Best 500w+ PSU for <$200?

[Sir Jman]

Idealling it would be quiet as well. I am having a tough time picking one out for me new build.

 

[Ipno]

Very happy with my Seasonic S12 500W... very quiet and stable.

 

[GMtheBest]

OCZ powerstream is good too.

 

[Heligrin]

What will you be running exactly. From the looks of it, money is not an issue.

 

[Ausm]

I own both Seasonic and OCZ powerstream they are excellent choices.


Ausm

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

S12-500 is very quiet and efficient.
Enermax Liberty 500W is modular.
Sparkle FSP550-60PLG is very powerful, but it's kinda hot and not very efficient.

Those are all some great PSUs. I would stay away from OCZ if I were you. The Modstreams are too weak and the Powerstreams are overpriced.

 

[Sir Jman]

Originally posted by: Heligrin
What will you be running exactly. From the looks of it, money is not an issue.

I havn't finalized the build yet but this is what i'm thinking...

dfi expert
opteron 170 overclocked
2gb or 4gb ram (not sure yet)
single x1900xtx or 7900gtx (if I can find one in stock anywhere)
150gb raptor and 400gb storage drive
water cooling setup (d5 pump)

 

[Boyo]

There is a great review at Tom's Hardware where they put 19 PSU's to a stress test under full load. The Seasonic S12 came out on top....Read it for yourself, it is very enlightening.....

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/07/11/stress_test/

 

[Sir Jman]

thanks guys. I'm going with the seasonic

 

[Sir Jman]

on second thought... the reviews on newegg of the seasonic are disconcerting...

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Newegg reviews aren't very accurate. Most of them are n00bs that don't know what they're doing. However, there IS a compatability problem between Seasonic PSUs and the DFI Lanparty Ultra-D. It probably applies to the Expert board too. In that case, Enermax Liberty 500W FTW!

 

[Sir Jman]

Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
Newegg reviews aren't very accurate. Most of them are n00bs that don't know what they're doing. However, there IS a compatability problem between Seasonic PSUs and the DFI Lanparty Ultra-D. It probably applies to the Expert board too. In that case, Enermax Liberty 500W FTW!

i'll check it out

 

[LOUISSSSS]

fsp 500 or epsilon 600 for quiet, 85% efficiency, neat wrapped cables and not modular, which cause resistence in current flow

 

[Sir Jman]

fsp? I've never heard of it but i'll look

edit: fortron, of course

 

[Sir Jman]

the fortron 600w looks very nice. Does the fact that it is 20+4 and not a 24 pin main connector matter?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

it is a real 24 pin connector just that the 4 pin can be removed for the 20pin mb's. i use the 24 pin conenctor for my dfi board

 

[Howard]

I would say the Fortron FX700-GLN. Extremely high power output (up to 50A = 600W on the 12V rails) and efficiency (>= 85%) with low noise. I suppose you could drop the noise even further by replacing the fan with one that spins slower at 12V (stock fan spins somewhere around 2000RPM at 12V), like an Akasa Amber, or with a thicker fan that flows more air at the same SPL, like the Delta 38mm triple-blades or SD 38mm (can't remember which one) with a series resistor.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Holy crap 50A?! That's a nice PSU...

 

[Sir Jman]

I think the 700w is a little overkill... i'm going with the 600

 

[imported_electron]

I like my seasonic s12 500, very quiet and efficient like others have said.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

good choice on the epsilon 600=]
view the signature =D

 

[essasin]

how about a used pc power and cooling 510 from the for sale and trade forum

 

[Luckyboy1]

520 watt OCZ Powerstream is very, very quiet. I worry about it like I worry about my children when they get quiet!

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: essasin
how about a used pc power and cooling 510 from the for sale and trade forum

Louder than most other 500W PSUs, but if you absolutely have to have +/- 1% regulation on the 3.3V, 5V, and +12V rails (IIRC) and top-tier quality, go for it.

 

[Bobthelost]

Another vote for seasonic, but you can't go far wrong with enermax or FSP either.