New Case

I want to get rid of my current case because its very loud.
I want to replace it with Antec SLK2650BQE Black Quiet Mini Tower Case - 350W SmartPower PSU.
My question is will the power supply be compatiable with my motherboard?
Its a Gigabyte GA-8SIMLH-P.
All my drives are IDE.
Thanks.

Last edited by Josh on Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

It should work.
But, you really don't want to use a PSU that comes with a case. They are almost always really cheap PSUs.

That PSU is actually supposed to be very good according to reviews
I read.

I've build a couple of rigs with Antec cases and the PSU's are good so far. Drew knows tons about PSUs and when asked, he said that Antec makes decent PSUs.

*shrug*

Depends on the model. Usually, the Antec PSU's in cases are very decent. However, some models such as the TPII 550W perform below the rated levels.

That PSU is fine. Not outstanding, but decent. Quality level is much higher then no-name supplies, but does not measure up to FSP made units, Seasonic, PC P&C, Zippy, etc.

If it were me I would buy a 350w FSP unit for around $30 at Directron and a Compucase LX-6A19 around $40 at Directron. That's probably around the same price, but you get a higher quality PSU.

Last edited by Josh on Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

Good point, I didn't even think about the PSU being an Antec.
I guess it would be pretty high quality, then, but I'm not sure that 350W is enough for much anything anymore.

Last edited by KoolDrew on Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:55 am; edited 1 time in total

A quality 350w unit is more then adequate for most rigs out there, including yours. Yours wouldn't even pull more then 300w's and that is at peak utilization. Although some extra headroom is always good enough to have and there is the question as to whether the unit can even supply what it's rated at, everybody seems to think they need some 500w+ units to run similair rigs. Which explains why you bought a 570w Skyhawk PSU that does not have split +12v rails even though they claim they do on the box and in Skyhawks advertising and specifications. They also do not conform to the new ATX or EPS power supply specifications, yet they claim they do. They are also not UL tested ot approved as advertised and claimed, nor can they.

The PSU you do have has a single 40A +12v rail and when viewed under an O-scope the regulation is excellent as are the very low noise and ripple components. So, it does seem like a good single +12v rail supply, but Skyhawk tried to claim that it is something more then it is and lost all credibility. I know I'll never buy a SkyHawk unit, nor would I recommend one to others.

Here's a link if you don't want to take my word for it:
http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=183

Very interesting read. I'm not sure why it really matters if there is dual or single 12V rails. IMO, the single (that has the same amount of voltage of the duals put together) would perform better. Though I agree that it was completely wrong for them to state that it is dual rail, when it really is single. I have not had any problems with my Skyhawk, and would recommend it to others. Not only because of my experience with it, but I have not heard anyone having problems with it (and I have heard people that love it).

I agree, there is not any need for 500W (or more) on most systems today. But, I do think that you should have at least 400. And having a higher wattage PSU is better, because you won't be using its full capability, which will increase its life.