Power supply advice please

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mb82

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Master Geek
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Topic # 171854 3-May-2015 11:24

Hi have just got a new second hand pc.
Specs: i5 2400 processor
500gb 3.5" hdd
geforce gtx460 graphics card
cdrw drive
Gigabyte H67MA-D2H-B3 Board

And a 500w Great Wall PSU.
I want to swap out the psu searching google because people seem to think they are no good. Am I being pedantic?

Would this psu work with my system: ?
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PSUENE0501&name=Enermax-B500-SB-500W-ATX-PSU-858885-MEPS-compliant

I know it will be enough wattage wise but is there anything else I should be looking out for?

mentalinc

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Reply # 1296064 3-May-2015 12:03

http://www.overclock.net/t/183810/faq-recommended-power-supplies#user_500-599W

But basically anything Corsair or Seasonic is good.

You're probably better not doing anything if you're not having issues.

I assume you only paid $400 ish for the above no point sending close to half that on a decent new PSU.

CPU: Intel 3770k| RAM: F3-2400C10D-16GTX G.Skill Trident X |MB: Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H-WB | GFX: GV-N660OC-2GD gv-n660oc-2gd GeForce GTX 660 | Monitor: Qnix 27" 2560x1440

JWR

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Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 1296076 3-May-2015 12:17

Pedantic? If you are then I am too.

I won't buy really cheap, nasty power supplies anymore. I had one go on fire once.

It's hard to tell if a PSU is any good, without seeing a decent test/review that really pushes the PSU to its limits under load.

Some things to look for...

- efficiency rating (often a more expensive, more efficient PSU can save money in long term).
- modular or not. Convenience vs cost and fewer points of failure. Personally, I prefer modular. So much easier to build a PC.
- you could worry about amps on main rail etc.. but, I think a 500w PSU will have more than enough power for your system anyway.
- heavy is good. Beware of unnaturally light PSUS. A sure sign of skimping on components. It isn't absolute. But the top end PSUs are fairly chunky.
- warranty.. 3yrs+ I think. My latest PSU has a 8yr warranty. Any good PSU will be backed.

Enermax usually make reasonably good products. They certainly aren't in the cheap, dangerous catgeory.

Other decent makes.. Corsair, Antec, Seasonic.

richms

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Reply # 1296085 3-May-2015 13:03

I usually get zalman ones. Nice big fan so not too noisy. Im not a fan of modular ones. Another crap molex connector inline with the connections just to let people remove the cables they are not using vs just bundling them up in an unused lower drivebay seems a bit of a silly compromise to me. Perhaps if you are going to go to the effort of custom making cables the exact length and with whatever connectors you need to get everything looking nice for a case with a window, but really those cheap clone molex plugs are unreliable enough without doubling the number of them.

Never liked the idea of just paralleling up many low current connectors for a high current connection. Means when one fails the others take the load with no overcurrent protection.

Richard rich.ms

mb82

129 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 1296214 3-May-2015 18:01

Appreciate the comments. Not looking to go all out just wanting to swap out the Great Wall. People say Hyena is rubbish too yet both my last pc's have had hyenas without problem, thats about 10 years of computing. I know the great wall might be fine but..

Saying that, although this pc is not the highest spec it is an upgrade for me. I want a power supply which is not what seems to be basically the cheapest junk on the market, something which people don't say might fry your board because it is so junk and something which can give me peace of mind if I leave the house. The great wall seems like thin metal and the rattly fan hardly convinces me it resembles any form of quality.

Ennermax seem fairly reputable. My main question is, should the power supply in the link work with my pc. I know a bit about computers but don't consider myself an expert.

Are all power psu pretty much interchangeable aside from wattage? is there anything I have to watch out for in terms of processor/board compatibility and/or connectors?

Xeon

279 posts

Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 1296240 3-May-2015 19:16

mb82: is there anything I have to watch out for in terms of processor/board compatibility and/or connectors?

Not really. You just have to make sure you have enough connectors for the devices, 1 GPU, 1 HDD and a DVD is a pretty low requirement.

Other thing is physical size which isn't a issue unless you have a tiny case.

ludez

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Reply # 1296243 3-May-2015 19:27

TEst your current power supply in games before you buy a new one.

Athlonite

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Reply # 1296245 3-May-2015 19:29

anything Seasonic, Silverstone, FSP, are a good start on a great PSU here's a 440 PSU review

http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/5777/500-550-watt-power-supplies-review-40-models-tested

ludez

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Reply # 1296246 3-May-2015 19:29

If your going to buy another one just grab a cheap decent one like these
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/cases-power-supplies/power-supplies/auction-882745741.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/cases-power-supplies/power-supplies/auction-879806276.htm

richms

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Reply # 1296249 3-May-2015 19:41

Also check the quantity of 8 and 6 pin graphics card connectors, and dont confuse the motherboard 8 pin with the graphics card one, they are wired in opposite polarity because whoever wrote the standards is a sadist.

Richard rich.ms

CoMa

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 1298110 5-May-2015 09:49

I've had good experience with Corsair/Seasonic/Antec in the past. I had a Corsair HX620 from 2008 that was actually a rebranded Seasonic, it is still going now in a friend's machine. I currently use a SilverStone Strider Gold 1200W and it has been running fine for a couple of years no issues.

JWR

752 posts

Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 1298339 5-May-2015 13:17

mb82: Appreciate the comments. Not looking to go all out just wanting to swap out the Great Wall. People say Hyena is rubbish too yet both my last pc's have had hyenas without problem, thats about 10 years of computing. I know the great wall might be fine but..

Saying that, although this pc is not the highest spec it is an upgrade for me. I want a power supply which is not what seems to be basically the cheapest junk on the market, something which people don't say might fry your board because it is so junk and something which can give me peace of mind if I leave the house. The great wall seems like thin metal and the rattly fan hardly convinces me it resembles any form of quality.

Ennermax seem fairly reputable. My main question is, should the power supply in the link work with my pc. I know a bit about computers but don't consider myself an expert.

Are all power psu pretty much interchangeable aside from wattage? is there anything I have to watch out for in terms of processor/board compatibility and/or connectors?

If you buy a new PSU then you won't have any problem matching it to that motherboard.

Just make sure you have enough molex and SATA power connectors.

I think will you have an 8 pin auxiliary power connector on your motherboard. It is likely that your PSU will have 2x4 pin connectors to fit that socket.

PSU connectors have been pretty standard for the last 20 years or so. There have been a few new connectors. But, you can usually get adapters for older PSUS.

1101

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Reply # 1298427 5-May-2015 14:32

One person supports this post

Just keep what you have, if it works, it works. Unless you just want a new one for the sake of it.
No point in replacing one working low end PSU with another low end PSU.

Also, brand name means nothing now. Even Corsair cheapies are just that, cheap & not a much of an upgrade .
There are hundreds of thousands of cheap PSU's , out in the wild, working just fine & not causing any issues.

If someone says the Great wall is no good, ask them exactly what makes it unusable , specifically for your model.