What PSU?

s1xtyn1n3 · 23 Jun 2013 at 11:21

I'm about to put together a micro-ITX gaming PC and am wondering what PSU I should go for.

The specs of the machine would be:

EVGA GeForce GTX 770
Intel Core i5-4570 3.20GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150
ASRock B85M-ITX Intel B85 (Socket 1150)
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz

From what I've been reading, 600w is the minimum recommendation for the GTX 770 and I would quite like a modular design so unused cables don't clutter up the small-ish case.

The one I'm considering at the moment is the Corsair Builder Series CX 600w. I've had a mixed experience with my current Corsair power supply - its 6 or 7 years old and still going strong, but the fans sound like angry bees are trapped inside of it during boot/wake (otherwise they're fine). It also seems like its about to go out of stock but I'm probably a couple of weeks away from buying so might not be an issue.

Anyone got any other good recommendations?

snips86x · 23 Jun 2013 at 11:29

Here are a few, but I would recommend the Seasonic. They are the best PSU's on the market.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Strider Plus 750W Modular '80 Plus Silver' Power Supply (ST75F-P) £109.99
1 x Seasonic M12II 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £86.99
1 x Enermax Triathlor FC 550w '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (ETA550AWT-M) £73.99
Total : £282.37 (includes shipping : £9.50).

s1xtyn1n3 · 23 Jun 2013 at 11:33

Ah cool, the seasonic is probably at the top end of my budget for a PSU as well.

Nice one.

olivier renault · 23 Jun 2013 at 12:55

Enermax makes nice PSU's. Not flashy, but good quality and rugged.

A good 550W will handle a 7970 GHz / GTX770. A 780, I'd push to a 650W.

s1xtyn1n3 · 23 Jun 2013 at 15:11

Ah ok, handy to know that I could get away with a 550w - I guess that will still be more than enough for a Haswell processor. One of the other PSU's I was looking at was the 650w EVGA mostly because its fully modular and has a 5 year warranty. Are they any good though?

cypto · 23 Jun 2013 at 19:51

The EVGA NEX650G is fully modular. Its OEM is FSP.

Fortron Source (FSP)
Most PSU's they manufacture are average to slightly above average units.

The evga supply isn't bad by any stretch as its also gold rated efficiency compared to bronze. Evga will stick by the warranty so won't have any problems there just remember to register it on their site.

kaku · 23 Jun 2013 at 19:58

With the Prodigy you should be wary of the PSU length too. Because of the way the retaining bracket/motherboard tray are, you have a fixed amount of space for the PSU and any cables that come out. If memory serves correctly any PSU 160mm in length will be a very tight fit (because of the modular plugs). I don't think it'll take any larger than that.

s1xtyn1n3 · 23 Jun 2013 at 19:58

Good info. Hmm... seems like I have a couple of choices at least. May well end up going with whatever runs quietest