Need help choosing - Narrowed down to 3 PSUs -

Up until now I was one of those people that bought cheap/useless PSUs. But now that I've got some hardware that I'd be annoyed about if it blew, I decided to invest in a decent PSU. My hardware will stay the same as my sig, but I will eventually overclock this 3700+ and upgrade to either a 7900GS, or wait if there is any news of cheaper DX10 cards (8600 etc.)

My budget is ~£60

OCZ ModStream 520W - £58.74

This seems to be the most 'all round' PSU. Most people seem to say that OCZ PSUs are good for the price and made out of reasonably good parts. It's within budget, but modular is unneccessary and can impede performance. It has 28A on the 12V which should be enough for a DX10 card. I have to say though, it's a damn ugly PSU, and I hate LED fans...

Hiper Type-M 580W - £52.75

When the Type-Rs came out people said they were of really good quality, and well built/reliable units, the Type-Ms are Type-Rs without their worst feature - modular. The PSU is well within budget, although since it uses dual rails it only has 20A max on one rail - that should be enough to power most graphics cards, if the card gets the bulk of one of the rails.

Silverstone ST56ZF 560W - £76.32

This is the Daddy! Reviewers say it's extremely well built, it offers 38A on the 12V line and it should easily power anything I decide to upgrade to. However, it's well out of budget (I'm a poor student after all) and it uses an 80mm rather than 120mm so it may be noisier.
I would only consider this PSU if people think the other two are garbage and it's really worth forking out extra to power my humble system.


So, basically, I wont be upgrading to a dual-core SLi rig anytime soon, and dont need massive amounts of power. Factor in that by the time I get a system to use the power of the Silverstone it will probably be dead or putting out about 300W, I think my best bet is the Hiper Type-M, it's cheap and will serve me well for the next few years.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

The Hiper is ok - Andyson made I believe, like the Ultra I'm running now, though older and not quite as well built or efficient IIRC. The Modstream is low end Topower... I've never cared for them (the Powerstream 470W and 520W SLI were the good Topower made OCZs).

The Silverstone blows them both out of the water. The 80mm fan is/was noticeable, but not that loud for me. Haven't tried it with the new case yet though - got the Ultra in there now.

I agree with you on the Hiper. The Silverstone is more than you need at the moment.

Silverstone in my opinion is the best pick.

meionm said:

Silverstone in my opinion is the best pick.

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Obviously, I agree. But I just dont think I will need it, considering I have no plans for SLi or dual-core.

It's between the Hiper and the OCZ, they're similar, but I think I will go with the Hiper as it's cheaper, and looks nicer - I know those are awful reasons to buy a PSU but...

Anyone else's opinions?

Id say silver stone as well, iv read nothing but good reviews when it comes to that.

ScottinIndy said:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-005-CS

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I was looking at that aswell, it's £70, which is £18 more than the Hiper.

According to Corsair's site it has three 12V rails each providing 18A. If that's the case then I see very little improvement over the Hiper for my needs. Although people have said that it is infact one single 12V rail, and that Corsair's site is incorrect, in which case it makes it an impressive 12V rail, but again - far more than I need

Hiper it is then - Within budget. Good performance. Reliable parts (supposedly).

Silverstone

Hiper

*bump* for more opinions.

Plan on ordering on Monday

I have the ocz and i love mine. The only problem I have had with it is it does not come with enough molex cables. You can always purchase more though. So just make sure that you have enough for what you want to do. As far as looks go, the finish on the ocz is amazing.

I've never used a Hiper so I can't really say yea or nay. I do have an OCZ PowerStream 520. The first one worked for about 6 weeks and the replacement I bought arrived DOA (both from Newegg). OCZ RMA'd both of them (this was ~last March). I used one of the replacements and sold the other. The one I used has been working fine ever since so I've got no complaints about the 520--and should you have a problem OCZ's support is second to none, they treated me very well.

All that being said, unless you can get a great price on a 520 I still think a Silverstone ST56ZF at ~US$115 is a better deal. Performance-PCs has it for that price (last time I looked) and I'm pretty sure they'll ship to the UK so you might want to check it out.

I wouldn't consider the Ocz out of the choices that you have.
I would skip the Hiper as well (not as effecent or well regulated as some of your options)

The silverstone you selected will be more then you need unless the GFX in your future upgrade plans is a monster.

The Corsair, or the Seasonics would be better buys from that site (if you dont think you'll be getting a monster of a GFX later)
And this Silverstone would be a similar pick to the corsair's and the seasonics
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=524746
Dual 18amp 12V rails. VERY tight regulation and VERY effecent.. I think Im going to say that this is one of the better ones in a similar price range.. 54.17 w/o VAT 63.65 with

MVC, due to the price of shipping (~$45) it would be about the same to buy it from Scan.

greenmaji, I've come to realise that the Hiper is quite outdated and not very efficient.

Sometimes I hate you guys... I'm going with the silverstone - I buckled to peer pressure

My one concern is the 80mm fan, how loud is it? My current PSU is crap but it's incredibly silent and puts out very little heat. Also, what is the average lifespan of a PSU? Can I expect to still use this PSU to power 560W of equipment in 3 years time?

Thanks

Clockwork_Apple said:

MVC, due to the price of shipping (~$45) it would be about the same to buy it from Scan.

greenmaji, I've come to realise that the Hiper is quite outdated and not very efficient.

Sometimes I hate you guys... I'm going with the silverstone - I buckled to peer pressure

My one concern is the 80mm fan, how loud is it? My current PSU is crap but it's incredibly silent and puts out very little heat. Also, what is the average lifespan of a PSU? Can I expect to still use this PSU to power 560W of equipment in 3 years time?

Thanks

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Apple,

Check Jonny's site on that unit. He sometimes mentions about them being quiet. I can tell you I still haven't heard this Corsair yet, CPU fan still makes the most noise and that's very little.

http://jonnyguru.com/reviews.php

Any decent PS should last for years, it's hard to say because that unit isn't that old. I have one in my old Dell (250w) since 2000 and it's still running well. Just keep them clean along with your computer's ordinary maintenance.

I would go with the Silverstone. I always say buy more than you need. It never hurts and is better in the long run.

Tom's Hardware Conclusion on ST56ZF

Tom's Hardware said:

But this device suffers from excessive noise; even when only lightly loaded, noise output grates on the ears.

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Add to that aswell that several reviewers mention a high pitched buzz under load coming from the ST56ZF, and I think the extra cost for extra noise isnt justified.

This is getting irritating to choose I'm going with the Hiper as it's cheap, quiet and still a good PSU.

Thanks for all the advice people, and please feel free to continue to comment

This one is quiet and has better voltage regulation and effencey.. and the price isn't that bad. (defianaly cheaper then the ST56ZF), overall I think its a better pick then the Hiper.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=524746
500W Silverstone SST-ST50EF-Plus-SC super silent, 80 PLUS, short cable v.1 ROHS

Clockwork_Apple said:

Add to that aswell that several reviewers mention a high pitched buzz under load coming from the ST56ZF

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Mine hasn't made a peep, despite having gone through jonnyGURU's load tester before I got it. Buzzing is not normal operation for it - that's RMA worthy behavior. They don't all act like that.

Noise perceptions depend on what the end user considers noisy, but I could barely hear mine over the hard drives. However, it is a server grade power supply and if one starts stressing it, it could get noticeable. For me though, mine is certainly not "excessively noisy."

You'd do well to consider the Corsairs as well... they are among the best built Seasonic originated PSU's out there. The Silverstone Elements are quite good as well - just not quite as good as the ST56ZF or the Corsairs.