VOGONS


First post, by wide2tele

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Hi everyone!

I'm looking to buy a reasonable but not over the top expensive PSU for my old XP machine.

Motherboard is this:
https://www.cnet.com/products/intel-desktop-b … 8-i865g-series/
GPU is this:
https://www.cnet.com/products/leadtek-winfast … 7600-gt-256-mb/

I'd like to buy a new PSU simply for reliability if that's still possible?
I'm looking for recommendations and it has to run on 240v as I'm in Australia.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Reply 1 of 7, by sf78

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EVGA would be "the" choice, but I use Corsair and OCZ on my XP/Win7 rigs and they seem to work just fine. Be aware that there are some quality issues with some of the models, so check before you buy.

Some info can be find here:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/P … ewDatabase.html

Reply 2 of 7, by Captain Catnip

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That's a question I asked myself too and I'd be very interested to hear more. So far I've been lucky with an old 200W PSU in my machine, functionality and noise level wise, but that can't last forever ..
Does it even make sense to go for vintage PSU shopping or is everybody going the new PSU route?

Reply 3 of 7, by wide2tele

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sf78 wrote on 2020-01-24, 11:27:

EVGA would be "the" choice, but I use Corsair and OCZ on my XP/Win7 rigs and they seem to work just fine. Be aware that there are some quality issues with some of the models, so check before you buy.

Some info can be find here:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/P … ewDatabase.html

Ok, thanks, that helps!

One question I have for anyone, my current PSU is+3.3v/20A and +5v/25A total 150w (33A) max.
I'm no expert on PSU's but read these are important PSU specs for old hardware. The new PSU's often fall under these specs in one area or the other.
Just quickly looking at this model:
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=100-BR-0450-K1

A 450w supply should be fine but...
...it's 5A down on +5V compared to the PSU I currently have and 30w down at 120w compared to 150w output on my current PSU.
Any advice on exactly what area I should be most concerned about to make sure I don't kill or under power my components or something?

Edit: Just noticed the EVGA PSU I linked is only a 24 pin not 20 +4 pin PSU so it would be no good for my motherboard anyhow but it's fine for the power examples/explanations.

Reply 4 of 7, by Munx

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This is a P4 motherboard, it powers the CPU on 12V. You don't need a strong 5V rail like on the Athlons, so any modern PSU will be fine.

My builds!
The FireStarter 2.0 - The wooden K5
The Underdog - The budget K6
The Voodoo powerhouse - The power-hungry K7
The troll PC - The Socket 423 Pentium 4

Reply 5 of 7, by SirNickity

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24-pin plugs will fit in a 20-pin motherboard if there's clearance on the +4 pin side of the connector. Or you can get a cheap 24-to-20 (or even 20-to-20, since again it will fit) extension.

Re: wattage, I would say ~100W is a typical load for an XP-era PC unless you're doing something extreme.

Re: new vs. old: New PSUs are really good at silence. The fan controllers are smarter than the "always on" of the early-ish 2000s, and the fans are better (quieter by design) too. I wouldn't say a whole lot has changed in switching PSU technology, so they aren't inherently better -- and due to everyone wanting shiny new components for swap-meat prices, may be worse. New stuff might be slightly more efficient due to optimized algorithms, or advancements in transistor design, but if you're not running it 24/7 that's probably not enough to register on the power bill.

The most common failure mode of older PSUs is capacitor aging and failed fans. If you're able to refurbish an older PSU by recapping and replacing the fan, then IMO, it's a wash. A good PSU is a good PSU.

Reply 7 of 7, by gdjacobs

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Munx wrote on 2020-01-24, 18:39:

This is a P4 motherboard, it powers the CPU on 12V. You don't need a strong 5V rail like on the Athlons, so any modern PSU will be fine.

Just needed to point out that some Athlon boards do VRM conversion from 12V. Not sure what the proper phrasing is. Legacy power compliant Athlon boards?

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder