Looking for a PSU

[topeira]

hi guys. registered just to ask this question -

first of all - my rig -
Q6600 at 2.4GHZ
ATI radeon HD4870 512mb (just one gpu)
2 X HDD
1X dvd burner
2gb ram
win xp sp3

2 months ago my OCZ 600w has burned\fried\passed away. the store from which i bought it has agreed to give me a refund of the money it was worth and now i can add more money to complete a new purchase but only from the PSUs they have.i cant chose any PSU i want from the general market but only from what that store allows me.

my options are these, from the cheapest to the most expensive -
1 - Antec TruePower New Modular 550 550W Retail
2 - Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Retail
3 - Corsair VX550W Ultra Quiet Psu

which one of these is the best PSU for my rig? what if i want to upgrade in a couple of years or if i want to OC my CPU?

is one of them a complete overkill? too powerful and i won't need it?

i tend to lean towards the antec 650W cuz i think it will give me leeway but my friend who knows more than i do in hardware (easy to do. im a complete lamer) says the antec 550W is more than enough, cheaper and actually better since it's model and parts are better than the 650W. he also says i dont need the corsair. it's the most expensive and no need when the antec is available.
is he right?
what are your thoughts?

thanks

 

[jsc]

All good PSU's. You cannot go wrong with any of them.

I have a VX550 in a computer with very similar specs. Only real difference is mine has 4 GB of RAM.

 

[topeira]

u think i can even OC with the antec 550W to get my CPU from 2.4 to 3.0ghz?

 

[delluser1]

u think i can even OC with the antec 550W to get my CPU from 2.4 to 3.0ghz?

Wether you can oc your chip is on you, the TP550 can handle it without a problem.

 

[topeira]

Wether you can oc your chip is on you, the TP550 can handle it without a problem.

so u think there's no difference, performance wise, weather i buy the 650W antec or the 550W antec?
cuz while the price is almost the same (2$ difference) the 650W will arive in 14 days while the 550W will arrive in 4.... it's tempting to go for the antec 550W but i dont want it to limit my future upgrades or OCing.

u think it will do fine?

 

[delluser1]

so u think there's no difference, performance wise, weather i buy the 650W antec or the 550W antec?
cuz while the price is almost the same (2$ difference) the 650W will arive in 14 days while the 550W will arrive in 4.... it's tempting to go for the antec 550W but i dont want it to limit my future upgrades or OCing.

u think it will do fine?

It's (TP550) a better built semi modular psu, with a higher efficiency rating and can provide the same amount of 12v power as the EA650.
Yes

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The store gave you some very nice choices. As jsc already mentioned they are all good power supplies.

 

[topeira]

The store gave you some very nice choices. As jsc already mentioned they are all good power supplies.

i bet but are they enough for my rig? even the antec 550W? even if i OC it a bit?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Yes, a good quality 500 to 550 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can easily power an overclocked system with any single video card made. You should not experience any problems with any of those power supplies.

Since you mentioned overclocking and a 4870 I am guessing you like to play games. I haven't mentioned this in a long time but Tom's Hardware and other web sites have actually measured total power consumption at the wall outlet (mains) for an entire pc system during gaming sessions. They discovered that typical gamers with a moderately overclocked system and one video card rarely use more than 300 watts during game play. There are some brief spikes during intense scenes. An example would be when a hero is blown up - lots of explosions, fire, debris, and loud sounds. It is a brief spike in power usage that should not cause any problems.

A lot of the technical reviews include stress tests. An example would be the OCCT load test which is a real torture test. It can create a load that no game available can create or even come close to. If a system survives the test, then gaming will not be a problem.

 

[topeira]

Yes, a good quality 500 to 550 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can easily power an overclocked system with any single video card made. You should not experience any problems with any of those power supplies.

Since you mentioned overclocking and a 4870 I am guessing you like to play games. I haven't mentioned this in a long time but Tom's Hardware and other web sites have actually measured total power consumption at the wall outlet (mains) for an entire pc system during gaming sessions. They discovered that typical gamers with a moderately overclocked system and one video card rarely use more than 300 watts during game play. There are some brief spikes during intense scenes. An example would be when a hero is blown up - lots of explosions, fire, debris, and loud sounds. It is a brief spike in power usage that should not cause any problems.

A lot of the technical reviews include stress tests. An example would be the OCCT load test which is a real torture test. It can create a load that no game available can create or even come close to. If a system survives the test, then gaming will not be a problem.

and what if a system doesnt survive the OCCT test? u get a new system?!


OK. i think i will go for the 550W antec if u feel strongly about it.
my last question - what if my power isn't enough for my system - what will happen? will the computer reboot? crash? parts will fry?? i guess that u r certain that with the antec 550W im not really taking any chances but what might be the damage if at some point there is mismatch with supply and demand of power? i might lose computer parts?

 

[jsc]

Any of those power supplies will have no problem providing enough power to your system.

Overclocking adds very little power consumption to the complete system. Overclocking my Q6600 from 2.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz increased my total power consumption only 20 watts. I measured it.

 

[topeira]

lol. thanks jcs.

thank u everyone for helping me decide. i made my choise and bought the antec TP 550W. should arrive this week i think. i hope i will be a happy camper (which is a bad thing if u play MW2 apparently).

thanks again.