Help please with PSU for new build

[Tezmo88]

Hey guys, im hoping to undertake my first pc build within the next few weeks and would appreciate any help from kind knowledgable folk I have spent countless hours researching reviews and gather prices, but am stuck on what PSU to go for, and how much power will be needed.

The build will go something like this:

Case: Storm Enforcer or Obsidian 550d
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3
CPU: I5 2500k (Overclocked to 4.2/4.3 Ghz)
Cooler: Gelid Tranquillo Rev 2
GPU: 1280MB EVGA GTX 560 Ti Classified
Ram: 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600 Mhz
128GB SSD, 500GB HDD etc
PSU: ?

I have been looking at Be Quiet PSU's as they seem to be good for efficiency/low sound have a gold rating etc. However, what wattage would i be needing for the above system? 600W, 680W, 700W? Or are there any other good PSU's anyone could suggest?

Probably worth adding that im building the machine primarily for gaming, and might overlock the ram a little bit, and possibly overclock the GPU a tad as well if i'm feeling brave

Thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers,

Terry

[D1DM]

What is your budget?

[Tezmo88]

Ah sorry should have mentioned that. Max on the budget would be around £100, though like anyone i would prefer to spend a bit less if possible I guess somewhere around £70 - 80 would be a happy medium.

Cheers

[Bambooz]

For a sys like that, 600W. Maybe more if you want headroom for SLI/Crossfire later on or something.
The 560Ti with 448SP is rated as 210W max. If it's the older 384SP version, it's 170W max.

I was going to recommend the Antec HCG-620, but the scan.co.uk link leads to a totally different PSU and the other sellers on the list are one heck of a lot more expensive
http://skinflint.co.uk/725966

Oh well.. Corsair TX650 V2 instead then..
http://skinflint.co.uk/616446

Alternatively the OCZ ZT series 650W
http://skinflint.co.uk/692698

edit: I used the price comparison links so you can pick your fav. shop from the list, cause that's another thing you didn't mention

[D1DM]

The Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 has a PCIe lane split of x16/x4 which means that it is not SLI certified. So you would have to change that if you want a PSU that will support SLI.
You could power a system with a single GTX 560 Ti with a good 450W PSU (with two 6pin PCIe connectors), so anything over that just means reduced heat and noise output from the PSU itself.

NZXT Hale90 550W and 650W are both below £100 at Scan and are IMO without doubt the best PSUs below £100 and worth the price premium over other 550/650W units if you are prepared to pay the extra.

The Be Quiet Straight Power E9 units you mentioned do have the advantage of having high efficiency and quiet fans. The performance is solid enough and build quality is solid enough (main criticism is that some of the capacitors aren't Japanese). So not a bad choice overall.

In the £70-80 price bracket:
Cougar GX 600W 80Plus Gold Modular £75
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...F8&me=&seller=

The Antec High Current Gamer M and Neo Eco Modular do share similar DNA; they are both based on the Seasonic M12II Bronze, but the HCGM will be higher quality. And I think there are issues with the Neo Eco Modular not having many cables coming with it and not being able to acquire any off Antec atm.

There are any number of other 650-750W 80Plus Bronze rated PSUs in the £60-80 price range which are all good choices, altho they wouldn't be as efficient or quiet (on load), but arguably have better interiors and performance in other aspects.

[Tezmo88]

Hey guys, thanks very much for the quick replies

Yeh i realise that Z68 board doesnt have SLI, but i was kinda hoping that specific GTX 560 would be enough to run most games on quite good settings now, and medium'ish settings in the near future. I suppose it could be worth upgrading the Mobo incase i want to run in SLI in the future, however that would prob require an even more powerful PSU? :S

I probably should mention the games i'll be playing are Diablo 3, Wow and probably BF3, so hopefully SLI shouldn't be too much of a worry.

I'll give those PSU's a check tomorrow, thanks again.

[Tezmo88]

Hey guys,

I've been checking over some of the PSU's you linked. I had already looked into the 650W Corsair one before, and the OCZ one, but thankyou for the price comparison site... very useful

I liked the looks/reviews i saw about the nzxt hale 90's, but the only problem is that for the 650W one the prices on scan are starting at around £105 which is kind of pushing the boundaries of my budget Plus their not going to be avaliable for around a week at least, so i think i may well just go for the Be Quiet 680W that was reviewed on hexus a few days ago. (Especially like the colour coded wires from it, added bonus seeing as im a noob in terms of wiring )

On a side note, think im going to upgrade the Mobo to a Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 Gen 3 which will support SLI, incase i need to upgrade in the future. Am i right in assuming that the 680W PSU will be enough for SLI? Based on what you stated earlier, a 560 Ti would draw 210W, so x 2 = 420W, with 260W left for other components?

Cheers