Which PSU should I buy?

No problem at all.

Anyone here actually messed around with the Coolermaster 420 w that comes with the elita 335? I'm looking to run a newer dual-core setup, some integrated graphics, and two drives. Should be enough juice to handle maybe a 100W load, right? 😬Main thing is, I don't want it being super noisy.

It should be fine—I'm pretty sure it's this specific series: http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/prod...roduct_id=2932

Sorry to bother you guys again... Is the XFX Core edition 80 + 550 w pas - EasyRail actually a decent power supply? I haven't been able to find a specific review on it, though I did see some people on a few tech forums saying they were pretty happy with how it performs.
Does that 80+ part mean it has that 80+ certification and that the efficiency stays above 80%?

Would it be enough for an i5 2500k and an ATI 6950 2GB? I'm assuming it should be fine, but I was just wondering if it leaves any room for overclocking?

The PSU is solid, more than enough power here.
CPU pulls 95w
GPU pulls 200w
everything else is about 50w, though even that's being generous
you've got plenty of headroom to overclock😍

If you push past 5 GHz, you're looking at a 95W draw—personally, I’m seeing about 75W when I hit a full load at 4.5.

I need some advice. Money is a bit tight right now, but I really need a new power supply. The fan on my current one died, causing it to overheat for a few days. I managed to fix and clean the fan, so it's running again, but for the last month, the PC won't even boot for about five minutes after I hit the switch... nothing happens during those first five minutes—no letters, no postcards... I'm thinking the PSU is finally giving up the ghost.

- CPU AMD Athlon64 3000+ BOX, socket 939, Venice, 1800MHz, 512kb c., HTT 1000MHz
- MBO DFI LAN PARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D, DDR, sound, S-ATA, FW, 2xG-LAN, PCI-E, s. 939
- VGA PCI-E SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON X550, 128MB DDR, DVI, TV
- Napajanje CHIEFTEC 400W, GPS-400AA-101A, 12cm fan, ATX2 ver 2.0 (this is the dying unit)
- HDD 250.0 GB SEAGATE, 7200.9, Serial ATA II, NCQ, 8MB cache, 7200 rpm
- RAM: 1.50 GB

Not sure if there's anything else I should include...

I have no idea which power supplies are actually reliable, so thanks in advance for the help.

One more thing, does anyone know how much they'd charge to install it at Micro Center or Best Buy?

crimsonstag84 said:http://www.bestbuy.com/example-link

Thanks! 🙂

What about this one?

http://www.homedepot.com/example-link

Does anyone know what the installation cost would be for this?

Also, does it matter if my PC is plugged into two power strips before hitting the wall outlet? I don't have any other choice here. Could that be causing the PSU to fail? I'm not even sure if the wall socket is grounded; it has those little metal tabs, but in this old house with its ancient wiring, who knows if they actually connect to anything...

The power supply from crimsonstag84 is superior—stronger and higher quality. Don't just stare at the wattage they slapped on the label; they could claim it's 1000W when it actually pulls 100.

Using two extension cords shouldn't be an issue, but what you said last really worries me. How on earth do you think current just "clings" to the wires?

As for installing it, it’s easily the simplest part of building a PC. You just unplug every single connector from the motherboard, the CPU, the hard drive, and whatever else you have hooked up. Then you unscrew the old unit, pull it out, slide the new one in, screw it back down, and plug all the cables back in exactly how the old one was configured.

James Fisher11 said:That power supply from crimsonstag84 is better, stronger, and higher quality. Don't just look at the wattage they claim on the label; they could slap a 1000W sticker on it when it actually only puts out 100...

Two extension cords shouldn't be an issue, but that last thing you said worries me. How do you mean electricity being "stuck" in the wires?

Installing it is easy. It’s honestly the simplest part of building a PC. Just unscrew all the connectors from the motherboard, CPU, hard drive, etc.—whatever you have plugged in—then unscrew the old PSU, pull it out, slide the new one in, screw it back in, and reconnect everything exactly how it was before.

thanks!🙂
I'll go with the one from crimsonstag84 then.

I'm not sure I'd know how to install it myself. I can handle unscrewing the unit, but dealing with all those wires isn't really my thing.

Grounding—there are those two little metal tabs on the plug, but in older houses, there was almost never any grounding except maybe near the stove or fridge. Since modern plugs all have those tabs, I'm worried someone might have installed the outlet but there's no actual ground behind the wall. I don't know much about this stuff, but that's how I understood it... it's possible.

I’m no electrician, but something about this smells fishy to me. xD
As for those wires, you're probably looking at maybe four or five total cables that you just have to jam in there. You can always jot down which wire came from where on a piece of paper—that’s exactly how I handled it the first time I 😁

I'll check it out, thanks.

What about the next price bracket, from $300 up to $133? What kind of power supplies am I looking at there? Or is this setup so solid that there's really no point in spending more...

Nah, it’ll just do whatever it wants anyway. 😁

The outlet is grounded through the neutral if those "prongs" aren't connected. You've got plenty of massive buildings out there built 25 or 30 years ago before they even implemented these modern extra protection and grounding regulations, and everything works just fine. It's the same way in my apartment building... don't sweat it. Power strips aren't an issue either, like those guys mentioned, but do check to see if they're getting hot anywhere. If they are, it means either the circuit is overloaded or you've got some crappy wiring connections somewhere...

darkowl72 said:The outlet is grounded through the neutral, provided those ground prongs are connected. You see plenty of large buildings built 25-30 years ago before these extra protection and grounding regulations were even established, and everything works fine there...

Thanks 🙂

But my house was built 60 years ago. It's small, not big, so I'm worried if it actually has that...

darkowl72 said:Power strips aren't an issue either, just like the guys mentioned. Just check to see if they're getting hot anywhere. That would mean either the circuit is overloaded or the connections are poor...

How am I supposed to check that? Am I feeling the cable along its whole length or what? (The cables wind around quite a bit, going under doors into other rooms, around furniture... there's no other way, unless I drill through the walls, which I can't do right now)

Regarding those prongs, I figured that out because occasionally, when I test the grounding prongs on power strips with a voltage tester, the tester flashes. Not all the time, though. And from what I know, it shouldn't do that...

So now I don't know if that means excess current is hitting the PC, or if there's a shortage (since some is lost along the way). I don't really get it... and I don't want to fry my new power supply once I buy it (this old one lasted 4-5 years)

Thanks for the help 🙂

Grab a Seasonic or an XFX power supply. Their voltage regulation is solid, so you shouldn't run into any issues. If you're still worried about it, just pick up a UPS and call it a day. 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2 said:If you pick up a Seasonic or an EVGA power supply, they have really solid voltage regulation, so you shouldn't run into any issues...

That's exactly what I need! Is there anything else like it out there...? $100Is $350 too much for that build above?

Robert Rodriguez2 said:If you're really worried about it, just pick up a UPS... that should solve the problem. 🙂

How much does this run me? And is it actually an extension, or just some piece of junk destined for the trash...

I recently picked up one of those "smart" surge protectors—the ones that claim to be lightning-proof and all that—and I ended up plugging it into the outlet closest to the wall (out of the two available). That's not really how it works, is it...?

Nah, you don't need it.

And this

could easily handle THREE of your rigs at once, and it's super quiet too.

If you're really dead set on getting something new,
Number

The cheaper LC Power ones are totally fine.

Honestly, you might end up throwing money away a few different times. First, by buying an overpriced PSU that doesn't actually solve anything. Second, if it turns out the issue isn't even the power supply (which happens more than you'd think!). And third, spending cash on a UPS when you should've just hired an electrician who'll probably tell you your house grounding is a mess.

So—just find someone who can lend you a decent PSU to test with, or take your rig over to a shop to see what actually needs replacing.

placidcanyon2 said:No, you don't need it.

Even this
http://www.google.com
can handle THREE of your rigs easily, and it stays very quiet...

If you really want something new,
http://www.amazon.com/chicony-hpd4...Model Number

The cheaper LC Power units are fine.

Otherwise, you might end up throwing money away multiple times. First, on an overpriced power supply that serves no purpose. Second, if it turns out the issue isn't even the power supply (which is totally possible!). And third, on a UPS instead of hiring an electrician who will probably just conclude the grounding wasn't done properly.

So—find someone who can lend you a working power supply for testing, or take your rig to someone who can test it so you know exactly what needs replacing.

thanks 😢

if someone decides the grounding is messed up—there's nothing to be done then, right? (tearing down walls isn't an option at the moment)...