Corsair CX400 or OCZ StealthXStream 400W

Hi, I was planning on getting a new graphics card, something like 4730, 4770 or 4850. 4770 and 4850 are roughly the same price but 4770 is slightly better in terms of heat, power usage and noise I've heard but is also costing more and more than the 4850 as the 4850 drops in price. 4730 seems like a pretty good competitor and is very cheap. However, I won't be getting them till perhaps in 1 month time.

My current PSU does not have any 6 pin connectors though and is not really decent so I was planning on either getting a Corsair CX400 or OCZ StealthXStream 400W next week as they only cos roughly £30-£35 at the moment and seem like a good deal. However I am not sure which one is better.

I have an E5300 at 1.4v clocked to 3.4Ghz, 2x 1GB of Corsair XMS2 RAM and a 250GB and 640GB (Black) WD HDD. I won't get anymore HDDs for sure and I won't be upgrading the CPU.

Also can someone perhaps say which graphics card I should chose from the above or perhaps suggest a better one (though I doubt there is anything in the £50-£75 range that's better). Usually I only play games such as World of Warcraft, Left4Dead etc.

Thanks in advance!

not sure which is better but ebuyer have the ocz one for £30 £5 off at the moment.

FWIW I have the ocz and I have no issues with it at the moment and its very quiet

It might be worth considering something like a 4670? It doesn't require an external power connection and is a reasonable performer in games, as long as you don't expect to play games like Crysis / Farcry2 with all the eyecandy on. As an example i have used an HIS IceQ turbo and it did the CSS in game stress test with all the settings maxxed and returned an average of approaching 150 frames per second, that was at 1920x1200.

If you do prefer something with a bit more oompf then of the 2 psu's you listed i would go for the OCZ but only because have used numerous OCZ psu's and never had any problems with any of them. That said i am sure the Corsair would perform just as well.

For a 17" monitor 4770 or 4830 (if you can still find one) or 9800gt
Although the 4770 is just too costly atm

OCZ stealthXstreme is fine for a low cost PSU as is the Corsair CX400

Check out the scan "Today only" section they've got a good 700w FSP700-80GLN OEM unit on there for £40 atm :) it's not pritty but a good solid PSU

Graphics depends on what you're willing to spend, I'd not go any higher than a 4850 or gts250 (a 9800gtx+ in disguise) both can be got for less than £100
With ether of these personally I'd up the PSU to a 450w

Either would be perfect to be honest, I'd go with the one that has the most or most useful connectors.

I'd go with a 4850 too, heat and power usage hardly matters now does it? ;)

Well I've only got a debit card and banks are closed so I have to wait till Monday to put some money on it, if the corsair is still on Today Only (I doubt it) then I'll get that as it has 6 SATA connectors and I personally think it looks neater as the cable braiding begin from inside the PSU whereas the OCZ only has 4 on one cable.

Is a 4730 really out of the question though? It's better than the 4670 isn't it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ulti

Well I've only got a debit card and banks are closed so I have to wait till Monday to put some money on it, if the corsair is still on Today Only (I doubt it) then I'll get that as it has 6 SATA connectors and I personally think it looks neater as the cable braiding begin from inside the PSU whereas the OCZ only has 4 on one cable.

Is a 4730 really out of the question though? It's better than the 4670 isn't it?

---

The today only will still be on on Monday before it is updated at about 12-1pm

Be quick and you will get it ;)

The HD4730 needs TWO PCI-E power connectors.

Hiya,

Just to say I have Corsair CX400, and for a cheap-ish PSU, I've found it to be brilliant - near silent operation and a 3 year warranty - bargain. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend if it fits the bill.

Yeah I'm hoping to get that over the OCZ but I've got school tomorrow so I really don't think I can make it. Wish I saw the "Today Only" deals earlier on Friday. Hopefully it'll be on the Monday "Today Only" deals :D

Hardware Secrets considers the OCZ StealthXStream 400 W the best entry level PSU they have ever tested:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/794/1

The PSU is made by CWT.