Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: redrumloa on October 13, 2006, 03:37:47 AM
-
Time to buy a real PS. This cheapo so called 500Watt no name generic is total crap. Double click to launch something and you can hear the CPU fan slow down :-x Stability has been crap, CPU is running hot. Time for a real PS.
I want higher end PS, but I am not filthy rich. I really don't wanna pay $200.. Suggestions?
-
I have found "Enermax" good
-
:bump:
@kzin
Any specific model?
-
Using OCZ 500w here on A1200 tower- IMHO a good quality BTX PSU
3x independent power lines with adjustable pots and indicator lights to signify poor/moderate/good power beign supplied.
PSU is supplied with an ATX adapter.
-
try some of these:
http://dragonpc.co.nz/c.aspx?r=&c=Hardware&s=Power+Supplies&ss=PSU+between+500W+%26+599W&ssid=
Why do u need 500W any way?
-
It's not really the wattage but the amperage to look for esp. on the 12 volt line. You need to look at the power requirements of each component and make sure the supply you use can meet them. My PC has 9 drives (IDE & SCSI drives Mac and Amiga emulation) etc. and my 450W copes with ease.
I went to a local PC builder shop and brought what they use in their OEM machines, inexpensive ($69NZ) 1 year warranty, a good supply. If you want I can open the case and report the Amp specs and manufacturer.
-
wattage=amperes*volts (approx)
so it is important..
I have used Chieftec PSU in A2000, no problems so far
-
Hey Red,
Try this;
http://techreport.com/reviews/2004q4/psus/index.x?pg=1
-
redrumloa wrote:
Time to buy a real PS. This cheapo so called 500Watt no name generic is total crap. Double click to launch something and you can hear the CPU fan slow down :-x Stability has been crap, CPU is running hot. Time for a real PS.
I want higher end PS, but I am not filthy rich. I really don't wanna pay $200.. Suggestions?
Antec all the way for me, I've been running this 430W PSU for at least three years now, not skipped a single heartbeat.
-
Even cooler - get a UPS!
Some have battery backup for 2hrs should your power go out and they have noise and surge filtering!
Some Belkin UPS are less than $100 USD!
With power what I can't work out is how a standard A1200 brick runs on 1 amp and still manages to power a mouse, joystick, hard disk, ram expansion and all the video/audio ports....
:inquisitive:
-
@ Miles - totally right - it's the current on the +12V (and +5V to a smaller degree) line that's important.
Massive overall wattage is a misnomer. If you've got a bog standard, or even a reasonably expanded system - then forget an expensive ATX PSU - get a good quality secondhand(i.e. from an old Dell, HP, IBM, WHY) AT or ATX at a fraction of the price.
I use an AT PSU that's over ten years old and 'only' 200W.
Let's compare that to a brick:
Brick
Rating @ 60W
+12V @ 1.0A
+5V @ 4.3A
-12V @ 0.1A
AT
Rating @ 200W
+12V @ 8.0A
+5V @ 20A
-12V @ 0.5A
For big tower systems then a bigger PSU may well be needed, but again a good quality 400W (i.e. Enermax) PSU will prove better than a cheap 500+ watt jobby.
-
Probably not 100% related to this subject, but I just made myself feel stupid. I had problems with my powersupply, machine would reboot when going online. Tipical powersupply problem, so I bought a new one. 400W powersupply. Did all the modifications and all my amiga's would work with it. Except the one I bought it for. (PPC) It just didn't boot. This turns out to be a problem with the voltage level. 5V isn't really 5V but 4.7. Ai... So the 400W supply turns out to be crap.
I read somewere that older supplys (ATX) are much better because they are more stable and better voltage levels. So I bought a 2nd hand 230W supply and did the modifications. Quess what, my amiga boots!!, but when the BVision creates a screen,. Reboot!!.. Damn.
This was my own fault though, I used the 5V line from a HD powerline. This line cannot provide the current load the amiga needs. Eventhough this is a 5V red line. Took me a while to realise I needed to use the red wire from the motherboard connection. It now runs like a baby!
Why did I use the red wire from a HD power connector ?, because it was easier to work with (cut/strip)
-
Careful, not all ATX-shaped Dell supplies are ATX. (Instead, some are fry-your-Dell-if-you-use-an-off-the-shelf-part, and presumably vice-versa. This news came out around 1999 or so, no idea if or when they stopped.)
At the low end of cheap, I went with a Coolmax CX-300 on my recent Athlon 64x2 upgrade (which, being a 3800+ with integrated graphics, is not meant to be a power pig), and it's holding up fine while also being the quietest ATX PSU I've owned.
SilentPCReview (http://silentpcreview.com/) seems to have one of the more comprehensive PSU test rigs out there, and their 2006 efficiency roundup (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article313-page1.html) and power distribution (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article265-page1.html) articles may help you characterize your needs.
-
[Deleted -- failed to read some figures above!]
-
I've been using an Antec 400W PSU for a year now and it's been holding up great and fairly quiet. Huge improvement over the noname PSU anyway and I think the price wasn't too high either (around the 60EUR mark).
-
This is probably the most overlooked part when it comes to building any system.
I know from experience that cheap PSU's just cause you problems.
I have just bought a coolermsaster from ebuyer. Cost me £71 , but worth everypenny.
This will sound stupid, but trust me on this one, if your PSU feels light, forget it you will get problems under peak load.
If there is a good weight to it, you will probably be ok
-
I've had good luck with Antec's product line. I had one go out under warranty, but they replaced the PSU, AND motherboard, CPU and RAM! Can't beat that!
IF you can find on sale, they are that expensive (newegg can be a good source)
-
Check out tomshardware.com
http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/12/23/more_performance/
it has a couple of articles explaining what is important to look for in a power supply