Which PSU should I buy?

So I finally stumbled upon the cheapest power supply that doesn't look like total garbage to me, this one:

analogtiger19 said:I mean, sure, it’s a Platinum unit, but honestly? That warranty period feels way too short for what they're asking you to shell out... You could probably find something around that same price point that actually gives you some decent coverage. So, I was looking at this Gold unit, and honestly, it comes with a five-year warranty, which I guess is alright if you're into that kind of thing.And honestly, even then, you’re still looking at a top-tier power supply since it's got a Seasonic unit tucked inside.

I mean, if my life actually depended on it, I’d probably pull the trigger and grab something from Newegg... but honestly, who knows?

So, I stumbled upon this one, just in case you're dead set on getting something with an 80 Plus Gold rating and a five-year warranty. I was just scrolling through some gear listings on a site like Newegg, and I stumbled upon this NESF-018 power supply unit. Honestly, looking at the specs and the build quality, I’m not totally sure what to make of it, but my gut tells me to be careful. It’s one of those things where you see a price that looks tempting, but then you start thinking about what's actually happening under the hood, you know? I guess it might work fine if you're just running a super basic setup, but if you're planning on putting anything remotely decent in your rig, I’d probably steer clear. Maybe it’s okay for a budget office PC or something, but for any serious gaming build, it feels like a bit of a gamble, which I usually try to avoid unless I'm feeling particularly reckless. Just my two cents, though—definitely do your homework before you pull the trigger on something like this.

It’s actually kind of wild, but when I first typed in the search for a Gold rated power supply, I got one set of results, and then I searched for the exact same thing again just now and got a completely different bunch... maybe it's just the algorithm acting up or something, I guess.

Finally, a decent price on that Antec Platinum model, though I wish the warranty was a bit longer. It’s okay, but it feels like they used a pretty standard platform and just tweaked things enough to hit that Platinum efficiency rating. Honestly, the Antec VPF series (OEM Delta) seems a bit better built, even if it’s just 80+ Bronze.

I mean, I honestly thought this Platinum unit was a pretty decent deal since the wattage isn't even that high... but then I start looking at the higher wattage stuff from Antec, and suddenly it doesn't seem cheap at all, nor does it look any less high-end than the others... I haven't really sat down to read through the reviews yet, so I'm kind of in the dark here... plus, does anyone actually know who Antec is as a manufacturer?

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/...-650_Platinum/

Delta, Enhance, FSP Group, and Seasonic all manufacture for Antec—and I think Super Flower does too, though I'm not entirely certain.

These new units stick pretty close to that stripped-back, no-frills vibe from the original lineup, but there's one massive catch that actually makes them worth it: they’re hitting those top-tier efficiency levels without asking for a ridiculous amount of cash. I guess what it really means is that someone on a tight budget can finally snag a Platinum unit without feeling like they're being robbed. If you can live with the super basic design—since you aren't getting any modular cables or those fancy little extra bells and whistles—then it's a solid deal.

Sounds good to me.

I finally pulled the trigger on a Fortron unit; the price point combined with that five-year warranty was just too hard to pass up... My only real hang-up now is deciding between the Hyper 700 or the Hyper 600 w modular version, and I’m looking for some insight beyond just how clean the cable management looks.
The 700W model is $186, while the modular 600W one is $196, so the actual cost isn't really the deciding factor here.

The build specs are: Intel i5-4590, Z170 motherboard, Intel SSD, Seagate HDD, 8GB 2800MHz DDR4, Zalman Z3 Plus case, and a GTX 960

Both power supplies would technically provide more than enough juice for this setup... If anyone has any specific reasoning that might tip the scales toward one over the other, I'm all ears.

Thomas Howard18 said:Ended up pulling the trigger on a Fortron. The price paired with that 5-year warranty just made sense... Now I'm stuck wondering if I should grab the Hyper 700 or the Hyper 600 w modular one. Any advice? Not really looking at cable aesthetics here.
The 700W version is $186, while the 600W modular is $196, so budget isn't the issue.

Build specs: i5-4590, Z170 motherboard, Intel SSD, Barracuda HDD, 8GB 2800MHz DDR4, Zalman Z3 Plus case, GTX 960

Either PSU has enough juice for this setup. Anyone have a reason to pick one over the other?

Go 600W modular. Honestly, even a 500W modular would be plenty.

The real kicker with that Antec Platinum compared to the Gold version is how it pulls its power from the 4 +12V rails, whereas the Gold model relies on a single heavy-duty rail—which is much better for those high-draw CPU and GPU setups. Plus, you’ve got that 5-year warranty on the Gold unit to sweeten the deal.

Timothy Kim60 said:The downside with that Platinum Antec compared to the Gold one is how it hits its power levels—it spreads it across those 4+12V rails, whereas the Gold uses one beefy rail (which is way better for heavy CPU & GPU loads). Plus, you get that 5-year warranty with the Gold version.

If you're talking about that thread between me and electricharbor30, you're halfway there... the Gold actually has two 12V rails, not just one (but it still pumps out more juice on the 12V side than the Platinum does).😁

Yep, when I'm writing from memory. Everything still holds up—better performance on the +12V rail, a longer warranty, and all that.

So here's one decent little budget power supply for you guys:

https://www.newegg.com/p/product/...ld_300w/686584

http://www.lc-power.com/index.php?id=341&L=1

http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=...+silver+shield

I guess you might find better deals at some of our local US retailers 😛

Honestly, for that kind of cash, you might as well just grab a Fortron Hexa 400 w 😒

What's the cheapest power supply I can grab for an Intel i5-4460 and an R9 380 2GB? Thanks!

LC6560GP3

Hey everyone! I could really use some advice on picking out a new power supply. I’ve got about $233 set aside for this, and I want to make sure I grab something high-quality since I’m planning to push my processor (Maximus VI Hero + G3258) through some serious overclocking. I don't have a dedicated graphics card yet, so a 500 W unit should be plenty of juice for now.

Honestly, you don't need anything better than this

It's semi-modular, plus it comes with a 5-year warranty

Five years on that one too

BTW, you could've just posted this in the "which power supply should I buy" thread

I'm running an XFX Core, and honestly, there's just one annoying thing about this PSU: the cables are way too short. I have no idea how TS manages to make it work in their setup, so just a heads-up for anyone else. 😉