Which PSU should I buy?

Alexander Moore67 said:Look, my lazy little scientist friend—in the world of power supplies, the formula is simple: quality equals price.
Trying to run an AMD Radeon 6950 on a PSU like the one $100 is 🤣
And honestly, not reading a single thread about power supplies is just being a bit shortsighted.

I’m no scientist, I’ve got a PhD, actually—but regarding power supplies, he immediately tells me it won't work and suggests I should just $67 buy something higher-end instead. He keeps pushing that 400W unit on me... it isn't that I can't afford to shell out for $67 something better, it's just that I was asking if this specific one could actually handle my GPU...

That power supply might hold up, but I'd probably just shell out a few extra bucks and grab an XFX 450W instead; it should handle it fine without any issues.
Honestly, don't sweat those manufacturer recommendations too much—they usually just overspec everything so they don't get blamed when cheap units fail.

I thought you were stuck with $100 and didn't have a dime left to spare, my bad 😁

Maybe just grab an EVGA 560W unit for $117 and call it a day. That AMD card is okay, I guess, but $17 is definitely more budget-friendly.

fadedorca66 said:That power supply might hold up, but honestly? I'd rather spend an extra bit of cash and just grab something like an XFX 450W—it'll handle it without any issues.
Don't listen to those manufacturer recommendations too closely... they always pad the numbers just to protect themselves from cheap power supplies.

I thought you were strictly capped at $100 and didn't have a cent more to spare—my bad! 😁

heheh no worries 🙂) I'll take a look now, maybe I'll end up picking up that AMD card after all

So, my crappy MS-400 ATX power supply bit the dust today. A fuse popped. Just like that. Is that fuse actually replaceable, or am I just looking at a paperweight? Also, any chance this thing took other components down with it? What should I be looking for? And if I have to bite the bullet and buy a new PSU, what’s the move? Any recommendations?

It’s possible—but honestly, if you didn't see a massive cloud of white smoke billowing out of the case, things are probably fine. You won't really know for sure until you swap in a different power supply and test it.

hollowranger33 said:My MS-400 ATX P4 just crapped out on me today—blown fuse. Is that thing even replaceable, or am I screwed?

It's replaceable.

Is it actually possible that the PSU took other components down with it? If so, which ones?

It’s possible, though you can't really pin down exactly which ones.

And if I actually have to go out and buy a new power supply, what do you guys recommend?

How much cash do you think you're gonna blow on this?

Christian Torres3 said:It’s replaceable.

It's possible, but you can't really guess which ones without looking.

How much cash are you planning to drop on this?

Around 300-$133

This is a Fortron unit—definitely not MicroStation quality—and it’s a total steal if you want a solid 400W for $70.

I've got a brand new CX430 sitting here, so if anyone's looking for one, just shoot me a PM.

I used this power supply and it handles my AMD Radeon 6950 just fine—no issues at all. 🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:I used this power supply and it runs an AMD Radeon 6950 2GB just fine without any issues🙂

😵

That isn't even the V2 version and it lacks an 80+ certification. Honestly, the XFX 450W is cheaper and significantly better, not to mention the Mushkin 500W which is about twenty bucks less. -.-

Honestly, my main priority is just making sure it can handle my GPU—if I end up doing CrossFire later on, I’ll just upgrade to a beefier power supply then. 🙂 I mean, at the end of the day, Corsair is Corsair. I don't regret paying a bit extra for peace of mind knowing I have a quality unit instead of some random off-brand junk—no offense to Mushkin

Look, if it works for you, fine, but that doesn't mean it's the gold standard or something everyone should be buying right now. Corsair makes solid power supplies, except for that CX series which is pretty mediocre—the V2 is better, but the original version was kind of a disaster. Mushkin is a decent manufacturer too; their units just recently hit the US market, and they aren't bad by any means.

Alright, look—I wasn't really trying to tell everyone else what to buy. I just wanted to mention that I picked up this power supply for myself and I'm honestly pretty happy with it—it’s running perfectly with my new graphics card, so I figured I'd share the good news with you all. 🙂

You could honestly argue that CX and Mushkin are basically in the same league, though Corsair manages to squeeze out a higher price tag just because their name carries more weight at the register.

When you actually put the CX v2 up against the original version, the gap isn't nearly as wide as people like to claim. One of the main reasons for the update was simply to slap that white 80 Plus badge on it, nothing more.🙂

Hey everyone, I was hoping those of you with a bit more experience or technical insight could weigh in on a dilemma I'm facing...

Option 1: Mushkin Enhanced Volta 500 W - price $100

Option 2: XFX Core edition 80 550 w - featuring EasyRail technology $164

I’m assuming the second one is the higher quality choice here, but I can't help wondering if it's worth the extra cash $67 or if the Mushkin would actually get the job done just fine...

The build I'm looking at is as follows:

Intel Corei5 2500 k AsRock

AsRock Z68 gen3

8 GB DDR3

Seagate Barracuda 750 GB

GPU 1: AMD Radeon 6870 GPU 2

GPU 2: NVIDIA 9800 GT (specifically for PhysX)...

Let me know if I missed any crucial details. Honestly, if that first Mushkin unit can handle this setup without any major issues, I'd much rather save that money $67 for something else... I'm also open to suggestions for a different power supply in the $167 range if neither of these is really up to the task...

Thanks

If you aren't planning on overclocking, that MS-400W (Fortron 400W) 80+ unit should hold up just fine. $70 But if you're looking to push things with an overclock, you’ll definitely want the XFX-550W.

mistymason72 said:Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice from the veterans here on a bit of a dilemma.

Option 1: Mushkin Enhanced Volta 500 W - price $100

Option 2: XFX Core edition 80 550 w - featuring EasyRail technology $164

I’m assuming the second one is higher quality, but is it worth the extra cash? $67 How much does it actually cost to upgrade if the Mushkin can handle it?

The build I'm looking at is:

Intel Corei5 2500 k AsRock

AsRock Z68 gen3

8 GB DDR3

Seagate Barracuda 750 GB

GPU 1: AMD Radeon 6870 GPU 2

GPU 2: Nvidia 9800 GT (for PhysX support)

Let me know if you need more details. Honestly, if that first Mushkin unit won't blow up my system, I'd rather save the money $67 for something else. Also, if neither of these is a good choice, any recommendations under $167 would be appreciated...

Thanks

I’m actually looking at that Mushkin right now... those two power supplies aren't even in the same league. There is a very good reason for the difference in $67.

In other words—go with the XFX.

If he’s just looking to overclock, an XFX 450w unit will cut it.