Looking for a PSU

[deadlysyn]

The system that it will be powering is an Abit IP35-E, Q6600, 2 of this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488) RAM kit, cheap PCI-E vid card, but will eventually be upgrading to something high end, 2 hard drives, Sata DVD burner, TR ultima 90 HS with some 92 or 120 mm fan, a few LED case fans in an acrylic case, some random sound card, probablly upgraded to a SB X-Fi Extreme Gamer. I did find this OCZ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001), but is there something else I should be looking at that might be better? Or something just as good at a lower price? This build is for a client of mine, who mostly wants to do music editing, but eventually wants to upgrade to also be able to do a bit of gaming.

[JamesXP]

OCZ isn't great, HX520 is fine.

[deadlysyn]

How about this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182090) one. Sorry, he is just trying to spend as little as possible, and I refuse to set him up with something "cheap". I don't know PSU's as well as I probably should. I tried to set him up with a PCP&C, but he thought he was going to be buying a new car when he saw the price.

[RollingThunder]

How about this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182090) one. Sorry, he is just trying to spend as little as possible, and I refuse to set him up with something "cheap". I don't know PSU's as well as I probably should. I tried to set him up with a PCP&C, but he thought he was going to be buying a new car when he saw the price.

A little less that the HX520 modular but about equal output:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006757

$15 MIR (they work), free shipping, no tax outside California. Same terms or the 520HX.

[deadlysyn]

A little less that the HX520 modular but about equal output:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006757

$15 MIR (they work), free shipping, no tax outside California. Same terms or the 520HX.

I think this one is more along the lines of the price range he is looking for. Thank you for that link Rolling Thunder. Is that Rosewill any good? Or is it basically just a polished overpriced under performing PSU?

[RollingThunder]

I think this one is more along the lines of the price range he is looking for. Thank you for that link Rolling Thunder. Is that Rosewill any good? Or is it basically just a polished overpriced under performing PSU?

The problem here is that there are a few less expensive power supplies of good quality that will work with what you have now but once "upgrading to a high end video card" is mentioned, it changes it all from "works fine" to "no overhead left."

So you wind up buying two power supplies because the first one will run a low end vid card like mine but when you drop in an 8800GTX, there isn't much headroom room left. The smaller Corsair 450VX would work fine @ $65 with MIR at ZipZoom, it's a great unit, but for $15 more you have more overhead, peace of mind, and can upgrade any video card in the future without a second thought.

If you're looking for a $50 power supply to run a later installed high end 8800 series card with that setup, it's gonna be tough. That Corsair 550VX for $80 is about as good as it's going to get safely. It's not logical to buy a cheap and questionable power supply to run a $300 + video card on a quad core.

Rosewill doesn't have a very good reputation.

[deadlysyn]

Looks like I will be going with the HX520. I just have to wait to hear back from the client. Also, are Zippy FSP any good? I am just curious at this point as I don't really know the PSU end too well. I do know enough to stay away from Powmax (apparenty named after the sound they make), Aspire, and brands like that. But are there any other brands besides Corsair that are acceptable. I am just looking to give some of my clients more options to look at.

[RollingThunder]

Looks like I will be going with the HX520. I just have to wait to hear back from the client. Also, are Zippy FSP any good? I am just curious at this point as I don't really know the PSU end too well. I do know enough to stay away from Powmax (apparenty named after the sound they make), Aspire, and brands like that. But are there any other brands besides Corsair that are acceptable. I am just looking to give some of my clients more options to look at.

Deadly,

Here's a thread in this section at the top:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=458204

Jiggaman works on it from time to time, it gets outdated, but it will still give you an idea of what not to buy.

Zippy has an excellent reputation but there are others that are top quality too. Much depends on the system and a person's budget. There are many good, decent budget models for an average user that the more experienced guys here use and recommend.

Here are two sites that do great reviews:

http://jonnyguru.com/reviews.php

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/reviews.html?cat=NDUsUG93ZXIgU3VwcGxpZXMgLyBQU1Usa GVudGh1c2lhc3QsLCw=

Many of the tests are on units that you and I will never need but look at the tests on the mid-range capacity units (400-650w).

Then check this one:

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTM5NywsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0

http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=134
(by our own Oklahoma Wolf)

You don't need a "bear" of a power supply, even for a single 8800GTX type video card, but a quality unit is more important. There are so many good options for power supplies and more so with poor ones.

Your client has to be honest with you about later peripheral additions and not tell "wishful thinking." If they can do that, the you'll know what to have installed for him. You have to protect yourself as well. Right now, all the Corsairs seem to be the best bang for the buck in their power ranges and are at or near the top regardless of their moderate prices. The reviews above will show you a few others.