View Full Version : corsair hx520 or hx620
i found the review for both corsair power supplies to be quite in-depth and informative. this is complimented by the discussion on this forum, and you all seem to be a very knowledgable bunch. so, thanks for that information - it's been a big help.
i'm definitely getting one of these two models, but i'm not sure which to get. much like anyone with a computer problem, there's a story to be told. here goes:
i've had my current rig for about 2.5 years now. here's the specs (i list fans etc. since they are part of the overall power budget):
Thermaltake 480W silent purepower (please don't kill me)
MSI K8N neo plat
A64 3000+ newcastle
1 gig OCZ pc3500
2x 7200rpm HD, 1x 5400rpm HD
NEC DVD-R (i forget the model, one that was absurdly popular about 2 years ago)
a multitude of fans (cooler master praetorian, a lovely case)
PNY 6800GT (now an ati x850 pro, see below)
about two months ago, i had my PNY 6800gt blow out on me. it had been through a fair bit on (what i now realize to be) a very substandard power supply. i've since replaced it with an x850pro, which has been holding up decently, but i've had about three or four scary crashes (all in world of warcraft, all needing poweroffs), and i've noticed that my DVD drive isn't always being "seen" by windows explorer (i'd say roughly one out of four or five bootups).
in my infinite paranoia, i've attributed this to my aging, 18A max 12v railed power supply. using it for anything strenuous has me a little nervous, so it's definitely time to replace the PSU (unless ya'll have another suggestion - PNY is hardly the most reliable of video card brands and it may have been the true culprit).
undoubtedly, either one of these power supplies is going to do that in spades. i don't intend to be using this computer for more than another year or two, so i'm looking for something with some staying power. i'd like to run a dx10 rig on a dual core, eventually. not particularly interested in SLI/crossfire, and i'd probably look to buy an upper midrange dx10 card (the 6800gt analog, if you will).
ok, enough rambling - do ya'll think the hx520 is going to be enough, or should i pony up for the hx620?
a little bit more about the crashes - one time wow started to lock up, but it came back to life with some rather nasty artifacts. it was the only time i had artifacting of this sort, but it was pretty scary. i closed wow and loaded up FEAR immediately afterwards as a test, and it showed up there as well. a full shutdown alleviated the problem, and it hasn't been seen since.
burebista
12-06-2006, 03:21 PM
Corsair 520 should be more than enough for your future upgrade. For your current setup is overkill. :)
thanks for the replies.
though i must admit i'm gravitating towards the hx620, given it's only $30 more on ZZF (i'm a little worried about their processing/shipping though).
GalvanizedYankee
12-06-2006, 11:10 PM
I've not read of any problems with ZZF. Look at thier resellers ratings.
Monark Computer is going through some very hard times with ownership change. Avoid them until the dust settles.
so i've heard - one of my buddies ordered an entire server from them. something was busted and the RMA process has been living hell.
Shift
12-06-2006, 11:38 PM
I've not read of any problems with ZZF. Look at thier resellers ratings.
Monark Computer is going through some very hard times with ownership change. Avoid them until the dust settles.
Well MonarchCSR said at OCForums that Monarch is working on a change. They got a new phone system, etc. and are trying to be a reputable vendor.
DvBoard
12-07-2006, 12:07 PM
Got my Armor case fro ZZF and will prbly buy a few more things there due to free shipping. Very nice place.
GilmourD
12-07-2006, 12:49 PM
This is actually a post I wrote on the [H] having to do with ZZF.
Well, next week is my birthday. My... uh... non-girlfriend/ex-GF/best-friend (she acts like an amazing girlfriend but refuses to admit we're in a relationship) apparently bought me something expensive from ZZF on the same order as a new keyboard for my compy. The keyboard arrived, but the other item (which she won't tell me about) sat in "Processing" limbo for three days. She couldn't get anything but voicemail when calling them and no responses to her e-mails (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1116136#) until today. Apparently, she got a call, and was informed that the item she ordered hasn't been released, yet, and shouldn't have been on the site, nor would it be available for a month.
Besides leaving me wondering what the heck she ordered me, this leaves me wondering what the heck ZZF is doing?
This prompted me to go looking at their www.resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/) rating. WOW! They dropped down to a 6.49 6-month average. Their lifetime rating is 8.53, which is pretty good. You go through the comments and everybody complains of the same thing that happened to my non-GF.
So... WTF? Quote:
Originally Posted by djnes
I've had trouble like this with several recent orders from ZZF. I've decided to avoid them, and can't figure out why so many people swear by them. Their site design blows, and got help you if you need to call in and speak to someone. Don't even waste your time e-mailing them either.See... That's the thing... I've been dealing with them pretty exclusively since newegg put their warehouse in NJ and I'm stuck with sales tax. This week is the first I'm hearing of problems.
Apparently, my brother's friend ordered a bunch of stuff. His grandmother paid for it, so everything went under her name with her address. Everything's typed in correctly and the address is the billing address of her card. They called because apparently the address isn't on file with her bank and they haven't shipped the stuff in a week, even though he keeps calling them and leaving voicemails.
nods, precisely my problems with them. this is a bit of an early christmas present from my folks (thanks <3) given that it's a bit urgent. i can understand needing the shipping address on file (i can fix that without a problem), but their processing time seems to fluctuate wildly. by the same token, i'm not sure dropping $25 more at newegg is worth the exceptionally reliable shipping/processing. sigh.
willow
12-07-2006, 01:37 PM
No ZZF for me. I used to order from them quite a bit...all was fine until a product I rec'd was different than pictured. I called for an rma & nicely explained that the picture was inaccurate & would they simply waive the restocking fee for the unused product. THey would not budge. They lost me as a customer. I'm pretty stuck on NE.
Case in point, I just ordered the HX620W from NE last night. Yes it was more $ than ZZF, but NE has never let me down & bent over backwards many times for me. I like to reward that kind of customer service. (Of course they did let me return my ST50EF-PLUS & waived the re-stocking fee.) :D
GilmourD
12-07-2006, 01:46 PM
You could try Provantage, but they're out of stock at the moment. I ordered something from them a LONG time ago (some CDs and a speaker set) and they were an OK retailer. Here's the link, just in case they do get it in stock.
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cmpsu-520hx~7CSMC02X.htm
GilmourD
12-07-2006, 01:48 PM
No ZZF for me. I used to order from them quite a bit...all was fine until a product I rec'd was different than pictured. I called for an rma & nicely explained that the picture was inaccurate & would they simply waive the restocking fee for the unused product. THey would not budge. They lost me as a customer. I'm pretty stuck on NE.
Case in point, I just ordered the HX620W from NE last night. Yes it was more $ than ZZF, but NE has never let me down & bent over backwards many times for me. I like to reward that kind of customer service. (Of course they did let me return my ST50EF-PLUS & waived the re-stocking fee.) :D
Yeah, ZZF's return and RMA policy has always sucked. The egg, on the other hand, has always bent over backwards for me. I just wish they didn't charge me sales tax because they have a warehouse in my state... :mad:
to appease my paranoia, i ended up going with the hx620 and used newegg.
installation was a breeze and the rig is rock solid. though i did notice the lights dim a bit when the central heating came on :eek:. i'll have to see if that continues.
one more question - when i shut down my computer, i let it power down, wait a few seconds and hit the switch on the power supply as well. bad idea? good idea? plain silly?
GilmourD
12-13-2006, 01:00 PM
to appease my paranoia, i ended up going with the hx620 and used newegg.
installation was a breeze and the rig is rock solid. though i did notice the lights dim a bit when the central heating came on :eek:. i'll have to see if that continues.
one more question - when i shut down my computer, i let it power down, wait a few seconds and hit the switch on the power supply as well. bad idea? good idea? plain silly?
Sounds good. :)
As far as the power switch... It's not hurting anything, but it's probably unecessary, unless the +5VSB is killing your electric bill. LOL
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