I bought a 600W POWORK PSU from ebay.. for under $30 ... around $25. It runs fine, and hasnt died yet... but is it really 600w? I jus tneeded a replacement but I doubt you can get a good 600w PSU for $25... and how good is POWORK
First we have to take a look at the latest revision of the "good" and "bad" lists of makes and models of supplies to give you some ideas as well as some links to look over depending on your price range. A good reliable supply will go far longer then wattage and amps alone.
Bad:
Allied - Antec Smart Power models seem to lack(recommend True Power or NeoHE) - Aspire - CoolMax - DEER - Enermax Liberty models - ePower - EYE-T
- KingStar - L&C - Linkworld - Logisys - PowerMagic - PowerUp - Powmax - Q-Tec - Raidmax - Skyhawk - Star
- Turbolink - ThermalTake(complaints heard some good some ???) - Rosewill - SilenX ??? ToPower(newer models)
Unfortunately the PoWork name is not found on either suggesting a generic or strictly "low end" cheapie supply. Give us an idea on your price range. Generally you will need to spend a little more then just $30 to get something worth bothering with. The type of case and any plans on OCing will also make a difference as well.
Sometimes you get away with a cheapo for some time if you are simply running a stock system. Once you oc or start placing large demands on the supply you could suddenly see power drop offs due to the poor quality and lack of good regulation. That's called a lack of stability there. Cheap caps you name it can see this.
The cheapies throw the big wattage figures in to get people to buy them. Everyone assume wattage means power. NADA! A good supply with "adequate" amperage for the application and good regualtion go a lot further. On occasion a good brand will seel a low end model under an off name where you might run into a good supply while not the greatest and have it last for a long time. Cheapies that come included with cases ordered? Those can go doa at any time.
When ocing you have to find out where the max is and which is better to oc. You may have to lower the memory clock(fsb) to bring up the cpu speed. Some lower the cpu clock and raise the fsb. Where the system runs the most stable is where you would leave it.
All these settings are generally seen in the advanced or advanced chipset section of the bios. The idea there is that some will gradually lower one thing while gradually rasing the other to see where the max is. You have to take in a sense baby steps to reach the best point. When cranking the cpu the memory settings are lowered down from like the 200mhz detting(one example) down to the 166mhz speed. The cpu multuplier is then brought up from like 10.5 to 11 or even 11.5 initially. This also depends on what the board itself is capable of.