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Desktop PSU w/ IEC connector for CAPS style buile


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I am building a CAPS ZUMA style build up with Haswell parts.

My parts are as follows so far:

 

CPU: Intel Core I5 4440S

Motherboard: ASUS H87M-Pro

Memory: 16GB(2X8) Crucial Ballistix Tactical

SSD: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro

PSU: picoPSU-160-XT

 

I haven't picked out a case yet, though that is not where I am stuck. I am trying to find an External desktop PSU that has a standard IEC power connector to power it. Has anyone used this type of setup and found a PSU like I have described that doesn't cost my first born son?

 

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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I am running a Cooler Master Silent PRO Hybrio 1050W power supply. It has a lot of power and is fanless for less than 200 watts. There is also a Seasonic 1250 which has better tighter regulation and better ripple control which I was looking at but not sure it would make a difference in sound on my system.

 

These higher end fan less power supplies cost a little more than regular PC power supplies.

 

The nice thing about an IEC connector is you can use after market power cords on your PC.

AMR 777 DAC, Purist Ultimate USB, PC server 4gig SOTM USB, server 2012, Audiophil Optimizer,Joule Preamp LAP150 Platinum Vcaps Bybee, Spectron Monoblocks Bybee Vcaps, Eggleston Savoy speakers, 2 REL Stentor III subwoofers, Pranawire Cosmos speaker wire, Purist Dominus Praesto cabling, Purist Anniversary (Canorus)power cables and Elrod Statement Gold power cable, VPI Aries I SDS w/Grado The Statement LP, 11kVA power isolation, 16 sound panels and bass traps TAD,RPG,GIK and Realtraps

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I am building a CAPS ZUMA style build up with Haswell parts.

My parts are as follows so far:

 

CPU: Intel Core I5 4440S

Motherboard: ASUS H87M-Pro

Memory: 16GB(2X8) Crucial Ballistix Tactical

SSD: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro

PSU: picoPSU-160-XT

 

I haven't picked out a case yet, though that is not where I am stuck. I am trying to find an External desktop PSU that has a standard IEC power connector to power it. Has anyone used this type of setup and found a PSU like I have described that doesn't cost my first born son?

 

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

I am confused. You already have a Pico power supply. Are you looking for something to power it? With an IEC connector? Do a search for a Mastech Linear power supply. Some of those are capable of taking any IEC cord and will put out linear power to your Pico.

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I am confused. You already have a Pico power supply. Are you looking for something to power it? With an IEC connector?

 

What you describe is exactly what I am looking for. I was leaning more towards a laptop style PSU that had an IEC connector and either a barrel connector or 4-pin. I have found several around the web but am weary of pulling the trigger on buying as I don't want to have a situation like is described in the ZUMA article. I don't want to get the power supply and then have it not power on for unknown reasons. Hence my question here trying to find what other people have used successfully in this situation. One of the hardest parts of my search has been that I live in the US and many of the retailers I have found what I want from are overseas and don't ship internationally, or it is too expensive to ship.

 

I did a search on the manufacturer you suggested and came up with more questions. It is my understanding that I have to feed the Pico with exactly 12V. It seemed like most of the PSU they make are rated for low amperage. I'm not sure if they would provide enough power for all my components. Any help in telling me where I am wrong is always appreciated.

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What you describe is exactly what I am looking for. I was leaning more towards a laptop style PSU that had an IEC connector and either a barrel connector or 4-pin. I have found several around the web but am weary of pulling the trigger on buying as I don't want to have a situation like is described in the ZUMA article. I don't want to get the power supply and then have it not power on for unknown reasons. Hence my question here trying to find what other people have used successfully in this situation. One of the hardest parts of my search has been that I live in the US and many of the retailers I have found what I want from are overseas and don't ship internationally, or it is too expensive to ship.

 

I did a search on the manufacturer you suggested and came up with more questions. It is my understanding that I have to feed the Pico with exactly 12V. It seemed like most of the PSU they make are rated for low amperage. I'm not sure if they would provide enough power for all my components. Any help in telling me where I am wrong is always appreciated.

 

I see what you are talking about, in the search I did for the 160 I found a company pairing it with a 16a power supply. Holy cow that's alot of amperage. 12v/16a is more than many large car audio amplifiers draw let alone a latest generation pc for audio playback.

The supplies like I mentioned are usually good for 3-5a not 16. I would do some more searching as I cannot see how a haswell could possibly draw anywhere near that. That's the whole appeal of them is that they can run on very small batteries. I think the pico you chose is about quadruple the output you will need. Once you find out how much amperage you really need to run your setup I'm guessing finding a suitable supply will not be a problem. I personally think the best two choices for the cost right now are either a SLA battery with Battery Tender type charger or a linear like I previously mentioned.

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If these smaller computer power supplies are better than bigger ones then why does the power conditioner feeding them need to be large? I can tell you a large power isolator does make a computer sound better. I mean large as I tried a 1200 watt APC old transformer power conditioner not UPS maybe a 20 pound unit and it was not large enough as the sound was lean. I mean large like a 2500 watt 120 pound unit that I use. Yet you guys are limiting the power feed to a few amps I don’t get it.

 

I compared my music computer to a friend’s custom made music server with a small motherboard with a Pico power supply and he had what looked like a laptop power supply feeding the little power supply. The end was cut off and soldered to the power supply. Mine with the big old power supply sounded better had better dynamics and deeper sound stage. I have not heard one poweedr by a linear which may make a difference.

AMR 777 DAC, Purist Ultimate USB, PC server 4gig SOTM USB, server 2012, Audiophil Optimizer,Joule Preamp LAP150 Platinum Vcaps Bybee, Spectron Monoblocks Bybee Vcaps, Eggleston Savoy speakers, 2 REL Stentor III subwoofers, Pranawire Cosmos speaker wire, Purist Dominus Praesto cabling, Purist Anniversary (Canorus)power cables and Elrod Statement Gold power cable, VPI Aries I SDS w/Grado The Statement LP, 11kVA power isolation, 16 sound panels and bass traps TAD,RPG,GIK and Realtraps

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If these smaller computer power supplies are better than bigger ones then why does the power conditioner feeding them need to be large? I can tell you a large power isolator does make a computer sound better. I mean large as I tried a 1200 watt APC old transformer power conditioner not UPS maybe a 20 pound unit and it was not large enough as the sound was lean. I mean large like a 2500 watt 120 pound unit that I use. Yet you guys are limiting the power feed to a few amps I don’t get it.

 

I compared my music computer to a friend’s custom made music server with a small motherboard with a Pico power supply and he had what looked like a laptop power supply feeding the little power supply. The end was cut off and soldered to the power supply. Mine with the big old power supply sounded better had better dynamics and deeper sound stage. I have not heard one poweedr by a linear which may make a difference.

 

While it may be true that a large power supply could/would sound better than a pico, using completely different computers with different power supplies proves nothing. Anotherwords your PC sounding better may or may not have anything to do with power supply.

 

The issue with large power supplies is that they generate lots of heat and are usually fan cooled. This can generate audible noise as well as inject noise into the motherboard.

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