Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

[Warbo]

Hey I am trying to build a gaming PC on an extremely tight budget and to cut down the price alot I am thinking about getting a case and psu bundle, I would not be using the generic psu for long, around two months and I want to know the real risk of this thing exploding from playing some games like counter strike source and unreal tournament 3. This is the case I am considering, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COOLERMASTER-E...d=p3286.c0.m14

The specs of the comp i am wanting to build are.....

2.5ghz Core 2 Duo Intel Processor (maybe a slight overclock, please tell me if this is advisable)
4gb DDR2 Ram
N7AD-SLi MoBO
320gb Generic Hard Drive
XFX 9600gt 512mb Graphics
DVD-RW Drive
Windows XP

Then I would also be adding another 120mm to the front of the case for extra ventilation, all this should come to around £320. Please tell me if you think I should change anything to make a better budget gaming pc thanks.

[ratdude747]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

dont do bundles. usually have crap parts

[Krankshaft]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Beware those Chinamart bundles as previosly suggested probably crappy Chinatown parts. The fact that they use a generic HDD says it all about the quality.

Build it yourself when you have the cash with brand name components it may cost a bit more but I will last much longer.

[370forlife]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2865530


Winpower 850W looks suspiciously like a solytech, like this one. Look at the last picture where it shows the bottom and rear fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119115

They are $40 without a psu, or about £25, so its not like that psu is free with it, if it was I would have bought it and rebuild the psu to test with.

[yanz]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

generic psu with tiny capacitance and incomplete rail filtering, plus fake amperage rating, is the common cause of the questions from my friends, "yanz, my monitor went blinking/pc restarting/where's my C:\ ?"

if u really have to use that generic psu (like i do, sometime), fix the rail filtering, at least. and pray something weird doesnt strike when there are minimum protection from your PSU...

my 2 cent.

[Newbie2]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Hey I am trying to build a gaming PC on an extremely tight budget and to cut down the price alot I am thinking about getting a case and psu bundle, I would not be using the generic psu for long, around two months and I want to know the real risk of this thing exploding from playing some games like counter strike source and unreal tournament 3. This is the case I am considering, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COOLERMASTER-E...d=p3286.c0.m14

The specs of the comp i am wanting to build are.....

2.5ghz Core 2 Duo Intel Processor (maybe a slight overclock, please tell me if this is advisable)
4gb DDR2 Ram
N7AD-SLi MoBO
320gb Generic Hard Drive
XFX 9600gt 512mb Graphics
DVD-RW Drive
Windows XP

Then I would also be adding another 120mm to the front of the case for extra ventilation, all this should come to around £320. Please tell me if you think I should change anything to make a better budget gaming pc thanks.

I know that you're on a tight budget for a computer, but if a generic power supply blows and kills all of your components, then you'll be spending a whole lot of money again on another computer. Generic power supplies can also cause weird instability problems when they are underpowered for a computer.

Buy a good power supply, you probably would have to spend a little more money but it will be worth it in the long run.

With a computer like that you're planning to build, I wouldn't risk all of that to a generic power supply that the seller bundled with the case.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Save money for as long as it takes you to get a decent PSU
With a system like that it's just plain stupid to use a POS PSU

Especially when you know about the problem!

[Warbo]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

OK thanks guys, i guess ill just have to wait for a better psu. O wells

[Phaihn]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Or you could forgo winxp for abit and use that money for the PSU.

[Warbo]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Hey I think I can afford this one, this will be reliable right? http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/400W-...-year-warranty

[Phaihn]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

looks good to me but you may wait for what the others say ive seen ram by this brand ive never seen a psu made by them.

[momaka]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Corsair power supplies are excellent. I don't think you'll go wrong if you get that one.
Also, a lot of members here have been recommending this one (but if you want to buy it and you live outside the US, make sure to contact the seller first). The only problem you might have with it is that it has an 8-pin power connector vs the standard 4-pin (hence you might need to modify it a bit or get an adapter). There's no PCI-E connector either. Other than that I've heard only good things about it.

[Newbie2]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Besides what momaka stated, the Corsair power supply is very good.

[ratdude747]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

yeah, corsairs are good. better than a generic s***box.

[ratdude747]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

looking at the ebay pics, the psu has thin wire. look at the pic of the atx connector. thin and crappy

[Warbo]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Thanks guys, last thing, will a 400w good power supply be enough for a XFX 9600gt 2 way SLi array with all the specs I listed at the top? or do I need to upgrade and if so to what


thank you all so much for your help

[Newbie2]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

Thanks guys, last thing, will a 400w good power supply be enough for a XFX 9600gt 2 way SLi array with all the specs I listed at the top? or do I need to upgrade and if so to what


thank you all so much for your help

A good 400W power supply can probably power two GeForce 9600GT video cards in SLI, along with the specifications you listed. In my opinion though, I'd get at least a good 450W power supply just in case of upgrades in the future that will need more power.

The eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5 online at extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp can give you a basic idea of how many watts that you're going to need to power your computer.

If you get the case on eBay UK with that generic power supply, I would suggest you keep the generic power supply for just in case you need a power supply for a lower-end computer that doesn't need as much power.

[i4004]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

>I would not be using the generic psu for long, around two months and I want to know the real risk of this thing exploding from playing some games like counter strike source and unreal tournament 3.

chances of new (up to few months old) crappy psu destroying board are slim to none.
chances go up after a year or so, but even then they remain fairly low, even with crappy psus(ie overall number of cases when psu kills mobo are pretty rare).

offcourse, slim chances don't mean much to those that very "lucky" enough for it to happen.

but i don't understand: you can't get the case and decent psu for 50 pounds(ie the price of this ebay offer)?
how come?
how expensive can the case be?

[Newbie2]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

You could get lucky and have a generic power supply last for some time on the hardware that Warbo is planning on getting, but I consider that nice hardware (especially if he's going to do an SLI setup of the video cards) and in my opinion having a good power supply is good piece of mind to ensure that those nice components won't get killed by the power supply.

[Newbie2]

Re: Generic power supply, how leathal is it?

but i don't understand: you can't get the case and decent psu for 50 pounds(ie the price of this ebay offer)?
how come?
how expensive can the case be?

It was mentioned before that the case was 25 pounds in the US, it's not a very expensive case, so with an inexpensive generic power supply I think 50 pounds total sounds right.

However, it is good to do a little research on the eBay seller if possible.