EggXpert

Yeah I was thinking that, but that review's the only thing I've read so far that's mentioned that problem, so I was thinking they may have just gotten a bad one.

The 600W is at least getting decent reviews.

I would hope at least tier 3, but I don't think I'd expect tier 2.

Herzy:

Well the reviews on Newegg were good, and I picked it up for ~$40 with a HAF 932 combo (<$190 shipped) so I was wondering if it was going to deliver.

 Well, first off, never buy a power supply because it has good user reviews on newegg.  Power supplies that are known to be horribly bad still get mostly positive reviews on newegg.  

Herzy:

After reading the reviews on Newegg, this pushed me to buy it.

 Only certain website really test power supplies.  EliteBastards is not one of the good PSU review sites.  First off, they only load the power supplies down to  around 205watts.  Almost any power supply, even many junk ones, can manage to put out a tiny fraction of their rated wattage. 

Plus, the voltages that they report are from the motherboard's built in readings.  Those readings are known to commonly be very inaccurate.  You should always use a digital multimeter or professional PSU load tester to read voltages. 

Additionally, they don't do "hot box" testing, oscilloscope readings, or a component analysis.  

So, that review is essentially useless.  

Always look on HardwareSecrets.com, HardOCP.com, JonnyGuru.com, and Anandtech.com.  I think that SilentPC also does good PSU reviews.  

Herzy:

I figured $40 for a decent modular power supply wasn't bad, but I checked on here and it wasn't on the list.

It's not a bad price.  I bought an OCZ StealthXStream 600watt PSU from newegg for $20 a few months ago, but that sale hasn't come around again, and that PSU isn't modular.  

It should hold up all right for you.  Tier 3 isn't bad, it's just not as good as Tier 2.  It's certainly not a bad power supply.  

And, yes, I am putting it into Tier 3.  That seems like a good fit. 

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Well I had done more reading than that before I went ahead and got it, I just can't remember where I was reading. >.<

Can't seem to find the other review I read, but the price seemed right, and everything I read said it performed excellent.

I'm a first-year college student building my first computer, and I'm not very familiar with places that do good reviews. I didn't start reading here on the forums until after I ordered everything for my computer, and I just wanted to make sure I didn't buy a power supply that was gonna c**p out on me or damage my parts.

I think I'm perfectly happy with a tier 3 (I think I should be?) until I decide to do something more power demanding with my computer. I'll probably replace it in favor of a crossfire or SLI setup next month anyways when I get my next check. :)

Regardless, all you EggXperts have been extremely helpful, many thanks from my end.

Herzy:

I think I'm perfectly happy with a tier 3 (I think I should be?) until I decide to do something more power demanding with my computer. I'll probably replace it in favor of a crossfire or SLI setup next month anyways when I get my next check. :)

 Yes, a tier 3 should be fine.  Power supplies don't really start getting questionable until you hit tier 4.  Unless otherwise noted, power supplies in Tier 3 are perfectly capable of outputting the load that they're rated for. 

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Legacy:

Oh man wish I saw this BEFORE I built my first computer with a 700w Apevia PSU. Apevia is a tier 5 brand, that sucks. Should I get a new PSU or stick with this one which has been great so far btw. 

You may be able to get by with that power supply.  While it almost certainly isn't capable of putting out 700watts, your computer only draws about 250 - 300watts at max load. 

The only thing you have to worry about now is the power supply burning out because of the inferior components used.  Since the protection circuitry on Apevia power supplies is very sketchy, if the power supply fails it could fry your motherboard, hard drive, video card, etc... on the way out.  

Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell how bad that power supply is.  Some of Apevia's newer high wattage units have only been overrated by 100watts.  It's not good, but it's certainly better than their older units.  Also, they seem to have switched to Wintech to manufacture their new units.  Wintech is the company that made the older Ultra X-Finity units.  They're not a high end manufacturer, by any means, but they can build a fairly decent power supply.  If Apevia wasn't slapping a label on these new units for more watts than they were designed for, they might actually qualify as fairly decent budget units. 

 Apevia's older power supplies, like the Beast 680watt, were manufactured by Youngyear, and were known to be bad.  Youngyear has an annoying tendancy to make power supplies that kamikaze after about 6 months, killing themselves and your motherboard, while showing off a little fireworks display if you happen to be watching. 

The Apevia full see-through units are even worse.  They are also made by youngyear, and will actually start to melt if you try to pull 75% of their rated wattage.  For some reason, Newegg is still selling these units. 

Looking at the newegg pictures of your power supply, you may have gotten one of their newer Wintech units.  It's hard to tell for sure though, and they don't list a UL number on the label. 

If you do decide to stick with that power supply, don't overclock, and don't upgrade to a high power graphics card(no G200 series, no Radeon 58xx, and no dual GPU's).  If your computer ever starts mysteriously rebooting, switching itself off, or not always powering up when you push the power button, stop using it, and get a new power supply.  If you follow that, you'll probably be safe. 

If you decide to upgrade to a better quality PSU, the good news is that you don't need to spend all that much.  Newegg commonly runs sales on OCZ StealthXStream and ModXStream units.  I purchased an OCZ StealthXStream 600watt PSU earlier this year for $20, and a StealthXStream 500watt for $15.  Corsair units are also good choices, when they go on sale.  Any good quality 400watt or higher power supply should be able to run your computer as it is, or go for a 500watt unit if you'd like to do some overclocking.  For crossfiring your current graphics card or upgrading to a Radeon 58xx graphics card, you may want to step up to a 600watt PSU, although that would probably still work fine on a good 500watt unit. 

Perhaps the best idea for you is to wait for a good power supply deal.  Maybe on black friday you'll be able to pick up a good 600watt unit for $30 or less, which would be great for your computer.   Then you can replace your Apevia unit, and get some peace of mind. 

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
($64.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card as of this posting)

- no LED fan

I worked with the 700w version of this PSU in my PC Build Video and I was very happy with it. There are other options out there, but based on your requirements this one came to mind immediately -- it's really quiet.

I don't use a lot of LED fans, but you might consider getting a PSU without one in case you decide to go with a light-less case in the future... you can always add LED case fans that swap out much more easily.

Hope this helps!
- Paul

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Be excellent to each other.

Thanks Paul I will look into that OCZ Power Supply. The LED lights are just a gimmick, not a requirement for me. I was researching power supplies today and one that drew my attention was the Corsair 750HX. It's a lot of money but I would rather spent the extra cash the have to buy a whole new PC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010&Tpk=corsair%20750hx

Is this one worth it or no?

-Legacy

That 750HX is a solid choice if you can spend the money for it -- 80+ Silver certified and ridiculously good reviews.

If your budget is in the $150-$175 range, you might want to wait for a response from CompWiz or some of our other EggXperts before you pull the trigger... This isn't to say that the 750HX is not an excellent choice, but for that price you probably have some other serious contenders in the Tier 1 category. My hands-on experience with higher-end PSUs is fairly limited (mostly to just this Enermax PSU that I'm currently using in my home PC), so I would defer to their advice.

Cheers,
Paul

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Be excellent to each other.

Well, that Corsair is certainly a high quality unit.  However, when you're talking about different power supplies in the top 2 tiers, there's really not going to be any noticable difference for the normal computer user.  One may have a little better voltage regulation, or slightly cleaner power, but they're all well within the specified limits, and therefore won't damage your computer. The only way you'd notice a difference was if you hooked it up to expensive lab equipment, and load tested it. 

Personally, I'd go with a lower cost OCZ unit.  It's still a good quality unit, certainly not something that will damage your computer, and it costs a lot less. 

Right now newegg has the OCZ StealthXStream 700watt power supply on sale for $54.99 after EMCLXNN43 coupon code and a $25 rebate.  That's a great power supply, at an excellent price. 

Or, if you prefer modular cables, the OCZ ModXStream Pro 700watt power supply is on sale for $69.99 after a $20 rebate.  Another fine power supply with more than enough power to run your computer. 

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After researching and debating all night I just pulled the trigger on the Corsair 750HX. Thanks for all your input guys as always you are a great help. Hopefully i will get the mail in rebate this time unlike the one from my mobo.

-Legacy

Legacy:

Oh almost forgot will the 750HX be enough power to run one of the new 5800 series cards? The minimum card requirement says 500 watts.

 The Radeon 5870 requires a maximum of 188watts.  So, yes, that power supply could easily run one of those, or two in Crossfire. 

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Yes you can run one or two in Crossfire with out a problem.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422-20.html

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Kingwin Mach 1 added to Tier 3, based on this review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/624/1

Any comments?  

Does anyone know if SuperFlower manufactures any other decent power supplies?  I always remembered them making fairly sub-par units.  

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Not a bad review, only one large draw back that I did see was it failed on the -12v test1. And that was not even stressing the PSU at all, now if it were test 4 and 5 then I can see it fail. Then there is price as well The Kingwin is $104.99 for a 700W PSU, you can get a good tier 2 for less at the same wattage and they would be a bit more stable. But that is my take on it. I would say tier 4 for the Kingwin with that fail and price compared to some tier 2 PSU's that can be had for less.

EG

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail $99.99

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $89.99

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First off, price is not taken into consideration for these rankings.  Neither is aesthetics or modular cables.  The only thing that these ratings are based on is the output power.  I mean, would it be fair to knock all the PC P&C Units down to tier 2 because Ultra's 1600watt power supply is much cheaper per watt?  

And, prices fluctuate.  That Kingwin might be $104.99 today, but maybe someone finds it on sale for $40 next week.  You wouldn't want to say, "it's a tier 4 if it costs $100, but it is a tier 3 if you can get it for <$70."  Because it's in tier 3, that itself indicates that you shouldn't pay all that much for it. 

Secondly, I think that the -12v rail isn't really used much any more, if at all.   According to some articles I've read, most modern motherboards just don't use it at all. 

In my opinion, the -12v rail being a few hundredths of a volt below spec under one certain loading condition isn't enough to push this unit to Tier 4. 

What does everyone else think?  

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The sequel to one of the best and most powerful power supplies on the market is being unleased:

http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/16026/38/

Video unboxing: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5NSavzWv6g

nice accessories, with a vibration-reducing mount, bag for modular cables, and stylish velcro cable holders.  They also include zip ties, but with the included velcro cable holders, who needs them? 

Reviews are starting to come out: 

review of the Ultra X4 1050watt:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/ultrax41050w/

12v rail only varies by 0.07v between PSU loads of 202watts and 1064watts.   Wow. 

3.3v and 5v rails only vary by 0.02v between 202 and 1064watts.  Double wow.  

That's some stable regulation.  

The ripple on the 12v rail goes up to 100mV though.  That's within spec, but higher than other high end PSU's.
If you remember, the venerable Ultra X3 1600watt power supply had under 20mV of ripple on the 12v rail when putting out 1600watts.  Perhaps Ultra has suffered some since the departure of JonnyGuru from their ranks. 

 review of the Ultra X4 1200watt:

http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=7755&Itemid=40&limit=1&limitstart=0

interestingly enough, the ripple is much lower in this review, topping out around 60mV.  That's still higher than some high end units, but at 1/2 of the spec, that's a lot easier to swallow. 

 Also interesting to note is the size of the PSU.  Their 1200watt unit is normal length.  Most 1000+ watt power supplies are longer than normal, but not the 1200watt Ultra X4.  I wonder if you could stuff one of these into an Apevia Aspire X-Qpack case.  As a guess, I think that the modular interface might still make it too long.  Pity. 

 And, another review of the Ultra 1200watt PSU:

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=832&page=1

The ball bearing fan is a good choice, and all of the reviews note that the fan is pretty quiet, both at low and high loads.  

Interestingly enough, there seems to be an Ultra X4 400watt micro ATX power supply already out on the market.  That's nice, as the current selection of micro ATX power supplies really isn't that great.  

review of the mATX 400watt PSU: 

http://overclockershq.com/hardware-reviews/ultra-x4-micro-atx-400w-modular-power-supply-review.html

It seems that Ultra decided to stick with Andyson (of the Ultra X3 lineup) as the manufacturer, which is a fine choice.   I wonder if we'll see a follow up to the Ultra X-Pro line (manufactured by Seventeam) anytime soon.

So, what does everyone think?  

Edit: Link'd your links & embedded the YouTube video. Thanks CW!  - Paul

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