PC Power & Cooling 750W Promo

[DREDIOCK]

The reason PC P&C does not use modular wiring goes to power delivery.  Modular wiring costs in terms of added noise and more resistance to the power flow.  There is always a minute amount of capacitance in contact points for a plug.

PC P&C has a tendency to use large heat sinks, which makes the supplies a bit heavier than others, but it also contributes to longer life.

Hey, look at it this way.  If the power supply dies, you can use it for jack stands to work on your car.  

PC Power & Cooling addresses this very issue on their website
Power Supply Myths Exposed!
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/

"3. DON'T LOSE POWER WITH MODULAR PLUGS

Due to their look, convenience, and cost savings for manufacturers, modular plugs have become a popular power supply feature. Unfortunately, there has been little or no discussion of the impact of this feature on overall performance and reliability. The fact is, modular plugs limit power by adding to electrical resistance. The voltage drop can be as much as would occur in 2 feet of standard wire. Worse yet, modular plugs utilize delicate pins that can easily loosen, corrode, and burn, creating the potential for a major system failure. That's why professional system builders specify uninterrupted wire!"

[bj229r]

boy...life HAS passed me by...What are 'modular' plugs, in regard to pc's?

[eagl]

Modular plugs allow you to unplug excess wires from your power supply so you can reduce clutter.  The PSU has a number of plugs, and comes with a bundle of cables with various lengths and number/type of plugs.  So you only plug in the exact number of cables with the plugs you need.

As for losing power and efficiency, websites like hardocp have very demanding testing procedures and their results consistently show that it is the quality of the PSU that determines if it will pass or fail (or catch fire), not whether or not it has modular cables.  They have shown that even with modular cables, a high quality PSU should be able to provide "clean" power at it's rated load when fed mains power at up to 10% off spec.  For example, they will test a 750 watt power supply up to 750 watts load, feeding it 100v AC instead of 110v.

From what I've seen of their results, there are few real reasons to shun modular PSUs because the modular PSUs they've tested tend to have outputs that are well within specifications as long as the underlying PSU itself is of decent quality.

I have a modular PSU and really like how it helped reduce case clutter and improve cooling.

From what I've read and from my experience with a modular PSU, my conclusion is that the real reason they don't want to make a modular PSU is that to do it correctly (ie. non-crappy plugs) would make the PSUs cost a lot more, and their brand is already carrying a premium cost.

[Masherbrum]

The only modular PSU's I would even look at are the ABS Tagan PSU's. 

[Skuzzy]

No offense eagl, but I trust my oscilloscope a hell of a lot more than some WEB site wannabe-engineer.

The fact is, it has been known for over 30 years that plugs are the bane of electrical signals.  Companies like Amphenol have made a living figuring out better interconnects to reduce the effects of capacitance and resistance in connections. 

Every connection in a computer system introduces a ripple in the signal.  Most of the time it has no impact.  The biggest impact is in the motors of hard drives and cooling fans.  The worse the ripple the hotter the motors will run.

The statement PC P&C makes is very accurate.  Any decent EE will concur.

From an aesthetic point of view, I like the modular cable approach, but the engineer in me cringes at it.  If they used Euro-style connectors, I would feel better about it as they have less effect on the connection, but the cheap connector employed is about as bad as they get.  Over time the resistance will increase.

It is the long term effects of the current modular cable approach which should be of concern.

[eagl]

Skuzzy,

You're right of course...  *however*, it still seems that even with the additional connectors, the power is still "good enough" and well within the capabilities of the computer hardware to deal with...

If you haven't seen HardOCP's PSU reviews, you really need to do so.  They have some gucci test equipment and what appears to be a good testing methodology.  They test not just voltage, but noise and ripple, under conditions we might actually see in use such as varying loads and with varying non-optimum input voltage. 

As for degrading over time, you are completely right that using good (ie. expensive) connectors is the only way to deal with that.  But that's no different from (for example) SATA cables or even fan power connectors crusting up over time and causing problems.

Jerry Pournelle swears by a connector cleaner called stabilant...  Back when men were men and connectors were always flaky, he reported a degree of troubleshooting success by unplugging connectors, brushing on some stabilant to clean the connectors, and plugging them back together.  He "saved" a lot of hardware that might otherwise have been condemned as broken by just ensuring the connectors were good.

[Skuzzy]

Absolutely, cleaning the connectors in those modular links is a good idea.  It will help preserve the performance of the supply and reduce resistance loading.

As far as HOCP is concerned, I have witnessed them doing everything they could to justify an untenable position.  Test equipment is great, but representing the data is where I do not trust them.  They, like so many review sites, seem to be firmly entrenched in the "controversy is good for business" marketing model.

I cannot blame them.  It is a business and they have to do what is right for them.  It is a common theme in review sites and for everything they all say, there is always some basis for truth in it.  You just have to be able to wade through it and separate the fact from fiction.  Some sites make it hard to do and H is one of them.  They are very good at what they do for their business,

[bj229r]

I'm curious, what are "Euro-style connectors"? (I assume these are in contrast to the standard flat 4 pin molex of which I'm familiar)

[Skuzzy]

Similar to the old IDE connector, but they also have air tight seals and 4 finger gold contacts for the pins.  They cost more but they are bery rugged and reliable over the long term.

[Getback]

Bought one today. Well similar anyway, 750watts PC Cooling and Power. My non gaming comp took a hit from a power surge. It shocked me when I touched it. Our IT guy said get a new ps so I did. Since I had an e8400 sitting around I will go ahead and build another and give this fairly nice AMD machine to my son.

[BaldEagl]

Bought one today. Well similar anyway, 750watts PC Cooling and Power. My non gaming comp took a hit from a power surge. It shocked me when I touched it. Our IT guy said get a new ps so I did. Since I had an e8400 sitting around I will go ahead and build another and give this fairly nice AMD machine to my son.

The continuing adventures of Getback!   

[Getback]

The continuing adventures of Getback!   

Yep, and I want to say uncle but to who?! This is it for me. Last one for a good while I hope.

[Getback]

Okay, installed the new PS. I have to tell you the quality is the best I've seen in some time. Especially for the connections. The other PS connectors seemed a bit wimpy but not quite as bad as tin foil.