• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Buy cheap or Future-Proof?

Wai_Wai

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
26 (0.00/day)
Should I just buy what I need, or spend more money to be future-proof?
For instance, should I buy a more powerful power supply (for future-proof) or should I simply buy what I need?

Things to consider:
- If I buy just what I need, the price will be cheaper. Higher-watt power supply tends to be more expensive (small rise in watt, big rise in price).
eg:
380W: US$61.3
430W: $70.7
500W: $87.4
550W: $101.5
650W: $121.2
- Every now and then new technology comes, new types of cables may be required. Then my power supply will die out. :(
-- The workaround would be to use adapters. But are there any disadvantages/problems?

Thanks. :)
 
Last edited:

Cold Storm

Battosai
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
15,010 (2.49/day)
Location
In a library somewhere on this earth
System Name Haro
Processor AMD 1700x
Motherboard AsRork x370 Taichi
Cooling EK Custom Loop - CPU only
Memory 32gb G-Skill Trident Z
Video Card(s) EVGA 1080 Superclock 2
Storage Too Many
Display(s) Viewsonic VX2450WM-LED 24" & LG 32 IPS
Case Cooler Master Cosmos II
Power Supply Cooler Master V1000
Mouse SteelSeries Rival 500
Software Win10 Pro
Benchmark Scores i5 750 4.62ghz pi runs // Evga FTW p55
When you are looking in to PSU's I feel that the best way to know what you need is add all watts up that the products need at load, then after you have that number add 100 watts. Or, you can go to a PSU calculator and it can help you along. The reason I say add 100w is that you never know what your going to do to your system, then with that, you never know how the psu will handle after awhile ether. So, with an extra 100w you can have your cake and eat it to..
But, this is my opinion on PSU's... Others do it differently
 

philbrown23

New Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
1,229 (0.21/day)
Location
vermont
System Name Dominator
Processor INTEL C2Q Q6600 FTW!!
Motherboard ASUS P5Q-E!!!
Cooling TEC cooled cpu, everything else is under water :D
Memory 4GB CELL SHOCK D9GMH 1066MHZ/4GB CRUCIAL REDS
Video Card(s) 4850 (VT)/ 4850 IN CROSSFIRE!
Storage western digital= 1X 250GB, 1X 500GB, IDE 160GB (BOOT DRIVE ONLY). SEAGATE FREE AGENT 500GB EHDD
Display(s) viewsonic 19" hd widescreen
Case ROCKETFISH FOR NOW :(
Audio Device(s) ONBOARD WORKS JUST FINE FOR ME :p
Power Supply ULTRA X3 1KW MODULAR
Software win vista ultimate 64 TWEAKED!!!
Benchmark Scores http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=434759 3dm06: http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm0
theres no such thing as future proff man, there just isnt especially with am3 on amd's side coming and nalahem on intels side coming, sorry, it's sad but true
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2007
Messages
5,106 (0.83/day)
Location
Kansas
Processor Core i5 3570K
Motherboard AsRock z77 Pro4
Cooling Zalman CNPS10X Extreme
Memory 2x4GB GSkill Sniper
Video Card(s) MSI GTX970 Gaming
Storage 240GB OCZ ARC 100, Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Display(s) LG 23" 1920x1080
Case Antec P100
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Antec Edge 750W
Software Windows 8.1 Pro 64
Don't skimp on your PSU ever. Cuz if it goes down, it like to take other components with it.

Take previous advice on wattage, and go for a well known and respected maker. What's an extra few bucks now to save a crispy system down the road?
 

JC316

Knows what makes you tick
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
9,397 (1.42/day)
System Name Budget Gaming
Processor AMD FX6300
Motherboard Gigabyte 880GMA-USB3
Cooling Coolermaster Hyper 212+
Memory 8GB Ripjaws DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) HD7850 1GB
Storage 1TB Sata2
Display(s) Acer 24" LED
Case Generic black
Audio Device(s) Stock onboard
Power Supply FSP Aurum Gold 650W
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Learn from me, NEVER skimp on the power supply. I killed some very expensive ram and a CPU on a bad PSU.

FSP
epower
Corsair
Seasonic

Those are all REALLY good brands.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
5,052 (0.80/day)
Location
Manchester, United Kingdom
Processor AMD FX 8320 @ 4GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 rev1
Cooling Corsair H70
Memory 4 x 4GB DDR3 Ripjawz 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire Vapor-X AMD R9 280X
Storage 1 x 500GB Samsung Evo 850, 1 x 500GB Vrap Data Drive, 3 x 2TB Seagate, 1 x 1TB Samsung F1
Display(s) 3 x DGM IPS-2402WDH
Case Coolermaster HAF X
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Coolermaster 1000W Silent Pro M
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Never skimp on your PSU. What you want is a good quality PSU that will last you a good 3 or 4 years. So work out what you need on your current system, then keep going up until you can't afford to spend anymore. That way you won't need to change your PSU until it either gets old, or the power requirements of future PCs outstrips your PSU.
 

Wai_Wai

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
26 (0.00/day)
Thanks for all your advice. I will surely buy a decent brand. I won't buy a brand simply because it's cheap. I know the dangers of using a poor PSU.
Also I will look for not only total watt, but also quality, +12V etc.

However my major concern is whether:
- I should buy a PSU which is enough to feed my coming build (but not much room for future expansion), or
- I should buy a PSU which can stay with me for 6-9 years (having 1-2 major upgrades)

I'm using this site as my PSU calculation: http://web.aanet.com.au/SnooP/psucalc.php

My Coming Build:
Mobo: Foxconn P35A-S, Intel P35 chipset, two PCI-Express x 16
CPU: E2180 O/C to 3.0Ghz (The PSU calc list doesn't have E2180, so I select E4700 for the calc)
RAM: DDR2 800 2GB*2 or 2GB+1GB or 1GB*3
Graphic card:
A) HD 2600 Pro (will O/C), Dual DVI outputs
B) HD 2400 Pro, Dual DVI outputs [not for Crossfire]
Monitor: 20-22", 1680x1050, * 4
HDD * 1
DVDRW * 1

Calculation Result:
(Note: the calculation has added plenty of headroom in the recommendation, according to the author)
Recommended PSU wattage for decent brand PSU: 277W
Recommended 12V combined amps / watts for decent brand PSU: 18.6 A / 223 W
Recommended 3.3V Amps: 5.4A
Recommended 5V Amps: 3.9A
Recommended 3.3V/5V Combined Watts: 31W

Possible Future Use (Minor Upgrade within 3 years):
Mobo: Foxconn P35A-S, Intel P35 chipset, two PCI-Express x 16
CPU: Any Quad-Core CPU (will O/C) (I select Extreme QX9650 for the calc)
RAM: DDR2 1333 2GB*4
Graphic card:
A) HD 4850 (will O/C), Dual DVI outputs
B) HD 2400 Pro, Dual DVI outputs [not for Crossfire]
Monitor: 20-22", 1680x1050, * 4
HDD * 2
DVDRW * 1
Blue-ray Burner * 1 (There is no blue-ray burner in the PSU list so I select 1 more DVDRW)

Calculation Result:
(Note: the calculation has added plenty of headroom in the recommendation, according to the author)
Recommended PSU wattage for decent brand PSU: 447W
Recommended 12V combined amps / watts for decent brand PSU: 32.1 A / 386 W
Recommended 3.3V Amps: 9.5A
Recommended 5V Amps: 3.9A
Recommended 3.3V/5V Combined Watts: 44W

Future Major Upgrade (after 3-4 years):
Who knows what the technology will be after 3 years?
I will most likely make a budget/mainstream build only (not high-end builds!)

Note:
* I don't expect I will upgrade my computer within 3 years.
* I will only buy quality brand / PSU.
** Excess-watt approach: Dearer but more room for future expansion. I expect to use it for 6-9 years, ie the PSU will follow me for the current and next 1-2 major upgrades. But I wonder if new technology will kill my PSU after 3-4 years anyway. Another concern is aging. How serious is it? If I go for this route, I will probably select 500W-700W (?).
** Enough-watt approach: It's enough to power my current system. And it saves me money. I would simply go for 300-450W PSU.

=========================================================


Question:
What PSU would you suggest in my cases?
Excess-watt approach (for 6-9yrs expansion), or enough-watt approach (more than enough for my coming build)?
I would like to buy Uninteruptable Backup Power for my desktop computer. What would you suggest?
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,274 (7.69/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
No point in trying to 'future-proof' now, the future processors (both from Intel and AMD) walk all over current offerings.
 

Wai_Wai

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
26 (0.00/day)
No point in trying to 'future-proof' now, the future processors (both from Intel and AMD) walk all over current offerings.

Why? What are the processors going to do to eliminate my PSU?

OK, so you suggest I should buy a decent 300-400W.
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,274 (7.69/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Why? What are the processors going to do to eliminate my PSU?

OK, so you suggest I should buy a decent 300-400W.

Seeing how current 65nm Phenom's have reached 140W and nothing sure about Nehalem, yes, 400~500 should do.
 

calvary1980

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
1,801 (0.30/day)
Location
Toronto, CA
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield L724A629 @ 3.8Ghz 423x9 1.47v
Motherboard Abit IP-35 Pro Beta 16.B04 (vDroop)
Cooling 6x Scythe S-Flex SFF21F, EK Multi Option 2 Port, dB-1 Compact, Swiftech MCR80, Swiftech Apogee GT
Memory 2x1 OCZ Flex XLC PC-9200 @ 5-5-5-18 1220 2.3v
Video Card(s) Inno3D Geforce 8800GTS 320
Storage Western Digital Raptor X 150
Display(s) Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22"
Case Cooler Master RC-690
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1
Power Supply Thermaltake ToughPower 1000
I say cheap, AMD and Intel have new sockets coming soon.

- Christine
 

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
20,073 (3.23/day)
Location
Youngstown, OH
System Name Dual Build Streamer
Processor Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory 32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s) PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage 20+ TB
Display(s) Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s) Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard Hyperx Origins 65
Software Windows 10
Learn from me, NEVER skimp on the power supply. I killed some very expensive ram and a CPU on a bad PSU.

FSP
epower
Corsair
Seasonic

Those are all REALLY good brands.

But dont forget to add Xigmatek, Zalman, and Antec to that list, if not Seasonic built they are ChannelWell built. Grab the least expensive 500W out of those, they should serve you very well.

EDIT: Also the 6-9 year thing is kind of pushing it due to capacitor aging. Best bet to make sure you have clean good power for your components is to do a psu about every 2 years at the maximum.
 

calvary1980

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
1,801 (0.30/day)
Location
Toronto, CA
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield L724A629 @ 3.8Ghz 423x9 1.47v
Motherboard Abit IP-35 Pro Beta 16.B04 (vDroop)
Cooling 6x Scythe S-Flex SFF21F, EK Multi Option 2 Port, dB-1 Compact, Swiftech MCR80, Swiftech Apogee GT
Memory 2x1 OCZ Flex XLC PC-9200 @ 5-5-5-18 1220 2.3v
Video Card(s) Inno3D Geforce 8800GTS 320
Storage Western Digital Raptor X 150
Display(s) Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22"
Case Cooler Master RC-690
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1
Power Supply Thermaltake ToughPower 1000
Xigmatek, Zalman and OCZ are built by Fortron, Fortron are not what they used to be they don't use high quality components. Raidmax, Mushkin and BFG are built by Topower another mediocre manufactuer. Seasonic's own line is a little expensive and they don't use the higher quality components they manufacture for Corsair Power Supplies, various Antec models are built by Seasonic but they are no where near the quality of Corsair or Seasonic own line.

Corsair, Thermaltake and Silverstone in that order.

- Christine
 

cdawall

where the hell are my stars
Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
27,680 (4.29/day)
Location
Houston
System Name All the cores
Processor 2990WX
Motherboard Asrock X399M
Cooling CPU-XSPC RayStorm Neo, 2x240mm+360mm, D5PWM+140mL, GPU-2x360mm, 2xbyski, D4+D5+100mL
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s) (2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage 2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s) Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s) Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard Keychron K8
Software W10P
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
5,052 (0.80/day)
Location
Manchester, United Kingdom
Processor AMD FX 8320 @ 4GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 rev1
Cooling Corsair H70
Memory 4 x 4GB DDR3 Ripjawz 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire Vapor-X AMD R9 280X
Storage 1 x 500GB Samsung Evo 850, 1 x 500GB Vrap Data Drive, 3 x 2TB Seagate, 1 x 1TB Samsung F1
Display(s) 3 x DGM IPS-2402WDH
Case Coolermaster HAF X
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Coolermaster 1000W Silent Pro M
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
I say cheap, AMD and Intel have new sockets coming soon.

- Christine

And that has what to do with PSUs? He's talking about one specific component of his PC, not the entire thing.
 

calvary1980

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
1,801 (0.30/day)
Location
Toronto, CA
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield L724A629 @ 3.8Ghz 423x9 1.47v
Motherboard Abit IP-35 Pro Beta 16.B04 (vDroop)
Cooling 6x Scythe S-Flex SFF21F, EK Multi Option 2 Port, dB-1 Compact, Swiftech MCR80, Swiftech Apogee GT
Memory 2x1 OCZ Flex XLC PC-9200 @ 5-5-5-18 1220 2.3v
Video Card(s) Inno3D Geforce 8800GTS 320
Storage Western Digital Raptor X 150
Display(s) Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22"
Case Cooler Master RC-690
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1
Power Supply Thermaltake ToughPower 1000
Should I just buy what I need, or spend more money to be future-proof?

I answered both questions piss off.

- Christine
 

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
20,073 (3.23/day)
Location
Youngstown, OH
System Name Dual Build Streamer
Processor Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory 32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s) PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage 20+ TB
Display(s) Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s) Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard Hyperx Origins 65
Software Windows 10
I answered both questions piss off.

- Christine

LMAO@piss off

Please though look into the Xigmatek further.

That's e161451 Link

EDIT: PS:please dont take this post with hostility Christine. :)
 

calvary1980

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
1,801 (0.30/day)
Location
Toronto, CA
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield L724A629 @ 3.8Ghz 423x9 1.47v
Motherboard Abit IP-35 Pro Beta 16.B04 (vDroop)
Cooling 6x Scythe S-Flex SFF21F, EK Multi Option 2 Port, dB-1 Compact, Swiftech MCR80, Swiftech Apogee GT
Memory 2x1 OCZ Flex XLC PC-9200 @ 5-5-5-18 1220 2.3v
Video Card(s) Inno3D Geforce 8800GTS 320
Storage Western Digital Raptor X 150
Display(s) Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22"
Case Cooler Master RC-690
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1
Power Supply Thermaltake ToughPower 1000
i'm not. I have more hostility against reviewers that choose not to open the housing. your right, i'm wrong it's probably Channel Well like there other models that I googled. they are not cheap on newegg though.

- Christine
 

Polarman

New Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
1,626 (0.28/day)
Location
Rimouski
System Name Polar's Dragon
Processor AMD Phenom II 975BE
Motherboard MSI 890FXA-GD65 (Bios 18.7)
Cooling Zalman CNPS 9700 Led
Memory Gskill 8GB DDR3-1333 (8,8,8,21)
Video Card(s) MSI HD6870 Hawk
Storage WD Raptor 250 - WD RE4 500GB
Display(s) Samsung T240 (1920 X1200)
Case Silverstone Raven 2
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply PC Power&Cooling Silencer 750 (Red)
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit + SP1
You should purchase the one i have. I should post it on the "for sale" section.
 

EnglishLion

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
461 (0.07/day)
Location
Peterborough, UK
Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160
Motherboard ASUS P5E3 Deluxe
Cooling Akasa EVO 120
Memory 2 x 1Gb OCZ Gold DDR3 1066Mhz 6,6,6,18
Video Card(s) GeCube ATi X1950Pro 512Mb PCIe (Accelro X2)
Storage Samsung 320Gb SATA2
Display(s) Samsung SM206BW 20" Widescreen TFT 1680x1050
Case Coolermaster Centurion 532
Audio Device(s) On board AC'97
Power Supply Hiper Type-R 580W
Software Windows Vista Home Premium
Benchmark Scores See my OC Blog @ http://www.rowan-house.net/
If you don't want to or don't have the money to spend then buy cheap. Personally if I were buying a PSU now I'd buy the Corsair 650W TX Series. I've heard great reviews and it looks good too for those windowed cases. You can then rest assured that it'll have plenty of umph for future needs.
 

Wai_Wai

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
26 (0.00/day)
I say cheap, AMD and Intel have new sockets coming soon.

- Christine

I have one question. Some motherboards say they are supporting the upcoming 45nm CPU, which are the next generation CPUs. So how useful? If they change sockets, I think those mobo will die out anyway regardless of the "claims".

After all I feel most components die out too fast so I have a tendency not to buy for the future. I don't buy expensive stuff. I upgrade my computer when I see some big advancements (*real* performance gains, NOT benchmark gains). This would mean 3-4 years per upgrade. When I upgrade, I need to throw most components away. Only a few survive after the major upgrade:
  • Hard drive (hard disk drive has probably the slowest advancement than other parts. Too bad :shadedshu !! Apart from larger capacity, the performance/speed improvement is small. The *real* performance gain is small although SATA may make it look nice in benchmarks)
  • DVD drive (Hardly any improvement after about 2004)
  • Floppy drive ("drive" again. This thing hasn't advanced at all. Well, most should have forgetten floppy disks anyway :rolleyes:)
  • Power Supply Unit (it can survive and serve me once more before elimination. However if new cables come out, it would still kill PSU. Adapters may save him but I'm not sure how big the side-effect is. I feel like not investing PSU anymore. That's why "this thread")
 

Wai_Wai

New Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
26 (0.00/day)
But dont forget to add Xigmatek, Zalman, and Antec to that list, if not Seasonic built they are ChannelWell built. Grab the least expensive 500W out of those, they should serve you very well.

What about CWT? Good?

Some companies use both good and bad OEMs. It makes the choice difficult. You can't read the UL until you buy it.


EDIT: Also the 6-9 year thing is kind of pushing it due to capacitor aging. Best bet to make sure you have clean good power for your components is to do a psu about every 2 years at the maximum.

Two factors:
1) How serious aging is?
2) What's the average lifespan of a PSU?

Aging: Since many over-estimate by large due to fear, so they may still be enough to fire up your new system after 3-4 years when you upgrade, serving you for the next 3-4 years. 6-7 service years would be achievable. But how serious aging is?
Is there any paper or article which look into this? A rough figure is nice. I would like to know the approximate average lifespan of a PSU too.

Lifespan: Even if it can provide enough watt to support your systems, it's useless if it dies. I wonder if it is possible that it would suddenly die. If so, what happens if it suddenly dies on one day? Bring my other babies to the grave as well? :pimp:
 

ChromeDome

New Member
Joined
May 31, 2008
Messages
670 (0.12/day)
System Name Super Budget Gamer Thing lol
Processor AMD 5600+ Windsor @3.0ghz
Motherboard ASUS M3N78-VM AM2/AM2+ Micro ATX
Cooling Thermaltake TR2-R1 Ultra Silence CPU heatsink+fan / 3 exhaust case fans
Memory 3 Gigs Kingston DDR2@800mhz
Video Card(s) PNY 8800GT 512mb OC'd 710/1740/950 - 178.24
Storage 2X 320 gig Seagate Barracuda's @7200rpm - SATA
Display(s) 22in Dell LCD 1680X1050 / 21.6in AOC LCD / Hauppauge TV Tuner
Case Antec Three Hundred
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Power Supply Antec Earthwatts EA500D 500w
Software Vista, bby <3
Benchmark Scores yay it works! =]
is it a general rule of thumb one MUST spend over $100 on a good power supply? any sub $100 ones that are good and reputable?

i was looking at some Rosewill ones. seem to have good reviews and work with fairly powerful systems. i need more PS connectors for my computer for upgrades so i was looking at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182032

and things like it
 
Last edited:

calvary1980

New Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
1,801 (0.30/day)
Location
Toronto, CA
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield L724A629 @ 3.8Ghz 423x9 1.47v
Motherboard Abit IP-35 Pro Beta 16.B04 (vDroop)
Cooling 6x Scythe S-Flex SFF21F, EK Multi Option 2 Port, dB-1 Compact, Swiftech MCR80, Swiftech Apogee GT
Memory 2x1 OCZ Flex XLC PC-9200 @ 5-5-5-18 1220 2.3v
Video Card(s) Inno3D Geforce 8800GTS 320
Storage Western Digital Raptor X 150
Display(s) Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22"
Case Cooler Master RC-690
Audio Device(s) Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1
Power Supply Thermaltake ToughPower 1000
I have one question. Some motherboards say they are supporting the upcoming 45nm CPU, which are the next generation CPUs. So how useful? If they change sockets, I think those mobo will die out anyway regardless of the "claims".

After all I feel most components die out too fast so I have a tendency not to buy for the future. I don't buy expensive stuff. I upgrade my computer when I see some big advancements (*real* performance gains, NOT benchmark gains). This would mean 3-4 years per upgrade. When I upgrade, I need to throw most components away. Only a few survive after the major upgrade:
  • Hard drive (hard disk drive has probably the slowest advancement than other parts. Too bad :shadedshu !! Apart from larger capacity, the performance/speed improvement is small. The *real* performance gain is small although SATA may make it look nice in benchmarks)
  • DVD drive (Hardly any improvement after about 2004)
  • Floppy drive ("drive" again. This thing hasn't advanced at all. Well, most should have forgetten floppy disks anyway :rolleyes:)
  • Power Supply Unit (it can survive and serve me once more before elimination. However if new cables come out, it would still kill PSU. Adapters may save him but I'm not sure how big the side-effect is. I feel like not investing PSU anymore. That's why "this thread")

this simply isn't a new chipset, it's a new socket. Nehalem is socket LGA 1366. I don't think ATX or PCI cables on a Power Supply are going to change.

is it a general rule of thumb one MUST spend over $100 on a good power supply? any sub $100 ones that are good and reputable?

i was looking at some Rosewill ones. seem to have good reviews and work with fairly powerful systems. i need more PS connectors for my computer for upgrades so i was looking at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182032

and things like it

4/7 of Corsair Power Supplies are under $100 on Newegg (MIR) they are not expensive some of the Seasonic models have better inner components than Power supplies in the $200 range. most of the Channel Well and Seasonic built Power Supplies from Antec, Thermaltake, PCP&C, Hiper and XClio are a little more expensive. Rosewill Power Supplies are terrible.

- Christine
 
Last edited:
Top