Please help w/ final decision on power supply, down to 3

[antand]

ENERMAX FMA II EG565P-VE ATX12V 535W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194010

I like this one because the ratings on the rails look good and I currently have a 5+yr old 350w Enermax that just keeps on going.

or

Mushkin 550200 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817812002

I like the modular styling of this one, ratings look good but haven't heard much about the reliability of a Mushkin PS or how stable they are.

or

Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931
I like this one because of the trusted name, good specs and jeez everyone's got one so it must be good.

Any input/help/suggestions are welcome.

 

[dotti]

out of the three
I personally would go with Antec truepower ii 550w
like what you said lot of people own it which means its a product that you can rely on

just my thoughts,

dotti

 

[phreejak]

Of the 3, only the Enermax has PFC.

Power Factor Correction - protects against things like voltage fluctuations and electrical irregularities that can affect the efficiency of your power supply. There are three types of PFC: active, passive, and non-PFC. Active PFC provides the best protection, while non-PFC provides the worst. With a more efficient PSU there is less waste and, therefore, less heat produced by the PSU. This, in turn, means a reduction in it's contribution to overall system heat.

 

[towely]

ENERMAX FMA II EG565P-VE ATX12V 535W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194010

I like this one because the ratings on the rails look good and I currently have a 5+yr old 350w Enermax that just keeps on going.

or

Mushkin 550200 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817812002

I like the modular styling of this one, ratings look good but haven't heard much about the reliability of a Mushkin PS or how stable they are.

or

Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931
I like this one because of the trusted name, good specs and jeez everyone's got one so it must be good.

Any input/help/suggestions are welcome.

I like the OCZ GameXstream series personally. Great quality, great looks and great reliability. Grab the 600w and youre laughing.

 

[antand]

Thanks for the feedback, especially the PM that suggested the Antec NeoHE 550 High Efficiency 550W that zipzoomfly has for 104.99 with a $20 mail in rebate. It's modular, good reviews, good name and specs look good In the end cost about 85 bucks which fits right in my budget.

 

[Mondoman]

Of the 3, only the Enermax has PFC.

Power Factor Correction - protects against things like voltage fluctuations and electrical irregularities that can affect the efficiency of your power supply.

Not really, PFC just keeps the Power Factor up. This doesn't mean any better protection against voltage fluctuations & irregularities. It doesn't increase the efficiency of your PS. So, no effect on heat. All it does is help your electrical utility maintain a stable distribution system (in which your computer's influence is very tiny).
So, it's like reducing your personal CO2 emissions - morally good, but no personal benefit, and no major impact on society.

 

[phreejak]

Here's a brief article explaining PFC and it's role in PSU efficiency.

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/pfc.html

 

[Mondoman]

Here's a brief article explaining PFC and it's role in PSU efficiency....

AFAICT, it talks about "power distribution" efficiency, meaning the electrical utility's grid, and doesn't really explain PFC and "power factor." Here's an article that does much better: http://www.dansdata.com/gz028.htm
(Sorry for being lazy and not giving the link earlier)

 

[flabbergasted]

According to this site, http://tinyurl.com/fn3vkt , says that new systems with high performance graphic cards are recommended to use PSUs that supplies +12volts at 26 amps.

 

[Mondoman]

Your link didn't work for me, but what you say sounds reasonable for PSs with a single +12V rail. Dual-rail systems will obviously need less on each rail.

 

[TheManOfSteel]

Thanks for the feedback, especially the PM that suggested the Antec NeoHE 550 High Efficiency 550W that zipzoomfly has for 104.99 with a $20 mail in rebate. It's modular, good reviews, good name and specs look good In the end cost about 85 bucks which fits right in my budget.

I bought this power supply and am trying to find the rebate form, but zipzoomfly has removed it from the item description. Do you have it saved somewhere, or know where I can find it? Thanks.

 

[microgiant]

My antec 500sp2.0 fried my MB, yeah i know it can happen with other PSUs as well but I have heard others report similar problems. one guy fried 3 mbs b4 he realized it was his PSU that was bad!

 

[paybax]

Hey Antand,
Out of the 3 I would go with the Enermax,
2 things about these PSU's that stand out from the others that I like are;
1. Extra long harness cables for cases (like the Antec P180) that require a little more reach.
2. The wires have a plug on EITHER end....great thing aobut this is that you only have the cables hooked up that you need...makes for alot less clutter in your case

All I can say is if I had a choice now, I would have bought the Enermax 620 watt instead of my SeaSonic S12 600 watt. I had to mod the wires so the inside was clean and kept airflow free, and also the 4 pin cae plug was WAYYY at the top of the case with my mobo so I had to mod an extension to reach it.

Bottom line is Enermax makes good PSU's bro...that's my vote

Antec P180 Performance S
SeaSonic S12 600 PSU
Asus A8N32 SLI X-16 S-939 (bios 1103 V02.58 )
RealTek 97 Onboard
AMD 64 X2 4800+ Toledo Core (AMD v 1.3.1.0/MS hotfix/ Dual Optimizer)
2 gigs Corsair 3500LL Pro @ 437Mhz 2-3-2-6-1T
2- BFG 7900 GT OC in SLI (NV 91.31)
WD RAPTOR 74.3 gig HDD / XP & Apps
Maxtor SATA II 250 Gig /Gaming / Movies / MP3's
Maxtor SATA II 250 Gig /backup (unplugged)
Sony CDrom 52X
Plextor 708-A DVD/CD rom
Razer DiamondBack Optical mouse
Logitech Z-5500 Dolby Digital 5.1 THX 500watts