Computer Power User Article - Baring The Midrange

Baring The Midrange

Spotlight May 2007 • Vol.7 Issue 5 Page(s) 71-73 in print issue
Baring The Midrange Moderate PSUs Empower, Not Impoverish

So what if you don’t want to spend $200 on a power supply?

Surprisingly, you can run a powerful quad-core, GeForce 8800 GTX SLI system for $149. But you shouldn’t for a number of reasons. Buy a PSU that’s rated to handle your PC’s load. And actually, the rating should be more like twice the load if you want to hit the efficiency sweet spot.

If your rig is more beer than champagne, so to speak, you don’t need super-high wattage. This group of PSUs ranges from 480 to 650W, with a slight detour past a 300W supplemental unit.

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V

Silencer 610 EPS12V
$155
PC Power & Cooling
www.pcpower.com
CPUs: 4.5

This 610W unit outdid its specs by a large margin. It ran system A for several hours without complaint. Despite a load 133W heavier than its rated maximum, the Silencer kept on truckin,’ albeit with a little heat.

PCP&C says that the 610 is certified for all single ATI/AMD cards, including the new R600 family, but there’s no CrossFire certificate for this PSU, for what that’s worth. To judge by its performance with two 8800 GTXes, however, only R600 CrossFire might be outside its reach in the real world.

Like its 750W and 1KW kin, the Silencer 610 is long. PCP&C says that the extra length actually helps make its Silencer PSUs quieter than they would be otherwise, as there’s a space between the front grille and interior components. This keeps turbulence from forming, which means quieter operation and a fan that doesn’t have to work as hard.

by Marty Sems