Mom's PSU

[joker_927]

Mom's computer has:

48x CD-burner
10gb HD
P3 733mhz
Some gateway mobo
512MB @ pc133
1 80mm Case fan

Her psu is failing. (Well I think it is) What one should I buy her? I was thinking of that Achieve 500w, becuase even a 300w is more expensive then it.

[lost-and-found]

hmmm, just be careful. First ask yourself this, why would a higher wattage PSU be less expensive than the lower wattage PSU. Usually those advertised 500w psu's won't make it even that close. Tom's Hardware Guide did a big article on this (will try to find linkage). Anyways, even a 250w should be ok for that PC. I'm running my 1.2ghz t-bird, CD-ROM and a CD-RW, 7 FANS (including cpu and psu), and other hardware.

[joker_927]

are u running that on a 250w?

I realize that a 500w for $20 is going to be the best in the world, but I was looking at 300w PSU's and they were around $30-$40. Why not just get a 500w that is cheaper.

Plus, I have heard great stories about this psu.

[Omardeth]

if it is a gateway pc youmight be a special connector or a small power supply . why do you think the power supply is going out .

[jerrygarcia]

Just remember, you get what you pay for. Even though it says 500w,more than likely, that's not what it will handle. You have to see what the 12v, 5v and 3.3v rails are rated.

[lost-and-found]

yeah, I'm running everything on 250w with no problems. A 500W for $20????? I think that price is a warning sign. Usually a 500W would be above $40 (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

[jerrygarcia]

Tom's Hardware Guide to Power Supply testing


400w Allied Power Supply @ Newegg - $33.00

[Omardeth]

Originally posted by lost-and-found
yeah, I'm running everything on 250w with no problems. A 500W for $20????? I think that price is a warning sign. Usually a 500W would be above $40 (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

hate to say it but your wrong .. matter of fact these are the only power supplies i order now . they work great , they don't break you bank and i have had zero problems with them even over clocking .

here is a quote from JPmiller he got one and loaded up up and tested it out to see how good they are . i highly recomend them . other site sell them for upwards to 50$

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Omardeth's PSU deal is a quality deal. This is an exceptionally low price on something selling for much higher elsewhere.
The "voltage down the rails" is actually quite good...
http://www.themodfathers.com/reviews/achievepsu.php
To test it myself....I hooked it up to a power fussy K7S5A running 2 optical drives, 5 daisychained fans, 2 CCFL's, 2 Hard drives, and various cards in all the PCI slots, and a USB scanner. All the rails were well within spec and it ran like a top through a bunch of Sandra burn-in tests run over the next few days...
I have had PSU's that ran great for years that I paid very little for....and then bought overated, over priced ones that died soon after or caused boot failures or system crashes....
What Omar is saying is that often what you pay for is advertising and an established name....not neccessarily better performance...


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so before ya knock somfin , buy it ( lets face it 22$ shipped ain't gonna make or brake anybody ) and try it out . you don't need a big name product to get a good reliable product .

[jerrygarcia]

I have seen your posts before on this Omar and I know how sold on them you are. You probably hooked me on this one this time.

I'll get around to ordering one pretty soon, because I just paid $69.00 for an Antec SmartPower 400w friday that I needed in a hurry.

I have a lot of K7S5A's and Pro's in my stable now with pretty much the same specs.

[lost-and-found]

well, I'm glad it works for you, if you've tested it already then you have my vote for getting it. You still have to be cautious when buying hardware, especially hardware that is priced outrageously cheap.