Good budget gaming PSU?

[rajmccurry]

All I really need at this point is a power supply to complete my first build's plans (it's a gaming build). I can't spend too much because i'm on a budget but at the same time I don't want to skimp on the PSU because I've heard its a really important part of the computer. Apparently the life of your computer depends on the quality of your PSU.

Do you guys know of any good PSUs that meet my requirements? I'm looking to keep it around 50$ but i think I can go 60$ if needed. I need a 500w. Also I heard you can get "bronze" certified PSUs or whatever that is (WHAT ARE THOSE?). I'd like a Corsair if possible.

I can give you guys my other specs if needed.

Also, for future reference, what are the characteristics I should be looking for in a good PSU?

THANK YOU BEINGS OF THE INTERNET.

 

[sophiebeth100]

Really all you need is to buy a PSU from a reputable brand such as Seasonic, Corsair and XFX. The best PSUs are rated as either 80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. In simple terms, these rate the overall efficiency and quality, so you really want to be getting something rated 80+ Bronze and upwards.

XFX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=xfx%20550w&IsVirtualParent=1 $60 after rebates
Seasonic: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094 $70
Corsair: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 $40 after rebates, but worst PSU of the three

If it were me, I would go for the XFX, as is only $60, has a 50w advantage over the other two and has great warranty and quality.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027


CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Here's what you need. $59.99 EMCYTZT3634 $10.00 discount code =$49.99

 

[C12Friedman]

The Corsair CX500 (very popular due to it's quality/value) is currently on sale at newegg it usually runs around $60 but it's $30 with promo code EMCYTZT3634 - today and tomorrow only 6/17 & 6/18

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I ran the code and it takes off $10.00 off to make it $49.99.

 

[rajmccurry]

I was previously thinking of the CX500 too! Great to know that you guys think its good too. I'll be running a 4670k with a 7850 or 7870, asrock extreme6. It'll do the job nicely.... Right?

 

[sophiebeth100]

I advise getting a lower priced motherboard, such as the MSI Z87-G45 (a great board for the price) and upgrading your GPU to the 7950.

 

[rajmccurry]

I had a look at the mobo, and it's pretty sexy! However, I'm kinda curious as to what are the reasons I should change to those specs (I'm a noob) What advantages would that have?

BTW I asked some people what motherboard I should buy under $200 here

By this point I'm pretty confused about the mobo...

 

[sophiebeth100]

I had a look at the mobo, and it's pretty sexy! However, I'm kinda curious as to what are the reasons I should change to those specs (I'm a noob) What advantages would that have?

BTW I asked some people what motherboard I should buy under $200 here

By this point I'm pretty confused about the mobo...

The Extreme 6 is honestly a brilliant motherboard. It's just if you're wanting to keep your build for a while and not want upgrade your GPU then it would be much better, for your wallet and your gaming performance, to downgrade your motherboard to one that does what you need to do and is not overkill for your build, and instead to get a GPU that will give you more fps. The G45 has everything you could need in a gaming motherboard. The people on the thread you linked are right, the Extreme 6 is the best under $200, but you don't need the best if you only want one GPU and don't want a HUGE overclock.

As for advantages - the 7950 is quite a large increase over the 7870. It has more vram (3gb as opposed to 2gb) which will do you much better in the long run, as more and more games are starting to take advantage of GPUs with a lot of vram. If you take a look at benchmarks on some sites, you'll see that 7950 can play almost every game, apart from extremely intensive games such as Crysis 3 and Metro: Last Light, on the highest settings at a very playable fps, whereas the 7870 struggles in a lot of the newer games.

 

[rajmccurry]

OK, thanks! I think what you suggested would be the right thing to do.
I do have one more question: I looked for the 7950 on Newegg, and I saw that it's made by several different brands. How come, and which one should I choose?

 

[sophiebeth100]

OK, thanks! I think what you suggested would be the right thing to do.
I do have one more question: I looked for the 7950 on Newegg, and I saw that it's made by several different brands. How come, and which one should I choose?

The 7950 is made by AMD, but then aftermarket coolers are placed onto by difference manufacturers for maximum cooling of the GPU, and a lot of them come pre-overclocked for better performance.

The Sapphire Vapor-X is a very highly-rated manufacturer of this card, as is the MSI Twin Frozr and Gigabyte. You can't go wrong with any of those three.

 

[rajmccurry]

What about Asus? Over here there's an Asus one... Is that a good one too? (I heard that Asus was high quality)
Plus, it comes with 4 free games, so what do you think of it?
I like the msi too, but I'll proably end up getting the Gigabyte simply because its the cheapest (I can't afford the Saphire!)