Best PSU for price/performance

[mattycakes]

I recently upgraded my system to a XFX 9800 GT but haven't been able to run games without them becoming pixelated, distorted and consequentially crashing. I presume the culprit is my ancient and weak 400W Dynex PSU. What is is the best+cheapest low wattage PSU available on the market today, I'm in Canada so I can only use the .ca variation of tigerdirect or newegg. My system has a AMD 5600 dual core, 4GB OCZ 1066 RAM, 2 SATA 7200rpm drives and one optical drive so it doesn't have to be a high wattage, I also don't intend to be SLIing. Thanks for the help.

 

[dragonsprayer]

could be not enough 12v but i would expect crashing

cross connect the psu with the incluced 4pin to 6pin adapter use 2 different lines.

you need 600w psu

your gpu is 200w max, system is 350 or higher it may be 400w -- do the math on your system and use .6 to .7 to max wattage -- 600 min 700-750 is ok too if your max is 400+

350/.6=600w perfect point in effeciency and room to grow


antec 550-650
silverstone

pc power cooling 610 is really nice on sale
tri rail 650 from antec is great psu
so is silverstones - all of them

 

[dragonsprayer]

omg are your prices high i have seen the 610 for $60 in usa its $200+ in ca --its made in the usa

your country sucks - we should raise tarrifs on you guys!

these are good:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817163108
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

there are ok:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

 

[dragonsprayer]

look the 750w is $80 if you get the rebate here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

canada sucks - i thought i like to live there - forget it!

 

[mattycakes]

Well free health care and top tier social programs do come at a price Thanks alot for the help, I think I'll take the 750W.

 

[mattycakes]

waaait thats the .com, I guess I'll take the OCZ, I've had good experiences with them

 

[theAnimal]

waaait thats the .com, I guess I'll take the OCZ, I've had good experiences with them

Even though your current PSU is definitely not the best quality, it still should have enough power for your system. If you have another PSU you can try, I would do that to rule out any issue with other components.

The OCZ is the worst of the PSUs mentioned, and way more power than you need. Your system will only use around 200W max.

Also the shipping from newegg.ca is ridiculous.

I would recommend looking at Antec Earthwatts 380 or 430W, Corsair VX450, or Seasonic S12II 380 or 430W. Check pricecanada.com for the best prices.

 

[theAnimal]

you need 600w psu

No.

your gpu is 200w max

Not possible, 75W from PCI-e bus & 75W from PCI-e 6pin connector theoretical maximum for a total of 150W, but actual usage is about 100W.

, system is 350 or higher it may be 400w

The rest of the system is not much over 100W.

tri rail 650 from antec is great psu

NeoPower & TruePower Trio are okay, not great.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

theAnimal - Isn't the power requirement for a pc system with the XFX 9800GT somewhere around 400 watts? I know the manufacturer probably overstated the power requirement just in case someone is using a crappy power supply. On the other hand, as dragonspayer noted the OP would have room to grow.

 

[theAnimal]

theAnimal - Isn't the power requirement for a pc system with the XFX 9800GT somewhere around 400 watts? I know the manufacturer probably overstated the power requirement just in case someone is using a crappy power supply. On the other hand, as dragonspayer noted the OP would have room to grow.

But since he has no intention of running 2 video cards, then 500W would be plenty of room to grow.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

OOPS! I missed that! I am a senior citizen and I am growing old disgracefully.

 

[outlw6669]

@ dragonsprayer,

What a load of bull!
No way in hell he needs a 600w PSU for his rig!
A quality 400w PSU will be more than enough.

@ OP,

Yes, your problems most likly stem from your Dynex PSU.
Look into a QUALITY 400w+ Corsair, Seasonic, PCP&C, Enermax or Antec Earthwatts PSU.
You DO NOT need a 600w+ PSU for your system!
I would recommend the Corsair 400CX from newegg.ca.
It is a high quality unit and, at least in Canada, is reasonably priced at under $60 CAD after MIR.

 

[average joe]

could be not enough 12v but i would expect crashing

cross connect the psu with the incluced 4pin to 6pin adapter use 2 different lines.

you need 600w psu

your gpu is 200w max, system is 350 or higher it may be 400w -- do the math on your system and use .6 to .7 to max wattage -- 600 min 700-750 is ok too if your max is 400+

350/.6=600w perfect point in effeciency and room to grow


antec 550-650
silverstone

pc power cooling 610 is really nice on sale
tri rail 650 from antec is great psu
so is silverstones - all of them

I like power PC and cooling. They make great products and are made in the USA which, as an American, I think is cool. New egg is running this great sale on them right now. Just make sure you check the specs I almost bought one of the "January Sale" models but it had "older video card plugs" and the older 20 + 4 power plugs. I think it would have worked just fine with adapters but I often only replace my PSU when the plugs don't fit. The newer model had the new plugs and was 5 - 10 dollars more. Both models had free shipping.

PC Power & Cooling Silencer series are top notch. All the units are single rail so there's no trapped power situations. A 600 seems like it would be too big. PC Power & Cooling has a 500W that's crossfire certified so with one card I would say you could grab the 420w model. Maybe get the 500w for the SLI/crossfire option in the future. 9800gt cards are often sli'd and you would need the extra plug. Be aware that you will waste a small amount money on unused power if you buy a power supply larger than you need. .

Antec is a second tier brand. This doesn't mean its a bad brand at all. They make very good stuff compared to great stuff. I used to swear by them. I own three Antec PSU's and every single one still works. One of them is over ten years old. The plugs don't fit modern motherboards or components or I'd still use them for my current systems.

 

[wingmaster]

OCZ are pretty good power supplies I'd probably go with that over antec about the same quality but in the past I remember when I got my OCZ some people was having compatibility issues with antec or I would have an antec. I wouldn't pay more for same wattage antec over OCZ though. OCZ looks about your best bet in price in canada though I didn't look at them all if I had the money probably go with corsair though.

 

[theAnimal]

OCZ are pretty good power supplies I'd probably go with that over antec about the same quality but in the past I remember when I got my OCZ some people was having compatibility issues with antec or I would have an antec. I wouldn't pay more for same wattage antec over OCZ though. OCZ looks about your best bet in price in canada though I didn't look at them all if I had the money probably go with corsair though.

The only good quality OCZ PSUs are the EliteXStream, the rest are mediocre. I'd get an Antec Earthwatts over OCZ.

 

[theAnimal]

PC Power & Cooling Silencer series are top notch. All the units are single rail so there's no trapped power situations.

This is a bunch of nonsense. http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3990

Antec is a second tier brand. This doesn't mean its a bad brand at all. They make very good stuff compared to great stuff.

Their PSUs range from mediocre to great. The Antec Signature is probably the best PSU you can currently buy.

 

[delluser1]

This is a bunch of nonsense. http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3990


Their PSUs range from mediocre to great. The Antec Signature is probably the best PSU you can currently buy.

The funny thing is OCZ owning PCP&C and having to go both ways on how they advertise;

PCP&C - "Single rail for no trapped power"
OCZ - "Multi rail for uniform distribution of power"

The Signature is one of the best, there are higher quality power supplies out there, but you pay a higher premium for them.

 

[average joe]

This is a bunch of nonsense. http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3990


Their PSUs range from mediocre to great. The Antec Signature is probably the best PSU you can currently buy.

This is from the article and this is what I was refering too.

The only "problem" the occurs with multiple +12V rails is that when a +12V rail is overloaded (for example: more than 20A is being demanded from a rail set to only deliver up to 20A), the PSU shuts down. Since there are no "limits" on single +12V rail PSU's, you can not overload the rails and cause them to shut down..... unless you're using a "too-small" PSU in the first place.

 

[theAnimal]

This is from the article and this is what I was refering too.

The only "problem" the occurs with multiple +12V rails is that when a +12V rail is overloaded (for example: more than 20A is being demanded from a rail set to only deliver up to 20A), the PSU shuts down. Since there are no "limits" on single +12V rail PSU's, you can not overload the rails and cause them to shut down..... unless you're using a "too-small" PSU in the first place.

Also from the article:

The bottom line is, for 99% of the folks out there single vs. multiple +12V rails is a NON ISSUE. It's something that has been hyped up by marketing folks on BOTH SIDES of the fence. Too often we see mis-prioritized requests for PSU advice: Asking "what single +12V rail PSU should I get" when the person isn't even running SLI! Unless you're running a plethora of Peltiers in your machine, it should be a non-issue assuming that the PSU has all of the connectors your machine requires and there are no need for "splitters"

The most important thing is to buy a good quality, properly sized PSU with enough connectors for everything in your system. The number of rails does not matter.