient. Meaning 30-40% of the power you draw from the wall is turned into heat, and not to the components inside your computer.

So the real draw of the internal components in spec's example is probably less than 175w. With the psu dissapating 75W itself.