Looking for suggestions about new computer power supply

[Kevin Cozens]

Greetings, all.

The power supply in my 4 to 5 year old HP m7680n seems to be on its way out. 
Usually I need to replace the supply due to the fan bearings wearing out. 
This time it is more than a fan problem. It won't turn on via the front 
power button and I've had occasional system lockups (and kernel crashes).

The details of my computer can be found at 
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00739902&cc=ca&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=3230688
The mother board has a 24 pin (main power) and a 4-pin connector on it. I 
need 4 SATA power connectors (2 SATA HD drives, 2 DVD drives). There is also 
a built-in memory card reader and removable drive bay. I will have to open 
the machine to see what type of power connection they use.

The original supply was only a 300W supply. I would like to get a new supply 
with a rating in the range of 500W to 650W continuous. An 80 plus supply 
would be good, and price in the range of $50 to $100. I'm looking for 
something that will last quite a few years as I don't buy new computers that 
often. My previous machine had a Pentium II and I used it for 9 years before 
replacing it with the current machine. It had a few upgrades along the way 
and two power supply replacements (due to fan issues).

I'm looking at the various power supplies available online via Best Buy 
(http://tinyurl.com/BestBuyPowerSupplies) as it will be easy to do a return 
if what I get isn't right for my machine. The supplies available at my local 
store are made by Dynex, and Rocket Fish. I wasn't impressed by what I read 
about the Dynex one and the Rocket Fish one can vary depending on who 
actually made it.

A message in the BB forum mentioned that Corsair and Cooler Master are good 
supplies. I know about Thermaltake but I'm not that familiar with some of 
the other brands listed.

I'm interested in suggestions, things to watch out for (ie. get or stay away 
from supplies with APF), which brands may be better or are best avoided.

-- 
Cheers!

Kevin.

http://www.ve3syb.ca/           |"Nerds make the shiny things that distract
Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172      | the mouth-breathers, and that's why we're
                                 | powerful!"
#include <disclaimer/favourite> |             --Chris Hardwick
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