Which PSU should I buy?

I honestly don't have a clue, to be truthful... You really ought to take a closer look at how that website actually conducts its testing methodology. I just glanced at the numbers pretty quickly, pairing it up with any random processor and a Radeon HD 5850, and I’m confident this power supply will handle things just fine...

wiredmarlin5, I’ve got a question for you, so maybe you could point me in the right direction. My options are kind of limited here, but I’m trying to figure out which one of these would actually be decent.

http://www.xfxforce.com/en-gb/produc...650X-NLG9.aspx

This is basically the full list I'm looking at. I guess I'm just looking for some constructive input on which one is the best value, or if there's one in particular that I should probably just avoid entirely.

The EVGA 650 W is hands down the absolute best power supply you can grab for that kind of money right now... honestly, if I were you, I'd just go ahead and pick one up immediately before they sell out at that price point!

wiredmarlin5 said:EVGA 650 W is probably the best power supply you can get for that kind of cash right now. I'd grab one immediately before they sell out at that price.

Just wanted to let you know I wiped the drivers, did a fresh install, and the card seems to be running fine now, I guess.

Anyway. You didn't actually answer my question about what the deal is with those EVGA units.

EVGA... I've always felt like their older series were total junk, though I honestly can't say for sure about the newer stuff out there lately...

I've been running an EVGA 600 W, and honestly, it’s been a pretty solid unit so far—no issues at all.🙂
I guess I don't know much about their specific specs, though.😛

What on earth are you all cramming into your rigs that requires more than 450W?
Do you seriously have dual GPUs and five hard drives running at once?

So I’ve been browsing the EVGA pages for the EVGA 600 W model...

Passive PFC (whereas most other power supplies on the market use Active PFC), an efficiency rating hovering around a measly 70%, a weight of 1.18kg, and some totally undeclared total wattage on the 12V rail... does anyone else feel zero confidence here? :/

I’m putting my money on wiredmarlin5’s recommendation: the EVGA 650 W is the way to go.

On the rails, are the +12V1 and V2 values combined, or are they measured separately? 😁

Usually, we're talking about the discrepancy between the capacity of a single 12V rail versus the combined total of all 12V rails.

I won't speculate here, but even if it actually claims 2x18A—meaning 36A or 432W (which I highly doubt)—that’s a pretty underwhelming figure for a modern 600W power supply.

Take a quick look at the spec sheets from Corsair, Antec, Cooler Master, Seasonic, and the rest. You'll realize exactly what's going on right away.🙂

Yeah, 2x18A, so I guess it should hold up until I can pick up an HD 4870 or a GeForce GTS 250 to replace my current 8600 GT 🙂

bluebison8 said:What on earth are you guys running in these rigs that requires more than 450W?
Are you packing dual GPUs and five hard drives?

Just playing it safe.
Power supplies generally hit their peak efficiency at around 80% of their maximum capacity. I guess having some extra headroom just lets you sleep better at night.😁

wiredmarlin5 said:The PSU puts out 480W, the GPU pulls about 130W... it's simple math. 🙂

I've got a 4890 with a 190W max power draw.

The 5850 doesn't need anything less than that.
Newer processors can pull up to 150W.

In my opinion, anything from Corsair at 400W and up gets the job done. Personally, I’m running a 650W unit—just in case I decide to pull the trigger on a Crossfire setup down the road.

Anyway, quick question.

What’s the actual difference between using two dedicated 6-pin PCI-E connectors versus just slapping a dual Molex adapter on there?

I've got two 6-pin connectors from Corsair for my 4890, but my old rig—which was basically just high-grade junk—didn't have a single PCIe connector on the 4850.

crimsonstag84 said:Yeah, 2x18A. Should hold up until I can grab an HD 4870 or a GeForce GTS 250 to replace this old 8600 GT🙂

I'd suggest going for the 4890. It isn't much more than the 4870 (pretty sure you can find them for under $433) and it’s a significant step up

wiredmarlin5 said:😁 All he needs is the adapter that comes with the card. He doesn't need a beefier power supply.

Signed.

Regarding the theoretical max power draw for the Radeon HD 5850... it's significantly lower than the previous generation (the 4890 pulls 190W, while the 5850 sits at 151W).

We're talking about maximum TDP here, obviously—not actual consumption, which usually hovers below those peak values (the 5850 pulls around ~130W).

Add the CPU's pull of 50-100W to that—plus the HDD, RAM sticks, and a few fans—and it becomes glaringly obvious that a power supply capable of delivering 480W is actually overkill for this setup.🙂

I find myself in need of a new power supply unit... I am looking for something that strikes the ideal balance between cost-effectiveness and actual reliability—essentially, I want something that isn't absolute garbage for this specific setup:
ASRock 775v88 motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 3.00 GHz processor
2GB G.Skill DDR400 RAM
ATI 9600XT 256MB graphics card
160GB Western Digital HDD
If there is any other hardware information required, please let me know.
I previously attempted to use a 400W unit I picked up at a garage sale, but it proved to be quite useless; despite all the cables being properly seated, the system refused to cooperate. All I got was a steady green light with absolutely no sign of booting or life beyond the fans spinning.

Olivia Watson46 said:I find myself in need of a new power supply unit... what would be considered the most reliable yet budget-friendly option (assuming we aren't talking about absolute garbage) for this specific setup:
ASRock 775v88 motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 3.00 GHz processor
2GB G.Skill DDR400 RAM
ATI 9600XT 256MB graphics card
160GB Western Digital HDD
If any further details are required, please let me know.
I previously attempted to purchase a power supply from a local thrift shop, but it failed to function even at 400W; despite all cables being properly seated, the system refused to boot, leaving me with nothing but a glowing green light and spinning fans.

Would this be a suitable choice?

My primary concern is that the unit remains quiet.

Hey there..
My old power supply gave up the ghost yesterday. I took my rig down to a local shop to get it looked at, and they swapped out the unit for me.

Look, I’m no expert when it comes to Hardware, and honestly, I have no clue what kind of unit I was running before—though it had been humming along just fine for five or six years.

Here’s the issue:
-- The second I powered this thing on after getting it back from the shop:
-- It sounds like a damn freight train.

The invoice says the brand is LinkWorld 460W.

I don't have much experience here, but is this new power supply actually causing all this noise? I never had this problem until yesterday.

Any advice? Should I head back to that shop and demand a different unit—something that actually functions correctly and, more importantly, runs significantly quieter?

Because this is honestly exhausting and loud as hell.

Thanks.

Well, I suppose that’s just what you get when you opt for budget power supplies—basically overpriced paperweights. The real question is how much you actually intend to shell out for a reliable unit, given the specific components you're running. If silence is your main priority for $127, maybe you could look into the Corsair CX400W...

Thomas Martin4 said:That’s just what you get when you buy cheap power supplies—they're loud. It really comes down to how much you're willing to shell out and what kind of hardware you're actually running. If silence is the goal for $127, you could look at a Corsair CX400W...

Thanks, man.

Since I already dropped cash on $60, I figured I might be able to squeeze out another $67 if it actually buys me some peace and quiet 😉.

The only issue is whether my local shop even carries Corsair, and what the markup is going to be once they quote me.

Appreciate the help though. Cheers.