power supply

[lalalland]

does it matter what brand of power supply I buy or are they all pretty reliable?

I am currently looking at a:

WORKS W400D-TS 400W ATX Power Supply- with Dual Sensor Fans Retail

becuase of its affordability at only $42 at newegg

thanx

[scott_d]

Usually going with a cheap power supply is asking for trouble.
Better to stick with a good quality one from Enermax, antec, sparkle, fortron source, pc power and cooling, or enlight
Also, 350 watts should be plenty. 350 is better from a good supply than 400w is from a bad one.
HTH

This question is answered alot in your other thread "Powersupply"

[Kov-Ice]

A problem with a poor power supply can possibly cost you some of your main components. Definitely invest in some of the aforementioned.

Are you replacing an old, or is this for a new build. If bldg, many cases come with a power supply. You can get a quality case/power supply combo for almost the price of the PSU alone.

[Cricket]

Originally posted by lalalland does it matter what brand of power supply I buy or are they all pretty reliable?

Oh, it does matter...it matters a lot. Not all power supplies are created equal. Good power supplies use good quality parts, provide "clean" power to the system and are very reliable. Cheap, poor quality power supplies use cheap parts, provide "dirty" (or fluctuating) power to the system and can have very short user life spans. Some, like DEER power supplies, have been known to go out with a bang...taking other components with it when it dies.

Originally posted by lalalland I am currently looking at a: WORKS W400D-TS 400W ATX Power Supply- with Dual Sensor Fans Retail becuase of its affordability at only $42 at newegg

I'm not familiar with that brand and can't say if it's a good quality power supply or not. And most systems don't require a 400 watt power supply...usually a good quality 300 watt will do the job easily. With power supplies, more isn't necessarily better...the quality of the power (steady power at rated amps) going to the motherboard is much more important.

I usually use Sparkle Power, AOpen, PowerMan or Antec power supplies in the build I do and want to try a HEC and Fortron Source in upcoming builds. Newegg.com carries Fortron Source and Sparkle Power 300 watt power supplies for less than $30.

Cricket

[sleepypost]

Basically to sum up what was said up there, YES! the brand does matter. The powersupply is the heart of the system just like the motherbord is the brain of the system. A bad power supply can cause a whole lot of trouble....

Buy Antec, Sparkle or Enermax and you'll be playing it safe. Sure you may have to fork over another 30 bucks or so but there is definetly a reason for the high price.

[minsonngo]

If the motherboard is the brain of the of a computer then what is the processor?

[MonkeyBlitch]

I believe the cpu is the brain.

It does matter especially with AMD chips and when you start to Overclock, you get what you pay for in Powersupplies. I see quite a few cheap ones burn out within a year, go with a good brand.

[minsonngo]

MonkeyBlitch that is exactly what I thought too.

[Kov-Ice]

Let's say the cpu/mobo combination is the brain. The cpu would be the cerebral cortex, whilst the motherboard would be the cerebrum and cerebellum....

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[sleepypost]

Yes. The Motherboard and CPU are the brain together. The point is that the Power Supply is definetly the heart.