Which PSU should I buy?

You've got it backwards. 😁 If you run the math—450*100/82—it means your power supply is actually going to pull about 550W from the wall when it's hitting full load. Not quite what you think, right? Anyway, this is a solid board if you want to grab one:

Benjamin King2 said:You're wrong. 😁 450*100/82 means your PSU will pull about 550W from the wall at full load. This board is solid:

cheaper one here 😬

Robert Rodriguez2 said:
You can find a cheaper 😬
right here.

And if you want an even better deal on this
it's a different model than what was listed before.😬

So, that's the motherboard I'm going with then..
I already ordered the power supply, so it should be arriving this Monday.
Still haven't heard back from anyone regarding unlocking those extra two cores, either. Does what I mentioned earlier mean it's actually possible to unlock them?

Hey there!
I'm looking to upgrade my current rig, but I've hit a bit of a wall—I'm completely stumped on which power supply unit (PSU) would actually be the right fit for my needs.
Here’s what my future setup is looking like:
An Intel Core i5 3.2GHz QuadCore processor, paired with an Nvidia GeForce 9600

I haven't nailed down the specific motherboard or all the little secondary components just yet, but I figured those two are really the heavy hitters when it comes to power draw—they're basically the "engine" and the "fuel pump" of the whole operation, if you catch my drift.
Thanks in advance for any advice! 😁

Check this out.

Or even better, take a look at this http://www.nabava.net/trazilica.php?tp=0&q=xfx+450

You could probably get away with something slightly more budget-friendly, but honestly, don't skimp on this part.

By the way—do you already have the card in hand? If you haven't bought it yet and you're planning your build, you're much better off picking a cheaper CPU so you can put that extra cash toward a beefier GPU (especially if gaming is your main goal).

So, I’ve already got this graphics card in my setup—kind of like having the wheels on a car already—but now I’m looking to just pick up the processor itself to round things out.

Zachary Cruz6 said:I already have the graphics card, I just want to pick up the processor.

That GPU probably won't do much for you in gaming... honestly, you might be better off grabbing an Athlon II X4 740 setup with an HD 7790 instead of going with that i5 platform... it’ll likely perform better in games.

Intel Core i5 system with NVIDIA GPU
ASUS Motherboard
EVGA GeForce GTX, 1GB, 2DVI, HDMI

Total: $300.00

An i5 with a compatible motherboard would cost about the same...

I've got everything sorted out through Micro Center, but they're currently out of stock on the motherboard, the graphics card, and the cooler, so I'm stuck waiting about two or three weeks until they get more in. I settled on a Corsair gaming series 600W power supply, but I'm wondering if that's actually the smartest move here. Is this going to be enough juice once I start overclocking both my CPU and GPU, or am I going to need something beefier? I can stretch my budget up to $200 if it actually makes sense to spend the extra cash.

Here's the full list:

-ASUS Motherboard
-Intel Core i7
-EVGA GeForce GTX, 3GB GDDR5
-Corsair Vengeance, D3 1600MHz, 8GB
-Seagate Barracuda 7200 ST1000DM003 (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III-600)
-corsair gaming series 600w
-Cooler Master cooler
-Dell DVD Writer 24x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk
-Zalman Z11 Plus mid tower case P/N: ZAL-Z11 PLUS

TOTAL:$2417

Go with the Seasonic 620W

or seasonic-ss-520gm—that would be Gold efficiency (assuming availability)—compared to fortron raider, which is just Silver
.

Timothy Kim60 said:either seasonic-ss-520gm—which hits that Gold efficiency rating if you can find it—or fortron raider at Silver level

What's the deal with that Fortron unit, is it actually any good? Because if I were going that route, I'd probably just grab the Fortron Raider 650W Silver model just to have some peace of mind and make sure I'm not running short on power

Alexander Moore67 said:Just grab the Seasonic 620W

Honestly, at that price point, I’d be better off picking up a cheaper unit with a higher wattage instead.

Samuel Martinez22 said:How good is that Fortron? Is it actually reliable? If I were picking one, I'd probably go with the Fortron Raider sa 650 w Silver just to be sure I have enough juice under the hood.

For that price point, it’s a steal. Do yourself a favor and check out some reviews for the full breakdown; there are a few guys over at PCMag talking about that unit, so give those a read:

"Fortron raider 550W—it's quiet, budget-friendly, has super long cables, uses the same architecture as the Aurum Gold series, and hits 89% Efficiency. So far, so good."

Honestly, I don't think you even need 650W. Between the 550W capacity and that Silver efficiency rating, you'll have plenty of headroom.
If you're willing to shell out a bit more, though, just grab one of those two Seasonic units if they're in stock.

Timothy Kim60 said:It seems like a solid choice to you. If you want more specifics, just look up some reviews; there are actually a few guys over on PC Gamer talking about that power supply, so go ahead and give those a read:

"Fortron Raider 550W, quiet, budget-friendly, really long cables, based on the Aurum Gold series, 89% Efficiency, pretty happy with it so far."

Honestly, I don't think you even need 650W. Between the 550W capacity and that Silver efficiency rating, you’ll have plenty of headroom.
If you’re willing to shell out a bit more, you'd be better off just grabbing one of those two Seasonic units whenever they're back in stock.

But I'm leaning towards the 650W Fortron model so if I decide to throw in another GPU, an SSD, or more RAM down the road, I won't have to swap out the whole unit—I want this to last. My only real question is, does having more wattage than I currently need cause any issues for my rig? Like, if I go with this 650W Fortron, is everything going to run smoothly without any side effects?

There won't be any negative consequences; in fact, the power supply will actually be under less stress given its capacity.

Hey there, I just got a quote on these two power supplies. Which one is actually built better? Thanks!

• 500W Power Supply, CHIEFTEC iArena, GPA-500S8, ATX V2.3, 120mm, PFC, bulk or
• 500W Power Supply, COOLERMASTER B500, ATX v2.3, 120mm vent., PFC

Coolermaster—look, they aren't exactly the gold standard or anything, but compared to Uuftek, they’re basically a NASA space shuttle. Plus, you get a solid 3-year warranty.

Is this Corsair any good? I know for an extra few bucks I could just grab a CX430, but I'm specifically looking at this particular model. According to this review, the power supply itself is decent enough, though they mention it uses lower-grade capacitors and that voltage regulation could be better. Anyone here actually used one? Any praise, any complaints, or anything else to share?

Jeffrey Peterson said:Is this Corsair unit actually any good? I know for an extra couple of bucks I could just grab a CX430, but I'm looking specifically at this one. According to this review, the power delivery is decent, but the capacitors aren't the best quality and apparently the voltage regulation could be tighter. Anyone have real-world experience with it? Any pros or cons?

It doesn't even have an 80+ rating. Honestly, if I were you, I'd skip it...