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CharlesCS
CharlesCS
Join Date 08/2006
+81

Modular or not? What type of power supply you would choose?

March 31, 2010 9:24:21 AM from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

I am currently looking into putting a list of parts for a future computer, parts that will change as time goes bye till I finally get it but I always find myself stuck on one particular hardware due to one feature I like but am not sure if it's worth getting.

The power supply has always been a pain. Between picking the right amount of watts and the brand name I end up with headaches. But the one thing I have yet to decide is to either go modular or not. The ability to pick only the cables that I need inside the PC sounds great. But at the same time not having steady cables that can easily disconnect makes me question the concept. While I'm sure they take this into consideration, I have learned from experience that profit tends to trump quality more often than not.

So what do you think? Do you prefer a modular power supply for the cable management feature or would you rather go with a more secure basic power supply and either pick a case to help with cable management or come up with some cable management of your own? Also what brand would you prefer?

 

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CharlesCS
narbytrout
Join Date 04/2006
+72
Reply #1 March 31, 2010 9:47:46 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

An answer from Tom's Hardware... LINK.

I have run the same 1000 watt ULTRA (modular) for over 4 years, with many different configurations and with out missing a heartbeat.  Here is my latest power hungry system:

EVGA X58 3-way classified

Core I7 920 (OC'd to 3.2Ghz)

6Gb OCZ Tri-channel RAM (ddr3 @ 1600Mhz) and a "crab cooler" on top of the ram sticks.

TRUE 120 Air-cooler (changing to Swiftech H20-220 Ultima XT CPU liquid cooling kit) this weekend.

Coolermaster HAF 932 full tower case.

2 LG DVD burners

NZXT Sentry LX Dual Bay Fan Controller

2 x ASUS Radeon 5850 Graphics in crossfire

Asus Xonar Essence ST 24-bit 192KHz PCI Audio Card.

So my opinion is, if you want a modular supply... get one, they work great.  A little bit of advice though, get more wattage than you will need, and get one of with an exceptional quality of build.

 

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CharlesCS
Jafo
Join Date 03/2001
+1813 sdemployee
Reply #2 March 31, 2010 9:59:18 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Antec TruePower Quattro 1000w PSU

....No problems here...

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CharlesCS
MadDeez
Join Date 11/2001
+147
Reply #3 March 31, 2010 10:21:22 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

corsair hx850 here....no problems

for non-modular, PC Power & Cooling is the way to go.

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CharlesCS
CharlesCS
Join Date 08/2006
+81
Reply #4 March 31, 2010 10:32:14 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

that true power from Antec sound just right. Thanks.

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CharlesCS
kona0197
Join Date 02/2003
+84
Reply #5 March 31, 2010 10:16:40 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

I would go with modular. They look better to me.

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CharlesCS
Fuzzy Logic
Join Date 05/2002
+493
Reply #6 April 1, 2010 3:13:46 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Tagan 1100W

No problems here...

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CharlesCS
Moosetek13
Join Date 03/2006
+48
Reply #7 April 1, 2010 5:14:41 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums

A modular has plug-in cables.

When was the last time you had a power cable come loose, on any component? They all have a clip-lock that prevents it.

 

A modular means fewer unneeded cables restricting airflow. How is that a bad thing?

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CharlesCS
Jafo
Join Date 03/2001
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Reply #8 April 1, 2010 6:55:56 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

A modular means fewer unneeded cables restricting airflow. How is that a bad thing?

Eggs Act Leigh...

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CharlesCS
CharlesCS
Join Date 08/2006
+81
Reply #9 April 1, 2010 8:59:36 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

When was the last time you had a power cable come loose, on any component? They all have a clip-lock that prevents it.

It can happen. I have seen things that claim to work a certain way but don't always. You read enough customer reviews on newegg for any product and you will come to find that some things are not as great as they seem just because they are of a famous name brand. I just want to make sure others have not had these kinds of issues just in case.

A modular means fewer unneeded cables restricting airflow. How is that a bad thing?

The feature itself is not a bad thing. On the contrary, I love the idea of less cables. I have had my fair share of cable battles with the insides of computers. Especially when the IDE cables were flat once upon a time. But I have seen computer cases made by well known companies such as Antec and CoolerMaster where the screwless clips for the video card were cheap and flimsy and didn't really hold the cards steady like a screw could. Considering video cards these days can be, as I have read on some reviews, compared to bricks in size and weight, these clips were poorly designed and the video cards could easily be damaged by moving around if you do LAN parties and stuff.

Eggs Act Leigh...

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CharlesCS
muckyman
Join Date 12/2003
+25
Reply #10 April 1, 2010 9:55:43 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Had an Enermax galaxy 1000w for 3 years with no problems,the cables are easy to install / remove as needed.

It even detected a short in one of my fans and shutdown preventing a nasty little fire.

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CharlesCS
starkers
Join Date 05/2004
+1153
Reply #11 April 7, 2010 2:24:40 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

I have an AcBel 800w and it has served me well for 12 months or more, so I'm happy with my purchase.  Like you, I asked the brand question and was told to go with Antec, Corsair, Zalman or Enermax, but when I found that Apple and IBM use AcBel PSU's in their machines I decided to get one of those instead and haven't regretted it.

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CharlesCS
Moosetek13
Join Date 03/2006
+48
Reply #12 April 7, 2010 2:36:41 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums

It can happen. I have seen things that claim to work a certain way but don't always.

With the power cables, if they don't stay connected correctly, it is usually the fault of the installer - not the hardware.

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CharlesCS
Lantec
Join Date 07/2003
+346
Reply #13 April 7, 2010 8:19:18 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

single rail......no balancing required

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CharlesCS
DaveRI
Join Date 09/2003
+467
Reply #14 April 7, 2010 12:06:28 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Quoting Lantec,
reply 13
single rail......no balancing required

That's my pick too.  Last time I looked (been awhile) those were getting scarce though.

I suspect balancing problems is a source of "mysterious behaviour" from time to time - "How can I be short on power, I've got an 800 watt supply?"

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