Best PSU for under $200?

[jinduy]

My 400w PSU is getting loud (seasonic tornado) with this annoying buzzing


What I'm looking for:

- A quiet PSU
- High watt/quality PSU that will easily support a high end rig that will be built ~1 year from now (i7 or higher)

optional:
- modular is nice to have but i don't really care if it's going to sacrifice other important qualities of a PSU

Any recs?

Also... will like an 850w PSU blow up my current system?

amd 3000+ cpu (939)

 

[Lunyone]

Well looking into the future is sorta pointless, but you can buy what you need now and upgrade later, or buy bigger now and upgrade everything else.

What is your current system by the way? I could tell you that an 850w PSU isn't going to blow up your system, but I don't know what your system is.

PSU companies that I'd recommend: Antec, Seasonic, PCP&C, & Corsair. Just about anything that these companies sell are of good quality and should last quite a bit, depending on what system they are powering.

 

[theAnimal]

Are you planning on SLI/CF? OCing?

 

[jinduy]

yeah i plan to OC

SLI/CF... maybe, but i'd like the option available to me, so i will get one (not sure about getting both)

bottom line is i dont want to buy a psu today and then have to replace it in like a year from now. i'll most likely upgrade for a game like starcraft 2 and i'm not going to go for a super "budget" system (well my range will be in the $1500s)

Rig:

amd xp 3000+ 939 (1.8.ghz)
2 gig ddr3200 ram
geforce 7600gt
amd k8n neo4 platinum mobo
400w seasonic tornado psu that's whining

 

[yh125d]

I'd get a corsair 750. We don't really know what you're planning on upgrading to, but that would be plenty of power for damn near everything. Hell, that's enough for GTX285 tri-fire (although that would be pushing it)

 

[tomoyo]

If you're looking for just plain best. I'd recommend the Corsair HX750 or HX850. The efficiency advantage and modularity over the Antec signatures is enough to push it in their direction. Also the rails are extremely solid. I am curious how loud the HX750/850 are though, no silentpcreview of them yet.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: jinduy
yeah i plan to OC

SLI/CF... maybe, but i'd like the option available to me, so i will get one (not sure about getting both)

bottom line is i dont want to buy a psu today and then have to replace it in like a year from now. i'll most likely upgrade for a game like starcraft 2 and i'm not going to go for a super "budget" system (well my range will be in the $1500s)

Rig:

amd xp 3000+ 939 (1.8.ghz)
2 gig ddr3200 ram
geforce 7600gt
amd k8n neo4 platinum mobo
400w seasonic tornado psu that's whining

I'd recommend a Corsair 750tx (not modular and it's cheaper too). It has plenty of connectors for SLI/X-fire and has 60A on the 12v rail, which is probably the most important power rail on a PSU nowadays. You can also get a PCP&C 750w PSU, they are rock solid and also have plenty of connectors for SLI/X-fire system.

With a $1500 budget you can get just about anything you want for that budget. The i7 build will cost you around $500 just for the CPU/mobo combo, so keep that in mind. AMD's AM3 CPU's would be another option to consider. It'll cost you less than the i7 setup, so you can have more room for other parts.

Here is what I'd recommend:
Intel budget friendly build:
C2Q q9550 or q9400
4 gb's of DDR2 800 mHz CAS4 (4-4-4-12 timings at stock voltage of 1.8v)
p45 based mobo

Intel i7 build:
i7 920 CPU
6 gb's of DDR3 1333 mHz CAS 7 timings will do.
~$200-225 mobo, your selection. Asus & Gigabyte do well here.

AMD build:
Phenom II x3 720 or x4 955, both are Black Editions, so OC'ing will be much easier!
4 gb's of DDR3 1066 mHz or higher will do.
790gx mobo would be the choice for mobo. It has the SB750 chipset on it, so OC'ing will be a bit easier too.

Add these to the any of the above builds:
* nVidia GTX 275, AMD 4890, AMD 4850 x2 (single package GPU), or something in the $150-300 price range.
* Cooler Master 690 case: It has pleny of room for just about any GPU and comes with 3 120mm fans too!!
* Corsair 750tx/PCP&C 750w PSU's. Either will suit you well and will handle any single GPU or any dual GPU combo's out there!
* I'd consider a BluRay DVD ROM or burner, depending on budget and possible uses. The ROM is a DVD burner anyway, so that might be a safer and cheaper option.
* Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit or Windows 7 RC for now and upgrade to the OS when it comes out later this year.
* 22-24" LCD monitor. Something with 16x12 resolution or better.

All of these options should easily fit into the $1500 budget. The i7 build will probably be the most expensive of the options, but all options should run close to the same speeds in most applications. Yes the i7 will do better in several applications, but in gaming it a close battle on all builds.