PSU preferrences?

[lightninstrikr]

Hi members of HWC!

I'm in the process of building a mid-high end gaming rig ( New Mid-High gaming RIG, need opinions! comments would be greatly appreciated) and although I have watched most of your NCIX Tech Tips videos there isn't much about PSU brands. I have learned a ton from you in the past 3 weeks and based most of my rig on what I've learned but all I remember from you about PSU's was modular vs non modular and what wattage they are most efficient/silent at (as well as 80+ but that is more of an accessory after you know what you want).

My main question is this: What PSU brands/configs would you trust the most and why?

A brand I like is Cooler Master but I was able to find a Coolmax PSU for $50-$70 less when it was more wattage and that makes me uneasy. I am unsure whether it is more of an AMD vs Intel issue where one brand is more paying for the name vs the product (I know they both are designed for and better at certain things but with Intel, at least at launch, you certainly pay for the name) or if it's more of a quality vs quantity difference.

The two items in question are below in case you don't have time to look at the forum link to my rig.
Cooler Master RS850-AMBAJ3-US Silent Pro M 850W Power Supply - ATX, Modular, 850 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified, SLI, 135mm Ultra Silent Fan at TigerDirect.com
Newegg.com - COOLMAX CUG-950B 950W ATX12V v2.3 EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified / CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC and Compatible with Core i3/i5/i7 Power Supply

[JD]

Corsair would be my main recommendation, with Antec, Seasonic, and Silverstone following closely behind.

I personally would never buy a Coolmax PSU, and Coolermaster is iffy. Some of their PSUs are good, others are garbage.

For your components, a good quality 650W unit would suffice, such as the Corsair HX650.

[lightninstrikr]

I want to get something that could sustain 2 GTX 570's if I decide to get a second one. 650W would be a little shallow for that correct?

[LarkStarr]

Correct. You'd need something in the range of 800W for that.

[lightninstrikr]

A good price range for something in the 800w-900w range would be $100-$150 correct?

[keto]

fwiw, Corsair has a utility/calculator on their site that gives you their opinion of how much PSU you need, with variables for cpu/gpu (and how many), drives (how many) and whether you overclock and how much. Put in your values in the dropdowns or check boxes and it spits out a recommendation from their lineup. I just discovered it today or I would have put it in your other thread.

Your going to spend at least $150 for an 800-850W PSU that everyone around here will consensus agree on, I think. I just spent $200 on a Corsair AX850.

[lightninstrikr]

Originally Posted by keto

fwiw, Corsair has a utility/calculator on their site that gives you their opinion of how much PSU you need, with variables for cpu/gpu (and how many), drives (how many) and whether you overclock and how much. Put in your values in the dropdowns or check boxes and it spits out a recommendation from their lineup. I just discovered it today or I would have put it in your other thread.

Your going to spend at least $150 for an 800-850W PSU that everyone around here will consensus agree on, I think. I just spent $200 on a Corsair AX850.

Thanks for the info keto I'll check that out!

[lightninstrikr]

I am a little confused as to why my thread was moved from Linus Q/A though... there are many more questions like it that were not moved. I understand it fits in the PSU section but it was more a question directed at Linus (and opened for general inquiry as well) than a generic "what should i get?" thread. I'm not trying to QQ I just wanna know why so I can avoid putting threads in the wrong place in the future...

[lightninstrikr]

Originally Posted by keto

fwiw, Corsair has a utility/calculator on their site that gives you their opinion of how much PSU you need, with variables for cpu/gpu (and how many), drives (how many) and whether you overclock and how much.

Where exactly did you find that? I can't seem to locate it...

[lightninstrikr]

Of course I find it right after I post that...