Modular PSU 600W+ & Good Value

[DaBruuzer]

Hey Canucks!

Lurker for a while here, but never posted before. I am hoping I can get some help/advice from some of you more knowledgeable folks.

I have specced and slowly purchased (what I feel is) a good system for my needs, piece by piece over the last 4 months or so. Budget is a primary factor, and I had to save up for each piece. I am now down to power supply as my last part needed.

I have built several systems in the past with excellent results, but I am not, by any means, a true expert in the field. I read a lot, research a lot and I think that I pick good parts. I have enough experience to know (and thoroughly believe) that a good quality power supply should be a necessity for anyone building a PC. In the past, I have used Enermax just because I always trusted their quality and liked the value they represent. I am not stuck on them, however.

I want a modular power supply, since I hate clutter and love simplicity. I have used the Enermax Liberty 500W last year and absolutely loved it. This time, I really wanted the Corsair HX620, but I find it overpriced, even though I know (and have read the HWC review) that it is an excellent PSU. I also read the review here for the Thermaltake PurePower RX 600W, but I can't seem to find any retailer with that particular modular model. So I have been looking at the Enermax Liberty 620W for this build, since I was able to find it at a local Ontario retailer (initials CC) for $119.99, versus $140-160 for the Corsair. Does anyone have any other suggestions for a modular PSU in the 600W+ area retailing for around $100-120? Or does anyone have any experience with the Enermax Liberty 620W? I am not concerned with A lack of a PCIe 8-pin (although the Liberty DXX for $119 has a 6+2 cable anyway) for the near future, as if and when I get a new video card, I am willing to get a new PSU. Either way, that is a LONG ways off. I will only be doing very mild overclocking on the CPU. The specs (so far) on my almost-ready-to-be-built system:

• Antec P182 case (I absolutely love Antec's quality, and have built with the P180 in the past)
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 (got through an Intel retail employee purchase program for a ridiculously low price)
• Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R mobo (I never intend to Crossfire or SLI and I love Gigabyte's build quality and the DDR3 forward-compatibility)
• OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-15 (2x2GB kit)
• XFX GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (G92)
• LG DVD-RW SATA
• OCZ Vendetta CPU cooler
• Western Digital SE16 500GB SATAII (main)
• Western Digital 250GB SATAII (.iso backups)
• Arctic Silver 5
• Will be running dual-boot with Vista Ultimate 64-bit as primary, XP Pro 32-bit as secondary

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance!

Dab

[jonnyGURU]

So what are you asking here?

Is the Corsair worth the extra money? Yes.

Is the Liberty a good choice? Well... I believe it's a great performer, but I've heard of too many failures with the unit (poor QC?)

What else do you want to know?

[DaBruuzer]

Originally Posted by jonnyGURU

So what are you asking here?

Is the Corsair worth the extra money? Yes.

Is the Liberty a good choice? Well... I believe it's a great performer, but I've heard of too many failures with the unit (poor QC?)

What else do you want to know?

Thanks for the quick reply! I am looking for two things, I suppose. First, are there any other 600W+ PSUs in the $80-120 range that are decent quality and modular, and secondly I am looking for experience with/opinions of the Enermax Liberty DXX 620W. At $119 it seems like a good deal.

[NuxTux]

You can buy a HX520 for about 20-30 dallors cheaper. Thats all you will need with your setup you could even run a single GTX or Ultra video card.

[DaBruuzer]

Geez, the more I re-read the reviews and comments around the net on the Corsair 620HX, the more I think i just may save my pennies for a week or two longer before I build in order to get one. It just seems so much more solid, well built and higher quality than almost anything else in its price range. It just means delaying the build for another few weeks. Painful. :( But I think it may be worth it. Am I wrong here?

[MpG]

If you're really pinching pennies, the HX520 is certainly a valid option as well. It'll power any single-card setup out there, and you've said that you have no intention of going multi-GPU. On the other hand, it never hurts to have that extra 100 watts for the future.

[DaBruuzer]

Originally Posted by MpG

If you're really pinching pennies, the HX520 is certainly a valid option as well. It'll power any single-card setup out there, and you've said that you have no intention of going multi-GPU. On the other hand, it never hurts to have that extra 100 watts for the future.

My thoughts exactly. I always like to buy some overhead, instead of being underwhelmed in the future.

[SKYMTL]

Well, the way I see it you have some options:

Corsair Hx520W
Thermaltake Purepower Rx 600W
Antec NeoPower Blue 650W

I would avoid Enermax like the plague.

[DaBruuzer]

Originally Posted by SKYMTL

I would avoid Enermax like the plague.

Fair enough, and thanks for the advice all.

[b1lk1]

I ran a HD2900XT and an Intel Quad system heavily overclocked with the Antec NEO 650W Blue and can say it is a VERY beefy unit.