Which PSU should I buy?

Why isn't there any info on this online? It’s such a joke. And honestly, you shouldn't even bother looking at power supplies under $40. There's nothing worth buying below that price point—nothing high quality. Is it really worth the risk?

Benjamin King2 said:It's alright, I guess, but nothing special. Those fans can get pretty loud sometimes.

A buddy is offering me one for $117?
I just hope it isn't some cheap knockoff that claims to be 500w but actually pulls closer to 300w.

They're high quality... but this guy is selling it for just 300 🙂

Alright, now everyone’s gonna see 🙂

I mean, there's really no telling if it's actually a good deal or not, especially if the hardware is getting old...
how old is that power supply exactly? I see they've been making them for like 6 or 7 years now, and from what I just quickly looked up online, some of those older models from back in 2007 supposedly had some kind of defect.

My neighbor's power supply just kicked the bucket, so he needs a replacement.

Intel Core i5 CPU
NVIDIA GTX 1650

Which one of these two is actually any good? vs.

Budget is capped at $117

Thoughts on this ATX EVGA Power Supply 500 w Retail?

I picked up this power supply a little while back—it’s been running for over a month now—and honestly, the price seemed just right... though I find myself hoping it actually delivers that 520W rating printed on the unit. The guy at the shop mentioned there are plenty of 520W options out there that are significantly better, but they come with a much higher price tag. I can't quite wrap my head around what the actual difference is... This specific model doesn't have many connectors—just two older generation ones and two newer ones, plus the 12V line for the motherboard and the standard 24-pin connectorhttp://www.chipoteka.hr/artikl/10344...er-520w-retail

That ATX EVGA Power Supply 500 w Retail $46 isn't actually going to pull 520W...
Sorry, but that thing is just straight-up junk

Exactly—stay far away from those power supplies.

Wait*, run!*
xD

Honestly, if I were you, I’d just go with Corsair

Or maybe, for about the same price, you could even snag a 600w unit

Kenneth Jackson3 said:already*, my bad*
xD

Anyway, if you're asking me, I'd tell you to just go with Corsair

http://www.bestbuy.com/power-supply...example

Or honestly, for about the same price, you could probably snag a 600w unit

http://www.newegg.com/power-supply...example

There’s really no need for those high-end power supplies anyway. It's probably a low-power build if I'm reading this right, so if it's just meant to $47 "hold up" the components... an LC Power 460W would be plenty, and they aren't expensive, maybe around 30-$133

I was wondering if someone might be able to recommend a decent power supply unit up to $133 ($183 max)?
I’ve been looking at this one: ANTEC VP450P EC 450w, which I saw over at Best Buy priced at $120.
Just to give some context, I suppose I am planning on using a 65W TDP processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 (or maybe a 7770 if I find the extra cash lying around unexpectedly)

That power supply should handle it just fine—the 7750 or 7770 aren't exactly power hogs. Personally, though, I’d probably skip that one since I don't see an 80+ rating anywhere, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me 😁. If it were my money, I'd look at something like this instead:

It's the same power supply. Just non-modular, and you save about $5 🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:Well, that power supply should hold up just fine, honestly. A 7750 or even a 7770 aren't exactly huge power hogs. Personally, though, I probably wouldn't opt for that specific unit because, unless I'm just going blind here, I don't see any 80+ rating mentioned anywhere 😁. If it were me, I’d look at this instead:

I suppose I was looking through all those different deals and I completely forgot to check the efficiency ratings... and yeah, I missed the fact that there isn't an 80+ label
. Anyway, I took a look at the one you suggested and it seems decent enough, except for the fact that it shows 36A on the 12V rail? Is it possible the max is actually 20A on the 12V line? Also, if we do the math, 36*12 equals 432, which feels a bit... well, silly
. I guess I have just one more question: Is it actually better to pick up a power supply that has a single 12V rail versus one with multiple rails (like 12V1, 12V2)?
I think I read somewhere that having more rails might allow for more power delivery, assuming the individual 12V rail is limited to 20A. So, if I end up with a power supply that has two 12V rails, does that mean I get two cables? And would one go to the motherboard while the other just sits there as decoration? 🤷

Robert Rodriguez2 said:It's basically the same power supply—just without the modular cables, and it's maybe $5 cheaper.🙂

Oh man, my bad! I didn't realize it was a modular unit at all.

Michael Smith93 said:I just have one more question: Is it better to grab a power supply with a single 12V rail or one with multiple rails (like 12V1, 12V2)?
I read somewhere that having more rails might allow for more power delivery, since a single 12V rail can be limited to 20A. If I get a PSU with two 12V rails, does that mean I get two cables? Does one go to the motherboard while the other just sits there as decoration?🤷

It’s basically the same thing, so don't sweat it... and no, you won't end up with an extra cable lol, so don't worry about anything just sitting there as decoration.😂

Michael Smith93 said:Basically, I checked out yours and it looks solid—except for that 36A on the 12V rail? Isn't the limit usually 20A for 12V? Plus, 36*12=432... lol.
I’ve just got one more thing to ask: Is it actually better to grab a PSU with a single 12V rail or one with multiple rails (like 12V1, 12V2)?
I read somewhere that having multiple rails lets you pull more power (since a single 12V rail might be capped at 20A). So if I get a PSU with two 12V rails, does that mean I get two cables? And then one goes to the motherboard while the other just sits there looking pretty? 🤷

That 240VA per rail thing is ancient—it's an old ATX spec that hasn't been relevant for ages. As for the multi-rail situation, most PSUs just have one single 12V source that's split up into two, three, or more circuits. Each circuit has its own current limit so the whole thing doesn't start emitting white smoke. One powers the board, one hits the CPU, one handles the GPU, and so on. None of them are just "decorations."

A real-deal example of a unit with two truly independent rails—meaning two actual voltage sources—would be something like the Corsair HX 1000; those are basically two 500W power supplies crammed into the same housing.

Looks like my power supply finally gave up the ghost (still waiting on a full diagnostic to be sure)... since this rig is getting a bit seasoned at about 3 years old—though it’s actually a pretty beefy machine that handles BF3 on medium without breaking a sweat—I could use some solid recommendations for a replacement. I suspect something like this is what's currently sitting inside the case: