Which PSU should I buy?

There's already a thread about desktop power supplies, but just a heads-up: wattage isn't everything. Brand matters just as much. For instance, a 520W Seasonic unit might actually be a better bet than an EVGA 550W one from Micro Center... so, where do you guys usually shop?

darkowl72 said:There’s already a thread about power supplies on the desktop PC subforum. By the way, wattage isn't everything. Brand matters too. A Seasonic 520W unit might be solid, whereas an EVGA 550W from Best Buy could be different. Where are you even shopping?

I use online retailers since I live in a small town where there aren't any computer shops, but I can order stuff easily.
What's the actual difference if I pick an MS 550W versus an EVGA 550W? Aside from quality, I assume they should be roughly the same if they both claim to be 550W, right?

Both of them are going to pull from that 550W supply, but let's be real—the EVGA unit will actually deliver the full 550W you expect, whereas the MS one is probably only giving you about 350W of actual juice. 🙂

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K
GPU:
ZOTAC Radeon HD 7850, AMP! Edition 1GB GDDR5
RAM:
4 GB DDR3 1333 MHZ (likely Kingston HyperX series)
HDD:
A 1 TB SATA3 drive...
MOTHERBOARD:
ASRock 890GX EXTREME4
CASE (I realize this doesn't affect the power supply, but I'll include it just in case you have thoughts 😉):
Cooler Master Elite

I am looking for some advice on a quality power supply that is sufficient for this build while remaining budget-friendly. The vendor I am purchasing these parts from suggested a 650-700W unit. I worry he might be trying to upsell me unnecessarily. Thank you all for your help! 🙂

James Fisher11 said:I’ve been staring at this listing for a while now—trying to make sense of what they’re actually offering here—and I have to say, it feels a bit like looking at a relic from a different era. It's one of those situations where you wonder if the person who wrote the description was even using a computer when they did it. The specs are... well, they're specific, I suppose. But looking at the hardware listed, it really makes you think about how much things have shifted. We aren't exactly living in the age of the Intel Pentium Dual-Core anymore, are we? Not unless you're trying to run a calculator from 2005. If you're actually considering picking this up for anything more demanding than checking your email, you might want to reconsider—unless, of course, you enjoy the feeling of waiting an eternity for a single webpage to load. That’s just my two cents, anyway. I tend to overthink these things—it's a bad habit, I know—but some things just don't add up when you look closely.

Just take my advice and stop asking questions—seriously. It’s blindingly obvious that you’re just looking to drop extra cash on some overpriced, unnecessary hardware that you don't actually need. That power supply James Fisher11 suggested? It’s more than enough for your setup—honestly, it's plenty.☕

Personally, I’d go with the EVGA 550 for that price point—but then again, that’s just my two cents. 😁

Thomas Martin4 said:Personally, I'd go with the EVGA 550 for that price. But hey, that's just my take. 😁

I agree. If you aren't planning on overclocking, even an EVGA 450w should do the job.

I’ve been doing a bit of digging online, and apparently, they’re manufactured in the same facilities as Corsair. People seem to say they aren't bad at all, and I'm particularly drawn to the claims about them being quiet. Given my current setup—an Intel Pentium Dual-Core paired with an HD 4850, two WD Black drives, and one WD Blue—would this be a decent fit for my rig? I’d love to hear any general thoughts or opinions out there. I don't have any immediate plans for a major hardware overhaul, but my current 400W power supply is struggling; I can practically hear it gasping for air under the load. 😁

gentleowl66 said:I’ve been doing some reading online, and a lot of people say they're made in the same factory as Corsair and aren't bad at all. I'm actually pretty interested because I heard they're quite quiet. Since I'm running an Intel Pentium Dual-Core with an HD 4850—which runs pretty hot—along with two WD Black drives and one WD Blue, would this be a good fit for my setup? What are your general thoughts? I don't have any immediate plans to upgrade to anything more powerful, but my current 400W power supply is definitely struggling and making way too much noise. 😁

You'll be fine.

Alexander Moore67 said:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/power-supply...
You're awfully relaxed about this.

👍 That EVGA is definitely the better call.

I am planning to pick up a Cooler Master Elite case, which I intend to equip with five fans and perhaps some LED strips or neon lighting. My manager suggested I opt for a 650W power supply, yet I have seen recommendations for 450W elsewhere. I am concerned that 450W might be insufficient, and I would prefer not to run the unit at its absolute maximum capacity. Would a 550W unit be adequate to ensure the power supply isn't overstressed, assuming it is a high-quality model?
Intel Core i7-2600K and a Radeon HD 7850.

Five fans, some LED strips, maybe some neon accents—none of that is going to tank your power supply. Honestly, I think that EVGA 450W unit you mentioned would actually handle it just fine, but if you want to sleep better at night, here are two beefier options:

Going with 650W for a build like yours is just overkill..

And what if I decided to pick up another graphics card down the road? Also, what kind of build would you suggest to make a 650W power supply feel just right?

This should be plenty if you're running two Radeon HD 7850s and you'll still have about 50-100W of headroom left under load.

I think this might actually be the better deal 🙂

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=5030

What if I decide on an Intel Core i5-2500K instead of the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition? In that case, what kind of power supply would you recommend?

Intel pulls 30W less than AMD does.

Please bear with me if this sounds like a total newbie question—I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to hardware stuff, so I appreciate your patience! 😁

So, here's the deal: my current PC case came with a built-in 420W ATX power supply, and it's honestly starting to give up the ghost—the fan is making this loud grinding noise and struggling, so I think it's on its last legs.

I want to swap it out for something newer, ideally without spending more than about $60. This one looks okay to me:

That said, I have a few concerns about whether it'll actually work for my setup.
On my old unit, the fan is located at the back, but this new one has the fan on the bottom. I've heard those modern designs are supposedly better for cooling—but will it even fit inside my case?

Besides just following the ATX standard, what else should I look out for to make sure I don't buy something that won't physically fit?
If you have any better recommendations, please let me know. I'm not really a hardcore gamer and don't plan on upgrading much, though I do enjoy a casual session of Call of Duty every now and then. 😁

Oh, also—my graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce.

Thanks so much for the help! 🙂

Honestly, you might want to grab this instead—decent Chieftec units usually run a bit higher than the one you linked here:

As far as the build goes, you won't have any issues getting it mounted—the fan will just pull air through the case and vent it right out the back panel.