Advice on power usage of THIS Ocuk case

gazjam

gazjam

gazjam

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http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-095-AN&tool=3

I'm building a music server and I'm looking to run it cheaply 24/7 hence the reason I'm looking for a 80+ PSU like the Earthwatts one in this case.

I'll be using mostly components I have around to save cost:

E6400 Core2 Duo cpu
2GB DDR2 ram
onboard graphics
Samsund F1 HDD (1TB or 500GB - not decided yet)

I suppose the question is with the PSU in this Case running the components I am putting in it.

* Do you think this will be reasonably cheap to run 24/7?*

I was originally going to go down the Intel Atom route (power savings being the main focus) but I soon realised the initial cost of building an atom PC would take years to crawl back in electricity costs! AND I would have perfectly good components lying around doing nothing.

I used to think a 600W PSU would constantly draw 600W! :rolleyes: but I now realise it just a reserve for whats needed and that the QUALITY of the PSU is more important, especially if your running the rig "bare bones" the way I intend to.

Thats what drew my attention to the 80+ PSU's.

*Does the 80% efficiency REALLY translate to reduced power usage? *

Thanks for any replies.

G.
 
Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, but will it be more "power efficient" than, say, a bog standard case with generic power supply (400w say?).

I'm asking because I'm trying to justify the cost of the case and psu (£63.38) for a box which will just sit in a cupboard and stream music / run a torrent client 24/7.

It seems a lot of money to pay, but I'm trying to work out if the savings in electricity bills due to the 80+ PSU *JUSTIFY* the extra cost. *+*

I'm buying a lot of other stuff at the same time, so any savings made here will be good.

*+* If the savings are something like £15 a year then the £63 cost isn't justified. £100 a year then mabye.


Thanks for any further replies.

oh - I dont want to look at other options (atom pc, MINI-HTX or whatever, want to recycle existing parts to save costs.
 
dont worry, it will be fine. its one of antecs "green" psu, so i guarantee its going to power your system and be effecient. the 80+ is just letting you know your getting what you pay for . ie, not a 1000w psu that cant power more than one hdd.

hope thats clearer. if your in doubt still, you can always pick up a different case and a 450w corsair psu or one of those enermax ones.
 
Have a look at the PSU reviews on Silentpcreviews as they not only test noise levels they also test the efficiencies throughout the load range.

They have not got the 380W but they have tested the 430W Earthwatts
 
gazjam said:
I'm asking because I'm trying to justify the cost of the case and psu (£63.38) for a box which will just sit in a cupboard and stream music / run a torrent client 24/7.
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Click to expand...

Thanks again for the replies.

I guess I'm asking if the £63 cost is justified for a box that will sit in a cupboard somewhere streaming music and used as a Torrent box, (I expect power drain <150W)...

As I can get a generic "no-name" case and PSU for £20 I wonder IF THE £63 COST OF THIS CASE AND EARTHWATTS PSU IS ACTUALLY*JUSTIFIED*?

* Will I realistically save that much on my leccy bill if the PC's drawing <150W from the mains?

*I just wonder if by going for the £20 case I'd save myself £43 in initial costs which "in reality" would take the Earthwatts psu a few years to make up in leccy savings?

If so, I'd think i'd be better off saving £43!
Hope that makes sense!
:)
Ta.

G.
 
The savings to your electricity bill will be minimal, and would take a while to "justify" the extra £42. But, for the extra £42, you're going to get a psu that you'll be able to keep for longer and transfer to future builds, because it isn't going to explode on you. Alos, you will be able to save money by not having to replace other componants when your unbranded cheapy psu (qtec anyone???) goes nuclear and takes out half your street.

Yes, it's worth the extra money, yes, it will save on electricity, but don't count on it being noticable...

Rule number one in PC building, get a decent PSU.
 
Yes you will more than likely be saving money. The 80+ moniker means it runs at LEAST 80% efficient at 20, 50 and 100% Load (it's a curve, so that should mean it's always above 80% efficient all the way up then).

The 80 plus site (LINK) will shwo you the ratings, and there are different ratings in the 80 plus certification too. Coolermaster have a Silver rated unit (meaning always above 85 or 87% I think?). Not sure if that unit is available yet. I have a Be-Quiet 850W which is very efficient, and as its name suggest Quiet!

Hope that helps.
 
I hear you guys....

The idea of the PSU being "transferrable" is a bit of a selling point gotta say.
Still, never had a PSU blow up on me!

So, general consensus is £42 well spent....?

Still, only pi*s it up against the wall normally, and it'll give peace of mind I guess.


Any reason why NOT buy it other than saving cash?
 
Well the PSU is made by Seasonic which is a plus as they make some very good PSU's but the EA380 is a budget PSU so they will have saved costs where they could.

I'm looking at setting up a nas box using some old bits but as it's going to be on 24/7 the one thing I'm not going to be saving money on is the PSU. If I was going to spend about the same amount I'd get the cheapest case I could and the best PSU for the money left over.

A quick look on OC shows that the cheapest case is an Asus (there are a couple at £20) and a decent PSU would be the Enermax Pro 82+, that combination is £61.07 + del.

There's the Corsair VX 450 which is a bit more but only bumps the total to £67.

What you have to consider is that if the PSU dies, what else does it take with it and also as has been said a good PSU you can use for a few rigs so over time it does save money (one of my Enermax 620W has been in three rigs now as I've upgraded and swapped things round).

I've always liked the Enermax PSU's and I run a few rigs 24/7.
 
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Yup, I'm sold on not saving money with the PSU.

I actually have an old ATX case kicking around somewhere, so I think I'm going to put one of the better PSU's in that case.

Best of both worlds i guess - save money AND get a good PSU I can use over several builds.


Thanks for all the replies.
Gaz. :)
 
Peak consumption of that configuration of starting post won't be much over 100W.

dillingerdan said:
The 80+ moniker means it runs at LEAST 80% efficient at 20, 50 and 100% Load (it's a curve, so that should mean it's always above 80% efficient all the way up then).
Click to expand...
And that curve drops quite sharply below 20% load meaning too much oversized PSU again wastes electricity.

DavidS14 said:
Well the PSU is made by Seasonic which is a plus as they make some very good PSU's but the EA380 is a budget PSU so they will have saved costs where they could.
Click to expand...
Earthwatt's design is same as for example in Corsair VX450:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article684-page3.html
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/540/2
Outside cables, casing and cooling difference is probably only in capacitors which are Taiwanese (used by majority of PSUs) except for primary cap which seems to be Japanese in all Seasonics... that's Seasonic's idea of "low" end.
 
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