using "dangerous" PSU

[godlyatheist]

A real estate agent once told me, "Never own the biggest house or the smallest house on the street."

 

You can use that same logic with computer parts. Buying the most expensive may get you a really good product but the price to performance ratio is pretty lousy. Buying the least expensive may get you in the game but you don't really gain much if anything - you might as well just not entered and picked a different hobby.

 

Why buy the lowest recommended psu today when it won't take long to be removed from the Recommended list? Use that frugal habit on ramen/mac&cheese for food, used books, and not spending all your cash in the bar on friday night. I think you can give up 1 or 2 nights of drinking to get a decent PSU. When you're working on your homework, last minute or not, I'm pretty sure the last thing you want is for your computer to crash. And thats exactly what it does ... I have a TT psu which is on the Avoid list and I have to admit... for a good reason. Which is why I recently purchased a new psu. Now I gotta find time in my already busy schedule to tear up my rig and install this new psu.

 

The psu is one of the few parts you can use across platforms - get a good one. Once you get into college you'll quickly find out that making a stupid purchase hurts. Save those moments for when you actually have the cashflow to offset that.

Okay, Fogel, you convinced me to get a better PSU. Now i just need somebody to answer my question about the fans.

 

Yes, my lich sig is back online!!

[Fogel]

Wish I could answer that question with confidence but i'll take a stab at it with the little info I do have based on the research I have done and my personal xp. The 10% answer is that really it depends on the fans themselves and how well designed the PSU is.

 

The rest of the answer is not all 80mm fans are equal. It also depends on the RPM the fan is moving at. Typically its not a mechanical noise thats the problem but more so the amount of air being pushed out. Your best bet is to google the two PSUs and see if anyone rated the dB level of the PSUs you're looking at. SeaSonic PSUs are more expensive than the OCZ PSUs but not only do they cater to performance but tailor their PSUs to the low noise market. I point them out because your questioning if all single fan PSUs are loud. They use a single fan at lower RPMs to achieve their relative low noise ratio.

 

When comparing the higher grade PSUs, the noise level question comes down to personal preference. For me, I can tune out a constant noise fairly well. My Navy friend who is a sonar tech can catch the slightest noise I don't register. Some say the OCZ PSUs are super quiet and only kick in at heavy load with a small ramp up. Some say they are loud. /shrug

 

The Fortron is a good PSU, and is basis of the OCZ psu without the LED. The Fortron should be as good as the OCZ, if not better ...at least in performance. Can't speak on the noise level. For me the case fans are more of a distraction than any other fan since the air flow creates a whining noise as it passes through different parts in the case. My ears really aren't sensitive enough to pick out the psu fan.

[godlyatheist]

Looks like the Fortron 550W is rock solid. Can anyone tell me if it has 1 or 2 fans on it? The thing doesn't have PCI-e connector but my adapter will do.

 

The enermax 535W looks even better. I'll probably get it.

[SeanDude05]

I'd recommend the Fortron.

[godlyatheist]

any reason why you'd rec the fortron?

[Thraxz]

Fortron are on par with OCZ PSUs. They are quiet and very reliable and, for example, have oodles of other PSU companies outsourcing their PSU's to Fortron to build. (They are that good).

[cuoficr]

42k in I.E.

[godlyatheist]

this is making it hard to decide. the enermax has everything i like (dual fan, pci-e connector) and you guys are saying FSP is very good............HELP!!!!!!!

[centy]

The FSP basically guarantees you are not going to have any issues with power for a long time. The same thing cannot be said for the Enermax with the same degree of certainty.

If you can afford the FSP, I wouldn't think twice about it.

 

Go with the FSP/Gamextreme

[godlyatheist]

Okay, i've made up my mind. I'll take the Enermax first since it can't be that bad if it made it to the A list. If that thing goes kaput, i'll buy the FSP Epsilon 600W

[Guest Halvis]

Okay, i've made up my mind.

 

You have indicated that "quiet" is also important to you. spcr has a lot of info on "quiet componants", as well as links & reviews, you may wanna do some poking around over there. I try to pick stuff thats as quiet as possible, but not if its not on the recommended list here @ the Street.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

[davidhammock200]

Okay, i've made up my mind. I'll take the Enermax first since it can't be that bad if it made it to the A list. If that thing goes kaput, i'll buy the FSP Epsilon 600W

Which Enermax?