Which PSU?

Jon33 · 26 Feb 2007 at 13:44

My 450W Smart Power PSU that came with the Antec Sonata case is starting to squeek so from what I've read sounds like its on its way out.

I'm gonna get a new PSU but don't really know which, I'll probably be upgrading my stuff towards the end of the year and will be wanting to use whichever PSU I buy now with it. So what is recommended?

Corsair HX 520W I've read as being recommended is that size big enough? I can get a larger ThermalTake toughpower for about this same price but is the quality not as good?

Cheers

Will_3rd · 26 Feb 2007 at 13:45

Corsair all the way, much better then the ThermalTake Toughpower

Jon33 · 26 Feb 2007 at 15:38

520W big enough to last me a good while?

semi-pro waster · 26 Feb 2007 at 15:40

It will slightly depend what you intend to run on the 520w but assuming dual-core and a single graphics card then yes the Corsair should last you for a long time.

CaDLoN · 26 Feb 2007 at 15:46

I was humming and haring over the 520w & 620w Corsair and for the sake of £20 i went with the 620W jobbie to run my 8800GTS & Core Duo T2500

Ronaldo · 26 Feb 2007 at 16:33

i like tagan PSUs, they are solid and have great after service, advance warranty replacement, they ship a new one and collect your old one next day :eek:

Nick1881 · 26 Feb 2007 at 17:34

I love my OCZ GameXstreme 600w, cant fault it and its running my C2D system with ease and has power to provide future upgrades.

PhillyDee · 26 Feb 2007 at 18:51

I got the 620W corsair over the 520W coz i liked the red sticker better than the yellow . . . . .

Roll · 27 Feb 2007 at 23:43

I can recommend Tagan and Antec PSUs, they are all I've ever used and never had a problem with a single one. The problems you seem to be having with your current PSU don't sound at all typical for Antec, they are generally one of the most reliable makes.

By the way, if your PSU is still under warranty you should try getting it replaced first, Antec have amazing after sales support

james.miller · 27 Feb 2007 at 23:47

PhillyDee said:
I got the 620W corsair over the 520W coz i liked the red sticker better than the yellow . . . . .

haha

mishima · 28 Feb 2007 at 00:00

Most people lean towards Corsair on this forum but I like to take a different stand. I have relied upon Antec over the years and never been let down, they are superb PSUs. If you were to invest in one I would aim for the 550/650W models

james.miller · 28 Feb 2007 at 00:20

i dont care much for brand loyalty. the corsairs are the best built for the money without a doubt, and companies such as antec dont offer a 5 year warranty

geff_r · 28 Feb 2007 at 02:31

Enermax all the way had mine 5 years now still no issues what so ever.

CaDLoN · 28 Feb 2007 at 08:39

PhillyDee said:
I got the 620W corsair over the 520W coz i liked the red sticker better than the yellow . . . . .

Have to agree the red sticker does look more purposfull

melbourne720 · 28 Feb 2007 at 09:57

Seasonic are nice and quiet, and made by the same people as the Corsair. Tagen and Enermax are also good.

Cold Fusion · 28 Feb 2007 at 10:02

Do you think someone should write a PSU FAQ and get it stickied, about 40% of threads in General are asking about PSU's these days and i know a lot of people dont have a clue what they need.

I'd offer to do it but im not really that hardware savvy.

semi-pro waster · 28 Feb 2007 at 10:18

Cold Fusion said:
Do you think someone should write a PSU FAQ and get it stickied, about 40% of threads in General are asking about PSU's these days and i know a lot of people dont have a clue what they need.

I'd offer to do it but im not really that hardware savvy.

There was a PSU sticky for a couple of years but it is difficult to say how much it reduced overall questions since as a general rule people don't seem to read stickies.

Normal advice in PSU terms is "if you can afford a Corsair and are running a system other than top-end SLi you should go for it and even top-end SLi is probably fine". Beyond that there are another maybe 5 brands roughly on a par (in no order other than alphabetical) - Antec, Enermax, (possibly) FSP, Seasonic & Tagan. Akasa and FSP are good at the cheaper end of the market.