Best PSU for £50 budget?

[Tread]

right so I have a AMD phenom x4 9850 black edition on a asus M2A-vm, with 500gb hd and a hd4550.

I want to upgrade GPU to a hd6770 or 6850.

So the question is which psu do i go for? as my current 450w winpower must be very cheap and old, as on the 12v rail its running 20a.

I'm currently looking at either a OCZ StealthXstream II 600W or a COOLERMASTER iGREEN 600 WATT.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tlmck]

The Antec Earthwatts 380w or any good quality 380 to 450 watt PSU will be fine for that set up. Just make sure that whatever you get is at least 80 plus certified. If it is not certified, avoid it.

Your old PSU should be enough, but cheaper made PSU's are often not the wattage they advertise. It is likely just wearing out and thus is putting out even less wattage.

 

[totalknowledge]

Initial outlay for a more energy efficient unit will translate into less cost over the life of the unit.

The 80+ gold psu's are worth it imo. Right now Super Flower, and FSP make gold units in the sub 700 W range that are good for systems with a lower power need. If you can get your hands on one of those I would recommend it. Rosewell sells rebranded Super FLower units here in the US. The Super Flower label might be easier to find in the UK, I am not very familiar with what is available across the pond.

 

[AdrianPerry]

380w is pushing it with a 6850. 400w+ would be recommended. Ideally even 450w to meet the "recommended" from ATI.

Corsair Builder Series 430w £36
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/430w-psu-corsair-builder-series-cmpsu-430cx-80-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23

or

Antec Basiq 450w £36
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450w-psu-antec-basiq-vp450p-gb-80-pluseps-12vquiet-fan-atx-v23

 

[totalknowledge]

Was that before or after VAT? This unit is just slightly over 50, before VAT. Its a 500W unit, 80+ gold, and its a rebranded FSP unit.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-psu-be-quiet-efficient-power-bn187-92-eff-80-plus-gold-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v231

 

[AdrianPerry]

Was that before or after VAT? This unit is just slightly over 50, before VAT. Its a 500W unit, 80+ gold, and its a rebranded FSP unit.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-psu-be-quiet-efficient-power-bn187-92-eff-80-plus-gold-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v231

The ones I listed had VAT included in the price I listed.

I couldn't really warrant spending the extra £30 just for the GOLD rating. At only 450w units, with a system power draw of probably no more than 300w, it just cant be worth the cost.

 

[totalknowledge]

I was simply pointing out savings now vs savings later. Depending on how much the systems taxed, the extra cost can be off set over the course of its lifetime, and may cost considerably less.

http://solidlystated.com/hardware/should-i-buy-80-plus-power/

Which ever way some form of 80+ is a definite savings.

 

[AdrianPerry]

http://solidlystated.com/hardware/should-i-buy-80-plus-power/

This is a useful link, and i like the yearly costs table. However lets break that down a little.

80PLUS bronze PSU costs $105 per year to run
80PLUS Gold PSU costs $99 per year to run

That's based on 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. Providing the user knows how to shut-down, or even put their computer into standby mode, you can easily half that figure.

So $6 per year saved, comes down to $3 per year saved, if even that much. Then take into account exchange rate, so $3 into £ is roughly £2. Spending £30 more on a PSU with a Gold rating, is going to take 15 years to justify that extra cost. And I HIGHLY doubt that the PSU will carry anywhere close to this sort of lifetime if the user even wanted it to.

EDIT: The above math was based on 100w Power draw, so if we triple it, and that's being really generous because it will likely use alot less than 300w 95% of the time, minimum 5years to justify the cost. Still I believe far beyond the reach of it being "worthwhile".

 

[deadjon]

Cosair Builder Series 500W £46
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-psu-corsair-builder-series-cmpsu-500cxuk-80-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23

Antec High Current Gamer 400W £43
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/400w-psu-antec-high-current-gamer-hgc-400-88-eff-80-plus-bronze-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23

I would personally go for the antec dispite its lower wattage - the rails provide more power and its probably higher build quality (although Corsair PSUs are renowned for their amazing quality, the Builder series is their lower budget series)