I'm going to be building a C2D based rig over the holidays. Since I already know the CPU, RAM, GPU, Mobo, HDs and all that, the only thing that's really left is a good quality PSU. A quick look on a few online retailers show that there is a huge range in prices of "seemingly" similar PSUs. Since I know they aren't the same thing, but also knowing that I'm not the one to ask which one is best, I thought I would come to where the experts are (that's you guys).

Here are my future specs....
Core 2 Duo 6300
Asus PB5-E
EVGA 7600GT
Corsair 1 or 2 GB DDR2800 kit
1 250GB (or so) WD HD
1 DVD-RW
1 DVD-ROM
possibly recycling a Sound Blaster live from current P3 based rig (please don't laugh).

Given that, I think 400 watts is the minimum (450-500 to be safe). Not that I'm too cheap to get a decent PSU, but could I get one for around $50 that would do the trick? How about a good one at $75? How about a great one that will also handle all my future needs for around $100? Quiet and efficient would be best!! Thanks for any help you might have.

Your system will not require too much power. Here is a break down assume every component is under 100% load:

Power Consumption on the 12v rails -

E6300 (overclocked to 2.8GHz).............................................66w CPU Power Consumption Chart
7600GT................................................................................39w GPU Power Consumption Chart
250GB Hard Drive...............................................................18w
DVD-ROM............................................................................14w
DVD-Burner........................................................................14w

Total Estimated Power Consumption - 12v Rail.................151w

Power Consumption on 3.3v and 5v rails -

Typical Non Premium Motherboard.......................................35w (Just a guess)
2 Sticks of 1GB RAM...............................................................20w
Sound Card...........................................................................10w
Hard Drive Read/Write Head..................................................5w
DVD Read/Write Head (x2)..................................................10w

Total Estimated Power Consumption - 3.3v & 5v Rails..........80w

Total Overall System Power Consumption - Max Load...........231w

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Recommend PSU under $50...............XClio 450BL ATX 450W Power Supply: $40 + $8.50 Shipping = $48.50

Recommend PSU under $75...............XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply: $50 + $8 Shipping = $58

Recommend PSU under $75...............FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN 450w PSU: $49 + $8 = $57

Recommend PSU under $100..............ENERMAX Noisetaker II EG495P-VE ATX12V 485W Power Supply: $80 + $9 Shipping = $89

Seasonic power supplies are my personal preference since they are power efficient and very quiet. But they are a bit pricey.........

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] rchInDesc=