Which PSU should I buy?

Do they actually have physical stores in the States? I see shipping is $15, but honestly, it feels like I might as well just walk into a local shop and buy it myself (I'm talking about Best Buy right now).

They've got a branch right there in Washington, D.C.

I'm based out of Miami, so I'd really love some local tech shop recommendations around here. If anyone knows a spot where the quality is actually decent but the prices aren't highway robbery, please let me know.

There’s a Link's branch right by the Great Wall of China, and they're running a sale this Saturday on the Silverpower 400W: for $106. Heads up, this deal is only happening this Saturday!

So, is this thing actually going to give me smooth performance, a quiet setup, and won't just die on me mid-game? Does anyone have an actual review for this PSU?

http://www.google.com/translate?lang...threadid=27712

Honestly, there shouldn't be any issues...

I'm thinking about picking up this card: http://www.hgspot.com/53497/vga-pci-e-zotac-gf-gts-250 now I'm wondering where to find a power supply that can actually handle it... I've got two HDDs—320GB and 500GB—a DVD-ROM, 2GB of RAM, and I'm planning to bump that RAM up by another 2GB. Basically, looking for something I can grab on a 12-month installment plan without it costing more than $133...

Fortron PNF400W vs. Corsair CX400W

James Castillo8 said:So you mean I can grab the power supply on a 12-month plan without it costing more than $133roughly this much
?

On installments? Check out this deal over at Best Buy
.

Michael Reed72 said:On an installment plan? Check out this at Best Buy
.

I was actually planning on financing the whole thing—grabbing this card along with something like a $333 $12 monthly payment $33... I like that it has 4x SATA connectors so I can skip the converters. It's not breaking the bank either, and honestly, how much would that Fortron unit cost up there? I don't know the first thing about power supplies, but they're easily the most critical part... 😁

James Castillo8 said:I was actually planning on getting it on a payment plan along with a card up to $333 for 12 monthly installments $33... I really like that it has 4x SATA connectors so I won't need any converters, plus it isn't too pricey. How much would that Fortron unit cost above that? Honestly, I don't know the first thing about power supplies, and those are super important...😁

Fortron is around $100 at AMD, but the installment plan would end up being more. Link's is pricey, but the price is the same whether you pay cash or use a plan, so that SP would cost exactly what's listed. You might even find a graphics card or a Radeon HD 4850 there that's way cheaper but performs just the same!

Michael Reed72 said:Fortron is about $100 at AMD, but financing would bump the price up... Link's is pricey, but since they don't charge extra for installments, you'd pay the sticker price regardless. You could probably find a graphics card or an Radeon HD 4850 over there that's way cheaper—performance should be pretty much the same anyway.

I was actually just looking at that Radeon HD 4850—honestly, it was my first choice, along with that version with the Zalman cooler... but Link's doesn't have the 4850 in stock. If the $67it's cheaper and the performance is basically identical, I don't see why I'd hesitate... unless there's some weird difference between 256 and 128-bit memory bandwidth?

The 4850 has a 256-bit bus too, so the performance is pretty much neck-and-neck with the GeForce GTS 250...

Michael Reed72 said:It’s got a 256-bit bus just like the 4850—performance is basically a wash compared to the GeForce GTS 250.

Thanks. I'll probably just grab the 4850 then... honestly, I've always preferred ATI over NVIDIA anyway—I think I've owned at least five ATI cards over the years. Just gotta call them up and have the card shipped out to Washington, D.C....😁

Does it even matter which power supply I pick for a GeForce GTS 250... or this one the first one get the job done?

I'm looking at this card
...

James Castillo8 said:Does it matter if I use this power supply http://www.links.com/index.php?naziv=...kl=052.769.003 or this one http://www.links.com/index.php?option...kl=052.757.007 for a GeForce GTS 250? Can the first one work too?

for this card http://www.hgspot.com/53497/vga-pci-e-zotac-gf-gts-250

The first one should work just fine—no real issue there, I suppose...

I was thinking about this combo at the end—think it’ll work?

or

with:

keeping in mind that 550W option might be needed since the card calls for a 450W minimum...

Is it worth it, or is there a better way to go about this...

The SS 430W should definitely cut it, but what else is in the build? I mean, the difference is just $23, yet you get way more headroom with the SS 520W. Personally, I'd probably grab that one since it gives you much more room to upgrade things later on without any headaches 🙂

The card itself is decent, but you might find something better out there. I'm not sure if you have any kind of discount at HG-Spot, but is that where you're shopping? They tend to be a bit pricey...
For $17, you can actually snag a slightly better GeForce GTS 250, and for $17, I think I've seen the Radeon HD 4770, which is more efficient, much newer, and likely outperforms the 9800GT 😉

It’s not specifically for the GPU—it’s a 450W total capacity...

crimsonstag84 said:The SS 430W should be plenty—what else is in the build? Still, the difference is just $23, and you get way more headroom with the SS 520W... I’d grab that one if you want some breathing room for future upgrades without the headache 🙂

The card itself is fine, but there's better out there... don't know if you've got a discount at HG-Spot, which is where you're shopping? Because their prices are pretty steep...
For $17, you can actually snag a decent GTX 250, and for $17, I've seen an HD 4770 go for less—it's more efficient, much newer, and probably eats the 9800GT for breakfast 😉

No discount, just that they offer financing through a Chase credit card, so I was thinking about splitting the cost over 12 months... which means maybe the GTX 250 is the smarter play... then again, seeing as that 4770 isn't bad either, maybe I should just aim for a 4850?