FireSBurnsmuP

and I really don't know where to start. I'm building a mid-midhigh system, that I plan on upgrading the sh** out of in the next couple of years. So far, she doesn't have a name.

But regardless, I implore you to help me figure out which PSUs to look at. I don't have a bajillion dollars to spend, but I'm willing to go a bit above "price-point" in order to get a quality unit I won't have to replace when I upgrade.

Here are the current specs...

NZXT case w/ digital temp readout & 4 case fans
plenty of blue LEDs to make the computer go faster
HD Radeon 2600 pro graphics card
Maxtor 250 G hdd with unknown cooler (SATA 2)
DVD-RW drive (unknown, probably unimportant)
CD-RW drive (unknown, probably unimportant)
... plan on putting in wireless N card as soon as I can afford one, maybe a Gb LAN, too.

I don't know how high to go, I'm thinking somewhere b/w 650W and 800W just so I don't have to upgrade in forevar. as many features as possible, but I don't want to spend a fortune on things I'll never use.

Lastly, why am I here instead of on sites looking at reviews?
I trust people who I can actually discuss with much more than the kind of people who leave a review on newegg saying it was great or that it fried after 3 months (like most of the antec supplies I was looking at yesterday). I wanna turn to a community of people who know which way is up.

Thanks much, donuts to those who help.

Judas

PC Power & cooling or Cosair would be a good start for shopping for a good psu.....

obviously 500watt or better would be my minimum suggested....

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blibbax

It depends a lot on your choice of CPU, but with that system a good 300W would probably be fine. However, good 300W PSUs are fairly rare, so I would reccomend a 450 or similar.

While we're here, why do you need a CD-RW drive and a DVD-RW drive? You know the DVD one will do both right? Or should I say write? Sorry... I'd also say that a 2600pro is a weak card if you're planning on any gaming. Even something like a 9500GT would be much better.

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OldBuzzard

Since you indicate that you will be upgrading a lot over time, I'd look at either the Corsair 620HX, or 650TX.

The 620HX is modular, and the 650TX is 'conventional'. Don't let the "620" fool you tho, the 620HX is underrated, and will perform like a 650W.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

Both of them will handle a SLI or Crossfire setup, unless you will be using multi-gpu vid cards like the 4870 X2.
I have the 620HX, and it has no problem handlin the system in my specs. I just noticed that my "Sig Specs" are out of date ...gotta fix that

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FireSBurnsmuP

Heheh, well, yes, I realize this, but the box, and the drives all came from a friend of mine; I bought the whole thing that way. I know they are a bit superfluous, and I wondered why he had both too, but I'm not complaining, it's a good 30 bucks I wouldn't have to spend, and yet another cd-rw drive that I'll have no use for. I was probably going to put an extra in anyways, simply because I have a few lying around.

Yes, I realize this as well, but I got this card from a friend of mine who upgraded and didn't need it anymore, and it should prove to be better than the nvidia 7600 that came with the case and mini-atx mobo that's in the box right now. I do plan on replacing that as soon as I can afford to, but this machine is basically designed to be more extensible than my lappy and catch me up on the past 5 or 6 years of games that I missed by having essentially obsolete equipment. The point is that I'll be able to run say, advent rising and half-life (not ep 2, the first one). Also some baldur's gate games and that sort of thing. I've got a lot of PC-gaming to catch up on. ^_^

really? I think a 650 would probably be a good area for me, considering that the first thing I'll need to upgrade is this 13 yr old mobo I'm putting in it, then I'll maybe be able to afford putting better graphics in. If this 620 will output 650 that would be good, if it just "performs" like a 650, I'd have to say that I'd like a bit of clarification.

I'll take a look at these too, I do have to consider all the options, of course.

What's the highest quality PSU I could possibly buy, regardless of what I'm putting in this box?
I'd like to be able to compare the prices you guys are suggesting and the top-of-the-line prices. Yes, I've looked at the ones DH reviewed recently, but I can't find them in the US, and 130 GBP + shipping to the mid-west doesn't sound too fun.

RoyBatty

I use Enermax unit in my system (and used one in my old rig too), so I would recommend also to look at Enermax PSUs. The Modu82+ 625W I have is practically noiseless.

FireSBurnsmuP

I think I'm going to get this one: following the majority of suggestions for going with corsair - Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

Also, I found this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341019

I can't figure if I want either of these... the second one only has one review, and that was a DOA. Sure, that sucks, but has no-one else bought this PSU? Seriously. The first one has a lot of good reviews, and comes recommended from you guys. Also, things shipped in velvet boxes are inherently cool. ^_^ However, the corsair also has a lot of people screaming "DOA?! OMG MY HDD IS ON FIRE!!"

So, which would you guys recommend for me? I'm not a total newb when it comes to putting computers together correctly and setting them up, but "building" them's a totally different story for me; I usually just franken-puter several machines. I've never actually bought up a bunch of parts to put them together, and thusly have little to no knowledge about the stuff on the market, brands, etc.

Also, the modular thing still confuses me a little. Do modular PSUs perform any better, or is it just a feng-shui thing to remove clutter in the case when you don't use all the cords?

Thanks again for all the help, guys. I really appreciate it. Go buy some donuts and send me an invoice.

Galactus

Yeap nice choise.
I just got the HX 1000 from them and it's sweet!

Matth

Quite a few offers end today, though I guess there will be more black friday offers.

One crazy one, (not for your system though) an Atop 400W at price ZERO after MIR - though parhaps thats exactly what a 400W no-name brand is worth, though it would do for replacing a failed 300W case PSU.


Modular is just a style point, gets rid of cables you don't need - in some examples, the modular outputs also allow a small degree of choice in loading particular rails, if they bother to say which plugs are on which 12V rail.

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