True Power?

[Erbmaster]

Has anyone purchased a 400W-500W PSU recently?
I'm thinking of buying the Antec - True Power 430W PSU TRUE430PGB.
Could use a little help, Is this the baby to go for? (looks damn good on the spec sheet.....13 Outputs )

Does someone have 1st hand experience? Or would you recommend another product around the same kinda price bracket (£60-£80). Would like quiet if poss, but not too fussed if thermistor controlled fans or manual.

Any light u guys can shed would sure help....TIA

 

[Kush]

me

me i have a antec true blue 480! 480w of power true power that is. and extra nice blue lights! u can find it on ebay!

 

[Erbmaster]

Just looked on ebay.co.uk, and the max they have is a whopping 300W , but i'll look elsewhere.....shouldn't be much more in price than the 430W i hope. S'pose they're available with regular fans which should bring the price closer too, and that's not a biggie as i'm not into the flashing cathode/LED fan cult anyway

Thanks for the input Mafia...any advance on the Antec True Power480W anyone?.....anyone?.....anyone???? (think i stayed at e-bay too long. )

 

[Maveric169]

I have the Antec True Power 550W PSU. My first one blew up after 6 days of use, so I litteraly when to Antec for a replacement. Has been working fine for the last3 days. The only thing that bothers me is the output readings that I am getting from my mobo software (see screen shot). Now I expected the voltages to be better but it may just be my software as it does not report fan RPM correctly. But I also have an older mobo (Giga-byte GA-7VKML). You can see my system specs in my sig.

 

[freightgod]

I have the TruePower 430 and am very happy with it so far (I've only had it a week). It's super quiet. As I type I've got 5 hard drives, a dvd-rom and a cd-rom along with loads of add-in cards and I haven't experienced any lack of ooomph. Got it from newegg.com

Any more questions about it?

 

[GoNz0]

i got a cheepo 450W PSU, does the job ok, the 5 HDD and 3 CD ROM take there toll a little, the voltages remain where they should

a slightly lower that stock voltage is usually due to you taking so little power, i was under volted until i added all my gear back in.

 

[jumpy]

Originally posted by GoNz0
a slightly lower that stock voltage is usually due to you taking so little power, i was under volted until i added all my gear back in.

Ok, that sounds pretty wrong to me. power=voltage x current.
Your voltage should be lower when you have more gear in your case drawing current. A higher current will mean a lower voltage. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.....

 

[scriptasylum]

I have the TruePower 430 too. Got it at CompUSA for about $100 US, but I'm sure it can be found elsewhere for less.

It's quiet.. I can hear every other fan over it. Voltages are pretty close to their rated values too.

It also has 2 fan power outputs that are temperature controlled. I don't use them because: A - I have too many fans, B - It sends full power to the fans only when the air in system is quite warm.

I've had this for about a year I guess with no problems. I liked it so much that I bought a 330 version for the kids PC. You should see the difference from what they had (supposedly 300w) to the TruePower 330! See this thread if interested:

http://ntfs.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31260

 

[scriptasylum]

Originally posted by jumpy
Ok, that sounds pretty wrong to me. power=voltage x current.
Your voltage should be lower when you have more gear in your case drawing current. A higher current will mean a lower voltage. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.....

Your statement is true for most types of power supplies, batteries, etc. The amount of drop depends on the quality of the PS and how tightly the outputs are regulated.

I can see the voltage varying a little, but the switching regulator should keep the outputs constant for the most part. It really depends on which output(s) the PS monitors: most switching PS only "measures" one or two outputs and the PS adjusts all outputs based on that.

For example: if you really load the 3.3v line, but keep the 12v line lightly loaded, the 12v line might be higher than normal if the PS monitors the 3.3v line to regulate the rest of the outputs.

You also have to have a minimum load on certain outputs or the regulator won't work (senses v-drop across a tiny load/inductor to sense current). The PS should have the min current ratings on the PS as well.

Once you get close it its maximum ratings, there might be more of a drop in output.

 

[Taurus]

Originally posted by Maveric169
I have the Antec True Power 550W PSU. My first one blew up after 6 days of use, so I litteraly when to Antec for a replacement. Has been working fine for the last3 days. The only thing that bothers me is the output readings that I am getting from my mobo software (see screen shot). Now I expected the voltages to be better but it may just be my software as it does not report fan RPM correctly. But I also have an older mobo (Giga-byte GA-7VKML). You can see my system specs in my sig.

your voltages are certainly acceptable. a simple rule is to keep them from wandering by 5% or more. if they're more than 5% off from their intended voltage, then you might want to think about getting a new ps. a 10% variance means you have to get a new ps before some of your components are damaged.

 

[Maveric169]

Originally posted by taurus
your voltages are certainly acceptable. a simple rule is to keep them from wandering by 5% or more. if they're more than 5% off from their intended voltage, then you might want to think about getting a new ps. a 10% variance means you have to get a new ps before some of your components are damaged.

Well I know that my voltages are well within tolerance and they don't vary more than .10 volts but I really expected the voltages to be closer to the expected voltage.

 

[Erbmaster]

*Thanks everyone for the PSU technobabble*

/still wondering which PSU to go for.

The 480W or 430W Antecs would do, but are there any other recommended ones?

(posts in a vain effort to get the thread back on topic

 

[Taurus]

i have an enermax 431-watt. does fine.