OCZ 520W vs 600W + weight/case fan question

cove3

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OCZ 520W vs 600W + weight/case fan control question

It looks like either a OCZ 520W 1 rail 33A $137 or 600W 2 rail 20/18A $219 will allow me to use a MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI board in that both have a -5V rail which Creative Soundblaster requires. It's amazing how much connector flexibility is built into these units.

If I can resolve these last 3 questions, I can order all my parts

1. fasteddie makes a convincing case that 1 rail is better than 2 for AMD 64 systems due to balancing while computerpro3 makes a case that nothing less than 600W is best for SLI systems & he relegates the 520 to 6600GT like SLI systems. So which of these 2 should I order for my initial & growth signature system?

2. Antec, which I can't use due to -5V requirement, makes a case for having the power supply control case fan speed (up to 3). OCZ doesn't appear to have this feature. Is this a disadvantage?

3. One post I remember said there was a good correlation between weight and quality. The Antec 550 weighs 5lbs, but the OCZ only weigh 3 lbs. Yet I've heard nothing but good things about OCZ

Thanks in advance for all the education on this subject. Now I almost are a power supply expert

Regards, Ron
 
1) 2 rail will most probably be better for an SLI system, the minor performance u lose by having 1 rail will greatly be made up by your SLI capabilities.

2) it depends, but a good fan controller would be much better than using the psu, as it is added strain that a performance system like yours could so without.

3) weight does indeed represent a good psu, but OCZ do make great psu's and i wouldnt let the weight put u off. the weight it mostly used for cooling and OCZ dont have a problem with this usually, due to the 120mm fan on the bottom which should cool your psu effectively.
 
Dave said:
1) 2 rail will most probably be better for an SLI system, the minor performance u lose by having 1 rail will greatly be made up by your SLI capabilities.

2) it depends, but a good fan controller would be much better than using the psu, as it is added strain that a performance system like yours could so without.

3) weight does indeed represent a good psu, but OCZ do make great psu's and i wouldnt let the weight put u off. the weight it mostly used for cooling and OCZ dont have a problem with this usually, due to the 120mm fan on the bottom which should cool your psu effectively.

1: Two RAILs is always better for SLi. Most good spec SLi ecrtified PSU's have dual 12v Rails :)

2: Dave is correct - get a good fan controller which will be far superior to the PSU straining to control 3 x Fans +

3: Weight does not always indicate a better PSU it just means that the components are very heavy. Good quality PSU's will have high quality components that do their job better and more efficiently, thus allowing thenm to have less fans/sinks. Also sink are made out of alu so they're not that heavy.

Some people consider the weight of a power supply to be an important factor, if it weighs more then it must be better, right? Wrong! Weight has very little to do with the quality of a power supply. That methodology would be no better than saying the color of a car determines how fast it can go (which we all know the two are completely non-related).

If you subtract the weight of the all the wires, along with the PSU chassis, there isn't much left. The bulk of the weight inside a power supply is the transformer(s) because they are nothing more than big spools of copper wire. Also the heatsinks (which has transistors & diodes mounted to them) contribute some weight, however they are aluminum which is a light-weight material. No two power supplies are designed alike, so the components inside (which all naturally weight different amounts) can vary drastically.

This guide to PSU's and stuff is good(where the quote is from):

http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/articles/guides/Power_Supply_Guide_12.html
 
name='Dave' said:
The weight it mostly used for cooling and OCZ dont have a problem with this usually, due to the 120mm fan on the bottom which should cool your psu effectively.

Ehhh... surely u mean the 2 80mm fans :) No 120mm fans on the OCZ's.
 
name='harmonicgen007' said:
ron, youll be madd not to get a OCZ they are by far the best PSU on the market today
In your opinion they are mate, there are other PSU manufacturers who make just as stable units. Just without the bells and whistles of OCZ's!!! A.C Ryan, Tagan, Antec, Enermax are all worthy of a mention here
 
name='PV5150' said:
In your opinion they are mate, there are other PSU manufacturers who make just as stable units. Just without the bells and whistles of OCZ's!!! A.C Ryan, Tagan, Antec, Enermax are all worthy of a mention here

yeah i see :) AC ryan theres a brand ive never heard of before
 
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