[kr580]

Does this PSU seem good? It's good wattage, 20A, matches case, good price.

Is it good or too good to be true?

Link...

Edited by kr580, 10 July 2005 - 11:51 PM.

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I don't know the brand but, no disrespect intended, it looks a little gimmicky and
did you notice that it is a 550w PSU that only puts out 20A on the 12v line whereas a Vantec 520w on the final page of that site puts out 28A (obviously at a price premium)?

I think that is some indication of the quality of the PSU. I suppose it depends on what you're willing to pay and what you're looking for. You will get a 480w Antec True power with DUAL 12v lines putting out 18A each for US$99 and will probably be fitted with a cable management system. But a lot of the good PSU's tend to lack the bright LED's and fans that some of the lesser brands use to conceal their true quality, and so won't look as 'good'.

Have a read through the guide, and check the links provided for some of the 'mid-high end' PSU's.

[KGH]

I don't know the brand but, no disrespect intended, it looks a little gimmicky and
did you notice that it is a 550w PSU that only puts out 20A on the 12v line whereas a Vantec 520w on the final page of that site puts out 28A (obviously at a price premium)?

I think that is some indication of the quality of the PSU. I suppose it depends on what you're willing to pay and what you're looking for. You will get a 480w Antec True power with DUAL 12v lines putting out 18A each for US$99 and will probably be fitted with a cable management system. But a lot of the good PSU's tend to lack the bright LED's and fans that some of the lesser brands use to conceal their true quality, and so won't look as 'good'.

Have a read through the guide, and check the links provided for some of the 'mid-high end' PSU's.

[kr580]

The thing is I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on this computer... I'm over as it is and this power supply will push it farther. But then again I don't want to waste the $850+ already put into this.

Comments on this?
Link...

[KGH]

I understand the dilemma. I just went through it myself and it wasn't until I got a good PSU and well ventilated case that my system stabilised.

The Vantec you linked looks good and the price seems about right. Looks like a go-er.

Just make sure that the power connector (ie 20 or 24 pin) from the PSU is compatible with the motherboard (which will have a 20 or 24 pin molex receptor). Ie, if your motherboard has a 20pin main connector and an additional 4 pin 12v connector, you want to make sure that the PSU you get has a 20 pin molex and a 4 pin molex or, alternatively, a 24 pin with detachable 4 pin molex.

[kr580]

Just make sure that the power connector (ie 20 or 24 pin) from the PSU is compatible with the motherboard (which will have a 20 or 24 pin molex receptor).  Ie, if your motherboard has a 20pin main connector and an additional 4 pin 12v connector, you want to make sure that the PSU you get has a 20 pin molex and a 4 pin molex or, alternatively, a 24 pin with detachable 4 pin molex.

English please

Motherboard specs... click 'Specification'

Edited by kr580, 11 July 2005 - 12:47 AM.

[kr580]

Here's a pic of the adapter. It looks as if the 24-pin plug from the PSU plugs in and it shrinks to 20-pins to fit the Mobo.

[KGH]

Ok, you can see under 'specifications' on the mobo's page, that the board houses a 20 pin ATX power supply connector and a 4 pin ATX 12v connector.

There are a bunch of cables coming out of the PSU and at various locations (usually around the middle and end of these cables) are connectors (male or female). With me? These connectors are molex connectors. They plug into your system components to provide power to that component. For example, you plug one of the molex connectors with 4 pins into your hard drive, one into your DVD Rom, one little small one into your floppy etc. These supply power to these components from the PSU.

In your case, the mobo is powered by a 20 pin connector and a 4 pin connector. It is therefore important to make sure that, in addition to all the other connectors, your PSU has a 20 pin molex and a smaller 4 pin ATX 12 v molex. This 4 pin molex is NOT the same as those which plug into your hard drive etc. It is a different configuration. In fact, it's probably not even called a molex connector, I don't know.

In any event, the PSU you linked comes with a 24 to 20 pin adapter so you should be right.

[kr580]

These connectors are molex connectors.

Ahh... I just knew them as power connectors... didn't know they're technical name. Learn something new everyday.


So you reckon I have a complete computer? Anything missing?

Thanks for your time... I was just full of questions.

Thanks - Kevin

[seanshaffer23]

One thing I'm not sure if anyone answered but yes the mobo has an Ethernet port. The LAN 10/100 is an Ethernet spec for how fast data on the network can travel (theoretically).

[kr580]

One thing I'm not sure if anyone answered but yes the mobo has an Ethernet port. The LAN 10/100 is an Ethernet spec for how fast data on the network can travel (theoretically).

Yea... I know what it means but I wasn't sure if that meant it was included or just that it's what the motherboard supports.

[warriorscot]

First you will get more replies if you just put down what the compnents are rather than links.
Avoid generic PSUs like the plague, while they are getting better they arent worth blowing your computer up for, get a good quality one. The Antec ones are good but pricey on there own but in a case they are a steal antec cases are also among the best you can buy as well as the cheapest, you cant go wrong with an antec for a first time builder you would be best with one of these.
The graphics card is shoddy, crap utterly useless its old for the main thing, im a big ATI fan but they really made a balls up with the 9xxx series the nvidias in the price range are better get a x700 or x800 at least for graphics if you want it to last a while.
AMD 64 cpus are faster and in almost every respect superior to the intel ones unless you are wanting to do alot of high end video and audio editing you should buy AMD. They are also incredibly easy to install from a PIB kit.
A gigabyte of ram is becoming essential for alot of new things to run well and the price difference is very small so you should get that.
Why are you getting a pci card most new mobos have four usb ports and two or more on a header as well as the ones that normally come with a case( 2 minimum usually) so you allready have 8 you cant possibly need more.
Cases are important 120mm fans are becoming the new standard now and there is a good reason why: they are quieter and more powerful than 80mm fans. So a case with a pair of 120s is a must buy for a new build.

Oh and win xp if you allready have it you can use it on your new pc as well no need to buy it. I will never buy anything of microsoft: 120 quid for office when the oposition which is equally good is free, when will microsoft learn.

Edited by warriorscot, 11 July 2005 - 04:22 PM.

[kr580]

Keep in mind... it's not gonna be a sweet expensive computer... I don't need everything to be the best I can get. And I'm already over my budget... can't afford to jack up the price any more.

I want that specific ATI card because it has special feautures I'll use that others don't. These features are a priority. And I won't be playing any 3D games and a couple 2D games so I don't need a really good one.

Pentium 4 3.0 is fine for me...

I'm picking out 512 Ram now... If I need it I can easily upgrade.

That USB PCI card will go now that I have a new Mobo with 2 more USB ports... that's all i should need.

HP didn't send any discs with my current computer and they want to charge me another $100+ to get them. No thank you.


Simply put: Will this setup work for an average user?

Updated list:

[KGH]

A couple of things:

(1) You are buying dual channel memory, but when I checked your mobo specs I don't recall seeing dual channel support?

(2) The case, which I know you are very keen on, comes with the power supply we think is suspect. Upshot is, you are paying for a case with a PSU that you are going to swap for the Vantec. You may be able to get a case in a similar style, without PSU, and save yourself a couple of dollars. Otherwise, you are going to have a small additional hassle of having to remove the current PSU and insert the Vantec. Not that big a deal, but still.

[kr580]

(1) Eek! Thanks for pointing that out... Went right over my head.

(2) I see what you mean. And with warrior's suggestion I thought I would look for a case with at least one 120mm fan (2 or more are too expensive) and found this.

AeroCool AEROENGINE C-class AEROENGINE-C BS Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ... has a front 120mm fan, a side panel 80mm fan and a spot for a 80mm or 90mm fan on the rear panel.

Does that case look alright? I don't have many choices in my price range.

Edited by kr580, 11 July 2005 - 08:37 PM.

[KGH]

That RAM will still be useable and probably very good. It's more that you are paying for a dual channel optimised kit that your mobo (though perhaps double check) won't take advantage of. Perhaps see if you can get one stick of 512mb cheaper, although I really think, if you are going to be doing some encoding, that 1gig is well worth it. I understand you are already over budget though.

As for that case, it looks good, and I noticed one of the reviewers said it was roomy enough. I couldn't find any third party reviews of it however.