Psu

[ExtremE]

I have a spare PSU here and i am just wondering what PSU is better
ICute 320watt PSU
or
Pro-V 300watt PSU
I realise as far as watts go the ICute is better, but ppl have said it can very lots on the brand of PSUs
I would asume that both these PSU are crap so the ICute would be better but what do u guys say ?

[MR_60]

Personally I would bench test them and see ;o)

Hook up your rig & keep an eye on those voltages...

[killer_teddy]

Then when you have decided which runs the mobo better shove in the spare to run fans and such.

[ExtremE]

The ICute case wouldnt even start the CPU fan
lol u could see it trying to but not enough power
so i now know witch one i am using
If i use the other one for fans etc i will have to put it outside the case :(

I have just unpluged my CDWR and that has stoped all my HDD probs from lack of power

[glyde]

Originally posted by MR_60
Personally I would bench test them and see ;o)

Hook up your rig & keep an eye on those voltages...

exactly what would you be looking for?
voltage fluctuations?
im not really sure yet on how to distinguish whether a psu is good and one thats just cheap.

I have a 400w icute psu myself, and am wondering if i need to upgrade it as im o/c my cpu atm and also have a few devices attached,

[glyde]

sorry if its a n00bish question btw

[MR_60]

It is a n00b forum after all ;o)

Basically what you are looking for is:
* minimum fluctuation, preferably close to immeasureable. To check this for sure you really need an oscilloscope, although the mobo readouts are close enough to give you an idea.
* Voltages preferably only just above the specified voltages, but never very far below (eg for the 12v line 12.05v would be OK, 13v might be considered too high, where as 11.05 is far too low..)

Basically these 2 properties of a psu will determine how much stability it will lend your rig. I can't think of anything else that you can easily test, although there are also these factors:

* Noise levels (for those who are worried! My system sounds like a 747 just before takeoff)
* Good heat extraction; high quality fans (ball bearings rock!)
* Ability to handle spikes and sags in power supply without affecting output voltages(better to buy an external filter / UPS though)
* Ability to keep voltages within spec under heavy load (hard graphics, intensive processing, intense disk access, CD-R burning etc all draw more current, which on cheaper PSUs will cause voltages to drop considerably until they are out of spec and cause a system crash)

So really a good power supply is pretty critical to a stable, long lasting rig; of course it all depends on the thresholds your other components can handle...

-edit: I keep hearing bad things about ICute PSU's but I know several people who have no trouble with them with moderate rigs - except the stock fans are a bit on the noisy side and tend to die...

[glyde]

thanks MR_60

that pretty much sums it up well :)