Please Recommend Power Supply for 6 hard drive system :-)

[tmgcomp]

Hello,

I need some help. I have been building systems for several years and decided to build a file server for myself and my friends. I used an athlon xp 300 400fsb i had lying around and a nforce 2 board i had. I have a raid array ide with 4 drives. I have 2 drive also on 1 of the ide channel. I also have a dvd burner and a fx5200 graphics card. I have a generic 500 watt power supply from bestbuy. The computer will not boot at fill athlon xp 3000 speed. I have to lower the fsb to 175 to get it to boot. All my tests tell me the power supply is just maxed out. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should buy? Are amps the thing to look at? Voltage? Watts ?

 

[wun911]

just buy another cheap PSU and use this one to power up the 6 HDs!

use your original 500w to power up the MB etc.

otherwise you will be buying a new and costly 600w or so.

 

[bmouring]

Try booting the system with only 1 or 2 disks instead with the processor at 200/400 FSB first. I have a sneaking suspicion that there just may be an issue with the proc running at that speed. If it does boot fine, then I'd say wun911's suggestion of a second ps is a fine one if you have the space. There are many guides out there on how to get one powersupply to start another, generally dealing with wiring up a electronically-controllable switch to the two pins on the ps you usually short to start it (usually handed by the mobo, of course)

 

[clue69less]

just buy another cheap PSU and use this one to power up the 6 HDs! use your original 500w to power up the MB etc. otherwise you will be buying a new and costly 600w or so.

I hate cheap power suplies - they seem to enjoy blowing up and killing as many components as possile on their way out. If you haven't done it yet, bmouring's stip-it-down and fire it up advice is good. But a single, good quality ~500 watt PS should run this rig. And they don't have to be so expensive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104155

I've run a 4400+, X1900XT, 2 opticals and 4 HDs with that PS. It is a single 12V rail that is conservatively rated at 26A. $77 after MIR = bargain. If you don't think 520 watts is sufficient, then I'd jump up to something like:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817711001

or:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002

I realize that there are many solid power supplies other than OCZ, but their current MIRs are very good deals. That Gamextreme has guts (as it should for that price).

 

[Datman]

Here are my suggestions for big power with some overKill. :twisted:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153036

 

[tmgcomp]

Hello,

I have to thank you for the replies on a Sunday! I wish I could do two power supplies but I have invested so much in my new case that I really can't. So I will be shopping for a new PSU. Is there any Amp'age on certain rails I should be looking for. IS higher or lower Ampage better?

 

[Pain]

I'd want a good quality PS, but I personally don't think you need a huge supply just because you have 6 disks. I think any good quality 400W supply will be fine, so I agree that I would try to power up the machine without all the disks first and see what happens. That machine isn't going to be drawing that much power at idle and I agree there is probably something else going on instead of a power issue. If it is a power issue, it's probably not total power, but quality of the power that is the problem.

 

[clue69less]

Hello,

I have to thank you for the replies on a Sunday! I wish I could do two power supplies but I have invested so much in my new case that I really can't. So I will be shopping for a new PSU. Is there any Amp'age on certain rails I should be looking for. IS higher or lower Ampage better?

Higher +12V amperage is better because each component adds to the current load on the PS. If the unit is designed well, you can get an advantage by having multiple 12V rails with a high total 12 current capacity. So look at the specifics of # of rails and total +12V current capacity - and look at the ripple too (lower is better).

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

What brand of PSU are you using now?

Almost any Antec, OCZ, or Thermaltake above 450 Watts should be enough for that.

 

[pengwin]

just buy another cheap PSU and use this one to power up the 6 HDs!

use your original 500w to power up the MB etc.

otherwise you will be buying a new and costly 600w or so.

best idea so far.

if u can get the 2nd PSU not a cheapo one maybe an Antec SmartPower 350w or a Forton source their cheapest and run ur mobo off that.

 

[tmgcomp]

Yeah I can't get a second PSU. It simply won't fit. I was looking at the 700watt power supply

http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=17-153-035

Would this be Good?

 

[pengwin]

the amps maybe be lower but the PSU is better

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104015

 

[Pain]

I think you're spending way too much and much more PS than you possibly need, but it's your money. :?

 

[doolittle]

Yeah I can't get a second PSU. It simply won't fit.

Well can you make it fit? Here are some mods I have used to give you some ideas...

I was looking at the 700watt power supply

http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=17-153-035

Would this be Good?

It is good, and the FSP is no doubt better... but I have to agree 100% w/ Pain - that is overkill!!
Check out my fileserver specs:

Aspire X-Navigator w/ ATX-AS500W-BK
P4 2.4 northwood w/ Tyan Trinity S2099GNN/
2x512mb transcend DDR266 CL2
10xIDE hdds 80gb~300gb
2xpci ide raid
1xdvdrw,1xcdrw
1xcompaq pci sound



So the lowly Aspire ATX-AS500W-BK is able to handle it no problem, the specs are similiar to this (mine has only single +12v@34A rail)

and this thing is going strong for over 18months 24x7 and only shut down when I go on vacation about 3 times a year for a week at most. Prior to getting the X-nav w/ the 500w I was using the full-tower dual PSU above

Since you won't be using it for games and it is an older XP system you can probably get away with something less on the +12 you were looking at and maybe look for something with at least +5v@30A or better.

The OCZ ModStream OCZ52012U mentioned is a nice unit at $100 shipped, it is a bit pricey - the $20 MIR definitly helps.

I noticed Newegg has their $50 rebate on this unit:
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power ATX12V 600W for $99 shipped w/ $50 MIR
which I am not too fond of since it really is a 500w unit marketed as 600w, the MIR puts it in it's proper price range. It is a decent 500w unit with +5v@30a so that may work for you - if you can wait it out for the MIR.

Some other ones I noticed on newegg that have high +5v that may work just as well, but I would probably go w/ one of the above over these:

Thermaltake Silent PurePower TT-420AD(DUAL FAN) ATX 420W $48 shipped
JUST PC JPC-P4SF550C 550W $60 shipped
Thermaltake Silent Purepower W0014RU ATX 480W $70 shipped
ASPIRE ATX-AS520W Silver $69 shipped w/ $10 MIR
ASPIRE ATX-AS520W BLUE $69 shipped
RAIDMAX AURORA RX-580F $69 shipped
Rosewill RP550 ATX 550W $70 shipped
Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W $75 shipped
KINGWIN ABT-520MM ATX 12V 2.0V 520W $75 shipped

I actually used the TT-420AD in my linux fileserver and game rig (when it was A64-3400 / 9800 pro OC'd to replace the dual PSU mid-tower I was using - was on sale at newegg, and not such a bad performer.

 

[wun911]

silverstone makes a product that is 2x 480w psus.

its 2 psus in the size of 1 psu. you need 2x plugs to plug it into the wall.

a basic quad 12v rail off the bat....

it will fit in your case....

and its made for pplz with zillions of hds

pity you couldnt just buy a second psu......... saves $$$

 

[clue69less]

silverstone makes a product that is 2x 480w psus.
its 2 psus in the size of 1 psu. you need 2x plugs to plug it into the wall.

I saw that a couple of months ago when I was on my GPU/arc welding quest. I was wondering what the heat and sound of that big guy was like. One review had the ripple kinda high on the +12V and that scared me off. I liked the 2 plugs bit...

 

[pengwin]

Yeah I can't get a second PSU. It simply won't fit.

Well can you make it fit? Here are some mods I have used to give you some ideas...

I was looking at the 700watt power supply

http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=17-153-035

Would this be Good?

It is good, and the FSP is no doubt better... but I have to agree 100% w/ Pain - that is overkill!!
Check out my fileserver specs:

Aspire X-Navigator w/ ATX-AS500W-BK
P4 2.4 northwood w/ Tyan Trinity S2099GNN/
2x512mb transcend DDR266 CL2
10xIDE hdds 80gb~300gb
2xpci ide raid
1xdvdrw,1xcdrw
1xcompaq pci sound



So the lowly Aspire ATX-AS500W-BK is able to handle it no problem, the specs are similiar to this (mine has only single +12v@34A rail)

and this thing is going strong for over 18months 24x7 and only shut down when I go on vacation about 3 times a year for a week at most. Prior to getting the X-nav w/ the 500w I was using the full-tower dual PSU above

Since you won't be using it for games and it is an older XP system you can probably get away with something less on the +12 you were looking at and maybe look for something with at least +5v@30A or better.

The OCZ ModStream OCZ52012U mentioned is a nice unit at $100 shipped, it is a bit pricey - the $20 MIR definitly helps.

I noticed Newegg has their $50 rebate on this unit:
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power ATX12V 600W for $99 shipped w/ $50 MIR
which I am not too fond of since it really is a 500w unit marketed as 600w, the MIR puts it in it's proper price range. It is a decent 500w unit with +5v@30a so that may work for you - if you can wait it out for the MIR.

Some other ones I noticed on newegg that have high +5v that may work just as well, but I would probably go w/ one of the above over these:

Thermaltake Silent PurePower TT-420AD(DUAL FAN) ATX 420W $48 shipped
JUST PC JPC-P4SF550C 550W $60 shipped
Thermaltake Silent Purepower W0014RU ATX 480W $70 shipped
ASPIRE ATX-AS520W Silver $69 shipped w/ $10 MIR
ASPIRE ATX-AS520W BLUE $69 shipped
RAIDMAX AURORA RX-580F $69 shipped
Rosewill RP550 ATX 550W $70 shipped
Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W $75 shipped
KINGWIN ABT-520MM ATX 12V 2.0V 520W $75 shipped

I actually used the TT-420AD in my linux fileserver and game rig (when it was A64-3400 / 9800 pro OC'd to replace the dual PSU mid-tower I was using - was on sale at newegg, and not such a bad performer.

doolittle hows the air flow and PSU on the aspire, i like the case but not the PSU, maybe a short little riview for me, i've only found 1 review on the X-navigator but none on its PSU.

 

[michaelahess]

You guys are funny, 450watt or more? Yeah right, get a solid 300watt for cheap and you're set. Here's my 8 disk system, all older drives except the two maxtor 200's, a p4 2.4, and a radeon something or other (64meg DDR):

 

[weskurtz81]

I find it hard to beleive that your PSU can't handle it. It should be more than powerful enough for those specs. You could get a quality 400W psu and it would be more than sufficient for that setup. FSP makes a good psu.

 

[doolittle]

On the PSU itself the fans are actually low-speed (even at full setting) so it is relatively quiet, but a bit light on the airflow - and the exhausted air is a bit warmer than I like.
The voltages are all in spec and it is stable at idle and load, so I can't complain - but it would have been nice to get the case w/o any PSU. And it does look cool 8)

The saving grace is the excellent case airflow - which was messed up when I got the case, both the side and rear fans were blowing in the wrong directon so I had to reverse that as well as add all the fans to the hdd's so they would not overheat. It is a bit loud, but I would much rather have a loud case than a hot case

 

[doolittle]

Well the OP's system is XP 3200, usually socket A systems have the core CPU volts draw off the +5v rail so that will suck 15A or more so a 300w PSU may work, I say double it to at least 30A since the rail is usually shared with the +12.

I would definitly not use an AGP card with an external power connector with an XP3200 and a 300w unit and that many HDDs...

 

[michaelahess]

I used to have an athlon xp 2400 in there, no prob, good psu's are overrated to begin with. I've had 3 10k rpm scsi drives and an adaptec raid array1000 scsi controller on that exact machine at the same time as the 8 other hd's.

A coolmax or other crappy psu will blow up with that, but a high quality one can handle it, that ever ps I have in there doesn't even get warm.

 

[ak47is1337]

Hello,

I need some help. I have been building systems for several years and decided to build a file server for myself and my friends. I used an athlon xp 300 400fsb i had lying around and a nforce 2 board i had. I have a raid array ide with 4 drives. I have 2 drive also on 1 of the ide channel. I also have a dvd burner and a fx5200 graphics card. I have a generic 500 watt power supply from bestbuy. The computer will not boot at fill athlon xp 3000 speed. I have to lower the fsb to 175 to get it to boot. All my tests tell me the power supply is just maxed out. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should buy? Are amps the thing to look at? Voltage? Watts ?

Believe it or not, that system isn't that power hungry. An Athlon XP and a 5200 aren't bad, and the hard drives don't take up as much as you might think. Any GOOD BRAND 500w should handle it. BTW, shop online. Bestbuy etc are complete rip-offs.

 

[doolittle]

that is quite a difference over my old game rig / fileserver conversion, was an XP2800 w/ 9500 pro and the trusty antec 300w unit failed to post after I added the 6th hdd.
Luckily it was in the full tower so I was able to drill out the template for the 2nd psu and install it neatly (almost)...

I never thought to remove the GPU to see if it would work since I wanted to lan game w/ it...

 

[michaelahess]

I'd say that your antec 300 isn't so good then, it was worn out, or you have bad power in your house

I've got a 300watt running an athlon64 3000, 1 gig ram, 2 80gb sata hd's, radeon 9800 pro, 2 optical drives, and the previously mentioned scsi card and 3 scsi hd's.

Good 300's really can run alot, maybe everyone is just afraid to try with everyone saying "you need 450" or "get a 700 watter" or maybe they don't make good ones anymore, all of mine are over 4 years old (I have a couple more 300's in full 24x7 service, one on a dual PIII 1000.)

I do use a 600watt silverstone for my htpc and enermax 365 for the wifes. My personal machine has a rycom (generic) 500 and it's fully moderm, athlon 64 3700, 2 gig ram, 2 250gb hd's, 2 optical drives, radeon x1800xt.