Best PSU for under $70?

Great PSU but not modular

[strike]I like the FSP Hydro X 450W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104229

Edit: Whoops modular.
Well the Corsair CX450M and 550M are certainly some of the best in that price range I would say.[/strike]

With rebate this Rosewill Quark is great http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182349&cm_re=rosewill_quark_550-_-17-182-349-_-Product

Capstone G 550 is a phenomenal price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182356

Wow I feel stupid. I thought it was semi modular. I guess I should have read the specs xD

I'm confused here. I'm aware that I didn't earn the Best Answer, so I'm not going to complain about that. However, how did Jack's answer get selected without mine being unselected? It says "LemurWithAFemur selected this answer as the solution December 6, 2016 6:23:07 PM" but doesn't list that it was ever unselected. Glitch in the system, or is this the work of a mod?

Maybe it only says "unselected by" if it's not unselected by the OP?

That's a very real possibility... Maybe I should stop questioning the system and get some sleep. It's 23:10 where I live.

I don't do military time but if that is 11:10p.m. like it is for me I'm just getting started, I'm about to go to the gym. 😛

Assuming you are in the USA, $70 should get you a good Gold rated PSU. Why are all these bronze ones listed? Worse, why did a bronze one get selected? If I had $70 I'd probably get this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119

I know it's only semi modular, but you are going to use those cables anyways. And it's a Seasonic with a 5yr warranty.

The 80+ rating is not a measure of PSU performance, build quality or anything related to how well it will work in a PC to power the components. It's a tree-hugger thing (and I count myself among that group). The higher the 80+ rating, the better the PSU is for the planet. There are some peripheral advantages to a higher rating:

a) It lowers electricity costs, however ... to get your money back from purchasing an "all other things equal" but a higher 80+ rating, the payback period is many more years than you will have the PSU. So for example. If you pay $30 more for a Gold Unit than a Bronze, and save $2.25 a year in electricity, then it takes 13+ years to get ya money back.

b) There is a slight reduction in heat generation ... Gold versus bronze on a 600 watt PSU at typical loads will generate (averaging idle and load times) of 12.5 watts more heat ... about the same as a set of case fans. It has the same warranty as the S12 and M12, they are essentiuall the same PSU (S = Standard / M = Modular). They are both on Season's GB Bronze platform, other PSUs on that platform are OEM's and sold as the Antec HCG and XFX Cor Series.

In short, 80+ rating is not something very high on most folks selection criteria. Voltage stability, ripple, type of caps used etc..... are the things that are uusally of higher concern.

I agree however that the SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM should have been on my short list ... my guess is, *at the time I sorted the PCPP PSU list* on price and worked my way up to $70, it was either over that or outta stock. And, as hybrid modular, it actually has advantages over full modular.

If added to the list above, they all make fine candidates, however i would based by selection on whether it was Bronze, Silver or Gold; I don't even look to see what it is.

SSR-550RM - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=373
S12 / M12 - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=185




I think you will only see a name there when it is undone by a forum member; not if unselected by OP or moderator.

Over the last dozen years, I'd say that I have probably unselected another user's answer about 3 times..... purpose being the OP was long gone and concern was that answer given was blatantly wrong and following it could have detrimental results.

Case fans absolutely do not produce 12.5W of heat, a typical case fan is a mere 1-2W, and not all of that is converted into waste heat. The majority of the electromagnetic energy is converted into the kinetic energy of the angular rotation of the blades, so the amount of actual waste heat should be even smaller. Though I do suppose that the blades would lose that kinetic energy from air resistance, but still 1-2W is what fans are, no way do case fans have that high of a power consumption, unless you are referring to maybe 10 of them together.

Anyway, I'll stick with my recommendation. I don't really think the Rosewill Capstone G 550W can be beat for its price, and Quark is well-priced, too.