I was just looking for some advice on a new powersource(and, for future reference, a new video card or whatever else is needed).
Basically my 420W Sirtec broke down so I need a new one. My system uses 300W, but I may upgrade it in the future and I don't want to buy a new powersource then. Also, the companys are confusing. I was thinking of a 500W Fortron, but I'm not sure how well that does=/. Power sources are not my thing.
my desktop is about 2 years old(and a couple of months), specs are
Intel Core2 Duo E7200 2.53 GHz
A-DATA 4GB DDR2 800MHz CL5 Gaming Series Dual Channel Kit
MSI P43 NeoF motherboard
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 512MB DDR3 256-bit video card
Western Digital 640GB SATA-II 7200 rpm 16MB Caviar SE16
And my current powersource is a Spire Jewel SP-ATX-420WB, which is made of fail >.>.
anyone have any suggestions for a good and affordable power source? [maybe a video card of the same with a bit of gaming power?]
[europe configuration for the local electric power in the area]
Edited, Oct 28th 2010 8:46am by Tenjen
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One of the main things to remember with PSUs is that you get what you pay for. They're often rebranded anyway, but quality + capacity = cost.
Things to look for are 80+ certification (means the PSU is efficient), and having a single +12V rail (though that's pretty common now).
For capacity it'd depend on how big a video card upgrade you're considering, and/or if you plan to reuse the PSU in a later build. 500W is a decent capacity if you plan on keeping things relatively similar to how you have them. If you'd possibly be upgrading and reusing it, then a 600-750W model might be prudent.
Your current video card isn't terrible - depends on what you're expecting from it of course, but I've been using an E8500@3.8Ghz with a 4850 512MB up until yesterday when my new PC (well, parts for it) arrived. Still played most anything I threw at it. That said, it'd simply depend on how much you want to spend. The HD6850 would be a solid upgrade, if not a 6870. Or you have the GTX 460 on the nVidia side. AMD should have more new cards out next month though, albeit more expensive ones, if you feel inclined to wait.
You might look at overclocking your CPU as well, as most Core2Duos have a fair bit of headroom, though if you're using your stock cooler you may want to upgrade that first.
Things to look for are 80+ certification (means the PSU is efficient), and having a single +12V rail (though that's pretty common now).
For capacity it'd depend on how big a video card upgrade you're considering, and/or if you plan to reuse the PSU in a later build. 500W is a decent capacity if you plan on keeping things relatively similar to how you have them. If you'd possibly be upgrading and reusing it, then a 600-750W model might be prudent.
Your current video card isn't terrible - depends on what you're expecting from it of course, but I've been using an E8500@3.8Ghz with a 4850 512MB up until yesterday when my new PC (well, parts for it) arrived. Still played most anything I threw at it. That said, it'd simply depend on how much you want to spend. The HD6850 would be a solid upgrade, if not a 6870. Or you have the GTX 460 on the nVidia side. AMD should have more new cards out next month though, albeit more expensive ones, if you feel inclined to wait.
You might look at overclocking your CPU as well, as most Core2Duos have a fair bit of headroom, though if you're using your stock cooler you may want to upgrade that first.
if it's not an 80+ certified, then you need to consider it reliable for about 60% of what it is rated it. When things heat up, most generics will only give about 60-70% of rated output reliably--some have been known to dip as low as 45% under heavy load. You were likely slowly baking that 420 watt one. I run an E8400 at 4GHZ (overclocked) and an ATI 4850 and it pulls down 300watts easily when under a decent load. FFXI doesn't put much of a draw on it, but FF14 and TLR hammers it.
I ate up a cheap vanilla PSU once a year on my rig...then I bit the bullet and bought a Corsair 80+ and haven't had anymore problems. They have a very basic calculator on their site that will give some recommendations. I went with the 650w yellow labeled model (had them on sale at BestBuy at the time), and it has held up quite well so far.
http://www.corsair.com/psufinder/default.aspx
Raist
I ate up a cheap vanilla PSU once a year on my rig...then I bit the bullet and bought a Corsair 80+ and haven't had anymore problems. They have a very basic calculator on their site that will give some recommendations. I went with the 650w yellow labeled model (had them on sale at BestBuy at the time), and it has held up quite well so far.
http://www.corsair.com/psufinder/default.aspx
Raist
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