Reliable Budget PSUs

[Bagnaj97]

Corsair are always reliable, but I don't think they tend to be particularly cheap.

Unfortunately that's no longer always the case. Whilst their PSUs aren't terrible they've definitely let their quality slide. The CS550m for example, which is in the same ballpark as we've been looking at here (~500w, modular), has several poor quality capacitors, which are well known for being problematic - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...tory5&reid=366 The PSU does have all the necessary protections and does stay within spec, but there are better options.

I suppose it's the old "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" mentality, Corsair are still good, but imho they should no longer have the "always buy corsair" reputation when it comes to PSUs.

[MGP]

Received the Zalman ZM-550-XG from Amazon this morning. Upon unpacking the unit i inspected the build quality, it's a fantastic unit. Installation was a breeze and fired up with no issues to report. No buzzing or whines, it's very quiet!

£49.99? Gold rated? Fantastic build quality? This is one unit you cannot ignore!

[D1DM]

It looks like a decent unit from the reviews I can find, but is it worth paying £15 more over the Zalman I found earlier if you don't need the extra 100w?

The EVGA missed the requirements for its gold rating, and was "not the quietest" in this review
The Zalman easily exceeded the gold rating and was quiet in this review. However the unit tested was the 650w version.

Both are well made and have decent warranties.

More significant is that fact that the EVGA NEX650G has poor voltage regulation, due to being group regulated. So it definitely wasn't worth any more than the Zalman GoldRock ZM550-XG.

[mrham4321]

I got a Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 450W for £35 as it was end of line. Brilliant and quiet, loving the cheap Gold efficiency!