To the experts

Speg · 04-18-2005, 04:36 PM

I've read 2 different views and I still am not 100% this will work.

I am building a desktop in the car with 80 gig hard drive, burner, P3 800, 512 ram, couple fans...etc.

I'm looking at This for the power and a ITPS for it as well.

So will these 2 components work fine for my set-up?

Please experts, help a brudder out

shakes · 04-18-2005, 05:06 PM

this isn't really an expert question ... but no matter.

post the specs of your proposed system.

200W is plenty of power ... buuuuuut ...

In short I'm going to guess that this isn't the best solution for you. I'm not familiar with the PW-200... but if it's like the other PW series supplies, it doesn't condition the 12v line. In a desktop PC with a desktop hard drive, this is a bad thing.

The ITPS will condition the 12v line ... but it does a pretty crappy job of it. Because of the linear regulator it uses, you need to feed it abour 13.5v in to get 12 out ... which means it's only good to you when the car is running.

The ITPS is really only usable when you have all laptop components ... even then it's not ideal.

You'll be much happier with an OPUS or even the Carnetix 1280 with a PW series Ps (which is what I use ... just upgraded from ITPS)

Speg · 04-18-2005, 05:23 PM

Well, all last summer I used my desktop plugged into a inverter. Every now and then if the car was ideling for a while, the inverter would beep saying "NEED MORE POWER", so a few shots of gas, it was best kind.

So this summer, I will have the following:

P3 800
Asus Mobo
Sound BLaster Live
cdrw-dvd rom
512 ram
80 gig Maxtor 7200 spin
on board video

all in a plexi glass custom case.

So maybe I should just plug it in like I always did and get a ITPS so I don't have to power up/down every time.

Opinon?

Confused · 04-18-2005, 05:28 PM

ITPS is crap.

Requires 13.3V in to give 12V out, and it only provides 60W of regulated power.

Get an Opus 150W. Power supply is the heart of your system, and something you really should get right...and it's cheapest if you get it right the first time round.

Garry

Speg · 04-18-2005, 05:30 PM

But they arn't cheap

LOL

Confused · 04-18-2005, 05:33 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Speg

But they arn't cheap

LOL

From my experience it's cheapest to get the Opus straight away.

I've had an inverter + desktop PSU, a Morex + ITPS, and THEN i got an Opus.

I wish I'd found this forum sooner and had someone tell me about the Opus before I'd bought the other things, then I would have saved lots of money.

Garry

Speg · 04-18-2005, 05:52 PM

Well, do you know for one used or cheaper?

Scouse Monkey · 04-18-2005, 06:05 PM

you may be able to squeeze it all onto an M1-ATX as you are using onboard video but the 3.5" HDD would concern me and is the DVD drive a laptop one?

Speg · 04-18-2005, 06:11 PM

Well, I'm making the case myself. The cd-rom was going to me a normal one, but I can get a laptop one. Would that reduce the power usage?

Scouse Monkey · 04-18-2005, 07:34 PM

yup it would. It will also run off 5V. Do some power calcs for each voltage channel and see what you need.

Bugbyte · 04-18-2005, 08:15 PM

Second (or third) that ITPS is crap. It LOOKS cheaper until you realize how crappy it is and you've reloaded your operating system for the 6th time (I am not exaggerating) because the 3.5" drive freezes randomly due to low power.

Then you buy a Carnetix and realize that A) You've spent as much as an Opus; B) You wasted a couple of months trying to make a piece of crap work. If you want to learn from somene who did it wrong, click my sig and read the woeful tale.

Skimp somewhere else, but not on the power supply.

RPI Geek · 04-18-2005, 08:21 PM

If you're willing to build your own PSU, you could also go with Maestro's MK series. I haven't built / used one, but I've heard that they're pretty darn good.

Speg · 04-18-2005, 08:24 PM

Well, I ran my computer off an inverter for a year last year. So maybe again this year with a shut down controller?

shakes · 04-18-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Confused

ITPS is crap.

Requires 13.3V in to give 12V out, and it only provides 60W of regulated power.

I forgot to mention that part. The ITPS provides 60W max power, so your 200W power supply is worthless.

That is, unless you bypass the regulator ... at which point you can get up to 40a but then you're back to the unregulated 12v issue again.

ILLNALI · 04-18-2005, 10:25 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Speg

Well, I ran my computer off an inverter for a year last year. So maybe again this year with a shut down controller?

i am building a full desktop system in a custom enclosure for my truck as well and after all my research, an invertor w/ controller seems to be the best way, if you have the room