Help me pick out a power supply!

This might be the same PSU inside, but I'd rather have this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Here is another option with no MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

A question I don't know the answer to is whether a 30A PSU can power the GTX260/4870. Might want to look into that.

Not the Basiq - this is the Antec you want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Looks like Newegg raised their psu prices on the good stuff lol. The $50 Seasonic isn't $50 any more.

Except the one you listed is more expensive then the budget, and has the same 30A availbe that the Basiq has. If both have 30A on the 12V rail, and one is to expensive, then he should get the one he can afford. I'm sure the basiq would be enough.

I have said this before: Avoid the Basiq line. Antec cut too many corners to hit the price point.

A good PSU with a 30 amp 12 volt rail should be able to power a GTX260 or 4870.

Figure 8 - 10 amps for the CPU, 10 - 12 amps for the GPU, another 5 amps or so for the drives and fans, and you have a little in reserve.

Linkage then? I thought all current Antec lines are good.

EVGA (just an example) recommends 2x6 pin connections with a combined power of 36A on the 12V line. So if you do the math, thats 18A on each 6 pin PCI-E power cable. The PSU you first linked (one 17A and one 14A rail) is 5 amps short of the recommended requirements. I'd recommend anything rated for SLI (so you know it comes with more than just one PCI-E power cable) with a total output of at least 36A across two +12V lines together. That power supply; however, will be able to handle the 4870 as it only needs less than half of what the 260 does.

Corsair VX550 is only $56AR.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

No, they " recommend " a " psu " with a total 12v output of 36 amps, 2 x 6 pin connectors are "required".
6 pin pcie power connectors are rated for 6.25 amps.

www.lmgtfy.com/?q=antec+basiq+review

Ok, so to answer my question of whether or not a 30A PSU is enough for the GTX260/4870, the answer is kind of. Its enough for the 4870, but not enough for the GTX260.

Twoboxer, gee thanks, but I know how to google. My question to you sir is which of those many links contains the answer? I saw some forum posts, user reviews, etc, but nothing that shows Basiqs bad.

Sorry, was a bit obscure. There is only one "recognized" review of anything "Basiq" that I could find by Google. That was my first point.

That review shows the Basiq line as a bit spotty, particularly at 500W, and the 4XX was not one of the Basiq's reviewed. It also showed the OEM suppliers of the various Antec models reviewed that explained the intent and reason for quality differences. That was my second point, and perhaps I should have pointed out the specific review.

My third point was normally I'd like to see some 3rd party evidence that a line/model is good. If *you* think they are, isn't it for you to provide the link?

The 55nm GTX260 uses considerably less power than the HD4870.

The Basiq models are not the best, but certainly better than a lot of other crap that's available.

Animal, I'm going off of what infyrno917 said. 36A required for the GTX260, according to Nvidia. Again, I have no idea how much power they take. If anyone has a link, please provide. I agree that while the Basiq series isn't the best, they are far from bad. They are what their name says, a good basic PSU. You won't find any 800W+ basiqs, nor do they have the best efficiency. What they can do however is provide good power at a cheap price. Now for Twoboxer....



Seeing as your talking about it and I have no idea where you got it, please do. I combed through the LMGTFY link and didn't say any real reviews on the first two pages. Worthless Newegg reviews, several sites where I could buy it, not nothing that I care about. There was a link to an FSP based PSU on Hard, but Antec was only mentioned because FSP has supplied them with PSUs before.



Perhaps, but as I'm sure you know, real reviews of the Basiq are hard to come by. You and JSC don't like them, TheAnimal and myself say they aren't bad. I would provide a link, but can't find any one way or another. I agree they aren't enthusiast class, but I never said they were. I'm actually more irritated by JSCs comment then yours, as he clearly stated to "Avoid" the basiq. This is in my mind calling it junk, as thats the only computer parts I avoid.

EDIT: I double checked the link and found the Xbit review. While not the best PSU out there, it did show it can output like modern PSUs should. I again don't see anything to worry about. Show me a link that shows its a danger to use it, or it meets/exceeds ATX specs in any way.

@4745454b: Here we agree 100% - I wouldn't call something junk without (a) saying I had ONE and MINE was junk, or (b) finding some reasonable 3rd party review. IOW, while there are a few exceptions I suppose, the same criteria cuts both ways.

Here's the link:

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/antec-psu-...

I had to follow several of the links on the first three search pages to find this link imbedded in a thread.

TBTH, I expected to find NO reviews when I checked before making my initial post. So this one was a surprise, and . . . I learned some things that seem to make sense from it. See if you agree.

Yeah, thats the one I finally found. I wrote it off on my first look because the LMGTFY showed it was a link to a forum. Someone in the forum gave a link to that site.

I just don't understand how/why anyone would call them bad. Sure they aren't 82%+ efficient, nor will you be using one to CF/SLI any good cards any time soon. If you just want to power a system for cheap, there is no reason to avoid them however. For $40, not bad. (no rebate either, which is good considering the OP was looking at an OCZ.)

For me, its not a question of "bad", that's probably just a posting shortcut. A psu is probably only bad when it fails and/or hurts something else. But if one looks at all the trouble posts here, one can't help but want to encourage folks to run with the best psus, whether they go Intel or AMD lol.

So, without respectable reviews, what does it mean to say "I heard X was good." Here's an example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

60% of Newegg reviewers give it 5 eggs and there are no negative reviews for it readily available - unless you count this:

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Recommend or not lol? (Rhetorical question).

People come here for recommendations. I guess I'd prefer to give them "known", to make sure they know how important a psu is, and when they choose something else, fine.

After a little research i found this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... should work with the gtx 260 yes?

Yes. A very good choice.