Is my PSU good or bad?

[Sephiroth_Yuppie]

I'm building a Pc for the first time,and I bought a Raidmax Scorpio 868W Case/PSU.
In your PSU FAQ it says Raidmax is a bad PSU company...
Should I buy another PSU,or am I allrgiht with what I got?
And if I do buy a new PSU can I still use the case I got?

My system is gonna be something like this:
P4 3.0ghz 800mhz FSB Northwood
Abit IS7 I865 PE
Maxtor 120Gb HD
MSI Radeon 9800 PRO
1gb DDR 400 RAM
Sony DVD -/+ RW/CD-RW drive
Mitsumi 1.44mb floppy drive
56k modem.

 

[Mr5oh]

I have noticed many people on the board do not think to highly of generic PSU units. Yes if you buy another PSU you can still use your case. However is your PSU working ok now? I have used generic PSU units for years, and so far have never had a problem. I generally fill all my PCI slots, run somewhere between 10-15 fans (Currently running 12 fans, 2800+ XP, 6800, 1 gig ram, two hard drives, two cd drives, equalizer all off of a generic unit, and it overclocks fine).

Raidmax isn't known for building a real high end power supply, however they don't have as bad of a name as others. Also you will have to remember you will tend to only hear horror stories about stuff on the internet, you won't hear from the thousands of people who use the products with no problems everyday.

I think of it as like the retail heatsinks for CPUs. Sure there are better things, however they aren't going to give you something that is crap either. The will give you something that is "good enough." The case is the same way, the manufacturer felt that failure rate and was a good trade off to keep price down.

In the end, if what you are using was making you happy before you read that FAQ, stick with it, the odds are much more in your favor that you will be one of the people who use the power supply for several years with no problems.

I've read all the FAQs and reviews and such, and I still continue to buy generic PSU units. They have worked very well for me in the past, and hence the reason I still stick to my $15-20 PSU.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>

 

[Sephiroth_Yuppie]

Thanks
So I guess I'm allrigh then?
It's just I'm uber nervous being this is the first PC I'm building.(Actually I'm just buying the parts and a guy I know is gonna put it together)

I just want it all to work.

 

[Mr5oh]

Yeah your fine. There is always something better out there, so don't worry about it, what you are getting should work great.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>

 

[poly4life]

Mr5oh, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that you might be giving him "veteran" advice. This is his first PC. While I don't condemn the purchase of generic PSUs or company's not known for their PSUs, it is reasonable to believe that he does not have the experience you or I might have with such matters. BTW, I know the main discussion was about RAIDMAX.

Yuppie, if you plan on buying a generic PSU, as opposed to the RAIDMAX, remember that a generic is still more likely to give you problems than a quality PSU (and just for the record, I don't buy RAIDMAX PSUs for building). If you don't know what your buying, if you don't have the experience, I recommend non-generic PSUs. Do you really want to take a risk with a PSU you may or may not be able to accurately and corectly assess and risk other parts being fried? Again, I'm not saying generic PSUs are all garbage. I would only recommend them if you have experience with PSUS and especially if your best friend is a DMM and a 'scope.

 

[Mr5oh]

Poly4life, you make a very good point. This powersupply came with the case, at least that was my understanding. However I really think generic PSU units really receive a bad reputation unjustly. For most systems which don't have all the power hungry stuff some hardcore gamers use, generic PSUs' work well.

Yes a brand name PSU is reliable, that is a given. However, think about how many cases come with these "generic" PSU units, and how many people use them for years without any problems.

In the end, I am a fan of generic PSUs, just becuase they have always served me well in the past.

Yuppie, Poly4life makes a good point, so if it worries you, go ahead and get another PSU, you can get good powersupplys for less than $50.




My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>

 

[poly4life]

Mr50h, you make a good point, as well. Generic PSUs do get a bad rap, whether OEM or home built. Considering your average desktop consumes a fraction of these monster PSUs (i.e. Enermax 660W PSU), a generic PSU should handle such a demand.

 

[Mr5oh]

You guys here on the board are slowing starting to convert me, I've at least been pricing new PSUs. (Looking at the Sparkle PSUs, seems like that is what Crashman likes, so it must be good.)

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>