Need a reliable, quiet PSU for new rig

[elvez]

I'm in the process of deciding what to use for my new PC. I'm an avid gamer but can't really afford to keep up with the ridiculous requirements of modern games, so I'd like to avoid spending more than 1000 euros (~1300$) as it'll become obsolete in two years anyway.

The parts I've chosen so far are:

- Thermaltake Commander MS-III
- Intel Core i5-2500k
- Asus P8Z68-VLX
- 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz (any brand in QVL is OK for me)
- Sapphire ATI HD7850 2GB O.C.
- Samsung SSD 830 128GB
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250 GB (from my current PC)

As you can see I miss the PSU. That's what we're going to talk about, right?
What I'd like from my new PSU is for it to be quiet, reliable, durable and possibly affordable (60-90 euros range). I don't care about brand, looks or modularity.
Only possible exception, I'd also like to avoid Silverstones as the somewhat expensive 500W Elements I was using in my current PC lasted 4 years, which is not enough from my point of view.

This is a list of apparently decent PSUs I can get in local and online shops here in Italy:

• Antec High Current Gamer 620W
• Antec Earthwatts 650W
• Corsair CX 650W
• OCZ ModXStream 600W
• Corsair GS 700W
• Corsair TX 650W (750W version got a good review from hardocp)
• Antec True Power 650W

Is any of them good? Only one of these seemed to be up to hardocp's standards...
I know 600-ish watts is a bit overkill for this build but I'd like to keep the PSU's load low so it doesn't make too much noise, and it's also nice to have a bit of margin in case of upgrades.

I sincerely hope you experts will help me find the right one. Thanks!

 

[lehtv]

Your system with moderate-high overclocks can run comfortably on a 500W unit. A 600W unit would only be stressed to half its rated wattage even in the most demanding scenarios. But by all means buy 600W if you see yourself buying 7850 crossfire or a more powerful single GPU with OC.

GX-650 is a Cooler Master unit (and not worth considering) and there is no "G2 600W" from any brand. The rest of the units you listed are great, perhaps with the exception of ModXStream.

What 500W units can you find?

 

[elvez]

Your system with moderate-high overclocks can run comfortably on a 500W unit. A 600W unit would only be stressed to half its rated wattage even in the most demanding scenarios. But by all means buy 600W if you see yourself buying 7850 crossfire or a more powerful single GPU with OC.

Yeah I think it's better to spend 10-15 euros more now and have the freedom to upgrade the GPU later on, even though the mobo has no PCI-e 3.0 support, but I can fix that I guess.
I could still buy another 7850 in case I find some killer deal in the near future, so 600w seems like the minimum to me.

GX-650 is a Cooler Master unit (and not worth considering) and there is no "G2 600W" from any brand. The rest of the units you listed are great, perhaps with the exception of ModXStream.

What 500W units can you find?

Sorry, those were typos I copied from Italian shops D:, the "G2" was actually a "GS" and the "GX" was a "CX".

Here are some lower-powered units in the 60-80 euro range:

• Corsair CX 500W V2 (~55eur)
• Aerocool strike-x 500W (~55eur)
• Antec VP550P V2.3 (~60eur)
• XFX Pro 550W Core Edition (~60eur)
• Enermax 500 Watt NAXN Series (~65eur)
• Antec Basiq Power Plus 550W (~70eur)

I think I'll stop here as the savings aren't worth the hassle of more research IMHO.

 

[lehtv]

Yeah I think it's better to spend 10-15 euros more now and have the freedom to upgrade the GPU later on, even though the mobo has no PCI-e 3.0 support, but I can fix that I guess.

That's not an issue. High end PCIe 2.0 graphics cards (GTX 580 for instance) work just fine on a PCIe 1.0 slot which is equal to a half-bandwidth 2.0 slot, i.e. x8 instead of x16. The same will most likely be true of future 3.0 cards on PCIe 2.0. The bigger issue here is that an Ivy Bridge CPU will probably become a bottleneck sooner than the PCIe bandwidth.

Sorry, those were typos I copied from Italian shops D:, the "G2" was actually a "GS" and the "GX" was a "CX".

Ok. CX is Corsair's lowest end, their +12v output is rated lower than that of higher tier units, making a CX600 roughly equal to a higher tier 500W unit.

Out of those 500w units, XFX 550W is easily the best deal. 5-year warranty, built by Seasonic, can output 550W continuously. The other options: CX500 ~ XFX 450W with shorter warranty. Aerocool sucks. Antec Basiq and VP have shorter warranty and are more budget-oriented (so at that price, they're overpriced). Enermax NAXN is decent, but XFX is more powerful and less expensive.

How much more would HCG-620, TX650 or TP-650 cost? Unless one of them is only marginally more expensive than XFX 550W, I'd recommend XFX.

 

[elvez]

That's not an issue. High end PCIe 2.0 graphics cards (GTX 580 for instance) work just fine on a PCIe 1.0 slot which is equal to a half-bandwidth 2.0 slot, i.e. x8 instead of x16. The same will most likely be true of future 3.0 cards on PCIe 2.0. The bigger issue here is that an Ivy Bridge CPU will probably become a bottleneck sooner than the PCIe bandwidth.

Good to know, I didn't really do much research about that. Thanks for the tip!

Ok. CX is Corsair's lowest end, their +12v output is rated lower than that of higher tier units, making a CX600 roughly equal to a higher tier 500W unit.

I'm seriously considering the TX650 V2, as it isn't much more expensive than a CX. It seems like a popular choice among gamers and overclockers alike.

Out of those 500w units, XFX 550W is easily the best deal. 5-year warranty, built by Seasonic, can output 550W continuously. The other options: CX500 ~ XFX 450W with shorter warranty. Aerocool sucks. Antec Basiq and VP have shorter warranty and are more budget-oriented (so at that price, they're overpriced). Enermax NAXN is decent, but XFX is more powerful and less expensive.

I'll have to check if my local shop can get me the XFX 550W. Those prices were from an online shop, but i'd prefer to buy the psu in a local shop so I can get a replacement right away and RMAing is easier, in case something goes wrong.

How much more would HCG-620, TX650 or TP-650 cost? Unless one of them is only marginally more expensive than XFX 550W, I'd recommend XFX.

Here are the prices:

• HCG-620 (~70euros)
• TX650 V2 (~80euros)
• TP-650 (93euros, only found at my local shop)
• XFX550W (~60euros)

Keep in mind that except for the TP-650, those are prices from online shops, so either because of shipment costs or because I'll buy it in a local shop the actual cost will be around 5 euro higher.

 

[lehtv]

Just like TX650 and XFX550W, HCG-620 is built by Seasonic. These PSUs are internally very similar, you get the same reliability with any of them, the only real differences are the rated wattages and that HCG has 3 year warranty versus 5 from Corsair and XFX. At those prices I'd choose between XFX-550 and HCG-620.

 

[elvez]

Just like TX650 and XFX550W, HCG-620 is built by Seasonic. These PSUs are internally very similar, you get the same reliability with any of them, the only real differences are the rated wattages and that HCG has 3 year warranty versus 5 from Corsair and XFX. At those prices I'd choose between XFX-550 and HCG-620.

Do you have a source for that? Accordingly to hardocp, the HCG-900 is made by Delta, so I can only assume the HCG-620 is made by the same manufacturer.
You are right in saying the other two being made by Seasonic though, so that would leave the HCG-620 as a third choice, I guess.

EDIT: Nevermind, about the HCG-620. It's actually made by seasonic according to this review.

 

[elvez]

I've checked the noise levels and the HCG seems to be the most silent between the XFX and the Corsair, so I'll definitely buy the Antec.
Thank you, Mr. Krogan, for your help

 

[chin311]

I have the OCZ ModXstream 600w in my i5 build, runs great, quiet and stable.

Replaced a 520w Antec that was still going strong after 3 years in my e8400 system.

 

[lehtv]

I've checked the noise levels and the HCG seems to be the most silent between the XFX and the Corsair, so I'll definitely buy the Antec.
Thank you, Mr. Krogan, for your help

I like this human... he understands.