New PSU

[Sychie]

Hey, I'm looking to get a new PSU for my system my one at the moment is a cheap 450W one which I believe is not up to the job. I'm looking for a PSU probably modular seen the Corsair HX520W which seems a good buy, should I go for this one? I don't need anything too powerful but enough to give enough power for an extra HDD and RAM in the future possibly an upgrade in graphics and a quiet, efficient one would this cover my needs?

I am pretty much set on the Antec 900 for a case to this PSU I've seen this and it seems brilliant so almost definitely going for this.

Just looking for some feedback if anybody knows a particular PSU that is affordable and preferably modular then great!

-Thanks

[shadowmaster]

The Corsair HX520 will be more then powerful for your system, and will easily handle most upgrades to your pc.

If you are looking for something non modular then the Corsair VX450 will suffice or this FSP 700watt (which you can often find for £30 inc P&P on scan today only).

[maxwilson]

I can whole heartedly recommended the HX520 its a brilliant reliable PSU. What i like about the PSU is that its very high quality the box it arrived in impressed me alot. It also comes with many modular cables and a small bag to keep them in.

It may not be the cheapest but it really is a quality product in my opinion. Before I owned the
HX520 i had some cheap psu for about 40% the price of the corsair, it lasted about 2 weeks before it died on me. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again and going for the corsair was an excellent choice.

You get what you pay for.

I hope this helps!!

[mrsobvious]

Try the calculator at extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp (can't post urls yet)

..you might be pleasantly surprised at how few watts you are using. That old 450W you have might be just fine. Of course if you're particularly concerned about efficiency then go for one of the 80+ certified models. Remember that PSU's are most efficient at around 50% load. If your idle watts consumption is 200 (it's probably lower to be honest) then a highly efficient 400w PSU could be for you.

You shouldn't necessarily believe the hype that's around about high wattage PSU's, you could end up running at 20% of maximum load and getting awful efficiency as a result.

[Sychie]

Thanks! I think what you said about the bag to keep the modular cables in seems a nice touch I probably will go for this PSU even if it isn't the cheapest a modular design does appeal to me to keep things looking nice inside.

[mrsobvious]

Oh, the recommended list at silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html is always worth a look.

[Sychie]

Try the calculator at extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp (can't post urls yet)

..you might be pleasantly surprised at how few watts you are using. That old 450W you have might be just fine. Of course if you're particularly concerned about efficiency then go for one of the 80+ certified models. Remember that PSU's are most efficient at around 50% load. If your idle watts consumption is 200 (it's probably lower to be honest) then a highly efficient 400w PSU could be for you.

You shouldn't necessarily believe the hype that's around about high wattage PSU's, you could end up running at 20% of maximum load and getting awful efficiency as a result.

It was at 261W but bearing in mind I want to get a PSU to last me a long while (Including future probabilities of SLI in my system) and probably will want to mod my case a bit too. To be on the safe side its probably better I went with higher than 450W. Besides my current PSU has a low Amperes rating on 12v so for me a new PSU upgrade is a must really.

[mrsobvious]

In that case, the HX 520W get's a thumbs up. Has 81% efficiency at 30% load......which is nice.

[nick1]

Have you looked at the BeQuiet range of PSU's? Good reviews. Dead quiet, stable and efficient. Bit more expensive though.

[Bios]

I have a 650W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO & i cannot fault it. Its deadly silent...what more can i say.

[aidanjt]

Try the calculator at extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp (can't post urls yet)

..you might be pleasantly surprised at how few watts you are using. That old 450W you have might be just fine. Of course if you're particularly concerned about efficiency then go for one of the 80+ certified models. Remember that PSU's are most efficient at around 50% load. If your idle watts consumption is 200 (it's probably lower to be honest) then a highly efficient 400w PSU could be for you.

You shouldn't necessarily believe the hype that's around about high wattage PSU's, you could end up running at 20% of maximum load and getting awful efficiency as a result.

Even the PSU calculators exaggerate energy requirements, the idea being to err on the side of caution.

[Agent]

Try the calculator at extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Don't bother with it - its of little use sadly . Its been covered on here many times.

[Sychie]

I had a look at the be quiet! PSUs they just seem a little too pricy thats all.

I think for the price I'm still sticking with the HX520W PSU unless another PSU can top it for the price. Ticks all boxes for me modular design, reputable company and very efficient power consumption from reading reviews.

I have a 650W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO & i cannot fault it. Its deadly silent...what more can i say.

I think for me it might be overkill plus the price is a little high for me. Was looking in that range of £60ish. Maybe if I do ever afford an SLI setup I would consider it. I'll bear it in mind, thanks.

[TAKTAK]

I think for me it might be overkill plus the price is a little high for me. Was looking in that range of £60ish. Maybe if I do ever afford an SLI setup I would consider it. I'll bear it in mind, thanks.

no point in going SLi TBPH, you get better performance (and less heat, therefore quieter) with a single slot solution.....

and even so... the 520W would prolly handle SLi anyway.. as power requirements are coming down as everyone has gone green crazy

[mrsobvious]

Don't bother with it - its of little use sadly . Its been covered on here many times.

Might have to take issue with that Agent :O

Anything other than anecdotal evidence?

[Sychie]

no point in going SLi TBPH, you get better performance (and less heat, therefore quieter) with a single slot solution.....

and even so... the 520W would prolly handle SLi anyway.. as power requirements are coming down as everyone has gone green crazy

Ahh if only Crucial did a 450W modular PSU then! And yeah I had a 90nm cpu less than a year ago and now they are 45nm we'll all end up running on 300w psus soon