need ba jud ang branded psu para sa 4850?

[poldopunk]

even the thread starter of that article recommends high-quality PSU. lol!

Recommendations
---------------------------------
If you'd like to find out how much power (in watts) your current (pun!) PC uses at full load, the eXtreme PSU Calculator found here eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.5 is a good tool to help you find that out.

So now for the recommended PSU specs. For starters its recomended that you get a quality power supply, yum-cha brands often don't perform to their rated wattage. 300W PSUs may only be able to actually reliably output 250W. Antec, Silverstone, Enermax and OCZ are generally quite reliable PSU's. But there are many other brands that will do the job. There are instances of people using a 6800 Ultra with a 250w PSU. But they know what they are doing and have taken special care in the choice of hardware and monitoring, so it is not recommended. For cards drawing over 80w I suggest a 400w PSU or more, and for cards using over 100w to invest in a 480W+ PSU (while also using CPUs from around the same generation). But in SLI/CF mode with any card from the 6800/7800/X1800/X1900 series it is recommended that you power it with no less than a good quality 550w PSU. And for cards in the 6600 series it is recommended a 480w psu be used. Of course all this depends on your CPU and other components which have to share the available power, which is another section on it's own!

These recommendations take into account the usual configuration that a modern computer uses, such as multiple hard drives, dvd burners, fans, and many expansion cards and other ad-ons. So with these recommendations do not be afraid to have multiple devices.

@lockster: there was someone who posted here a good generic PSU tested by antec, not too sure about it if you're not happy with hardware secrets.

the point here is that with branded and reliable PSU's, you get 500W, 500W is 500W, no more but pwede less (pun intended). With generic PSU labeled 500W, you get what? <500W? maybe even less. And when the demand for power comes, there is always that doubt if your PSU can handle it. You spend so much on a graphics card only to realize that it can't handle it or worse, damage your PC.

**EDIT**

i forgot to mention the after-sales support, hello FineUpgrades.

[andoyz]

I have the PSU Dilemma as-well, i find STF50 too expensive, trying to find other alternatives.. like

Gigabyte Superb 550P - P2600 cheaper then STF50 and its 550w.
more info: GIGABYTE - Product - PC Components - Power Supply - Products - Superb 550P

[poldopunk]

^ i can only say, go where your budget leads you...

[fineupgrades]

I have the PSU Dilemma as-well, i find STF50 too expensive, trying to find other alternatives.. like

Gigabyte Superb 550P - P2600 cheaper then STF50 and its 550w.
more info: GIGABYTE - Product - PC Components - Power Supply - Products - Superb 550P

yes, it's much cheaper because it has passive PFC while the ST50F has active PFC. Buying a branded PSU is not a luxury, it's an investment...

[andoyz]

yes, it's much cheaper because it has passive PFC while the ST50F has active PFC. Buying a branded PSU is not a luxury, it's an investment...

True, passive PFC made it cheaper, whats the warranty on your products?

[poldopunk]

^ 3 years na bro. 1 from the store, 2 from fineupgrades...

[chagorio]

for me, it depends lang cguro on how and for what you use yer rig. if yer into gaming, i would highly recommend using reliable psu's. pero if yer into internet browsing lang which doesnt require heavy power consumption, maybe you can rely on generic psu's.

[dmelsie]

generic psu dont give stability for a longer period of time as what ako experience
during the p4 HT 3.0 days nako for 1 month 3 ka generic psu naguba daun
many experiences sad nako its either ang on board lan. on board audio maoy maguba kasagaran if magka prob ang generic psu......

another one which is pinaka important gyud is short circuit protection in which ang good brand psu mo trip off lang if nay ma short ie (loose wirings especially generic fans na dali mo luag or maputol ang wires)
where as if generic ones you will hear a loud puffing sound and not to mention can damage other
components in your pc

as for active pfc maka benefit ka if mag andar imo pc for longer periods

one thing if e observe nmo ang voltages sa gneric psu og good brands psu maka notice gyud ka always mo high or mo low ang voltages sa mga rails sa generic psu
therefore what if sensitive sa voltage changes imo mga components like rams nga fragile kaayo or imo mga chips sa mobo good bye gyud........

and i agree buying good brand psu is a long term investment para dili ka mag purwesyo.... what if napuno na imo hd tapos mo add ka then para ma cool imo inside sa pc mo add ka og fan..... then comes time mo add ka og another memory then mo add na pod ka og tv tuner we dont know man if what addtional components ibutang sa imo rig in the future so mas better invest nlng daan

and bear in mind the WARRANTY a good brand psu provides.... observing first the warranty period will tell you in the first place if dali ba magka prob ang psu or dali maguba (most branded psu offers 3 years of warranty murag isa pa ako na notice mo offer og 5 years warranty on certain line of psu and there is even 7 years warranty for another line of psu nila pc power and cooling and brand)

plus factor pa gyud ang extra support na ihatag sa costumer ie (silverstone products)

[eirawn]

Ka experience ko naguba both my Radeon 2600XT and Mobo because of a Generic Power Supply. Wla ko ni invest ug branded kay salig ra ko nga wlay PCIE 12V supply ang card. Ends up naguba jud ang duha pag nag duwa ko Elder Scrolls Oblivion.

Good thing warranty ang Vcard. Ang mobo wla na. Branded PSU is a very good investment.

STF50 user here.

[grss1982]

Just to contribute on the discussion of PSU's maybe this site might be of some help:

JonnyGURU.com - Power Supply Reviews and more! - News

Its dedicated mostly to torture testing PSU's in a very scientific waw AND is done with some of the most exotic test equipment I've ever heard of.

And look the above site even has reviews for generic power supplies:

JonnyGURU.com - Power Supply Reviews and more! - Reviews - Death of a Gutless Wonder