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PC Power Supply Question

post #1 of 13
3/19/10 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Can anyone comment on the quality of FSP power supplies? These often get rebranded as Sparkle. I want to upgrade the PSU of my PC (Dell Studio 540) and this is the only one that keeps coming up as being compatible.

460 Watt Power Supply Upgrade - FSP460-60GLC
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post #2 of 13
3/19/10 at 4:21pm
FSP makes fine power supplies, known for being a solid oem. certainly not a performance PSU, but you get what you pay for
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post #3 of 13
3/19/10 at 6:49pm
If they are rebranded as Sparkle, I know those are pretty decent.

$90 for that is way too much though. Search for it anywhere else, and compare the dimensions to another site too. If you measure your PSU now and it is a full size, you can buy anything you want, and probably something much better than the FSP.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341016

Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts Green EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
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post #4 of 13
3/19/10 at 11:26pm
Thread Starter 
smrtby123, yes, I am aware that the PSU I listed can be found cheaper elsewhere. I was under the impression though that Dell used proprietary PSU's (something to do with the pins in the MB connector) which was why I was only coming up with one hit when I was checking for compatibility.

I decided to check the Dell forums and apparently I can use a standard ATX PSU with my model. Interestingly though, a number of people reported problems when using Antec PSU's. Corsair seems to be one that works well with it.
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post #5 of 13
3/21/10 at 5:42pm
I have a fanless 400w fsp powersupply and have had no problems. The system hasn't been run for very long but the build quality is excellent.

Newegg.com - FSP Group ZEN 400 400W ATX 2.2V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

I'd consider buying one again, depends on what the application is though.
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post #6 of 13
3/21/10 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zotjen View Post
smrtby123, yes, I am aware that the PSU I listed can be found cheaper elsewhere. I was under the impression though that Dell used proprietary PSU's (something to do with the pins in the MB connector) which was why I was only coming up with one hit when I was checking for compatibility.

I decided to check the Dell forums and apparently I can use a standard ATX PSU with my model. Interestingly though, a number of people reported problems when using Antec PSU's. Corsair seems to be one that works well with it.
Have nothing but good things to say about Corsair...their VX, CX and HX series are amazing for the money.
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post #7 of 13
3/21/10 at 9:01pm
I have a 450w corsair, and it's powering my low-end gaming PC quite well. Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
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post #8 of 13
3/21/10 at 9:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zotjen View Post
smrtby123, yes, I am aware that the PSU I listed can be found cheaper elsewhere. I was under the impression though that Dell used proprietary PSU's (something to do with the pins in the MB connector) which was why I was only coming up with one hit when I was checking for compatibility.

I decided to check the Dell forums and apparently I can use a standard ATX PSU with my model. Interestingly though, a number of people reported problems when using Antec PSU's. Corsair seems to be one that works well with it.
I had heard about the special connectors too, but I think they did away with that a while back because they just went with standard mobo's and rebranded them for their use. All of the dells that I have worked on recently just had normal no-brand PSU's, except for the slim-line ones. You could always just call Dell and ask a support guy, they may not answer you but who knows.
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post #9 of 13
3/21/10 at 11:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberspyder View Post
Have nothing but good things to say about Corsair...their VX, CX and HX series are amazing for the money.
I believe the Corsair HX series are actually Seasonic S12's, with extra things like removable cables. Excellent power supplies--powerful, well-built, and quiet.

There is no reason to buy anything other than an excellent power supply. $100 should buy you quality. If you buy the right one, the first time, this is one of the few computer components that doesn't need to be upgraded.
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post #10 of 13
3/22/10 at 2:38am
+1 on the Corsair. After using a few other brands, some of them failing on me or just getting weird, I've stuck with Corsair and they are rock-solid.
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post #11 of 13
3/22/10 at 4:04am
i usualy recommend Tagen, Corsair, Be quiet, or Fortron Source (FSP) to my friends, its also a good idea to protect your investment with a good power strip or small UPS with inline protection from APC,
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post #12 of 13
3/22/10 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I was actually all set to pull the trigger on a Corsair when I read that the cables are really thick and take up a lot of room in the case, especially if you don't need them all. Since I have a mini-tower I'm worried it might be a tight fit and the cables might restrict air flow. Can anyone comment on Corsair's cables?

Corsair does make modular PSU's but it seems that the lowest wattage currently available in North America is 650W. This amount of power is definitely overkill for my PC, and I while I know the additional power won't damage my PC, the PSU itself is a little more than I wanted to spend.
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post #13 of 13
3/23/10 at 1:52am
Corsair does indeed make nice PSUs, and as mentioned above, some models are rebranded Seasonic S12s. No PSU is unbreakable though as I have had a Seasonic S12 fail in a 24x7 application after only 1-1/2 years.

FSP PSUs are also pretty decent, I've only had one out of 4-5 fail.

Edit: I myself have a 650w Antec TruePower Trio. It's total overkill but I got it as a shellshocker deal for ~$5 less than the 450w PSU I was going to get.
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