Which PSU should I buy?

That’s exactly what I was thinking $193 + shipping $17

Or maybe this one:

Anything else seems like a bad deal, or just low quality, I guess.

I’m a fan of Gigabyte

Just wondering about this

650W Power Supply, CORSAIR VS series VS650 CP-9020098-EU, ATX, 120mm fan. $167

Nah.

Best Buy

Guys, I really need some help here...

I am looking for a new power supply unit for my old desktop, but it needs to be compatible with whatever components I pick up later. To be honest, I'm worried it might be time to retire this machine entirely within the next year or so...

My old Fortron 350 w has finally given up the ghost. It’s still technically running, but it isn't providing enough juice to keep all my components stable (before I did a thorough cleaning and lubricated the fan, the PC wouldn't even boot the DVD-RW, and everything just keeps crashing). I initially suspected a motherboard issue, but once I opened up the PSU, I saw several capacitors were bulging, and one even had a black scorch mark near the edge. It’s honestly a miracle this thing provides enough voltage to keep the system alive under these conditions.

The current setup consists of a Gigabyte AM2+ board, a Phenom II X3, 8GB of DDR2 RAM, and an NVIDIA graphics card—nothing particularly high-end. The GPU doesn't seem to require any extra power connectors, and there are two drives inside: a General Electric 1TB SATA drive and a hitachi 320gb drive....

So, this new PSU needs to handle this specific configuration (keeping connector types and other purchase considerations in mind), while also being fully compatible with my future build. That new machine will mainly be used for office applications, listening to music, watching videos, running AutoCAD, and general web surfing... Nothing overly demanding, though I'm certain it will be running in a 64-bit software environment, if that matters for determining the power requirements.

I don't think the PSU needs to be incredibly powerful, nor do I want it to be. My goal for the next build is to keep it as quiet and energy-efficient as possible, since it won't be a gaming rig. I don't see a reason to go over 450W, but I am certainly open to your professional suggestions.

I'm relying on local shops in San Diego, though I could order online. However, with these price points, shipping costs usually eat into the savings, so I think it would be more cost-effective to pick something up locally at San Diego retailers like Makromikro, Instar, or Links. I'm not even sure who else carries these things. 🙂

Anyway, please help me out with some advice. I specifically need you to clear up my doubts regarding whether a single PSU can bridge the gap between my old hardware and the new machine.

I'll include a few options that look decent in the post edit.

Best,

So, perhaps one of these?

MODECOM LOGIC 400 - $73

MODECOM Feel 400 - $76

I wouldn't bother looking below this point; unfortunately, there aren't many shops around here carrying anything better worth your time.

https://www.links.com/en/power-supply-500w-vent-052703016

Thanks for the suggestion!

Do you really think I need a power supply that "heavy-duty" for the future build I described?

Also, do you happen to know if this unit would be compatible with my current rig?

I've been browsing the Instar selection, and they have some AKYGA units that are incredibly cheap—the descriptions say they're decent for the price point... what's your take?

AKYGA AK-B1-450 Basic 450W - $46

And what about this Zalman thing?

Zalman 400 w pas LX Series Retail - $90

Or maybe this one (honestly, looking at the prices, it hurts my soul to spend much more than $67 on a low-demand PC... I'm probably wrong, but this one mentions having certain certifications and all that stuff...)

LC POWER Office Series LC500-12 - 400W - $73

It’s not about raw wattage, it’s about the quality of the build.

A decent 350-400W unit would get the job done, but Best Buy/Micro Center doesn't carry anything in that range. I'm stuck wondering where else to look.

I wouldn't dream of buying a power supply rated under 250-$100

feraljackal21

Don't go overboard with the high-end stuff. If you're looking to save some cash without buying total junk, you could always grab a xilence redwing R7 400 w

Thanks...

I get the logic that price usually dictates quality, but I’m really not a high-maintenance user. I guess these specific power supplies just happen to have decent certifications or people have had good luck with them. It should be fine for my needs—the only demanding thing about this build is that it’ll be running 24/7. It won't be under heavy load, but we generally don't shut the machine down because of sync tasks and other background stuff... so, I'm still weighing it up...
Tomorrow I’m going to start hunting for more components for this new build, aiming for a total of $1,800 max. $667 Unfortunately, that's the absolute limit of my budget, and I can't justify letting the power supply eat up too much of that total.

@Timothy Kim60/">@@Timothy Kim60... I'll check out the shipping terms, thanks. I'm assuming this PSU will cover the requirements for both my old rig and the new one?

So, that LC Power unit with the 80+ rating gets zero points from you??

Yeah, you can definitely go with that LC-Power. It’s on sale right now, so grab it while you can.

Basically—as long as you're running a GPU that pulls its power from the PCIe slot or just slightly above that, you won't run into any issues. Raw wattage isn't the bottleneck here; when it comes to build quality and extra features, it really just comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

Man... thanks for the advice! I think I'm going to pull the trigger on that LC Power unit. 😉 My future GPU—assuming it isn't directly integrated into the motherboard or the CPU 😁—probably won't be anything too heavy-duty. The only time I actually need some graphical muscle is for occasional video editing, but we aren't talking about 4K projects here; just some light Full HD work every once in a while. Honestly, raw speed and "snappiness" aren't my top priority.
What this rig will definitely have is a basic SSD for the OS, an HDD for backups and documents (maybe two), a DVD burner, and plenty of RAM. I'm assuming that 400W from the LC Power unit covers all that... well, I certainly hope so.

Thanks again to both of you for the helpful tips!

By the way, this setup is just going to be driving a 19-inch LCD monitor via a VGA connection! 😁

If you have a buddy who knows his way around a soldering iron, he could probably swap out all those capacitors for maybe $8. Then you might actually be able to limp along with that Fortron unit for a bit longer—assuming it even turns on anymore, I guess.

It’s not just that it turns on; it actually delivers enough voltage and power that the PC stays running 24/7 in some sort of "turbo" mode.
Even basic tasks like spinning up a DVD-RW or watching a stream on Stick TV cause issues... though honestly, I’m more worried about the rest of the components, especially the motherboard and the HDD-ove containing all my data...
I’ll probably just keep it for niche projects like that, or maybe give it away as a gift to someone who actually wants to mess around with hardware! 😉 And since this "wounded" unit was in such bad shape, it required some serious TLC with a vacuum 😁, a bit of silicone oil on the fan bearing, and some "massaging" with a lighter and alcohol. After a while, apparently out of pure gratitude, everything seemed to work without any problems—but let me repeat: the inside is a total disaster. We're talking smells, black scorch marks, a blown capacitor, the whole nine yards... 😁

Yeah, the real headache starts when those capacitors lose their capacity and the voltage goes all wonky. You usually see it most with CD/DVD drives—they start acting glitchy and resetting constantly—and I've definitely noticed disks getting hit with bad sectors when that happens. What leaked out is probably just electrolyte; if something actually cracked, it likely wouldn't even turn on. I'd say just retire that thing ASAP...

I can't say for certain how many days it's been, but after roughly 7 or 8 years—though I may be slightly overstating my tenure—of near-constant labor, I believe I have finally earned my retirement... ;-)

By the way, I've placed the order for the LCPOWER unit. I'm picking it up today to get it installed. :-)

Bryan Taylor6 said:650W Power Supply, Corsair VS series VS650 CP-9020098-EU, ATX, 120mm fan. $167

I have a Corsair 650W power supply I picked up at Best Buy about 5 or 6 years ago. I've rebuilt my entire PC twice since then, and now I'm doing it a third time. I have zero intention of replacing this unit because it still runs flawlessly.

A friend of mine uses a Corsair GS 800 w unit as well. I built his rig and recommended that specific model; he is extremely satisfied with it.

Now, I see plenty of people here advising against Corsair power supplies. I assume their quality standards have slipped over the last few years, but I can tell you from direct experience that their older units perform without any issues whatsoever.

Whatever happened to Corsair's manufacturing in the interim, I don't know. What I do know is that 5 or 6 years ago, they produced genuinely high-quality hardware. My unit works perfectly, and I won't be swapping it out until it completely dies.☕

Ethan Campbell81 said:I’ve got a Corsair 650W PSU I picked up at Micro Center about five or six years ago. I’ve swapped out my entire PC build twice since then, and now I'm doing it for a third time. I'm not touching the power supply, though—it still runs perfectly fine.

A buddy of mine is running a Corsair GS 800 w. I put his build together and recommended that power supply; he’s loving it.

So, I see a lot of people here trashing Corsair power supplies lately. I'm guessing their quality took a dive over the last few years or something. But honestly, I can tell you from experience—their older units run perfectly fine. No issues at all.

I don't know what happened to Corsair over the years, but I do know that five or six years ago, their power supplies were actually solid. Mine is still running perfectly fine, and I'm not swapping it out until it completely dies on me. ☕

You probably have a VX, CX, or HX series. They're all decent enough, though the CX series is definitely the bottom of the barrel.
VS is total garbage, if you ask me.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:You likely have a VX, CX, or HX series card. They are decent enough, though the CX series is the weakest of the bunch.
VS is pure garbage, when it comes to that.

I am not certain which specific series I own; I would need to check. However, I have had mine for years and it functions perfectly. It was quite surprising to see how much quality has declined recently. Then again, luck plays a role. A friend and I both purchased the exact same Sapphire HD7870 cards at once. Mine began failing after only two months, plagued by constant issues. My friend's card worked flawlessly until he upgraded.