PSU suggestions

[Civilized]

I am going to replace my Enermax 465AX-VE FMA (going bad I believe). I am building a new system at the moment. It has been quiet a while since I have been in the loop so I was wondering if I need any special power supply in case I wanted to run the dual video cards. Also if you could recommend some solid choices under 100 bucks
The new system:
ASUS A8N-SLI
Geforce 6600GT X 2
AMD Athlon 64 3700+

 

[Rugger]

Depends on the cards you want to SLI or CF. I usually throw out the Enermax EG565P for $88.49 at zipzoomfly.com, but Newegg has a sale on the <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931" target="_new">Antec TruepowerII 550W</A> for $75 after MIR right now so I'll point you in that direction.

*Steam rising*
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BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!

 

[Civilized]

Cool thanks man. I have never used the dual rail psu's. How much better are they than the singles? I was looking at the OCZ modstream psu as well but it is a little more pricey. The OCZ also doesnt say its SLI approved but does that really matter or no? Sorry just trying to figure this SLI thing out without coming across retarded ;-)

 

[Rugger]

What are you going to SLI? What res?

The dual 12V are for better efficiency and stability for modern systems. Some people aren't completely sold on the standard, but it is a standard. SLI approved means that it has been reviewed and found to be capable of supporting SLI. If nVidia is saying that it is good, then it's better than a kick in the teeth and should be good for an SLI setup. I'm a big price/perf guy. OCZ makes good products, but you're paying for the name, too. I just try to keep abreast of what are good products and then keep an eye out for good deals on those things. Right now that Truepower 550W is a good deal.

*Steam rising*
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|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
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BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!

 

[Crashman]

Nope, dual rail doesn't add stability. Normally a single transformer output is split into two "rails" by using two separate over-current breakers. That does nothing for stability, because if one side draws down so does the other. And it limits how much output you can have on one rail, so you might end up needing a higher-capacity power supply. If you overload one breaker but not the other, your power supply still resets. Less stability is possible.

It doesn't increase efficiency either. It's the same power supply, except for the added circuit breaker. Circuit breakers don't add efficiency.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

I bet a lot of guys with dual-core P4's are wishing they could borrow power for them from the other rail...but guys with A64's and dual 7800GTX's would want to borrow in the other direction!

The only reason dual-rails exist are to reduce the likelyhood of fire or injury from overloading one circuit...or something like one device. It's actually based on a limit for consumer devices, that is, external parts.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

I seriously doubt it was Intel...what do they know about limiting power? Did you read that Dell had to delay the release of high-end workstations because their boards couldn't handle the load of the latest Intel processors?

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

D@mn <A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20041223/atx12v-24pin-03.html" target="_new">THG</A> article leading me astray....

*Steam rising*
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|<font color=red>(='.'=)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
~~~~~
BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!

 

[Crashman]

Yeh...those guys. 66-72% efficiency has been average for a long time. Some companies may be using more efficient voltage regulators now, but that's a separate issue from dual rails.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Rugger]

Gotcha and now I'm back on track with ATX12V v2.XX

*Steam rising*
|<font color=red>(\__/)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(='.'=)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
~~~~~
BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!