Upgrading to a new power unit?

[lethalv3ctor]

Hello,
my current settup is this:Foxconn H55MXV
intel core i3 530 @2.93GHz
4Gb DDR3 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 5450
300w PSU
20" monitor 1600x900
and i have rescently bought a ATI saphire HD 5770 to upgrade to, and now need a new psu, however i am confused on what to get, while the card says that in needs a minimum of 450w, an article on this website suggests that a system including a HD 6870, ran fine on 350w: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/power-supply-psu-review,review-32270-10.html
i have a budget of about £35, so any suggestions?

 

[ko888]

For a system using a single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card AMD specifies a minimum of a 450 Watt or greater power supply. The power supply should also have a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 22 Amps or greater and have at least one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT a crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Total Continuous Amperage Available on the +12V Rail(s) is the most important.

The Antec EarthWatts Green series 350W (EA-350 Green), with its combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 27.5 Amps and with one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector, will work with your system configuration using a single Radeon HD 5770.

 

[lethalv3ctor]

ok, don't seem to be able to find an easy place to buy that in the UK, Would a
'Antec VP350P 350W '80 Plus'
or
'Cooler Master GX 450W'
be similar in performance?

 

[ko888]

ok, don't seem to be able to find an easy place to buy that in the UK, Would a
'Antec VP350P 350W '80 Plus'
or
'Cooler Master GX 450W'
be similar in performance?

The Antec Basiq Series 350W (VP350P), with its +12 Volt continuous current rating of 28 Amps and one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector, is sufficient to power a system with a single Radeon HD 5770. It only has a 2 Year warranty but I don't see any 80 PLUS level efficiency certification.

The Cooler Master GX-450W (RS-450-ACAA-D3), with its +12 Volt continuous current rating of 35 Amps and its one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector, is more than sufficient to power a system with a single Radeon HD 5770. This power supply has a 5 Year warranty 80 PLUS BRONZE certification.

 

[lethalv3ctor]

ok, thanks for the help, will probably go with the cooler master as there isnt much difference in price, and there's the 80 plus bronze on it too.

 

[totalknowledge]

Excellent choice. The RS-450-ACAA-D3 is manufactured by Enhance Electronics...

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-GX-450-W-Power-Supply-Review/1234

 

[amuffin]

The gx series by cooler master sucks.

 

[lethalv3ctor]

would you recoomend i went with the antec then?, and is totalknowledge being sarcastic? or genuinly saying this psu is any good?

 

[amuffin]

would you recoomend i went with the antec then?, and is totalknowledge being sarcastic? or genuinly saying this psu is any good?

Anything from antec, corsair, xfx, and other good companies would be good. A corsair cx 430w or 500w would be a good choice.

 

[lethalv3ctor]

why is the cooler master one so bad then? from review's i've looked at it did alright, including the one totalknowledge linked

 

[amuffin]

why is the cooler master one so bad then? from review's i've looked at it did alright, including the one totalknowledge linked

The only good series from cooler master is the silent pro series, by then you could still get a much better corsair psu.

 

[totalknowledge]

Enhance has an excellent track record.

Seventeam makes some of the GX series, which is where the "bad name" is comming from.

That specific unit is more than fine.

 

[totalknowledge]

You can see on this page that all of the Seventeam units have been discontinued, and are being replaced by Enhance built units. Look over all of the review, and you will see that most of the Cooler Master units that have positive reviews are built by Enhance, and most of the negative reviews are built by Seventeam.

As long as your GX ends with d3 and not e3 you are gtg.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page364.htm

ETA: The Corsair CX series is built by CWT, and while good, I would not recommend them over a unit built by Enhance.

 

[ko888]

why is the cooler master one so bad then? from review's i've looked at it did alright, including the one totalknowledge linked

Corsair Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2UK) for £36.98 inc vat
• +12 Volt continuous current rating of 28 Amps
• one (6+2)-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/cmpsu-430cxv2uk.html

Reputable reviews:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-V2-Power-Supply-Review/1284

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=239

 

[totalknowledge]

Corsair CX430 V2 feedback on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-139-026&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

Cooler Master RS450-ACAAD3 feedback on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-171-060&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo