I just got a Powmax 400w power supply, model number LP-6100DA. I'm replacing the 350w that came in my Raidmax case, it just wasnt quite enough to drive my system and the cold cathodes and lighted fans, relilably. The Powmax power supply is blue anodized aluminum, with 2 fans. One on the inside on the front (assuming the front is the side that you can see from the back of the case, and one fan on the outside of the back which is also lit up with red and blue leds. The fans are hooked up to a temperture sensor which adjusts the fan rpms acordingly. Well this wasn't supposed to be a review so let me skip forward (PS I could write a review if I get a working one but I'm new here and don't know if the reviews are written only by PR staff or if newbies to this place like me can contribute to the review forums).
Anyways, the power supply I just got is faulty, hopefully its faulty and this isn't whats to be expected from these power supplies. After having tons of problems trying to get my computer to boot correctly, I was finaly able to get into bios on my MSI 865PE Neo2. When I checked out the system health in my BIOS, I noticed that the 3 and 5 volt sides were jumping all over the place, spending most of their time under 3.3 or 5 volts. But even more disturbing was the 12v side. Not only was it fluxuating but it never even reached +12v or -12v. So I unpluged all the xtra lights and fans and drives and just tried to boot to my 120gb Maxtor S-ATA drive. All I could get was an unable to boot due to drive read errors. After praying to the gods of data storage, "please oh mighty wrathful god of magnetics, let it be a power issue and let my drive live again!" I hooked up my old power supply to the drive and the mobo. The god of magnetics smiled on me and was mercyful, the S-ATA liveth again!
The question I pose to you, ol' wise reader and pimps, have you ever used a Powmax power supply? Are they normaly decent, or is this whats to be expected when I use a Powmax 400w.
Amen,

Have not heard many good things about that brand, Most people find Antec a top performer at a reasonable price. Fortran is another brand people seem to like on a budget.

I went overkill and got the 550watt version with adjustable rail voltages (126$) from NewEgg
When I crank the settings to max, this is what it reads

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geez solid isn't 52*C a bit hot? I hope you're running Folding in the background to be getting those temps.

Gonzo, I think this TRUE 430 would be a good choice for you, it's 76$, Just started a sale today

BTW I was stuck at 2.3GHZ with a generic 350 watt supply, and it crashed ALOT. I gained 149MHZ and rock solid stability from my Antec

J-Dogg Nope, wasn't folding, Idle temp only

That is a very old pic, When I first got my new power supply, I had all the rail voltages cranked up to max, and the core at 1.95v in the bios@2443

Thes pics are the only one I have access to right now, it was posted on my websight.. All newer pics are locked away in the hard drive of my dead Gaming Rig.

I FuXXord the Mobo and Memory by putting a stick in wrong one late night, testing the individaul sticks for max FSB

I lowered the core to 1.9v, and turned the voltage rails down for the pic below.
I also added a duct mod about a week later, and that dropped temps another few degrees at idle.

Load temps were 54c (or more on the hot days) while Folding@2449Mhz

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Thanks for the info. I scored the powmax400 for $40 at newegg. I know, ya get what you pay for, but I was just hoping to get some feedback from anyone else who might have used this power supply before. I was hoping this would have been good enough since the 350 was just barely not enough.
BTW; I've built this system for my parents, so it won't really be overclocked, I just want it to run rock solid.

P4 2.6C ghz
MSI 865PE Neo2
GeForce FX5200 Ultra
120gb S-ATA Maxtor
Lite-On CDRW/DVD combo drive
Asus 52x CD
Mitsumi 3.5" floppy
OCZ Platinum EL 3200 (2x512mb) dual ch.
stock intel fan (cpu usualy runs around 40C)
2 80mm fans w/4 leds each
1 12" cold cathode UV

Since they wont be pushing the system hard (although I have been ) I figured 400w should be enough. But I don't know which is why I'm askin you pimps.

You would be able to get by with a good 350W. Just because the wattage is advertised high, that doesn't mean that the amperage is enough to drive your rig.

I did a review on a case from mnpctech that only had a 300W AGI in it rated at 15A on the 12V line. It is currently running a P4 3.06 with assorted fans, lights, and accessories while hyperfolding 24/7. Even though I was skeptical at first, I've never had a hiccup with this power supply.