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| Thread ID: 45660 | 2004-05-30 01:24:00 | Recommended power supply brands? | Billy T (70) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 240360 | 2004-06-03 02:22:00 | > GOOD: > Antec > Fotron Source (oem for: ... Zalman, ... which are all good) I've been looking at Antec vs Zalman PSUs and noticed that the Zalman ZM300A-APF is only about $5.00 more expensive than the Antec 380W at ascent.co.nz, but I'm wondering if 380W is overkill for an AMD XP2600+ CPU with a GlacialTech SilentBreeze 462 II HSF (on a Soltek NV400 mobo), 512MB DDR-400 RAM, nVidia GeForce2 video card, Seagate 60GB 7200rpm HDD, DVD drive FDD drive, LG CD-RW drive and SB Live Value card. I'm not interested in overclocking or anything like that, so would the 300W Zalman PSU be enough for the above? My preference is for a quiet PSU that can handle a CPU usage of 100% while the HDD is being accessed (i.e. when software is loading), and the odd game (e.g. Half-life). I've read a few reviews about the two PSUs and have found out that the Zalman is a bit quieter than the Antec, but many of these reviews tend to stress-test the PSUs to see how they handle the higher power consumption and promote the 400W and above PSUs. The reviews also raised a point of actual max. power drawn being somewhat less than the stated specification but some power supplies (e.g. Enermax) actually can draw as much power as is specified, although Enermax is noisier. Would Zalman be more honest about their actual max. power output than Antec? Or is the higher price just for a lower sound level? Thanks for any suggestions. -Daniel |
D. McG (3023) | ||
| 240361 | 2004-06-03 02:52:00 | The total W for many PSU do seem high but sometimes you are forced upwards just to get a decent current capacity on a particular voltage. EG for a while +12 was lightly spec'd compared to +5 so if your MB did want +12 you had to search for a PSU. The other point is that many silent PSU have temperature controlled fans that are only silent as long as the PSU is lightly loaded. whetu posted a link to views by SwiftyNZ worth reading. | PaulD (232) | ||
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