Power Supply Recommendation

RaT · Post by **RaT** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:26 am

Sup Fellas, it's been years since I've actually posted anything but i do "lurk" every once in a while. Hope everybody's doing good.

Anyway I've also been away from the PC building scene and need a recommendation for a solid Power Supply. Couple of months back I got my son a Gateway FX 6860 desktop which is somewhat decent. It came with a 500w power supply and Radeon 6750/5750.

I recently purchased a MSI Geforce 560ti (448) and an pretty sure I also need to upgrade the power supply. I'm confused by all the terms, ratings, rails, volts, etc. and simply need a solid recommendation from you guys.

Now I have no plans of going sli in the future or doing much overclocking so don't need to go all out with the power supply.

Any recommendations?? Btw, budget is around $50-$80.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:33 pm

According to this data sheet a geforce 560 ti needs a PSU with a minimum of 30 amps on the 12 volt rail and TWO 6 pin power connectors: http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.a ... 0Family&sw

Ignore everything else, that's all that matters. Wattage is meaningless as you can find 500 watt PSUs with 12 volt rails as low as 30 amps and as high as 60 amps. TOTAL wattage of the PSU is meaningless. All that matters is how much is available on the 12 volt rail.

If you look on the side of your PSU, you should see 1 or more 12V+ rails. Add them all up for the total 12 volt amperage available. For instance if a PSU has three 12V+ rails, each 19 amps, then you have a total of 57 amps.

I am sure the existing PSU has at least 35 amps, and maybe a lot more, since that's a pretty nice gaming rig. HOWEVER I like to have some head room. You never want to run close to max amperage on any PSU because they become unstable at max. I'd recommend a PSU with a total 12 volt rail of 50 amps at a minimum. More is better.

Stick to respected brand names. Right now I'd recommend OCX , Corsair. Antec have less frills but they're usually good reliable designs and you may not want to pay an extra $40 for modular connectors and nicely wrapped cabled if no one is going to look inside. Also make sure it's an 80 plus certified PSU. I'd shop around on Newegg here and only pick out PSUs with a LOT of reviews (several hundred) and those with 70% or more of those reviews are 5 eggs. Keep in mind that everyone makes a lemon so don't go by brand name alone. The reviews are your best guide.

Be aware that the newer enthusiast designs no longer have multiple rails but just one big rail. That's okay. Those new single rail designs are as good as or better than multiple rails in some respects.

Start here: These are 500 - 600 watt PSUs. I would recommend you sort them by "Most Reviews": http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=20

Also look at the 600 - 700 watt PSUs. You might find something on sale for the same price as a good 600 watt unit, but with a bigger 12 volt rail: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=20

This seems like a nice unit and has a big rebate and a 50 amp 12 volt rail:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817341017

RaT · Post by **RaT** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:15 pm

Thanks for the links and explanation FP, definitely clears up some questions i have.

By coincidence, I was looking at the same exact power supply from OCZ. I'm pretty much gonna go with it as the prices are well within my budget. I guess the only question is should I go 600 or 700 watts considering the price difference is around $10 after rebates.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:14 pm

Do you need the 700? No. But more is always better if you can spare the money.

A PSU running at 60% of rated output when the PC is under load is going to put out cleaner power than a PSU running at 80% of rated output. The overhead just gives you a cleaner power supply, and that keeps the mobo happy and prevents power spikes that can damage things.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:15 am

What he said. It's hard to narrow things down to a single PSU, but if you look at enough reviews, you can get a good idea. Heck, the right PSU changes almost weekly for me depending on what's on sale.

RaT · Post by **RaT** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:09 am

thanks for the help again fellas!! I went with the 700w OCZ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... %20modular

now comes the fun part, i gotta gut the stock gateway box and figure out which connections go where, etc. with the new PS

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:48 am

sound good...what the others said about getting a good one - I have a 750 Corsair - whihc is probably more than I need for an o/c I5, 8 Gigs of Ram a 6870 and 4 drives, but it has always been rock solid.

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:02 pm

RaT wrote:thanks for the help again fellas!! I went with the 700w OCZ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... %20modular

now comes the fun part, i gotta gut the stock gateway box and figure out which connections go where, etc. with the new PS

i'm late to this, but you'll be happy with that PSU. i've had that exact one in my primary rig for 2+ years now. the modular aspect is very nice...keeps things clean by not having unused cables laying around. it's quiet too...great PSU for the price.