Looking for suggestions about new computer power supply

[Colin McGregor]

On Wed, Dec 19, 2012 at 1:52 PM, Kevin Cozens <kevin-4dS5u2o1hCn3fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> 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 @#$% annoying problem with so many "name" brand PCs (Dell, HP,
etc.) is that they use just slightly non-standard power supplies. So,
I have seen power supplies where the mounting holes were is the
"wrong" position so that you could only use a replacement power supply
for that model from the name brand supplier.

All this is to wish you well on your quest for a non-HP power supply
to replace an HP power supply, but... if I were forced to bet (and I
am not big on betting) I would expect that there will be some sort of
hick-up that will stop a generic PC power supply from being used with
your current HP (read it means you will either have to go to HP or
junk the machine :-( ).

This does explain why I have been just going with more-or-less generic
PCs (laptop being an exception). If the power supply in one of my
desktop PCs fails I know I can go to any of dozens of PC shops in the
GTA and get something that will work okay...

> 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!"
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