Daniel Prince wrote:
> I want to buy a new ATX power supply so that I will have a good
> spare. I need a power supply with at least 400 watts, and the extra
> 12 volt connector. It must be capable of running the latest AMD
> systems with enough power to run four hard drives and three optical
> drives. I want to avoid no-name supplies with exaggerated ratings
> and dubious quality, reliability and longevity.
>
> I have not researched power supplies in years. I think I remember
> that Antec supplies are good but somewhat expensive and that Sparkle
> are good and inexpensive. Is that still true? Are there other
> brands that are good and inexpensive? Thank you in advance for all
> replies.

This archived page has some info.

http://web.archive.org/web/200601100...ad.php?t=56231

I would say Antec is variable. Antec contracts out manufacturing, as
do a lot of the companies. There have been a couple supplies (like
NeoHE) that had problems starting with some motherboards. When
there are problems, Antec tends to be slow and devious in response
to customer feedback. I own several of their supplies and haven't
had any trouble myself.

Since the power supply business is so focused on price, it pays to
read the reviews, such as the customer reviews on Newegg. That can give
you a warning as to which units have a higher than normal problem
with DOA, noisy fans, bad design etc.

The cheap stuff is constantly changing brand names. So the archived
article above will not list all the bad brands. But you should be able
to figure it out.

Paul