Help for correct font, doubt between several.

[battman]

Hello again, Hardlimit community.
As always, when I get stuck with hardware problems, I turn to you, to see if you can help me out.

A few weeks ago, my power supply literally exploded. Fortunately, it didn't damage any hardware components, so I replaced the power supply with a less powerful one and also changed the graphics card to a humble one that matches the replacement power supply.

Here's the system for which I need the power supply:

• AMD Athlon 64x2 3800+
• MSI MS - 7310 motherboard
• 3 GB of RAM (not DDR5 or anything like that, I think it's 333)
• 2 HDDs, one of 400 gigabytes and another of 160
• 2 drives (DVD reader and DVD burner)
• XFX GeForce 8800 GTS Alpha Dog Edition (512)

The power supply that exploded was 580W (600?) and although I don't remember the exact purchase date, I would say it was in 2007 or 2008. I use the PC mainly for gaming, so I push it pretty hard.
The power supply had not shown any problems, nor did the system show any signs of anything failing, but at the moment of the explosion, I was pushing the graphics card and the entire system to its limits, testing graphics engine mods for Skyrim and Oblivion, and I imagine that at that moment the power supply was not able to supply the energy that the system was asking for, although that's something I don't plan to do again... pushing it to its limits.

I don't know much about power supplies, and my biggest concern is choosing one that can't power the system later and ends up breaking or destroying the entire PC, and I'm a bit lost.
Since I don't have a single euro, I've had to wait weeks to be able to get a little extra to try to recover the splendor of my little machine, but the budget is very low, as I would need to spend between 30 and a maximum of 50 euros.

I've seen some pretty cheap power supplies, around 30 euros, of 600, 650 and even 750 W, but I don't know if they are reliable brands or if there's a catch. So I'll leave you the link to the ones I've seen and also ask you if you can recommend one for me to buy for my PC that is as cheap as possible and reliable, then I would appreciate a link to where I can buy it.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the trouble, I've been reading the info in the first post but I'm really lost and don't want to buy something useless. Thank you very much.

B-Move Power Supply 600W BM600W Power Supply
Power Supply PC Office Series 600 W (LC600H-12)
Power Supply PC MPT-7500 - 750 W
NOX Urano 600W NOX 600W Power Supply

This is the broken one:

[Kernel1.0]

AeroCool Strike-X Power 500W STRIKEX500 Fuente

[Sylver]

Good

I would look at power supplies from brands like Corsair, OCZ, Silverstone… They are good power supplies, quite effective and usually have a good warranty. For example, you have the Corsair CX600 V2 600W for 66€ and depending on the store you can probably get the OCZ ModXtream 500W for around 50€. The important thing is that the efficiency of these types of power supplies guarantees the amount of watts they will deliver, always reaching almost completely the power they advertise. If your power supply is a cheap brand, even if it advertises 580W, it is more than likely that it will not deliver even 400W on the important lines.

Best regards

[battman]

Many thanks to both of you for responding so quickly.
Sylver, you have the power supply unit assembled that you recommended, so that is an extra guarantee, it seems to me that in terms of consumption, your PC is similar to mine… Let's see if I can afford to order that one.

To be honest, I was really tempted to order one of the 25/30 euro ones, but I needed to ask so that you could tell me not to be crazy ^^U Knowing that the cheap ones usually don't perform well in these cases. To be honest, I'm scared about the power supply unit exploding again and I'm worried about the fact that the ones you're telling me about are 500W, although as you say, if the one I had, even though it advertised 600W, didn't even reach 400.....

Let's see if more colleagues contribute their opinion and by Monday I'll make up my mind. When I have it assembled and working, I'll post again to comment on the result and the final choice. Thank you very much.

Edit. I'm leaving photos of the one that exploded in the first post.

[Sylver]

Indeed it did not reach even 400W… Look at the fields where it says +12v1 and +12v2 on the white sticker, what is below is the amperage it delivers on each line (20A and 18A in your case) and below the total power resulting... 360W...

Exactly what you say about my equipment. I have some components similar to yours, a little more base consumption, and much more consumption in graphics than you, since the 5850 Xtreme sucks a peak compared to yours, in fact it is the component that forced me to change the previous generic 500W power supply... And after a year with the set it goes like silk, no problem.

Greetings

[Obione]

The "real/effective" power of a source is measured in amperage for the 12V line but can be distributed on rails which complicates the measurement a bit since you have to look at which rails power each component. I just looked at the consumption and a c2d that consumes 50W more than your micro has a total consumption of 250W with a 7900. On the other hand, I saw the consumption of the 8800 GTS and it was 250W. If we extrapolate, with your equipment you will consume about 200W. If you want an economical power supply for an efficient computer, you can go for this one: Antec VP450P, 450 W, 50/60 Hz, 3.5 A, Over current, Over power, Over voltage, Short circuit, 80 %, ATX: Amazon.es: Electrónica If you want something in between: Antec VP550P Basiq 550W VP550P Fuente If you want it to be modular: Be Quiet Pure Power L8 CM 530W Modular BN181 Fuente If you want something with more muscle to move a good graphics card and even 2 mid-range (7850) or mid-high (660) ranges: Corsair TX650 V2 650W CMPSU-650TXV2 Fuente With a 6-core Intel maxed out, they consume 500W, if you wait for Haswell or if you feel like buying an Ivy Bridge 3570K you will consume half in micro (100 and a little VS 200 a little both at 4 with a lot of GHz) so you would still have enough for some OC.

[battman]

Many thanks Sylver, for the lesson. I already know more than I knew before asking, they won't mess with the power supplies again, and I'll catch the "technician", a known person, who told me

"we'll put one of at least 600, otherwise you'll burn it with that graphics card"

I was already wondering why Nvidia recommended a power supply of at least 400W to work with the graphics card without problems, and this one told me to put a 600W one. Anyway, now I understand better what I should look for and what the margin of error is, let's see if I can get the one you signed for, otherwise maybe with a cheaper one that really delivers 400W I would be ready to work.

Let's see if I can clarify by looking at the Electrogeneral and PCcomponentes websites to see if there are any with real 400W and when they run out, or a little more, because the truth is that standing at 50 and something it hurts me.

Otherwise I'll wait a little longer to be able to get the one you put together.

Many thanks for the help and the explanation.

EDIT:

Obione MANY THANKS, now you've made it clear for me. Out of ten the trouble you've taken, buddy, thank you very much.

[Kernel1.0]

I expanded a bit more. Initially, I put the cheapest 80 plus bronze on pccomponentes, which is cheaper than the cheapest 80 plus standard, which is this Corsair CX500 V2 500W Builder Series CMPSU-500CXV2 Power Supply, so you can see the first one has 41 amps on the 12v line and this one I'm telling you now has 34, which gives 492 and 408. Yours had 360 watts.

[amd125]

The Nox are not bad sources for the price they have, but I prefer the OCZ as affordable and decent sources. As you have indicated, you do not need a turkey brand source... just a source of less W but of quality.

An OCZ of 500W should not cost you very much. Tacens is another brand that is not very expensive, but of all the "cheap" ones, I prefer OCZ. I have assembled some in equipment for friends who did not want to spend much and none have complained.

[battman]

Many thanks to everyone, not just for the attention and recommendations, but for sharing your knowledge.

In a little while and with your help, I have learned a lot and I think I have improved my basic knowledge of hardware and computer assembly. Thank you very much, I will not stop thanking you.

After reading everything and looking at my battered pocket, I think I will try to set aside 50 euros for the

Nox AeroCool Strike-X Power 500W, from what I have understood from all the explanations, it seems that in terms of quality/power, it is the one that suits me the most with those 492W and after the scare of the explosion of the old power supply, I prefer to go as far above my current possibilities as possible.

What I find surprising is that I have lasted all these years, I have always played the most cutting-edge games, I have had Crysis since two days before it was put up for sale (where I worked back then ;D) and well, in my collection, there are few "cannon" games missing. And I have always run them more or less at the maximum of the settings, except at the end, with the arrival of the first DX11, I was starting to have problems to move them.

I even had the graphics a bit Oceada with the Nvidia tools… now I realize the miracle that it did not explode in the first week of using it, and on the other hand, I understand that then neither the graphics nor the processor could ever have been working at full capacity at the same time...

Many thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge. Any new contribution or if you find out about any offer or something, it is appreciated, because I will still take several days to be able to gather the money. It is little but for some today even a coffee supposes a tremendous effort.

Anyway, once bought and assembled, I will tell it here, and I hope that the explanations of this thread will serve for others, because being tremendously simple to understand and direct, they have been absolutely illustrative and clear.

Many thanks to all for sharing your knowledge.

[amd125]

Before that, I used to buy the Antec Basiq VP550P 550 W that Obione mentions :mudo: or even the one that Kernel1.0 mentions. I trust those brands more.

[Sylver]

I agree with amd125, Corsair or OCZ, for me they are also synonymous with maximum efficiency and trust.

Best regards

[Obione]

To me, the CX models seem a bit weak for what is expected from Corsair (the VX were good power supplies) but a 650 TX is luxurious. It doesn't skyrocket in price but it matches the quality and warranty.

The OCZ StealthXStream were also a bit weak but FSP (if I remember correctly) did something better with the 2nd version, the thing is that now I see fewer stores that have them and there are usually no good deals. There will always be the ModXStream if you are interested in modular ones. Another that is scarce but that I find interesting looking for price/quality is a SilverStone Strider Essential, in the line of the Antec that makes very reliable power supplies, although I also see less distribution lately (maybe it's just me that always tends to look in 3 or 4 stores).

[Kernel1.0]

I already told you that I based it on specifications/price if you ask me if I like this brand I tell you something else, per brand I would go for corsair or the ones they mention here.

[battman]

Thanks once again, I understand the situation, because although I don't handle the sources (from now on, with what I've learned I'll handle them more), I do handle other types of components.

I understand that sometimes for a few euros the reliability of one brand over another is a guarantee. Or that often that "extra" power that such and such a component from a less recognized brand offers for the same price or less than another usually ends up in fried or malfunctioning components. But in this case and given that it's only the source and that I have the hope of being able to retire this PC completely in a few months,
it seems to me that the AeroCool Strike-X Power 500W STRIKEX500 Power Supply that Kernel1.0 recommends is my best option, because right now the difference for me between 46 euros and 56 is important… It's sad to say it, but that's the way things are.

I think that with its two-year warranty I shouldn't have problems, less when I've been running the equipment for so long without the minimum adequate power supply. It's a little cheaper than the others, and it offers one more peak of power, those 492 watts, which give me a good margin of safety for these next few months, or at most a year.
I hope that my "personal" crisis and the general one don't last much longer...

So I'm not going to keep getting lost in the sea of brands and prices and I'm going to try to get that one.
In other conditions I would opt for the ones you recommend as more reliable, but this time I'm going for "low cost".

The most important thing for me beyond the purchase or the result, is that when I asked the question I didn't expect to receive such useful feedback and that I have really learned in a simple and direct way a lesson about hardware that I didn't know yet. So thank you once again to everyone for always being there contributing and sharing your knowledge with those of us who are a little behind.

;D

edit: I corrected that I confused myself with the source that it was.

[amd125]

Well don't worry so much. Nox isn't bad and for your computer it will be very good. I suppose you mean this one? NOX NX Series 620W NXS624 Power Supply

I don't know if you were referring to another one, you have more affordable ones: http://www.pccomponentes.com/nox_urano_ii_630w.html and as I told you in general Nox makes decent power supplies in terms of quality price.

[battman]

Sorry, my mistake, I meant the Aerocool this one:

AeroCool Strike-X Power 500W STRIKEX500 Fuente

But with the ones you've put now amd125 I doubt again :wall:, but I think the Aerocool is the one I should choose and you've already recommended it to me.

[amd125]

Well I won't bother you any more ;D I prefer Nox, that's all.

If you have time, check out some reviews of the fonts.

Best regards.

[Kernel1.0]

To finish setting it up :), I have had that Nox that amd125 recommends installed for a long time and it works wonderfully.

[Bm4n]

I've had the NOX, a higher-end range, and it was very good; I upgraded it because I added another quieter fan and it seems that it didn't cool it enough... XD But it has to be said that between passive PFC and active PFC, obviously the active one, so I would rule out the Urano, both the NOX NX and the AeroCool seem correct but the NOX NX gives you more power.