Hey everyone, I build PCs. Because it's fun, I like to learn as much about them as I can, too. What I don't really know about and keep looking on sites for is PSU's. What's the difference between this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/124927 - 700w Arctic Power And this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135514 - 650w Corsair The dramatic increase in price between the Arctic - Corsair, from £43 to £75, is it worth it? Let's say I'm running A 4870 1GB Card, 2xDVD Drives 2xHDD's, 3 120mm Fans... That should all run fine on both of those, right? Also how do I check the quality, like, I read the stickers on them and I don't understand it, can anyone help? Thanks . +Sam
when it comes to PSU's, Corsair is the number 1 brand out. I would get the corsair over the artic. Corsair is top quality
Well, I don't really have that much money to spend on this, so I want a PSU that has a high-ish wattage that will last me at least 2 years and will run everything fine and doesn't cost £192310489394823948.
The Arctic power will probably go up to about 300W then go pop and destroy the rest of the PC. The Corsair will not only deliver 650W Safely and reliably, it will probably go up to about 700W. If you break that limit, rather than destroy your PC like cheap PSUs do, it will simply shut off. For a 4870 1GB, a 450W Corsair HX will do fine. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/450W...Sli-ATX-EPS12V-PS-2-20-24-pin-5-year-Warranty
i agree, the PSU is an often over looked component of a computer. but it is a crucial component. if the mobo and HDs don't get consistent and accurate voltage it can affect the performance and life span of them. if you have to wait a little while longer and save up more money, then do so. i know that builing a new PC is fun and you want to do it now now now, but in the end being patient and using the right quality components will save you money in the long run.
I see, well I had advice recently to, if I was going to buy a HD 4870 1GB to replace a 3850 512MB for my pc which is using 2HDD's and 2 DVD Drives and 3 Fans that came with the case. (Akasa Zen), to use a 520w instead of the 450w I'm using, so what do you guys think a good upgrade would be? To buy the 520w or maybe something else? And I need 2 4Pins for the GPU, which my current 450w doesn't have.
Consider Seasonic PSU's they are, if not bettr, just as good as Corsair PSU's, reliable and the choice of many entusiasts. Seasonic PSR550+/650+ Seasonic M12 600w/200w
You mean 6-pins. The 4870 1GB is a good upgrade from an HD3850, it's over double the performance. Which PSU you need for it depends on the manufacturer, if you've got something like a Corsair VX 450W, you don't really need to upgrade. The lack of a second PCIe connector means you will have to use the adapter that comes with the card, but it shouldn't be an issue. If it's a cheap no-name brand though, you defiitely need a new PSU. If you're in europe you can get a 450W Corsair HX with two connectors, but if you're in the US then you have to use a 550W VX or 650W TX, the two are often similarly priced, and the 650 TX is a better unit for multiple reasons. Jasopan: Most good Corsair PSUs are actually Seasonic OEMs, Seasonic's own PSUs are just the retail front for them. However, they often tend to be even more expensive than Corsair which is why I don't recommend them. The Corsair PSUs that are not Seasonic (i.e. CWT) are the VX550, TX750/850 and HX1000, and I think the HX750/850 as well, but I'm not certain as they're only just out.
Ah yeah, 6-Pin is what I meant -_-. I have the 450VX, and hearing that I won't need to upgrade the PSU as long as I have the adaptor is great news, I could spend the extra money on either a better graphics card (aka 4850x2 / 4870x2 if they can be supported by the PSU which I doubt) or more ram, 4GB Corsair DDR2 1066MHz sounds nice. Thanks! edit - http://overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-091-PC this is the card I was going to get, it's extremely cheap and I heard PowerColor werent a bad manufacturer, but it's always good to be safe. Also, the ram I was thinking of getting is this - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-039-KS Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel I'm positively sure my GA-P35-DS3 (Rev 2.1 I think) can support it, one thing though, I don't know that much about motherboards but on Gigabyte's website it says "1.8v DDR2 something something) and these RAM sticks are supposed to run at 2.1v/2.2v, will that be a problem?
To be honest, I'm no fan either of OcUK or Powercolor. This would be my choice: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-XFX-ATI-Radeon-HD-4870-775M-DDR5-DUAL-DVI-XXX-EDITION Not only is it from one of the best manufacturers, XFX, it is also a slightly overclocked edition, so is a little faster stock. On top of that, if you make at least 20 posts at Hexus forums, you get free delivery from Scan. With the RAM, Kingston stuff is alright, but I don't know how good their PC8500 is. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-...)-240-Pin-Non-ECC-Unbuffered-CAS-5-6-6-18-EPP That again, would be my choice for low cost. To get slightly better timings for an extra £6.66 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-...6)-240Pin-Non-ECC-Unbuffered-CAS-5-5-5-15-EPP
Wow, great finds! Yeah I'm not much of a fan of OcUK either, although loads of my friends say they're good, but I don't want to use Ebuyer unless I have to because the delivery is really really dire. Thanks for the links and the time, I'll be ordering from Scan..
There's no problem with ebuyer's delivery at all, other than the courier they used to use (Citylink) being pretty dire in some areas. Ebuyer mostly use UPS and ParcelForce instead now, whereas OcUK and Scan still use Citylink.
When did they change to UPS and ParcelForce? It must be very recently, because like 2 months ago I ordered a Sound Card (remember that thread I posted in and you were giving me advice? ) a DVD Drive and some cables, they didn't deliver it two days in a row. I would go into more detail but I basically wrote a massive massive article of me completely destroying them, what ended up happening is them replying with "We have brang the driver in for questioning and we will be giving him lessons and keeping him under surveilance". So, if it's because of the letter I sent that they changed couriers, then WIN. But i doubt it. Wow, long message . Yeah I'm kinda weary of scan now...Seeing as how they use CityLink and I've always had trouble with them D:
Scan has always been next day delivery with me (going through AVForums and getting free postage - same thing with Hexus as pointed out earlier)
Yes, well, the experiences are differential on where you are cituated, and I'm in Thorlands Estate, on the top floor. For anyone who wants to see, here is the original message I sent to ebuyer, recently "I must say I've had the worst experiences with citylink. I'm not going to sugar coat it either. Their drivers are incompetent, they lie and they're lazy. Every single time I've ordered something from ebuyer (Who is a 5/5 company and their customer support is A+) I've ALWAYS had a problem with Citylink. We live on the top floor (there are only 2 floors) of a flat, and to get in you have to buzz our number "Press 3-2 then CALL on the intercom pad" and then we pick up the phone and press the button to open the door. I usually wake up early / take a day off from school or work for deliveries, and to see "Delivery point closed (Carded)" every day I take off p****s me off to no extent. Especially since, no, they didn't buzz the door, no, they didn't try to contact me; and no, I didn't have headphones on, I wasn't in the bath or in the toilet, I was in the room next to the intercom buzzer so I would've heard it beeping. Unless I went deaf for the specific lapse of time in which they rang it. They didn't leave a card either, even though they said they did. So that means they must've just drove in the block, not bothered to get out (If they didn't want to carry it up, I would've, even though they shouldn't do the job then, but even if they were too lazy to bring it up, I would have gone down and picked it up myself. "delivery - the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another" "wait: the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); "the wait was an ordeal for him" When I ordered my parts from ebuyer, a whole PC, £600 it cost, in feb 08, the first time I'd ordered anything on ebuyer / used citylink, they said "delivery point closed (carded)", I was like "huh? Oh it must've not been working" the next day, the same thing happened, and it was working because someone buzzed OUR buzzer 20 minutes after and I heard it. We had to ring up Citylink and get the MANAGER to deliver it. THE MANAGER. Last I heard Managers Manage and Drivers Deliver, or maybe I entered the twilight zone. If it isn't delivered tomorrow (7th May, waiting since Wed/Thurs may) I'm going to stop using ebuyer until they change couriers."
x: It was within the last couple of months. I've placed about 50 orders with ebuyer over the years, and apart from the early days back in 2004, never had any issues with their part of the delivery, only with the courier. Citylink are a royal pain in the rear for me in Essex at home, but up in York they do well. Scan still use solely citylink which is regrettable, but free delivery almost makes up for it. Shop from Tekheads if you want a decent courier, they used to use citylink, but have recently changed to interlink express, so far the only courier other than APC who I have 100% success with for delivery. Before 11am every time, I'm very impressed with them. Conversely, I've not had much grief off citylink when buying from OcUK. In their instance it has always been the shop at fault. They dispatch stuff several days late, almost a week in one instance for next day delivery, they only perform daily stock level updates, so if an item was out of stock at 9:30am on a day, you won't hear about it if you ordered afterwards until you happen to check the site again the following day and see it out of stock. You won't be emailed, your order will simply never be dispatched until you ring them up a week later wondering why your order never arrived - "oh, it's out of stock". In addition to this, they do not accept most returns until you quote the UK selling regulations to them and force them to accept them. They're generally, dishonest, disorganised and more trouble than it's worth to save that extra few quid. MicroDirect were very similar a couple of years ago and for that reason I haven't used them since, but they may of course have changed. That said, with so many other retailers to choose from that do actually respect their customers, I fail to see why I should take the risk.
Well thanks once again for all the advice Sam, you're literally like a humanized form of google for PCs.
Heh, I try not to be, not when people could find the information so easily thermselves. It's the experience I try and put forward. Good reviews on newegg or anandtech don't tell the whole story about a product.
