Are you saying that an Antec 350W is better than my Q-tec 550W? :bawling:
I can't speak directly about the Q-tec, because I've never actually used one. I have, however, used Antec PSUs (including the 350W) and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I've seen many folks use the Antec 350W for OC'd applications with many drives in their PCs and never have a problem.
Best I can say is that if you get the SLK3700 with the Antec in it, you can try them both and see which one works best for you. If you can get a chance to directly test the PSU with a multimeter or PSU testing equipment, you can do a better comparison.
I'm using the stock one that case with the case on the back, and a 120MM blue LED fan I got from SVC.com on the front for intake.
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Geeky1University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited July 2004
GH, no offense taken. I'll clarify that post.
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited July 2004
On the two SLK-housed systems I built, both run with the stock 120mm exhaust fans only - no intakes.
1) Abit KX7, AMD XP 2000+, Radeon 8500 LE
2) Asus (forgot model number), AMD XP 2500+, Geforce 5950
Neither computer is overclocked; both are used for gaming and general office applications. No symptoms of overheating on either. Both have good CPU heatsinks, though. #1 is in a room that has a summer ambient temp of around 80*F; #2 room ambient 80*F.
Are you saying that an Antec 350W is better than my Q-tec 550W? :bawling:
Sorry to say, but in my experience, yes.
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Geeky1University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited July 2004
I haven't seen the Q-Tec power supplies in person, but no power supply that cheap puts out 550w. I've had cheap "550w" power supplies before- they died at 300w.
So yes, it's fairly likely that the Antec is better than your current power supply.
I have recently found a new source of income :celebrate so now am willing to spend up to around £100 ($180) on a case.
I would be grateful if as many of you as possible could list your favourite case for this price range, so that I can get a range of opinions to choose from.
I would like the case to have a PSU but it doesn't have to. I am going for performance, cooling power and reliability over appereance.
Nice case, but I don't think they are as good value for money as the SLK3700. Also because the hard drives are positioned differently to the 3700 the airflow is more restricted at the front intake. However they are a quieter case but only just.
For a £100, if you can stretch a bit further I'd get one of these
Personally speaking & I've used a BQE version, I'd say no because, again the drives are orientated across the front fan instead of inline same as the sonata. However it still is a very good case, looks great and has a quieter psu than the standard slk3700.
I just had one of those, and sold it. It was very good for cooling, and quite roomy for most uses. Unfortunately, it was kind of loud (for my taste), having 3 80MM intake fans at ~32dB ea, 2 exhaust fans at ~32dB ea, and the hard drives connected with metal fasteners instead of the rubberized grommets.
I have recently found a new source of income :celebrate so now am willing to spend up to around £100 ($180) on a case.
I would be grateful if as many of you as possible could list your favourite case for this price range, so that I can get a range of opinions to choose from.
I would like the case to have a PSU but it doesn't have to. I am going for performance, cooling power and reliability over appereance.
What about Antec Sonata?
Thanks.
lovem or hatem the lian li is my favorite case ...you can get an entry level value case at that price.
Top quality, plenty of options, mod friendly & best cooling.
As far as the Antec Sonata goes, I love my Sonata. The 380W TP PSU that comes standard in it is a 1 fan unit, however, so it would cool better with a dual-fan. Also, you've got to be very careful about space efficiency and routing of wires and such in the Sonata. The only problem I've ever had was a foot falling off the case... which I have to find now.
As far as the Antec Sonata goes, I love my Sonata. The 380W TP PSU that comes standard in it is a 1 fan unit, however, so it would cool better with a dual-fan. Also, you've got to be very careful about space efficiency and routing of wires and such in the Sonata. The only problem I've ever had was a foot falling off the case... which I have to find now.
yes ...the whole configuration is reversed from standard cases. The psu on bottom ...the right door rather than left is the mobo access ...the mobo is almost totally reverse mounted. Maybe unconventional would be a good term for this case.
Geeky1University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited July 2004
Same problem as the 3700s and the Sonata- 1 120mm intake fan and 1 120mm exhaust fan is just not going to get you enough airflow for really serious overclocking. If you can live with that, they're all great cases, but they have very poor cooling, so extreme overclocking is out, and some of the components (RAM, video card, hard drives) run a lot hotter in them than I'm comfortable with.
Comments
I can't speak directly about the Q-tec, because I've never actually used one. I have, however, used Antec PSUs (including the 350W) and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I've seen many folks use the Antec 350W for OC'd applications with many drives in their PCs and never have a problem.
Best I can say is that if you get the SLK3700 with the Antec in it, you can try them both and see which one works best for you. If you can get a chance to directly test the PSU with a multimeter or PSU testing equipment, you can do a better comparison.
http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/dcfan/led/thunderblade120.htm
78 CFM
21 dBA
2000 RPM
1) Abit KX7, AMD XP 2000+, Radeon 8500 LE
2) Asus (forgot model number), AMD XP 2500+, Geforce 5950
Neither computer is overclocked; both are used for gaming and general office applications. No symptoms of overheating on either. Both have good CPU heatsinks, though. #1 is in a room that has a summer ambient temp of around 80*F; #2 room ambient 80*F.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-124-034&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
and aspire 500w psu...
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-148-001&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
I really like the side mount hdd's and all the room for extra fans...
Gobbles..
Sorry to say, but in my experience, yes.
So yes, it's fairly likely that the Antec is better than your current power supply.
Yes mediaman can
The Shocking Truth About Power Supplies
I have recently found a new source of income :celebrate so now am willing to spend up to around £100 ($180) on a case.
I would be grateful if as many of you as possible could list your favourite case for this price range, so that I can get a range of opinions to choose from.
I would like the case to have a PSU but it doesn't have to. I am going for performance, cooling power and reliability over appereance.
What about Antec Sonata?
Thanks.
For a £100, if you can stretch a bit further I'd get one of these
CoolerMaster CM Stacker
You can find them for around £130
I just had one of those, and sold it. It was very good for cooling, and quite roomy for most uses. Unfortunately, it was kind of loud (for my taste), having 3 80MM intake fans at ~32dB ea, 2 exhaust fans at ~32dB ea, and the hard drives connected with metal fasteners instead of the rubberized grommets.
lovem or hatem the lian li is my favorite case ...you can get an entry level value case at that price.
Top quality, plenty of options, mod friendly & best cooling.
As far as the Antec Sonata goes, I love my Sonata. The 380W TP PSU that comes standard in it is a 1 fan unit, however, so it would cool better with a dual-fan. Also, you've got to be very careful about space efficiency and routing of wires and such in the Sonata. The only problem I've ever had was a foot falling off the case... which I have to find now.
yes ...the whole configuration is reversed from standard cases. The psu on bottom ...the right door rather than left is the mobo access ...the mobo is almost totally reverse mounted. Maybe unconventional would be a good term for this case.
http://www.pcunleash.com/bbs/zboard.php?id=MyItemReview&no=30
Too rich for my blood.
Thanks.
Looking at my sig, will 380 be enough?
Thanks.