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Old November 25th 03, 03:31 AM
V W Wall
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kony wrote:


There are lots of individual methods used for selecting the right
power supply...

Some people buy the best they can afford.
Some buy what will power the most "stuff" they can fit in the case
they're using.
Some will just jump up 50W with slightly faster parts.
Some will buy a junk power supply rated at 300W but only worth 200W
then think they need 400W when they still only need 300W.

Some want to run their power supply at only 70% of max continuous load
rating.

Some want an "over"-rated power supply with plans to swap in a
quieter fan for a silent system, instead of paying 2X as much for a
PSU marketed as "quiet/silent".

Some people use an online calculator which invariably suggests they
need about 150% of the power they actually do.

Some people believe false reviews that all Athlons use 12V for CPU
power, leading them to believe they need 18A on the 12V rail when they
have no idea.

Some people will buy a bigger power supply than they need because
they believe they'll someday buy a super-fast new video card that will
need a nuclear reactor hooked to it.

Which people are you?


After all the discussions about power supplies, I remembered a unit
that came with a cheap case about three years ago. It was marked:
L&C Technology LC-235ATX. I had changed out the fan/motor a couple
of years ago, but paid no attention to the supply itself and had built
a new computer in a different case.

Just today I opened the unit to take a detailed look.
I was suprised to find how well it was constructed. It was labeled
"Deer" on the PC board, which is one of the most maligned supplies.
All of the electrolytics were rated at 105 degrees C., and the board
lay-out was very good.

I did not try loading it to the max currents, but the components
seemed to be well within the required ratings. The internal wiring
was well positioned with cable ties where needed.

I do believe "You get what you pay for.", but I think many pay
for "Monstor Cables" for their hi-fi, with gold plated RCA plugs,
and will insist they can hear the difference.

I don't know any way of checking for value, especially in an area
where brand names mean so little.

The computer field is one of the few remaining consumer areas where
you can find good value if you know how to look!

Virg Wall
--
A foolish consistency is the
hobgoblin of little minds,........
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Microsoft programmer's manual.)