Power Supplies for Today's & Tomorrows Computers

No. It seems that Enhance makes all of their units. Haven't seen one that wasn't blatenly Enhance. UL pulls up Silverstone, but just look at the specs and you'll see they always match an Enhance exactly.
.
 
I was just passing through and your buying guide is fantastic! Thanks for your hard work. When it comes time to buy a new PSU you can be sure I will be looking through here first!
 
Yes, big thanks to you guys (Dave & Jonny) for coming up with this discussion. I really appreciate your efforts in helping all of us understand more about these power supplies. ;)
 
davidhammock200 said:
I will be out of town & off line until Tuesday.

Have a GREAT one!

Dave ;)
Click to expand...
You are just the travelling man aren't you?
 
davidhammock200 said:
Not normaly, but my 22yr old daughter is comming home on leave from Iraq :) ,
where she has been on her 2nd deployment. :(
Click to expand...

Ah well enjoy your time with her.
 
so what's the final verdict on the Ultra X-Connect 500W's ?

I've started to hear a lot of bad wrap on them, and it's getting me worried that my new $1600 worth of parts may get fried!
 
alphakry said:
so what's the final verdict on the Ultra X-Connect 500W's ?

I've started to hear a lot of bad wrap on them, and it's getting me worried that my new $1600 worth of parts may get fried!
Click to expand...

Oh! There was a FINAL verdict? I had no idea. :rolleyes:

J/K...

This question just starts to sound like a broken record, with the typical "they suck" responses coming from people that have never owned them.

I've got two (one 400W and one 500W) and they're one and two years old respectively. No issues (actually, UV light went out in the 500W, but I replaced it and it's been fine.) I also have three different friends with them. Again.. no issues.

That said, I do know of a couple folks that have had the UV lights in the fans die like mine, a couple guys here had one completely die on them and even Kyle had one and it died. But I can only think of one post where one died and took out the rest of his computer with it. Maybe another at Anandtech, but I'm not sure if that was actually the same guy.

The crossload on them is hellacious too. You wouldn't see it with your specs, but if you had a Socket A board without a 12V 2x2 connector, you'd probably see the 12V really high and the 5V really low.

In a nutshell.. They're far from "spectacular." One guy said about them just this morning that they're "mediocre." I'm not going to argue that. I have a lot of "mediocre" parts. :) But I would say that if you're not having problems now, not to worry about it. The "fear" that something may blow up and take out other parts exists regardless.

"A better power supply is not as likely to take out your components." I don't know if that's necessarily true either. I'm seeing A LOT of posts from people with self-destructing Turbo-Cool's. Does that mean that I'm going to stop using the Turbo-Cool that's on my bench? Hell no. I always considered Turbo-Cool the cream of the crop. :p I guess the best way to summarize: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...." Hmmm... Maybe not. How about, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the...." Ah, screw it. I dunno.. I just wouldn't let it bother you.
 
Jonny... thank you for that response... while not completely, it is at least somewhat comforting... its that broken record response of “they suck” that initially got me worried.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t already start looking at 3 alternatives:
(Antec NeoPower, PCPowerCooling Turbo-Cool 510 and the Thermaltake Purepower 500.)

The UV is the very least of my concerns… at this point, with my new Swiftech Watercooling kit and such, a glowing PSU is no where as important as a safe and stable PSU. If the light/fan is all I have to worry about, I’ll wait a while before worrying about it.
 
Yeah.. well, grain of salt. Grain of salt. :p

It's like; I've had so many Antec's blow up on me, it's not even funny. But Antec's been around a long time. So does my complaining about my Antec failure rate have any weight?

Nope.

I was a member of Hard Forums about five years ago. I had a run of six different Abit KA7 RAID boards that had six different problems. SIX DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. That was a very popular board at the time. What did everyone say? "You're incompetent. You're doing something wrong."

"Doing something wrong" would explain if I had six boards that supposedly had the same issue, but I had six boards with six issues. Compound that with the fact that Abit was sending me back refurbed boards in exchange for my new boards, I was a bit pissed and the fact that the Hard community ganged up against me just pissed me off even more.

The response I got that was really funny was, "Well, that board is for overclocking, etc. They're very tempermental." So therefore they're graded on some sort of curve?!?!

I finally did settle on a KA7 RAID that worked. But after a year, it died. It became a dartboard .

When MaximumPC tried to revisit the cooling qualities of the Corsair water cooler this month but could not duplicate the test bed because the Abit Fatal1ty board they had been using up and died, all I could do was chuckle. But people still love that company. :D

Point is: We all have opinions; based on personal experience or not. We've all had failures. All products fail. There is NO perfect quality control. Computer parts are often as defective as the people that make them.. ok, maybe not THAT defective... you know. ;) I admit, so choices out there are just plain stupid. Like a Powmax 580W that can't even put the power out of a decent 300W. Or a Thermaltake 480W PSU that has only 18A on the 12V rail. And of course, other poor choices may not be so obvious. ;)
 
I understand that Ultra changed manufacture's in late 2004 or early 2005 &
that while the old ones were not too bad, the newer ones "su*k".

There are just sooo many better choices, I don't even see why these should be consideder.

I'm back,
Dave ;)
 
David,

See, some say I'm blinded by my own personal choices. But I think I think that the problem is I just don't like misinformation.

Ultra never changed manufacturers.

The X-Connects have ALWAYS been made by Youngyear and the X-Finitys have ALWAYS been made by Wintech.

I have no idea where you get your information from, but you need to consider a different source. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
David,

See, some say I'm blinded by my own personal choices. But I think I think that the problem is I just don't like misinformation.

Ultra never changed manufacturers.

The X-Connects have ALWAYS been made by Youngyear and the X-Finitys have ALWAYS been made by Wintech.

I have no idea where you get your information from, but you need to consider a different source. ;)
Click to expand...
Actually it came from some Ultra advertising showing some X-Connects being made side-by-side with some Powmax's. :eek:
 
davidhammock200 said:
Actually it came from some Ultra advertising showing some X-Connects being made side-by-side with some Powmax's. :eek:
Click to expand...

You're confused. There was never any such ad. I can't believe you're drudging up 2 year old rumors to back-up a false claim.

The only time Ultra was shown "side-by-side" with Powmax was when Powmax sold Ultra's, and the "factory tour" pages on that website show no Ultra's being manufactured, assembled, tested, etc.
 
jonnyGURU said:
You're confused. There was never any such ad. I can't believe you're drudging up 2 year old rumors to back-up a false claim.

The only time Ultra was shown "side-by-side" with Powmax was when Powmax sold Ultra's, and the "factory tour" pages on that website show no Ultra's being manufactured, assembled, tested, etc.
Click to expand...
Jonny, I'll try to find it.

But with so many better choices, why should anyone even consider an Ultra?

EDIT:

What do you use for ripple & noise testing & at what loads do you measure?

Thanks,
Dave
 
I agree there. No doubt. There ARE better choices. Some cost more. Some don't have all of the "features" (if those kinds of things are important to you.)

I just think Ultra gets a bad rap, that's all. And Powmax acting as a reseller for a while sure as hell didn't help.

It's like when you seemed "let down" to find out that the precious Hiper was made by Superflower. Like what's wrong with Superflower? Or that the AMS is "not recommended" because you haven't heard of the brand or that the Silverstone crossload issue had to be disproved to the n'th degree.... Nothing wrong with being the world's toughest critic, but holy crap! :D Don't get me wrong. You do a FANTASTIC SERVICE to the whole build-it-yourself community. I just think you tend to be a bit bi-polar. ;)

Like the whole GOOD list, BAD list. I just don't agree with that. Albiet there's some PSU's that deserve to be on the bad list regardless, but more often than not it's not so cut and dry.

I'm thinking of adopting a RGB scale for power supplies. Red being crap, Green being average, Violet being awesome, and all colors in between. And even then, you can't make a judgement on "brand" since models vary so much (Modstream vs. Powerstream. TWV480 vs. TWV500, etc.) so I'd break it down per model and I think I'd even break it down as to: "Power capability," "Quality of contruction", "Features," "Appearances," etc.

Matter of fact... I think I'll work on that right now. :)
 
davidhammock200 said:
What do you use for ripple & noise testing & at what loads do you measure?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

I don't... yet... going to get my hands on a Waveform Monitor in the near future, I'm sure.

Essentially, a rail is at a "fail" point when I can no longer get a solid reading on it. For example: http://www.slcentral.com/ocz-powerstream-520adj-power-supply/powerstream.mov

Mind you, that's a WORSE CASE scenario as that's what most ATX12V2.0+ PSU's tend to do when crossloaded, but if I load a 12V rail up to 28A and it's stable, and then I only take it up to 30A and I start seeing the "bounce" on that rail, where the voltage is fluctuating by as much as .2V every one or two seconds, I consider that rail at a "fail point."
 
Like the whole GOOD list, BAD list. I just don't agree with that. Albiet there's some PSU's that deserve to be on the bad list regardless, but more often than not it's not so cut and dry.

I'm thinking of adopting a RGB scale for power supplies. Red being crap, Green being average, Violet being awesome, and all colors in between. And even then, you can't make a judgement on "brand" since models vary so much (Modstream vs. Powerstream. TWV480 vs. TWV500, etc.) so I'd break it down per model and I think I'd even break it down as to: "Power capability," "Quality of contruction", "Features," "Appearances," etc.

Matter of fact... I think I'll work on that right now.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good plan to me! :D
 
Many thanks to davidhammock200 & jonnyGURU for all the good info! I have a question about something I've heard many say in this forum: Modular power supplies will cost you wattage. I'm wondering if anyone has conclusively tested this and how bad the drop might be. I'm running a fairly small sysytem right now (a64 3000-754, Asus K8V, 9600xt, 1gb pc-3200, 1 dvd, 1 hdd, DD csp-mag pump, 2x 120mm, 2x80 mm) and according to http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp I should need 302w and http://takaman.jp/D/index.html?english says I should need 365w. I am considering the Antec NEO 480 but am concerned if the wattage drop is serious enough to rule out upgrading to an A64 3500-939 , Asus A8N-SLI, 6800GT etc. I've searched the forums many times but have yet to find a definitive answer (i.e. the p/s dimming jonnyGURU's dining room lights).

On a side note, I would love to nominate both davidhammock200 & jonnyGURU for the title of Myth Sploder ! 8*D
 
Derf said:
Many thanks to davidhammock200 & jonnyGURU for all the good info! I have a question about something I've heard many say in this forum: Modular power supplies will cost you wattage. I'm wondering if anyone has conclusively tested this and how bad the drop might be. I'm running a fairly small sysytem right now (a64 3000-754, Asus K8V, 9600xt, 1gb pc-3200, 1 dvd, 1 hdd, DD csp-mag pump, 2x 120mm, 2x80 mm) and according to http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp I should need 302w and http://takaman.jp/D/index.html?english says I should need 365w. I am considering the Antec NEO 480 but am concerned if the wattage drop is serious enough to rule out upgrading to an A64 3500-939 , Asus A8N-SLI, 6800GT etc. I've searched the forums many times but have yet to find a definitive answer (i.e. the p/s dimming jonnyGURU's dining room lights).

On a side note, I would love to nominate both davidhammock200 & jonnyGURU for the title of Myth Sploder ! 8*D
Click to expand...
Don't worry about it. The NeoPower 480W will be fine. ;)
 
I just ordered the XClio off of newegg the other day, and I had a few questions.

On egg, they don't make any mention of the SCFT bracket that u can connect ur fans to. Can anyone confirm that theirs came with it?

"The SCFT adapter is mounted on a PCI bracket and has a single potentiometer to control the fan speed for up to four (4) fans. Each channel (plug) is rated up to six (6) watts." (from EOCF review)

Does this mean all fans connected to it will be undervolted to 6w? And do u think it will still be possible for me to monitor RPMs on a MSI Neo4 Plat mobo?
 
I'm pretty sure they come with the bracket regardless of who you buy it from.

That said; I'm not sure how you'd montor fan RPM's. The fans plug into IT, not your motherboard. And then the bracket is powered with a proprietary connector. Unless you had one of those fans that split the RPM sensor from the power connector. Maybe if you could get your own three pin fan header Molexes, you could cut the yellow wire off of the fan and put it on it's own header to plug into the motherboard.
 
infiniti029 said:
I just ordered the XClio off of newegg the other day, and I had a few questions.

On egg, they don't make any mention of the SCFT bracket that u can connect ur fans to. Can anyone confirm that theirs came with it?

"The SCFT adapter is mounted on a PCI bracket and has a single potentiometer to control the fan speed for up to four (4) fans. Each channel (plug) is rated up to six (6) watts." (from EOCF review)

Does this mean all fans connected to it will be undervolted to 6w? And do u think it will still be possible for me to monitor RPMs on a MSI Neo4 Plat mobo?
Click to expand...
I tested both the 400W & 450W versions & both boxes contained the PCI slot bracket. ;)
 
Here's a fantastic PSU calculator that I think should be added to your listing. http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=80186.0

This allows you to select all the components you intend to purchase and determine based on the ratings of the PSU if it'll meet the requirements.

You can do both Single and Dual Rail checks with this tool. I found it to be invaluable.
 
HighTest said:
Here's a fantastic PSU calculator that I think should be added to your listing. http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=80186.0

This allows you to select all the components you intend to purchase and determine based on the ratings of the PSU if it'll meet the requirements.

You can do both Single and Dual Rail checks with this tool. I found it to be invaluable.
Click to expand...

That one is actually better than the other claculator's people tend to link. After a quick once over my only gripe is with the "other" section being input in watts per rail as opposed to being a)included like processors adn graphics cards and b)being watts not amps for that section although it does spit out the amp's it makes you input in watts (that just seems counter productive). It would also be nice to see it hosted somewhere so it doesn't have to be downloaded.....but that is just nit picking there :p

Edit: Another gripe. Absolutely no built in Intel or AXP support or 5v regulated CPU support. So I will revise this to limited applicability
 
Couldn't tell you, but I received a package from Topower Computer (USA) Ltd. today.

Their new 550W modular! 20A on each 12V rail, 35A combined max. Supposedly there's a 650W available too.

I can't wait to plug this puppy in. :D
 
davidhammock200 said:
I tested both the 400W & 450W versions & both boxes contained the PCI slot bracket. ;)
Click to expand...

Well, my 450W from newegg didn't come with a PCI bracket... :(
 
What ever happened to the "new" / "proposed" OCZ ModStream 620W with switichable rails?
It was semi-announced & pics were published, now (months later) it seems to have vanished.

Anyone???
 
davidhammock200 said:
What ever happened to the "new" / "proposed" OCZ ModStream 620W with switichable rails?
It was semi-announced & pics were published, now (months later) it seems to have vanished.

Anyone???
Click to expand...

They (Topower) probably couldn't make a production version of it. Or perhaps not at an affordable price.
 
Yes and no. What ePower/PCMCIS/Tagan/Topower currently offer is not of the caliber of what the OCZ 520W is based on. More like what a Modstream is based on, which they couldn't make in a larger wattage model right now because there's no room for the modular interface.

I'm pretty sure someone would cry foul if OCZ put out a "Powerstream" that's was 600W or 700W, but still not as good (stable rails, efficiency, etc.) as the 520ADJ. Know what I mean?
 
I emailed XClio as to why the fan controller PCI adapter was not included in the XClio 450BL I recently bought...

"Nice to receive your email,

Regarding the XClio 450BL PSU, we are selling second batch of production unit which didnt come with SCFT PCB, instead we upgrade the metal cover with Vibration-Reduction rubber coating, also extra cable adapters to support SLI VGA card.

We need to remove the SCFT PCB due to some end-users always try to plug in their CPU fan power connector to the SCFT PCB without following our instruction, so we have to remove the feature to avoid any damage or problems with end-user's PC system.

Please advise if you have any further questions or any suggestions.

Thanks,

Best Regards,"
 
infiniti029 said:
I emailed XClio as to why the fan controller PCI adapter was not included in the XClio 450BL I recently bought...

"Nice to receive your email,

Regarding the XClio 450BL PSU, we are selling second batch of production unit which didnt come with SCFT PCB, instead we upgrade the metal cover with Vibration-Reduction rubber coating, also extra cable adapters to support SLI VGA card.

We need to remove the SCFT PCB due to some end-users always try to plug in their CPU fan power connector to the SCFT PCB without following our instruction, so we have to remove the feature to avoid any damage or problems with end-user's PC system.

Please advise if you have any further questions or any suggestions.

Thanks,

Best Regards,"
Click to expand...
News to me! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the up-date,
Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top