Help choosing a Power Supply

lackofrespect

Honorable
May 13, 2012
25
0
10,530
I have most of the components for my first build except the Power Supply, Case, and Memory.
I came across what looks like a decent deal on the following PSU:

Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Continuous Power Supply - $69.99 after $20 MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371051&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL052512&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL052512-_-EMC-052512-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17371051-L0G

There are a few things I am unsure of. I posted a thread a few weeks ago for help with my build and I got a few suggestions but the one I planned on getting had a lot of bad reviews regarding the fan sounding like it was either going to "blast off" or "dry your hair" lol. Being a little bit louder isn't a big deal but if it is really as loud as they are saying then that is too much. There is one spec that I got a suggestion on that this Antec PSU doesn't match. I was told to get a PSU with:

1 +12V Rail but this one has 4 +12V Rails

1. Does 4 +12V Rails make this Antec better, worse or just better suited for some particular application(s)?
2. What else should I know about the costs/benefits of 1 +12V Rail versus multiple +12V Rails?
3. What is PFC? What does it do? What does Active mean for PFC?
4. Will this PSU even go well with what I have listed below?
5. Maybe help guiding me through these specs as well:
a. Should I get a modular instead? Is it a must have?
b. Is there enough current, watts, connectors, efficiency?
c. Is 80 PLUS bronze good enough or should I go with something better?


These are the components that I currently have purchased:
Intel i7-2600k
Radeon HD 6850 - I may end up getting a second card soon or might be a little bit. I will how it runs with one first.
ASUS P8Z77-V motherboard - ATX board
Crucial CT256M4SSD2 M4 2.5 Inch SSD - 256GB, SATAIII 6Gb/s
Seagate 1TB HDD

I plan to get:
16GB+ 1333 RAM - since that is the max my CPU supports
Not sure about case yet. Could use suggestions with this as well. Need help with the following:

1. What to look for?
2. Quality brands?
3. Specs or Features to look for aka must have features? and
4. Really what would go best with what i have listed here?


The only game I play is Starcraft right now. I also use AutoCAD electrical, Matlab, NX7.5, and maybe some solid works as well.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm fairly new to doing this and only have basic knowledge on a lot of this.
Thanks in advance!
 

lackofrespect

Honorable
May 13, 2012
25
0
10,530
Haha yeah I always have a lot of questions. Just want to make sure I don't make a mistake or at least lessen my chances. Your post has helped a lot. Especially the link to the 1vs4 12v rails. Thank you for the information.

Also, at the end of my post I was asking about case suggestions not memory but I could have used as information I could get there as well lol.

After reading that post I feel like it doesn't matter going with either 1 or 4 rails but seems less risky to go with 1 rail. Is that what everyone got out of that?
 

I got this
"The bottom line is, for 99% of the folks out there single vs. multiple +12V rails is a NON ISSUE"

Your psu of choice is overkill even if you overclock the snot out of the cpu and double up on the cards, no reason at all to worry about how many 12v rails it has
 

lackofrespect

Honorable
May 13, 2012
25
0
10,530
Really? I was told to get at the very least a 600-650 and that would cut it close with crossfire and most recommended a 700. What would you think I would need or recommend for what I have/will have. I do plan to crossfire down the road if not soon.