Which PSU should I buy?

Hey, just make sure you grab the third version—the one with 384W on the 12V rail.

Maybe—and that's a big maybe—I'll get the chance to pick up a GTX 1060. But honestly, I’m a bit worried about my power supply; it feels like it might be cutting it a little too close. Plus, I don't exactly have an extra $100 lying around to go out and buy a new unit right now. I'm currently running a Corsair CX 500 V2-80 Plus. I did a little digging online, and it looks like my current card (the 6950) pulls about 200W, while this one would add another 44W to the load...

Larry Ortiz5 said:I might have a chance to pick up a GTX 1060, but I'm worried about my power supply. It feels like I'd be cutting it way too close, and honestly, I don't have an extra $100 lying around to upgrade the PSU right now. I'm running a Corsair CX 500 V2-80 Plus. I did some digging online, and since my current card (the 6950) pulls about 200W, this one would just add another 44W to the load...

As long as you aren't overclocking, the power supply should be fine. I'm just curious what your plans are for the 6950.

Alexander Moore67 said:If you aren't overclocking, the power supply should be fine—I'm just wondering what your plans are for that 6950.

Do you mean overclocking the CPU? Or am I looking for an overkill PSU? I’d probably sell this one and put some extra cash toward a better unit, but nothing is set in stone yet. Honestly, I'm mostly just wondering if I can even fit everything in first—since, like I mentioned before, my budget for a new power supply is pretty much non-existent right now...

Larry Ortiz5 said:Do you think it's enough, or should I go for an overkill power supply? I'd sell this one and put some extra cash toward it, but nothing's set in stone yet. I'm mainly wondering if I can even get it installed first, since like I mentioned, my budget for a new PSU is pretty tight right now...

It depends on how much extra you need for the PSU. If you have to add more than $167 and you're running a monitor smaller than 1440p, then this upgrade isn't really worth it.

Alexander Moore67 said:It really just depends on how much extra wattage you need to add. If you're looking at adding more than $167 and you're still rocking a monitor smaller than 1440p, then this upgrade might be overkill for you.

I'm honestly not sure how much extra I'll need to shell out—I'm still waiting to hear back from the guy. My current setup is running on a 1680x1050 monitor, and while Far Cry 3 hits about 30-40 fps, things get pretty rough when I turn on 8x AAA—it drops down to a miserable 18-19 fps. When I think about all the big titles coming out in 2013, I'm starting to worry I won't even be able to run them on standard settings...

Larry Ortiz5 said:I'm not sure how much more I need to add, but I really need someone to get back to me. My monitor is running at 1680x1050 and I'm getting maybe 30-40fps in Far Cry 3, but once I turn on 8x AAA, it drops to a miserable 18-19. Thinking about all the games coming out in 2013, there's no way I'll be able to run them on decent settings..

Just check out the Far Cry 3 benchmarks here
http://benchmark3d.com/far-cry-3-benchmark
it looks like this game just isn't fully utilizing your graphics card

Alexander Moore67 said:Check out this Far Cry 3 benchmark
http://benchmark3d.com/far-cry-3-benchmark
this game just doesn't really push your GPU to its limits

That's actually what Benjamin King2 mentioned to me—that whenever I turn on AAA, instead of seeing an improvement, my frame rate just tanks? It ends up crawling along at barely 20fps. But looking at it, even a dual-core setup should be plenty for this one. Those older systems still struggle quite a bit. Thanks, User123 🙂

Does anyone know where I can pick up this power supply in the US?
Which company actually handles the distribution for SilverStone USA?

http://www.silverstonetek.com/produc...id=342&area=en

On this page, I saw a recommendation suggesting my PC needs 415W.

Since I'm currently running a four-year-old FSP Group unit—about 350W if I recall correctly—it looks like I'll need to pick up a new one.

The whole thing stems from some recent upgrades I'm planning, specifically swapping in a new processor, an extra HDD, and more RAM.

cpu (new): phenom II 710
mbo: Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H v1.0
hdd1 (existing): Hitachi HDP725032GLA360 (320 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA-II)
hdd2 (new): Western Digital green 500gb
ram (existing): ddr2 2x2gb
ram (new): ddr2 2x1gb
vga: nvidia gt240
dvd-rw: 2 units
pci: tv tuner (antenna), some gigabyte model
pci: wireless network card
peripherals + printer, scanner, usb hub, external Western Digital 2.5" 320gb

What would you suggest as a "best buy" in the 420-450W range? Something reliable but budget-friendly... 🙂

Maybe this one?
Or this?
Or perhaps this?
Or even this one??

Honestly, I’d just tell you to ignore those calculators—they don't have a lick of sense. Any of the power supplies you mentioned are perfectly fine, but the smartest move? Just stick with what you've already got. It’s plenty. That FSP Group unit with its actual 350W can handle this without breaking a sweat.

If you're really hell-bent on buying something new, just grab the cheapest Cooler Master you can find, but again, I'm telling you: you don't need to.

I mean, I’m perfectly fine sticking with my current setup for now without any issues 🙂, but what happens if it actually isn't enough? What are the real consequences here? Is there a chance the whole thing just dies on me? Because then I might end up spending way more on repairs than if I had just bought a cheap new unit in the first place...

It's available over at $131... assuming I guessed the right model, since there are a few different versions out there.

You can probably just stick with the Fortron; it’s more than enough. I mean, RAM and an HDD don't pull enough juice to justify buying a whole new power supply.

As for the CPU, this one has a slightly higher TDP, so it shouldn't really change the power draw much:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AM...0WFGIBOX).html
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/AMD...600CUBOX).html

If the PSU ends up being too weak (which, honestly, probably won't happen), the PC might just fail to boot or maybe shut down under a heavy load. I doubt anything will actually fry, though, since it's a decent enough unit.

Great, thanks! I’ll definitely give everything a shot using the old power supply first. If the system starts shutting down randomly for no reason, my first suspicion is going to be the PSU... 🙂
Thanks to everyone who helped out, even if I can't quite put my finger on how many times you've actually saved me!

dustyskipper77 said:It’s listed on PCMag for $131... assuming I actually picked the right model, since there are a few variations out there.

Unfortunately, it's unavailable there, and I can't find it anywhere else right now either.

🙂

Frank Doyle52 said:Unfortunately, it's out of stock everywhere right now and isn't currently available.

🙂

or

http://www.kupikupi.eu/power-supply-...-85/SST-ST45SF and here is a supplier in the US
http://www.it4profit.com/ecatalog/us...83&MNF=&VIEW=0

Jeffrey Chavez6 said:If you want my advice, I’d suggest you stop obsessing over those online calculators. They don't have a lick of common sense. Every single one of the power supplies you mentioned is perfectly adequate, but honestly, the smartest move here is to just stick with what you've already got. It’s more than enough for your needs. That Fortron unit is putting out its actual 350W without breaking a sweat, so there's really no reason to go looking for trouble.

fadedorca66 said:You can easily stick with the Fortron; honestly, it’s more than enough for what you need. Neither the RAM nor the HDD pull enough power to justify blowing money on a brand-new power supply.

Everything went exactly according to plan. Aside from the drive, everything is installed and running like an absolute dream! The performance jump is honestly phenomenal—I’d almost forgotten what it feels like to actually work on a machine that doesn't lag. 🙂 😉
Thanks, everyone!

What kind of high-quality power supply would you guys recommend for maybe $150 watts, specifically so I can make the most of this here setup, without it being too loud? I mean, it’s not my biggest priority, but I’d rather it didn't drone on like my neighbor's old diesel truck. If you know what I mean, haha

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XYZ123
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ABC456 (just make sure it's actually this one—the version 3
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DEF789