How much difference does a power supply make?
Aug 10, 2004 at 10:20 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16

cadobhuk

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I dont even know what kind mine is,I just have the one that came with the case.The case is a cheap aluminum one(was something over $100),I dont remember the brand,but I guess the ps in it must be pos.So,I wanted to know if a better power supply will help a lot and if so,recommend me some particular model,with optimal price/quality.
 
Aug 10, 2004 at 11:50 PM Post #2 of 16
Most computer PSUs don't put out very clean power. I know that Iron_Dreamer has heard a difference between his previous PSU and the top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 510 Deluxe in his system, however I'm not sure how big that difference was and if you'd hear it with lesser PSUs. Also, EMU is incorperating pretty decent power condititioning on their cards which really seems to help.
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 7:01 AM Post #3 of 16
Check out the regulation range and voltage ripple specifications on the power supply you intend to buy, not to forget efficiency. Most decent power supplies like Enermax and Antec provide about 5% regulation on every rail, and 120mV ripple on +12 and 50mV ripple on +5 and +3.3 ...
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 7:20 AM Post #4 of 16
If you're not having any problems, there is no point in changing your psu, you're just wasting money then. The only time you need a better psu is when a) it starts crashing or being unstable b) it blows up c) you get some overclocking action going.
If you fit category c), go get yourself a Enermax Noistaker of some sort. Or one of the lower powered Antec Truepower series (430watt is overkill for 95% of the population)
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 7:22 AM Post #5 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by PooJou
If you're not having any problems, there is no point in changing your psu, you're just wasting money then. The only time you need a better psu is when a) it starts crashing or being unstable b) it blows up c) you get some overclocking action going.
If you fit category c), go get yourself a Enermax Noistaker of some sort. Or one of the lower powered Antec Truepower series (430watt is overkill for 95% of the population)



It powers my computer fine,the question is,would a better PSU make the sound any clearer.
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 7:58 AM Post #6 of 16
Quote:

Most decent power supplies like Enermax and Antec provide about 5% regulation on every rail


The ATX specifcation requires that all power supplies have at least 5% regulation on every rail. There are some power supplies that advertise 3% regulation, and, PCP&C might even sell some power supplies with 1%.

I'm pretty skeptical about better power supplies noticeably improving sound quality; remember, it is ultimately the motherboard supplying the power to the pci cards. Though, a good power supply could potentially give a host of other benefits such as increased stability, better power efficiency, better reliability, and lower noise.
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 9:20 AM Post #7 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by cadobhuk
It powers my computer fine,the question is,would a better PSU make the sound any clearer.


Simple answer. No.
 
Aug 11, 2004 at 11:28 AM Post #8 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello
I'm pretty skeptical about better power supplies noticeably improving sound quality; remember, it is ultimately the motherboard supplying the power to the pci cards. Though, a good power supply could potentially give a host of other benefits such as increased stability, better power efficiency, better reliability, and lower noise.


..and what powers the motherboard?
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Aug 11, 2004 at 2:04 PM Post #9 of 16
I doubt that upgrading PSU will enhance your music or sound.
If anything, it would just make your PC more stable if it isn't already.
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Aug 14, 2004 at 3:48 AM Post #11 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc
..and what powers the motherboard?
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Yeah, I can see how a better power supply could allow the motherboard to provide cleaner power to the sound card. But, I can also see how a motherboard could dirty a clean power signal -- negating most, or all, of the benefits of a top notch power supply.

I don't know which scenario is closer to the truth. But, suppose that a good power supply could improve sound. Then, for the same reasons, I think motherboards with better power regulation would also improve sound. Not to mention that better power supplies and motherboards would improve analog video -- which is a claim that I have never heard.
 
Aug 14, 2004 at 5:36 AM Post #12 of 16
How about external power regulator ?

One idea is to use own power supply for soundcard...

...and why not putting some wires to pci slot to give soundcard distance from case electric storms and put it in a "armored" metallic box like CDPs
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Aug 15, 2004 at 8:05 AM Post #13 of 16
Hello is on to something IMO. I believe that ABIT has pretty much the best power regulation on their motherboards throughout. Look at your board. Anytime you see a white circle with two dots or a silver square pad is a place where the mobo company cut corners. MSI and ASUS are IMO pretty bad with this. I have been looking at boards for a while and it just seems to be that the lesser brands (NOT MSI or ASUS, more like ECS, Chaintech, and other lesser known brands) use inferior caps and MOSFETS. ABIT is the only brand that I know of that uses Rubycon caps throughout their entire boards. I used to have an ASUS V266 something or other... all Rubycon, but also a lot of missing caps. This could be completely trivial, but if we are talking about the PSU quality, the quality of the PCI bus power regulation is also important. I prefer Antec over Enermax because as the saying goes, heavier is better. In addition, the insides of Antec look more robust than Enermax. Not bashing Enermax at all, but Antec is second only to PCP&C IMO. I would consider a PSU an investment more than anything else. A crappy PSU could and has fried computers. They are up there in terms of importance for audiophile comps. Flashy RAM and water cooled GPU's are way less important than a good PSU. OK, I'm done with my rant.
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Aug 15, 2004 at 9:08 AM Post #14 of 16
Unfortunately few years ago Abit was known to use very bad capacitors which would fail very easily. Things are different today though (at least I hope, I have an abit board).
 
Aug 15, 2004 at 9:25 AM Post #15 of 16
If it makes you feel any better, ABIT was pretty much the only company that was largely unharmed during that failing capacitor scare about a year ago. They admitted that some of their boards were failing because of a few of their models had used some other caps besides Rubycon and replaced them for free. This is at a time when most other mobo companies were hiding their heads in the sand. I'm not sure about their past, but ABIT is at the top of the heap for enthusiasts now and has been for about a year and a half. I am perfectly happy with my ABIT board, not a single problem ever. Obviously I am only one happy case, YMMV. I am only speaking on behalf of my past experiences, reading reviews/forums, and others' opinions.
 

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