Question Recommendation for a new power supply

Excelsioris10

Junior Member
May 1, 2017
3
0
36
Unfortunately the old power supply died and I have to choose a new one. I have a desktop computer with the following configuration: SB i5 2500, Gigabyte H67A motherboard, 8 GB DDR3 memory, GF 760 graphics card, WD 1 TB HDD + WD 250 GB SSD, 1 optical drive, Audigy 2 sound card. I use this computer only for working purposes - video and audio editing, programming and Office suite. Since this computer is not used and will not be used for games, I don't intend to change the graphics card with a more powerful one and even if the graphics card will die I will change with something in the same power range. Having regard to this configuration, what kind of power supply should I choose? I saw many offers from Thermaltake, Sirtec, Seasonic, Zalman, Corsair and many others but do you recommend a specific model? With my configuration, I believe that something in the 450-550 W range will be enough.
All suggestions and recommendations are welcome.
 

fastman

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,521
4
81
Seasonic has been my fav for years now with their excellent long warranties and tight spec's. Pick one that meets your power requirements (wattage) and enjoy.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,681
11,025
136
Seasonic, Seasonic-built Corsair, SuperFlower. All are damned good PSU's. Personally, I'd look for one in the 600-650 watt range...if only because I don't like pushing the PSU to its rated max. I prefer at least 20% of room for overclocking, adding newer hardware, etc.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,699
1,448
126
I have become lazy more than once in finding a good PC component in year T, to discover in year T+5 that the maker of the item has been overtaken by others in the market.

But Seasonic never quits. EVGA, PC Power & Cooling and a few other known product-lines are really rebadged Seasonics. I saw an EVGA 750W review a few years back that was stellar in its conclusions and which noted that the product's real origin was Seasonic.

You always want to pick a good PSU for your DIY computer build or system. You can use bottom-of-the-line motherboards, inexpensive memory and other less-costly components, but it never pays to use a cheap PSU -- never.

In some situations, perhaps a family member who doesn't want his/her system overclocked and doesn't need top-end components, I will buy a less expensive Seasonic unit, perhaps spending just over $100 or so. But I otherwise don't hesitate to draw my choices from Seasonic's Titanium product line. They have 10-year warranties, and it was once the prevailing rule-of-thumb that a 5-year warranty meant a PSU was a good bet.

PSUs are the type of component whereby the warranty is indicator of reliability and quality. If you see a PSU with a 2-year warranty, just "turn the page" and look elsewhere.

Just another thought. Some knowledgeable veterans here will rightly advise to buy a new PSU when you build a new system. I would think a Seasonic Titanium might be an exception to the rule, if it happens to be just a few years old and was never pushed constantly to its limits.
 
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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,681
11,025
136
Quoted for Truth.

Power supplies are perhaps the "least sexy" component in our builds...the really good ones generally don't have the cool LED's or other bling...yet they're the one component that is more important than the rest. A GOOD PSU will just chug away quietly un-noticed for years...yet a cheap POS unit can fry all your other components without any kind of notice that something is wrong.
 

dlerious

Golden Member
Mar 4, 2004
1,772
719
136
In some situations, perhaps a family member who doesn't want his/her system overclocked and doesn't need top-end components, I will buy a less expensive Seasonic unit, perhaps spending just over $100 or so. But I otherwise don't hesitate to draw my choices from Seasonic's Titanium product line. They have 10-year warranties, and it was once the prevailing rule-of-thumb that a 5-year warranty meant a PSU was a good bet.
It's 12 years now for Prime / Prime Ultra and 10 years for Focus (Gold, Platinum, Titanium).
 

aleader

Senior member
Oct 28, 2013
502
150
116
Power supplies are perhaps the "least sexy" component in our builds...the really good ones generally don't have the cool LED's or other bling...yet they're the one component that is more important than the rest. A GOOD PSU will just chug away quietly un-noticed for years...yet a cheap POS unit can fry all your other components without any kind of notice that something is wrong.

I keep hearing this, yet 32 years and counting, never experienced these supposed PSU 'meltdowns', with cheap or good PSUs...
 

Excelsioris10

Junior Member
May 1, 2017
3
0
36
Thank you all for your recommendations. In the end I picked up a Seasonic Core Gold 650 which I really like. It is very silent (to my ears at least) and works just fine with my system.
I am not really a fan of hungry components and overclocking so this is enough power for me.
Some friends were recommending me Corsair CV650 Bronze but I decided to choose the Seasonic in the end.
Thanks again for your help!