hey everybody i am new to pimprig but i have been a guest here for quite some time and i was just needing some help in finding a good Power supply ( i prefer around 500 watts) i am running 2 cathodes, 5 fans, 2 optical drives, 1 120 gig HD , and i just need a decent looking psu that can handle all thsi plus a little more (for future modding) and i was also looking for an aluminum Chieftec case with no window or blowhole and i can't find them anywhere, if anyone coule help me out with this i would appreciate it alot. Thanks
my specs:
pentium 4 2.4c @ 3.2
512 mb PC3200 DDR
MSI 865PE-NEO-2
120 gig 7200 rpm HD
Nvidia RIVA TNT2 ( needs to be upgraded)

Quote: Originally Posted by Jonesy141 hey everybody i am new to pimprig but i have been a guest here for quite some time and i was just needing some help in finding a good Power supply ( i prefer around 500 watts) i am running 2 cathodes, 5 fans, 2 optical drives, 1 120 gig HD , and i just need a decent looking psu that can handle all thsi plus a little more (for future modding) and i was also looking for an aluminum Chieftec case with no window or blowhole and i can't find them anywhere, if anyone coule help me out with this i would appreciate it alot. Thanks my specs: pentium 4 2.4c @ 3.2 512 mb PC3200 DDR MSI 865PE-NEO-2 120 gig 7200 rpm HD Nvidia RIVA TNT2 ( needs to be upgraded)

the ultra x-connects are pretty good psus. 500 watt, great finish on them, and modular.

yea those are pretty cool looking but i don't want to spend too much money for them, i would much rather get a plain 500 watt PSU then mod it myself. i like the feeling of when you show someone your comp and they ask you "did you d that yourslef" and you can simply reply "oh yeah
" you know what i mean lol. thanks anyways but i am gonna keep looking.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jonesy141 yea those are pretty cool looking but i don't want to spend too much money for them, i would much rather get a plain 500 watt PSU then mod it myself. i like the feeling of when you show someone your comp and they ask you "did you d that yourslef" and you can simply reply "oh yeah " you know what i mean lol. thanks anyways but i am gonna keep looking.

It would be cool if someone could Mod this power Supply.......
Super Quiet True 500W ATX PS w/Built-In Surge Protector $45.00
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SPS-500&cat=CAS

Do you have a budget for a 500W power supply? If it's around the $100 or less range then I'd have to recommend an Antec TruePower or Vantec Stealth.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jonesy141 yea those are pretty cool looking but i don't want to spend too much money for them, i would much rather get a plain 500 watt PSU then mod it myself. i like the feeling of when you show someone your comp and they ask you "did you d that yourslef" and you can simply reply "oh yeah " you know what i mean lol. thanks anyways but i am gonna keep looking.

you're going to want to spend at least $80 to get a good quality psu anyways. getting a plain non name brand 500 watt psu will cost you more in the long run since it will be a bad performer as well as having a shorter life

hey i was wondering if anybody had any opinions about the powmax demon 580 watt power supplies, i was reading the reviews from newegg and they seemed like they were a real bang for the $$$$ thanks for all the responses.

PowMax = PowSux.........

They make inferior products - I have alot of junk PowMax power supples that I have gotten bad right out of a new case from Newegg. I would say atleast 8 to 10 since Ive been building PCs.......they are the suxorz. Most of them wouldnt even turn the rig on and the other half cause a reboot halfway through an XP install.

There are some non-name brand PSUs around that are real good. Dont get to hung up on the wattage rating either. A name brand 400 watt powersupply will perform far greater than a cheaoy 580 watt powersupply.

If your looking for something cheap and decent search for Allied powersupplies on Newegg. I have an Allied True450 and its rock stable and powers all my stuff. I have used them in 3 or 4 other builds with no problems.......

3.2 prescott at 3.71
4 80 mm fans
3 120 mm fans
1 raptor
1 160 gb western digital drive
1 floppy
3 nec nd3500a dvd burners
nVidia 5900xt
3 pci cards
7 usb devices plugged in (webcam, pda charger, camera charger etc)


link below $40 bux plus shipping from the Egg
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...154-010&depa=0

EDIT: That PSU on Newegg does have good reviews and I understand Allied isnt exactly name brand either - Im just stating my experience with all the PowMax PSUs I have had and the 3 or 4 Allied PSUs I have used.

Quote: Originally Posted by THRASHER2 It would be cool if someone could Mod this power Supply....... Super Quiet True 500W ATX PS w/Built-In Surge Protector $45.00 http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SPS-500&cat=CAS

Don't know about the brand, but the feature of having power outlets on your PC seems a bargain enough if not the kosher promise of (hopefully) nearly 500Watts nominally.

I will pass on that PSU - like you said who makes it again....using a no-name cheapy PSU is like flipping a coin in which the bet is the entire cost of your rig and your data (mines priceless). I will pass.

Brand name coming up.........
http://www.coolerguys.com/meshps.html

Logisys 500w Meshed LED PSU, Model "PS500MS" 3 Colors MeshPS$36.95*WoW*

On sale.....

Quote: Originally Posted by JessAlba452 Do you have a budget for a 500W power supply? If it's around the $100 or less range then I'd have to recommend an Antec TruePower or Vantec Stealth.

(10 char limit)

My standard response to these threads is Antec all the way.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-910&depa=0

NEVER had a problem with an Antec power supply.

Even this 450 watt would be better than a cheap 500-600 watt one. In my opinion.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-920&depa=0

Edit
I have had a good experience with a compusa brand 500 watt. When I got my dual athlon system many moons ago I needed a 500watt unit and at the time that was all that was available to me. It still runs my amd system and is 3 years old. Only problem I had was the fans died after like 3 months. So I replaced them with some antec "lol" fans and have not had a problem since.

Hmmm...well, I boil it all down to the following:
If you don't wish to spend the money on a name brand PSU that is rated to adequately support your system (plus a little more for future expansion) and you go with a generic brand, get one with a rating much higher than you need. The cheaper brands always cheat on their ratings by giving power ratings at temps that are lower than most ambient environmental temperatures any computer would ever run in. There is a direct correlation in power supplies that once the temperature goes up, the wattage ratings go down. That is even true with quality power supplies with "true" ratings, but becomes critical with one that is rated much higher than in reality it is possible for it to run.

Consider your power supply decisions like what you choose to eat. Sure, you can get by on McDonald's hamburgers, but if you were a top-rated athlete dependent upon your performance for your income, you'd spend the time to research exactly what you're putting into your system, and the investment in the best would be worth it in efficiency and general well being. If you're dumping burgers into your system, expect poorer performance and more frequent failures. You do get what you pay for.

It can be very confusing to go through and consider all the aspects, designs and features that are going into power supplies these days, but there are a few major ones that will have the most impact. The first is the basic design.

Of course it has to physically fit inside your case type, but look at the fan configurations. There are anything from completely fanless PSUs to 4 fan models. My own personal choice is a single 120mm fan design for the best combination of airflow range versus noise. This design requires the fan to fit only on the underside of the power supply (in most standard ATX configurations) and may not work in your case. As much has been done with alternative means of cooling, cases are still dependent to some degree on the power supply fans for overall cooling to get rid of the heat that naturally rises to the top of the case. Get one with as few fans as possible for quiet operation, and one with more if you are more dependent on it for airflow.

Another consideration is whether or not it includes PFC, and whether it is active or passive. There is a basic but good description of all 3 here.

Besides the technical stuff, you also have to choose one that fits practical needs, such as your mobo and processor type, number of SATA or other connectors, and length of cabling. Modular PSUs can do much for case aesthetics and cable organization, but do have issues and limitations of their own. It sounds like you don't mind doing the aesthetics yourself, so I won't go into color choices. I didn't mean to ramble on about it, but if I did it is because the choice you make does matter. I will say that you will rarely if ever regret paying more for one that is more than adequate, lasts a good long time and never fails.

BTW, FrozenCPU has the Chenming/Chieftec case w/o window or blowhole for $60.

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hey everybody thanks for the replies but i think i found what i needed if you guys could check it out and tell me if this is a good psu. and i was also wondering do they sell replacement side panels for those dragon series cases. here is the link http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...LT30964%20500W
This looks to good to be true!!!. thanks

Read the fine print....... "Only valid with purchase of $300 or more...."
If you are gonna spend that much, you may as well opt for a PC Power & Cooling PSU.

yea i realized that note after i posted this sorry, but if anybody could find a similar deal please tell me about it.

ok here are my specs if it helps any:

P4 2.4c oc'ed to 3.0 ghz

512 mb pc3200 DDR

MSI 865PE- NEO2

16x rosewill DVD+-R/RW

120 gig IDE seagate HDD

about 5-6 LED fans

2 Blue CCFL.
all i need is something to support this plus a little bit more nothing too big though, thanks