[PCWorld]

Post your comments for No-Name Power Supplies Can Prove Painful here

[whb456]

In reference to your comment about newegg, I have purchased from newegg many times as they do sell brand name PSU's, although i do get your point, but your message is to stay away from cheap PSU's, my first build was totally purchased from newegg, and the PSU was an Antec which is what i am still running since 2004, and still running strong. so do not give newegg a bad rap, unless there is something more specific you can inform me of about newegg, and besides i like their deals.

[GHynson]

Stay away from "Sparkle" and "Allied" PSU's, I've had several die already and one even took out the MB with it.
However,..I've NEVER had an Antec go down yet.

[bignumone]

"Don't go to Newegg"? Hmmm?
Is this article about the reliability of PSUs or if Newegg somehow sells substandard products?
I have always had good luck with Newegg but I always shop price AFTER looking at numerous reviews. Antec is Antec no matter where you buy them.
I would suggest you don't attack specific resellers unless the article is titled something like "On line retailers, the good, the bad, and 'Ohmygodijustgotscrewed!'".

[veritas]

@whb456:

I could be way off here, but the way i read this article and from the context of the authors comment about newegg. I understood the author to mean, dont go to newegg.com for your psu reviews. I dont think that the author was making any references at all about where to purchase your new psu. Atleast thats the way that i understood it.

[rgreen4]

I think the article is referring to Neweggs customer reviews. However, the article infers that the technical reviews are better than the customer reviews. I totally disagree. Both can be useful. Technical reviews will concentrate on the statistics, customer reviews will concentrate on how the item performs in the real world where the rubber hits the road.

Technical reviews will not cover the fact that a PSU failed after two months in the field and the company gave the owner a hard time. Nor will they point out that the manufacturer replaced the PSU immediately and shipped it express - both comments found in customer reviews on Newegg. I will agree that at first Newegg is hard to take serious with their rating in "Eggs", a play on their name, but once you start doing business with them other online suppliers fade into the distance. However, like any online provider that provides customer reviews, you need to take them as opinion, not gospel. If there are only one or two reviews, they are suspect, but if the product has several hundred and 80% give it a 5, then it's probably a good product. One does have to use common sense when dealing with customer reviews.

[TheMurph]

Author here! And that's correct, Veritas. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't trust Newegg reviews period, but rather, they shouldn't be your first and only reference for deciding whether your potential power supply is good or bad.

[RNR19952]

This is the most overlooked component in a computer.
Usually people just use the cheapo that came with the case.
I have been using the FSP brand, and have not had any fail yet, what do the rest of you use?

[coastie65]

From what I've seen, PSU prices aren't all that high on premium PSU's in my opinion. I agree that you shouldn't skimp on the PSU and with the prices as they are, there is no reason to. coastie65

[kevinG]

user reviews can be great, on the otherhand it seems to me that there is an increasing number of fake reviews posted by companies

[grunjee]

So, apparently grocery store food usually has proper cabling for all the accessory devices you'll want to plug into the PSU?
Seriously though the PSU is the most important part of a PC IMO, and one should invest in a quality unit.

[GraysonPeddie]

I have a PC Power and Cooling 310w and Seasonic 300w PSU. They never fail on me, as I'm running under 50w idle.

[whb456]

This is the key point i zipped by,(While power supply reviews can be harder to come by) reviews being the keyword, your point is well taken Murph now that i have reread this part.

[phillypa800]

neweggs' customer service and reputation ranks extremely high for any article to directly or indirectly reference negative smack! besides, newegg is not the one building the parts, they only deliver (the messenger per sae). one should seek the manufacturers and rip them a new one for DOAs. anyway, just another perspective in case readers misinterpret the article, and David's review.

[rgreen4]

And the opinions are those of the customers, not NewEgg.

[TheBigOldDog]

Given the choice between taking the word of "journalists" who have inherent conflicts of interests due to accepting advertising from the companies they "review" and the word of the user community on places like Newegg who's only interest is in helping fellow users make informed decisions, I'll choose the later every time. I've been burned far more often by former and never by the latter.

[Lahiru]

I use only Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Antec, and OCZ. I also use Silverstone ST400 on very tight budget office app builds.

[Glenn1955]

I currently own three desktops, and my son owns two. All of our comps are powered by Ultra brand PSUs. Never had a prob with Ultra products/PSUs.

[flashy0ne]

I've got to go with NewEgg -- been buying things from them for a long time and they are very reputable. My experience with PSU's is simple --"don't run them at maximum load -- ever" AND be prepared to periodically replace the fan (they get noisey). Of course you must buy a suitable supply for the intended application (don't buy a bargain cat if you really need a dog). Following this simple rule, I have never had a PSU failure -- even with the 'cheapies' supplied with cases.

[advoc8]

Good advice until the hit on newegg customer ratings - an important part of my own evaluation process for computer and digital hardware which has proven very successful. My PC repair teachers have all recommended checking on their customer ratings (for learning more about various hardware in general too) and I see why now.

But, back to the heart of the article. Here's an example of cheap PSU's causing problems: One of my local computer stores (the one which has ironically been in business the longest...) seems to know their stuff fairly well, all except for the fact that they use cheap PSU's (So, why would anyone who knows their stuff go with cheap PSU's???). The PC I bought from them before I leaned more about repairing and building my own is on it's third PSU from them, and the fan seems to be going out on that one now. The first PSU quit and smelled burnt. The second one started smelling burnt too. Two years ago they finally put in a 675 watt PSU and then my troubles seemed to subside (even though it's not just about watts, like they suggested). They blamed it on my home wiring, but I was using a UPS and still do. With the 675 watt PSU I no longer got so many blue screens and other errors from unstable power, and no burnt smell or suddenly dying PSU... A good PSU of lower wattage would be just as good - or probably better.

As for the brand of PSU's the store used: Echo Star. Look it up - very inexpensive and self touted, but no rating from anyone the last time I searched it - and NOT rated at or sold on Newegg. At least if something is crap (like these PSU's) that newegg sells, the customer ratings will reflect that and they will discontinue it.