Which PSU should I buy?

The Seasonic ST50F-ES and the Seasonic ST50F-ES230 (the title actually mislabels it as the ST50F-230, which is an old model they don't even make anymore; the actual product ID says ST50F-ES230) are both Sirtec OEMs and pull the exact same wattage on the +12V rail. Based on this, the only real difference is the connector layout and the fact that it isn't 80+ certified—though since it's a newer unit, it probably picked up an 80+ rating by now, the specs just haven't been updated yet. And this looks pretty solid to me.

Which one of these is the better pick?

Or maybe there's a better alternative at Best Buy or somewhere else?

XFX is probably the best choice here.

XFX definitely

Look, Zalman or Corsair aren't bad brands...

But if you've got the cash, go with XFX hands down.

I was thinking about picking this up because I’m currently stuck with a 400W Chieftec unit that’s absolute garbage—it starts overheating after just ten minutes of being under a full load.
Would a 450W power supply even be enough for this setup:
an i3 2600MHz, an ASRock Z77 Pro3, and an overclocked Sapphire HD 7850 with 2GB?

The difference is $33 and it feels like that should be more than enough juice for these parts. I'm heading out to buy it tomorrow, so I'm just sitting here waiting on some advice. 😁

That XFX 450 is more than enough for you. He’s actually holding onto something way more powerful than that...

So, I've got this setup running an AMD Athlon II x4 750k paired with an AMD Radeon HD 7750. Which of these two power supplies is actually enough to keep this rig stable?

or maybe

Doesn't really matter, either one of those two should handle it just fine. The Corsair is modular and comes with an extra year of warranty, though I guess it does cost a bit more.

Alright, here’s what I’m running right now:
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P5KPL-AM
CPU: Intel Dual Core E5200 2.50 GHz (planning to swap in a Quad-core once I save up enough cash)
GPU: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850
RAM: 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz (2x2GB)
Hard Disks: 1x250 GB (might add a 320 or 500 GB one later on)
OPTICAL DRIVES: 1x LG DVD Rom

What kind of power supply can handle this setup? I'm looking for something in the $100 range. Ideally, I’d love to find a shop that carries it locally in Indianapolis, but if not, somewhere in a major hub like Chicago would work—I can always find someone to help me get it delivered. So far, people have suggested the Corsair CX 430W, an EVGA Real Power ECO Silent bronze 500W, or an ATX Seasonic 400W SuperLowNoise bulk unit. Do you guys know of any other options they might stock, and which of those three is actually the best bet? Thanks!

Personally, I’d probably just go with the Corsair CX 430—it feels like a step up in quality compared to the others listed, plus you'll actually have some extra headroom left over...

swiftfalcon89 said:Alright, here's my current setup:
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P5KPL-AM
CPU: Intel Dual Core E5200 2.50 GHz (planning on upgrading to a Quad-core once I save up enough cash)
GPU: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850
RAM: 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz (2x2GB)
Hard Disks: 1x250 GB (might add a 320 or 500 GB one later)
OPTICAL DRIVES: 1x LG DVD Rom

What kind of power supply would be sufficient for this build? My budget is around $100 and ideally, I'd like to find a shop that has it in stock in Indianapolis. If not, maybe somewhere in a major city like Chicago, and I can just have someone drive it over to me. So far, people have suggested the Corsair CX 430W, an EVGA Real Power ECO, or a 400W Seasonic... Do you guys know of any other options they might carry, and which of these three is actually the best pick? Thanks!

Check this out in Indianapolis

Online retailer

it should hold up just fine.

swiftfalcon89 said:Alright, here’s what I'm running:
Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-AM
CPU: Intel Dual Core E5200 2.50 GHz (I guess I'll swap this out for a Quad-core once I save up enough cash for it.)
Graphics Card: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850
RAM: 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz (2x2GB)
Hard Disks: I've got one 250 GB drive in there for now, though I might toss in another 320 or 500 GB one later on.
Optical drives: one LG DVD-ROM.

Maybe you could just hang onto that power supply for a future build too... I guess it might come in handy.

I guess this link leads to some power supplies over at a retailer. Looks like they have a decent selection of units available if you're looking to swap one out.

crimsonstag84 said:Go for it. You could even reuse that power supply for a future build...

I’d love to, but my wallet is looking pretty thin right now😬—honestly, I'll probably have to scramble to find the extra cash just to cover this 350W unit$17. It's a bit of a tight spot😬. Thanks, everyone. So, we're looking at the Corsair CX430W, then. But if that isn't available, how solid would that 400W Seasonic be as an alternative?

And honestly, you might want to try saving up for a Corsair—they're just solid pieces of gear compared to Seasonic.

swiftfalcon89 said:I'm down, but I don't have all that cash lying around😬 which means even for this $350 option, I'll have to scrape together those extra bucks from somewhere else.$17 Man, money is tight right now.😬 Thanks, everyone. So, we're looking at the Corsair CX430W, but if that wasn't an option, how good would that 400W Seasonic solution be?

If you really, truly need to stay under $100 in Indianapolis
(though just keep in mind it won't look exactly like the photo)

Timothy Kim60 said:If you really, truly had to head down to $100Indianapolis
(though it probably won't look anything like the photo)

Actually, I think I’m just going to grab the Corsair CX 430 for $117. It feels like a higher quality unit to me, and honestly, that 36-month warranty is hard to pass up. 🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:And honestly, try to save up for a Corsair unit. They're much better quality than what you get from Seasonic.

I'm looking at the specs here, and it says the efficiency for the Corsair CX430 is around 80%. Does that mean it's actually only putting out about 340-350W?

swiftfalcon89 said:I see it says the efficiency for the Corsair CX 430 is around 80%—does that mean it’s actually only putting out about 340-350W?

When you're looking at quality power supplies, you have those 80 Plus/Bronze/Silver/Gold certifications. Those basically guarantee the unit maintains over 80% efficiency across 20%, 50%, and 100% loads. So, honestly, don't sweat it—that Corsair is more than enough for your setup. It really does deliver the wattage it claims to. Just a bit of advice? Avoid those cheap units listed for $100-$67 that claim to offer, say, 500W when they probably won't even have an 80+ certification.

You can read all about how that works here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

Larry Ortiz5 said:If you're looking at quality power supplies, look for those 80 Plus/Bronze/Silver/Gold certifications. They basically guarantee the unit hits over 80% efficiency when you're running it at 20, 50, or even 100% load. You don't need to stress; that Corsair unit is more than enough for your setup. It actually delivers the wattage it claims to. I'd steer clear of those cheap $100-$67 ones that claim to offer 500 W but likely won't have an 80+ rating anyway.

You can read up on the details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

Got it, thanks. So it should be able to handle those new upgrades I mentioned? (Switching from Dual to Quad Core and adding another one of those Hard Disks?)