Choosing the right power supply, and staying within a budget, can be so difficult.
I believe I have narrowed my choices down to the following, but I'm still not educated enough on the 12 volt rail issue to fully understand. I've read several articles, including the sticky on Tom's about deciding the correct PSU, and I'm still not much better off.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] wer-supply

What I'm looking for is to upgrade my existing system, but not spend too much money. This system is about at it's limits and I don't want to put too much money into it, while saving for a future complete new build.

My system specs:
Intel D845BG Mobo
Intel P4 2.4 GHz
Win XP SP2
1 Gig RAM
2x CD-ROM
Dell 19" flat screen
Adding:
GeCube x1950 pro
New PSU

I'm not even listing the existing PSU, because it is quite old, only 250W, very low +12vA.

The choices I'm looking at are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817104953
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817128005
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] &CatId=106
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] &CatId=106
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817159065
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817339001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817159066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817162020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817182022

Due to budget, I really prefer to stay below $50. But, I'll go a little above if I don't have a choice. I also do not want to stay within budget only to get a PSU that is poor quality, or may damage something.

Some of my choices listed above are a good quality brand, well below $50, but the +12v rail only reaches the recommended 30A if you add both +12v1 and +12v2 rails. My confusion is, is that ok? Will the PSU support the x1950 pro as long as both +12v rails add up to 30A? Or does the +12v(1) need to provide the 30A?

Thanks for all your advise.

The 30A is the two rails together. The x1950 pro requires about 70W of power. 70W divided by 12v = 6 amps for the card. I'd leave a little more for safety and allow additional in case you want to upgrade to a more power hungry card later.

You might want to consider an Antec Earthwatts 500W PSU. I just purchased one online from Frys on sale for $49.99 - NO rebate required - marked down from $89.99. A real deal.

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5086635

The Frys stores in San Jose CA area also have the same special in their stores and you save the shipping - I bought mine online and paid $8 for ground shipping. By the way - this unit is certified to have 80% or better efficiency accross most power ranges and has two 12 volt rails @ 17A each.

You might also find this link helpful: Recommended Sub-$150, high-efficiency PSU's

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460

You will see the Antec Earthwatts PSU on the list and at the above price it is 1/2 to 1/3 of most other items listed.

That same website also has a review on this PSU:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_de [...] page_num=1

Thank you much. The jonnyguru link is another one that I read over a couple times. I guess the techie part of my brain is on vacation. lol

Definitely, if I have to go over my budget of $50 for the PSU to be safe, then it would be well worth it.

I got the Xclio Goodpower 500W (Meridian)( listed Tier 2) last Nov. and it works well with my overclocked E6600 and x1950xt. $49.99.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817189005


Review here: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/8 [...] index.html

That is a near perfect match for what I'm looking for. The review is excellent. Thank you. It's also on Newegg. I've had some bad experiences with Frys, so I prefer to stay away from them.

I appreciate your recommendation.

@MrsBytch. Thank you. Haven't seen your name pop up in a while.