Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

[KenOlson]

I am new to buying Power Supplies.

This question only concerns New Power Supplies but realize there are probably better deals on eBay.

Are there any times of the year that Power Supplies normally go on sale? Also what is the normal discount?

For some items I have had the best Luck when it was "Clearance Priced" but because of limited supply you may find out too late.

Am always interested in what others do to minimize the cost of a "Good Power Supply.

Thanks

Ken

[Pentium4]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

They go year round, you will find good deals on newegg. A lot of sites try to "clearance" their really crappy PSU's, and they do lame marketing like when I saw a PSU that I know wasn't listed on the site within the past few days, so it's a new product and it said "$29.99, WAS $34.99!" just so you think you're getting a better deal. I'm sure they do this with more than just PSU's. If you are looking for a PSU just list what you're looking at and we will help you out

[KenOlson]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Pentium4,

Thanks for the info

Am looking for an inexpensive "bulletproof" PSU to be used on a Dell D2400 that will only be used for testing various older hard drives and CD/DVD drives.

No high power Video Cards because this PC does not have the slots.

Inherited the PC with blown PSU so know the std Dell PSUs can blow, exactly how I never did find out.

Hope that the actual experience of others on this forum can narrow down the "Best Buys" for "bulletproof" PSUs.

Since have limited budget and no time limit(am using another Dell OEM PSU now) will need to buy the PSU on sale.

Thanks again for your comments.

Ken

[KenOlson]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Pentium4,

"...If you are looking for a PSU just list what you're looking at and we will help you out" Thanks!!!

Recently read "Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed"
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...e,3568-12.html

Was impressed with Antec HCG-400 PSU so did some price checking and the best I found to date was $9.95 after MIR http://www.overclock.net/t/1258175/a...r-limited-time which is a price even I can afford.

Am thinking anything any PSU as good as Antec HCG-400 PSU for that price would probably be a "Good Deal"

Do you have any recommendations for PSUs in that price range?

Thanks again for your help.

Ken

[shovenose]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Pentium4,

"...If you are looking for a PSU just list what you're looking at and we will help you out" Thanks!!!

Recently read "Part 1: Four Cheap 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supplies, Reviewed"
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...e,3568-12.html

Was impressed with Antec HCG-400 PSU so did some price checking and the best I found to date was $9.95 after MIR http://www.overclock.net/t/1258175/a...r-limited-time which is a price even I can afford.

Am thinking anything any PSU as good as Antec HCG-400 PSU for that price would probably be a "Good Deal"

Do you have any recommendations for PSUs in that price range?

Thanks again for your help.

Ken

Yeah that is the cheapest good PSU you are going to find.

[Pentium4]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

That's a steal!

[jamesbo]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

It was discontinued. There were some really great prices on it before it went off the market.

[larrymoencurly]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Check deal sites like FatWallet.com and SlickDeals.net, and look at the daily deals at NewEgg.com ("Shell Shocker") and TigerDirect.com. Those two companies offer something pretty cheap, about every 4-8 weeks.

[luke10050]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

if your looking for a psu for a dimension 2400 you really can use anything.

i think they had a 200-250W in them stock, it really wont use that much power, i just run mine off one of those generic "300w" ATX psu's you used to see ten years ago.the OEM psu in it would be pretty fine

i run a core2quad with a 9600GT and some other bits and pieces on a 350W Dell OEM HiPro, and that consumes a hell of a lot more power.

but on the topic of PSU sales:
i would say look for form factor sizes, get a good idea of what kind of size generally pertains to what power output
eg: ive got some "titan 1kw" psu that is realistically a 400W psu in a massive case, the PCB only takes up about 1/3 of the entire PSU enclosure.

Secondly: Try and stay with trusted brand names if possible.

Thirdly: Read reviews on places like hardwaresecrets and etc. where they actually load test the PSU's.

Thats about all ive got, i know you CAN get some power supplies that are designed with non-electrolytic caps but for the price probably not worth it. some of the psu's made by Aywun look ok, dont quote me on it, and are pretty cheap.


Edit: i looked up aywun and seen shovenoses video, he will be delighted to know i see about 3-4 of them sold a week
have only seen one of them actually fail, the rest work fine, and that was after about 4 years of use (not great i know but yeah)
i'd say one of the cheaper aywun units would be good for the dimension 2400... i would estimate it would pull about 80-100W MAXIMUM

[shovenose]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

if your looking for a psu for a dimension 2400 you really can use anything.

i think they had a 200-250W in them stock, it really wont use that much power, i just run mine off one of those generic "300w" ATX psu's you used to see ten years ago.the OEM psu in it would be pretty fine

i run a core2quad with a 9600GT and some other bits and pieces on a 350W Dell OEM HiPro, and that consumes a hell of a lot more power.

but on the topic of PSU sales:
i would say look for form factor sizes, get a good idea of what kind of size generally pertains to what power output
eg: ive got some "titan 1kw" psu that is realistically a 400W psu in a massive case, the PCB only takes up about 1/3 of the entire PSU enclosure.

Secondly: Try and stay with trusted brand names if possible.

Thirdly: Read reviews on places like hardwaresecrets and etc. where they actually load test the PSU's.

Thats about all ive got, i know you CAN get some power supplies that are designed with non-electrolytic caps but for the price probably not worth it. some of the psu's made by Aywun look ok, dont quote me on it, and are pretty cheap.


Edit: i looked up aywun and seen shovenoses video, he will be delighted to know i see about 3-4 of them sold a week
have only seen one of them actually fail, the rest work fine, and that was after about 4 years of use (not great i know but yeah)
i'd say one of the cheaper aywun units would be good for the dimension 2400... i would estimate it would pull about 80-100W MAXIMUM

haha that was actually C_hegge's videos for putting on Hardware Insights before he got a YouTube account.

[luke10050]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

hahaha nice, i also have one of those 400W TT psu's, its actually the one in my dimension 2400. i generally use psu's like that as a bench supply (eg. the one powering my impromptu desk lamp, i built it with a PCI-E power connector, some alfoil, a 12v halogen bulb, some tape, hot glue, a cardboard cylinder and a cardboard box.)

Hey! i just became a senior member!

[momaka]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Inherited the PC with blown PSU so know the std Dell PSUs can blow, exactly how I never did find out.

Yes, the stock Dell PSUs can go bad, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. Generally they are extremely reliable and overbuilt. If you have the skills (or the willingness), you can try to repair the one that is in your Dell PC right now. If it's a HiPro -built unit, at least, I can easily walk you through. I have repaired 5 or 6 HiPro PSUs before, 3 of which are mine. They are rock-solid PSUs.

If you are in the USA, and depending on where you live, there may also be a Micro Center near you. You can find some refurbed stock Dell/HP PSUs there as well, and they are usually very cheap. Micro Center also has a selection very similar to Newegg.

Last time I checked (about a year ago), eBay also had some usedOEM Dell PSUs for a very reasonable price.

Then there's also this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151086
I haven't read any reviews online of how good or bad it is, but given that it's a SeaSonic, I doubt you would be disappointed. A bit pricey, sure, but quality usually comes with a price.

if your looking for a psu for a dimension 2400 you really can use anything.

i think they had a 200-250W in them stock, it really wont use that much power, i just run mine off one of those generic "300w" ATX psu's you used to see ten years ago.

Sorry, but that's WRONG information and wrong practice.

Those P4 -based Dimension PC have Pentium 4's in them, so they can be quite power-hungry on the 12V rail. It all depends on which Pentium 4 core they have. Prescotts, in particular, can be more power hungry even than most modern quad-core designs of today, so they require serous power on the 12V rail. The OEM "250W" PSUs in those Dells are usually rated for 14A on the 12V rail, and they WILL deliver that without a sweat. Now try that with a generic junk PSU! If it somehow manages to deliver that much power, then I encourage you to poke around on it with a scope and see what kind of ripple it is outputting... But I bet you won't like what you'll see. And if that's not enough evidence, I've had hard drives overheat from dirty power on the 12V rail. I tried this many times with multiple HDDs and generic PSUs, so I know this is not a random incident.

[luke10050]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

ehh, you learn something new everyday hey i wouldnt think over 10A on the 12v rail for that one though... its got a 65w socket 478: http://ark.intel.com/products/27438/...he-533-MHz-FSB

though your point with the ripple in regards to the hard drive is a very good one... im actually debating buying a cheap digital scope now.

[momaka]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Well, you're right. There probably won't be over 10A on the 12V rail even with some of the most power-hungry Prescott CPUs (around 100W maximum). But nonetheless, most cheap PSUs only have a 10A rectifier on the 12V rail and thin heat sinks, so running anywhere near that will make that secondary heat sink quite hot, and it won't be long until the caps cook.

Also, not all 533 MHz FSP P4's are rated for 65W. Have a look on CPU-world. Again, it all depends if it's a Willamate, Northwood, or Prescott core.

[KenOlson]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

Everyone,

Thanks for all your comments!

To date I have not found an "Excellent" PSU on Sale like the historical example I posted but did find.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=7621687
List Price:
$29.99
Instant Savings:
- $15.00 (50%)
Today's Price:
$1499
Less Rebate:
- $15.00Ends 09/30/2013. See Terms. Restrictions Apply. NOTICE: Limit (3) THREE rebates per person, billing address, company, or household
Final Price:
FREE* After Rebate

Can't get much cheaper than that!!! but is it even worth all the headaches of rebates etc?

Appreciate comments! At posting have not found any reviews but hard to believe that can be any better than average. But it does have the "80+ Bronz" rating which is probably mostly hype.

Thanks again everyone for helping a "Real Beginner"!!!

Ken

[Behemot]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

It does not have 80 PLUS Bronze certification, that is just bullshit. It is also very old model for that reason it may be so cheap. I would stay away from that.

I suggest Seasonic SSP-350GT.

[Pentium4]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

He was looking for a cheap unit though, for that price it's pretty much better than anything else you could get. Feel free to post internal pics when you get it Ken

[Behemot]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

SSP-350GT is the best PSU you can get in the budget segment, there is nothing better in the world ATM.

[c_hegge]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

^
I agree that those are a great PSU. They are essentially just a stripped down G-360. The only problem is that they have no PCI-E connectors, and only one molex.

[Behemot]

Re: Beginners Guide to Power Supply Sales?

You can get SATA->PCIe adapter…