PS For New Gaming Build

[creosole]

Hello all! I'm looking for some assistance in selecting a power supply (PS). I've tried some sizing tools and am getting suggestions of ~800W. Posters on this forum have indicated that these sizing calculators often overestimate the power supply requirements so I figured I'd post a thread. My build is going to be as follows:

i5-3570K
Asus P8Z77-V Pro
16GB Ram (haven't picked it yet)
Gigabyte WF3 7970 GV-R7970C-3GD
1 HDD for now but could increase up to 6
Case is Corsair 550D

I do not plan to overclock until I am no longer able to play current games at acceptable settings. The computer will be on for most of the day and I plan to donate runtime to Standford's protein folding initiative or something of that nature. I live in Canada.

My selection criteria are as follows:
- Energy efficient, Gold or higher
- < $150 and preferably closer to $120 or even lower
- "Clean". I don't fully understand this beyond knowing that it's important.
- Reliable above all else
- Quiet

If it becomes difficult to get everything, I welcome a wattage recommendation alone. I would also appreciate your thoughts on whether I should buy a PS for my current needs and get a new one if I choose to overclock or if I should buy one for potential future needs. Thanks for any input!

 

[creosole]

I've basically narrowed it down to: Corsair HX750 or AX760

I would appreciate any thoughts on these two. Which do you think that I should choose?

 

[lehtv]

Antec High Current Pro 850W $120 AR

- Gold
- quiet
- mostly modular
- reliable
- 5 yr warranty
- fits your budget
- more powerful than you'll ever need

You only really need 500W for a single GPU setup. But there aren't really any Gold and higher units that are significantly less expensive than the above, after rebate. If you don't like rebates and have no plans for 7970 Crossfire, get a Seasonic G550 for $100

Have you bought all the parts you listed above? The motherboard seems to be slightly overkill.

 

[creosole]

Thank you for your suggestion. Based on your recommendation, I've found the Antec High Current Pro 750W for $80, $40 AR + 5$ Shipping.

I had the HX750 for $116, AX for $144 but the HCP-750 is significantly cheaper.

This is my first build and I'm trying to piece it together myself. I find that one learns better by making mistakes than if one gets someone on a forum to build it for them. I got the v-pro version for cheaper than the normal P8Z77-V. I've also purchased the 7970 and the case. Selecting a power supply got overwhelming for me so I made this post.

 

[lehtv]

Oh nice, where'd you find that? That's a crazy deal. $80 for such a good quality 750W gold-rated unit that's also modular... is probably the lowest I've seen

 

[creosole]

I'm not sure where you're living but in Western Canada the best deals are often found by price-matching with Memory Express.

At the time that I posted, Canadacomputers had it on for 99.88 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_441&item_id=035691

Memory Express sells it for 179.99
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX35572

Memory Express will beat any price by 25% of the difference as long as it fits their policy. And the rebate is still valid until the 31st.

 

[creosole]

Any idea what this system's power draw would be at idle?

 

[lehtv]

I tested my system's idle draw just for you, had a watt meter lying around. System as in sig. 230V power.

From the wall: 73W
Adjusted for Gold efficiency at low load: 73W * 0.8 = less than 60W

 

[creosole]

Thank you for your help, lehtv.

My PM fell through. I've settled on this http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX29513

After the boxing day sales my build went way over budget... I'm happy with it though. Only issue now is waiting for deliveries.

Again: thank you for your help. It was very useful to have real world orders of magnitude for power draw as well as input on sizing.

 

[lehtv]

Well that's a decent choice. Enjoy your rig