Dual 80mm vs 120mm psu

[alexp999]

Hi,
I'm looking at upgrading my psu as I am getting a new graphics card, and the 12v rail is at 11.5v on idle with my current power supply and graphics. But this post is relating to cooling. I'm trying to decide which is better, a 120mm psu or a dual 80mm psu? I already have an 80mm fan exhaust under the psu, but if I get a 120mm will it make things worse causing my case fan and the psu fan to work against each other? is it better to use a dual 80mm psu which won't fight the case fan and will exhaust hot air at the top of the case? Has anyboady had any experience with dual 80mm psu? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Wile E]

Hi,
I'm looking at upgrading my psu as I am getting a new graphics card, and the 12v rail is at 11.5v on idle with my current power supply and graphics. But this post is relating to cooling. I'm trying to decide which is better, a 120mm psu or a dual 80mm psu? I already have an 80mm fan exhaust under the psu, but if I get a 120mm will it make things worse causing my case fan and the psu fan to work against each other? is it better to use a dual 80mm psu which won't fight the case fan and will exhaust hot air at the top of the case? Has anyboady had any experience with dual 80mm psu? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.Both will exhaust hot air out of the top of the case. Your case fan by the cpu should be exhausting as well, so there should be no conflicts.

In my experience, psus with 120mm+ fans tend to be more silent than those with 80mm fans.

What psu's are you considering?

[alexp999]

Well I'm looking at the Antec SmartPower II 500w as the dual 80mm, as it is on offer, I can't afford an equivalnet quality with a 120mm. But i didn't want to buy a decent dual 80mm psu if it was gonna mess up the cooling and so would be better to get a cheaper 120mm psu.

[Wile E]

IMO, it's better to avoid the smartpower series of Antecs. How much can you spend, and where are you from?

[alexp999]

I'm in the UK, planning on buying from ebuyer. Can't go more than £30 really and I need at least a 500w power supply. Otherwise I was going to get the Extra Value one on there (the black and neon 120mm). Dunno stumped on the power supply. Just out of interest why would you say not the smartpower series (oh its the smartpower 2 don't suppose that makes any difference?).

Thanks.

[Wile E]

I'm in the UK, planning on buying from ebuyer. Can't go more than £30 really and I need at least a 500w power supply. Otherwise I was going to get the Extra Value one on there (the black and neon 120mm). Dunno stumped on the power supply. Just out of interest why would you say not the smartpower series (oh its the smartpower 2 don't suppose that makes any difference?).

Thanks.Some series of Antecs are made by a cheap OEM, and have a high failure rate. I'm not 100% sure the Smartpower 2 series is tho. Their earthwatts series is very good tho, made by Seasonic, iirc.

What are your system specs, and the Video Card you plan to buy?

[alexp999]

Ok I got:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 (want to overclock on new psu)
1gb ddr (want to have enough power to upgarde to 2gb ddr2 Corsair xms2 at some point)
Asrock 775dual-Vsta
Sapphire HD2600XT 256mb GDDR3 (very soon :D)
Seagate 80gb 7200.10 (will want to add another one of these at some point)
CD drive
CD-rw drive
DVD-rw drive
floppy drive
front card reader
2x 80mm fans (one front, one rear)
2x 4 inch cold cathodes
And a freeview usb.

Thanks.

[Wile E]

Tbh, you probably don't need 500w. A high quality 450w will do the trick. The key with psus isn't the wattage rating, rather than the amperage available on the 12v rail(s), and the build quality. It's quite possible to have a 500W psu that outpowers a cheapo 600+W psu.

Is eBuyer the only place you can buy? Their selection is pretty weak for psus.

[alexp999]

Where else would you suggest?

P.S
Is there anyway of knowing whether the power supply is antec or cheap oem?

Thanks.

[Wile E]

Where else would you suggest?I dunno, that's why I was asking. lol I'm from the states.

P.S
Is there anyway of knowing whether the power supply is antec or cheap oem?

Thanks.Not really, have to look at the sticker on the psu itself.

[savillm]

hi there i got this psu: OCZ ModStream 520w ATX2.2

its a good psu to have and it has 120mm cooling fan witch is good to have and it runs my pc a ok with the following specs:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 with Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Motherboard: ASUS P5N-E SLI
Cooling: FRONT IN 250MM SIDE IN 250MM BACK OUT 120MM PSU 120MM
Memory: OCZ 2Gb PC2-6400 DDR2-800 4-4-4-15 (2x1gb)
Video Card: BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB
Harddisk: Western Digital 160GB SATA
CD/DVD Drive: SONY DVD-ROM (BLACK) / DVD-RAM DRIVE SONY DW-G120A (BLACK)
CRT/LCD Model: 19" SAMSUNG
Case: A+ Case Twin Engine AKA XCLIO A380
Sound Card: Onbord Sound
Software: WINDOWS XP HOME

it is a very good psu and it will run your system fine.

[alexp999]

Just out of interest, would the antec be good if it IS made by antec (sounds so stupid that!!!) if I were to get it (can always rma) how do you check on it whether it's an antec or a cheap oem?

Thanks.

[savillm]

Just out of interest, would the antec be good if it IS made by antec (sounds so stupid that!!!) if I were to get it (can always rma) how do you check on it whether it's an antec or a cheap oem?

Thanks.

you would have to look at the sticker on the psu thats rilly the only way

[alexp999]

you would have to look at the sticker on the psu thats rilly the only way

So I take it it would say made by antec or made in...? What should I look for on the sticker.

Thanks.

[Wile E]

So I take it it would say made by antec or made in...? What should I look for on the sticker.

Thanks.
Ahhh, sorry it took so long. I was looking for the post that breaks it down. It goes by the UL number.

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=410926#post410926

Also check out the rest of the thread. Some good info in there.

[alexp999]

lol, I found that post just before you posted but thanks anyway. I can see now why it is on offer, cus its discontinued because its crap! I'm gonna look through some other psu's and put a list of some up and if people wouldnt mind giving me some help on which one i'd be really grateful.
Oh and just to check, I found some 430w would that be enough? just I was going to go to 500w cus at the moment a cheap 400w cant power my system without my graphics card I'm getting but then i spose I could have answered my own question with the word cheap!!!

[Wile E]

lol, I found that post just before you posted but thanks anyway. I can see now why it is on offer, cus its discontinued because its crap! I'm gonna look through some other psu's and put a list of some up and if people wouldnt mind giving me some help on which one i'd be really grateful.
Oh and just to check, I found some 430w would that be enough? just I was going to go to 500w cus at the moment a cheap 400w cant power my system without my graphics card I'm getting but then i spose I could have answered my own question with the word cheap!!!
A high quality 430 will most likely handle the task. Depends on the 12v amperage.

[alexp999]

Here some from ebuyer, gonna look around some other sites and then post them, let me know what you think:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124922
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125724
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124926
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/126826
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/114104
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/120376
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/126825
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/119250

Thanks.

[alexp999]

Unless anyone has some other options this is the only other I could find:
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4CL7
But it does work out the most as it will cost me £45 for this one cus I have to pay delivery.

[Wile E]

I say the Antec EarthWatts. Made by Seasonic.

[Darknova]

I live in the UK so I can help you alex.

Firstly avoid all Hipers that aren't the Type M or Type R. They don't provide enough amps and are not very efficient.
Those Arctic Power ones I've been told are good. When I was looking for a new PSU I was told to get the Arctic Power 600 by Ket, but I ended up spending a bit more on a brand I'd had before and trusted (hence my Hiper Type M 580).

To be perfectly honest I've had a few cheap PSUs die on me, so I'm very wary of buying a PSU that costs under £50 and is by a brand I've never heard of, however I have heard that the arctic powers are good, apparently they are made by a german company and marketed over here under tha Arctic Power name.

[ex_reven]

I know that i shouldnt promote smartpower because everyone says its shit.
All im going to say is, that 80mm dual is quieter than I thought.

The good thing about it is that only the internal fan runs, until it gets hot and then the external fan will kick in. Helps keep the noise down alot. But 120mm fans are great too. :)

[tkpenalty]

^This guy knows what he's talking about.

Moreover I would consider the antec NEO HE 430W Instead! Its a better PSU overall and has modular as well as ONE single 80mm fan. It is near silent, I can hardly hear it. (And the rest of the system is silent, not my one btw... one that I maintain for my cousin).

[alexp999]

Anyone know anything about these arctic power psu's??? Thing I noticed bout the hiper i posted that it is mesh, surely that will mess up airflow???

Thanks.

[alexp999]

Just out of interest, what does anyone think about this, I'm not into spending a lot afterall.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/102994

Thanks.

[ex_reven]

Do not get any product labelled "extra value" :p

[Wile E]

Just out of interest, what does anyone think about this, I'm not into spending a lot afterall.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/102994

Thanks.30A on the 12v is not bad, actually. Longevity may be in question, tho.

[alexp999]

Right, one has come in to stock, I have ordered it, hopefully I was first to get it!!! i decided, thanks for everyone's help, but I bought a E2160 processor cus I wanted a budget gaming system, by gaming i mean Half life 2, rollercoaster tycoon 3, so My system should run that with new graphics card. The psu although extra vaule has a LOT of good reviews, based on the MTBF 50,000 Hours @ 25 degrees i worked out with the amount I use is, it should last a few years, by which time i will probably upgrade again and get a better system, a better psu. I don't have much money, next time round I will, then I will get the decent psu to go with the decent components. Thanks all again, although I will say if this psu i have ordered goes bang or stops working i will get a better one, it's not like I got really expensive components to protect, my mobo was a hand-me-down from my dad's pc, and ebuyer will be hearing from me if the power supply takes anything with it :mad:
Anyway thanks again everyone, started off about fans and cooling and turned into mass discussion on power supplies. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks.

[alexp999]

30A on the 12v is not bad, actually. Longevity may be in question, tho.

Thats exactlly what I thought, I find it funny when some PSU's are labled as 600w and only have like 17A on the 12v rail!!! crazy.

Thanks again for all your help.