Help with the PSU choise

I assume you have some kind of Ti GFX card .... 650.... 660 ... 560 ... 780 ? The answer will determine what you need.

Option 1 use this

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Option 2 use this

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus

click on your CPU
click on 'specifications" on left

For example the 780 Ti says .....

Thermal and Power Specs:
95 C - Maximum GPU Tempurature (in C)
250 W - Graphics Card Power (W)
600 W - Minimum System Power Requirement (W)
One 8-pin and one 6-pin - Supplementary Power Connectors

Click to expand...

If you talking SLI, then add the 600 + 250 and ya get 850

Option 3 - Read Guru3d power consumption test results in their reviews for your card (example 780 Ti)

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_780_ti_gaming_review,7.html

Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

GeForce GTX 780 Ti - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
GeForce GTX 780 Ti 2-way SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 800 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3-way SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 1200 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock your GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.

Click to expand...

As for the metal stuff...as said above this has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the PSU whether gold, silver etc.....tjho, to be fair, more efficient parts mean lower heat and better quality components that does not necessitate that it was well made or has appropriate safety circuitry.

Never rely on statements like "Corsair makes Great PSUs". For one, Corsair has never actually "made" a PSU. They sell PSU's and buy them from various OEM's such as Seasonic, Channelwell, Flextronics, Chicony

So yes, Corsair has sold some great PSUs (HX850) but the also have made some rather crappy ones (CX400). Even looking at who made them doesn't always help....Seasonic is know for high quality but it was Channelwell who made Corsair most well regarded PSU (HX850). But Channelwell also made the poorly reviewed HX100 and HX1050.

So "in general", the HX series from Corsair is a great line of PSU's but do your research, ya wanna avoid the dogs like the 1050 and 1000 .... visit reputable PSU review sites like jonnyguru.com to get the skinny on individual models.... the Seasonic X series is comparable tot he Corsair HX but overall the line is more consistent than the HX.

A step down you;'ll find the Corsair TX V2, XFX Core Edition, Antec HCG / HCP and a few others. See soenthing ya like, do ya research and make sure you didn't focus on one of the black sheeps in the family.

Finally, be aware the like GFX card makers, monitor makers, memory makers and most everything else, manufacturer's like to pull the ole switcheroo.

The early samples which the reviewers all get might say have Hynix memory, x Samsung LCD panels, and after a few months of production switch to something cheaper. This is not always as nefarious as it sounds especially with memory.

Memory yields when a line is started up yield a smaller % of high end modules. As the line improves, yields go up. So a vendor may go to Hynix in order to get the demand they need satisfied at the high end....but then as the competition's yields improve, they can also supply enuff modules and cheaper.... so while the say Elpida may now be able to meet the original spec, you prolly gonna be disappointed cause Hynix has improved too and their stuff now has a higher % of stuff than canm be OC'd even higher.

So don't be surprised if ya read a review that says a certain PSU has these brand / rated caps or other parts and the on you buy a year later is different.