Choosing a power supply-brand?

[volunteer]

I recently proved that no good came come from using a cheap power supply. The pc I was troubleshooting came with one of course, and it crashed the hard drive in a big way. Before realizing it was a PS problem, I put in another drive. Same result. New PS put in, reformatted drive, install OS, everything works beautiful. One big problem though, the case is not designed to take the power supply I have installed. Too many unused wires/connectors which can't easily be put aside. The air flow is really impeded. I can't seem to find an Antec or Enermax in the 250W size or anything smaller than the 350 I have installed. Is there another company which makes good PWR supplies that might have what I need? No SATA, no P4 connector, etc.

[RobRich]

If you want maximum airflow, opt for a modular power supply design with detachable cables. The OCZ ModStream is a good choice, but it is not cheap. Check the article section at TechIMO.com for my review of this unit.

Hope this helps,
Robert Richmond

[Jawadali]

One of these should fit the bill:

http://svc.com/sparkle-psu.html

Fortron/Sparkle/FSP make very nice power supplies; they probably rank just a little below (if not equal to) Antec & Enermax.

[RobRich]

Of those listed at the SVC link, only the Sparkle FSP R-SK300 would come anywhere near the quality of an Enermax unit. Enermax demands a premium for the superb build quality of its units. To be brutally honest, I am not installing a sub-$75 power supply into any of my modern systems. To each his own...

Robert Richmond

[poopeyhed2]

I ordered one of those refurbed Sparkle PSU's solid units - I don't remember which one I ordered, but they were the 24 pin motherboard connector, not the regular 20.