2003 Power Supply Roundup Part II: Better Faster Cheaper
by Kristopher Kubicki on July 31, 2003 1:58 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
We took a long look at every valuable bit of data we could manage to squeeze out of the power supplies available. If anything, the most startling data we found in this review was the disappointing problems with some fan controls. We recommend not buying a power supply with an onboard fan control.
Overall, the surprise victors of this roundup were Fortron and Zalman. Both included virtually identical units in the review and both performed extremely well, especially in the sound tests. However, since the Fortron units are priced about $20 lower than the Zalman units, we have to give our editor’s choice award to the Fortron. ThermalTake came in very strong, with very low noise and very high stability. The $74 cost is high, but considering the other external fan control power supply costs $60 more, we think the cost is easily justifiable.
As with the last roundup, we were very impressed with the Enermax power supplies. If their price was not so inhibitive, we would give them a stronger recommendation. Kudos to Enermax on both of their power supplies represented.
The PC Power & Cooling TurboCool 475 surprised us the most. It had excellent performance, low heat and relatively good price. However, when on, this power supply sounds like a train. One could easily modify the fan, but this would probably throw the unit out of spec and change the performance.
Unfortunately, like with any roundup, we can not include everyone. Fortunately, our power supply roundups are cumulative. Next time we do another PSU roundup, we will include the models we have listed here as well as a few other ones. If you have a particular PSU you would like to see included, feel free to drop a line in our forums so we know for next time!
Once again we would like to thank Directron.com for sponsoring this review and donating the hardware for us to test. Furthermore, we would like to thank the folks at Maxpoint, Kingwin, Case-Mod.com for providing hardware and testing equipment.
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Anonymous User - Saturday, August 2, 2003 - link
#11, yes P=IxV, but the power ratings in the table were obviously taken from manufacturers' data rather than actual measurements, which is why when any power rating for any of the positive voltages is divided by that voltage, the quotient exactly equals an integer. That would not be a problem if all manufacturers applied identical standards to their specifications, but many computer users have learned that this isn't the case.Anonymous User - Saturday, August 2, 2003 - link
Perhaps you could include a Q-Tec PSU in the next review? They retail here in Sweden at about 60% of the price of corresponding Enermax and other high quality units, so assuming they aren't totally lousy they're very cheap.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
I agree with #15. Definitely take a look at the PC Power and Cooling 400w Silencer PSU. I own two of these units and they're very high quality with reasonably low noise.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Enlight power supplies are always being excluded from these PSU comparsions. I have a Enlight 360W PSU and it's very stable and very quiet. Test some Enlight PSUs!Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
I appreciated the comments concerning AMD users, but what I really need is some sort of guidance on AMD processor speed vs combined power or 3.3V rail current for upgrading older systems. Many older cases have limited power supplies and I'm trying to figure out the fastest processor I can install and still have reliable operation. Example: A 300 watt supply with 25A of 3.3V can only support up to a Athlon 1600+ on an ECS K7S5A Pro or a 350 watt with a combined power of 200W can support up to 2200+. Oh, and forget that old 250 watt power supply altogether. I need something like that... yeah, I know: your mileage may vary, void where prohibited by law, no watts were endangered in the making of this article.....:-)Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Next time you guys might want to check out the PC P&C Silencer 400. It's built just as heavily as the Turbo Cool but with a quieter fan.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Hey guys, im sure 1 or 2 of you resistorheads are an ee or will soon be one.. ripple and noise are only part of a good pwr supply.. we need the facts... how many watts do these power supplies really put out. how do they respond with a big load.. will they take an overload.. how well are they protected...thats what i wanna read aboutMIDIman - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
WOW - excellent review. I'm getting a zalman for my silent box.Nice to see you guys pumping out articles quickly again! Thanks!
idenyit - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
hey just wondering the allied A400ATX hows that compare with the B400ATX thats offered on newegg? any differences?Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
#10, doesnt P=IV? The Power and Voltage measurements were given.