Antec HCG-520 vs BP550

[DataSnake]

I heard Antec was a good manufacturer for PSUs, and they have 2 in my price range: the BP550 and the HCG-520. The HCG-520 has one 12v rail at 40A, and the BP550 has 3 at 22, 22, and 25. Whichever I get will have to power the following:

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! Edition (draws slightly less power than a 560 but more than a stock 550)
AMD Phenom II x4 945 3.0GHz
8Gb (2x4) GSkill Sniper DDR3-1333
BioStar A770E3 motherboard
Wi-fi b/g PCI card
Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200 RPM
Samsung SH-222AB DVD burner
Case fans included with the Rosewill Challenger

 

[rvilkman]

Single rail solutions are generally easier. Since all the 12V lines share the single rail.
So the HCG-520 would be the one that would work best for you.

 

[ps3hacker12]

cheaper than both of those after rebates i would go with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

its also more efficient (80+ silver)

 

[Silvune]

It might be more efficient, but it is not 80Plus Silver certified.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3985/three-550w-psus-for-different-prices/9
Shows it getting close to 80Plus Bronze levels.

As far as I'm concerned the HCG-520 is the better choice, but not because it is single rail. It is better because it is 80Plus Bronze rated, it is built by Seasonic - based on the positively reviewed Seasonic S12II Bronze, unfortunately I haven't seen the same calibre of review applied to the BP550. And finally it has longer (ATX12V, EPS12V, PCIe) cables.

 

[delluser1]

^ I've used both the Antec's, no problem with the cable lengths on the BP, actually prefer it because of it's seperate 6 pin connectors and modularity.
Average efficiency of the HCG 84.35% *
Average efficiency of the BP 83% *
Not enough for me to be concerned about.

* According to 80+

 

[DataSnake]

Would either power a GeForce 465?

 

[rvilkman]

Yes they both do.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the question s why use a 465? Its hot, expensive, and weaker than the 460. The 500-series is generally better than that.

 

[DataSnake]

It's currently going for the same price as the 550, and I'm pretty sure it's a faster card.

 

[ps3hacker12]

It's currently going for the same price as the 550, and I'm pretty sure it's a faster card.

its 465 is a tad slower than the GTX460SE (the SE is important) and quite a bit slower than the gtx460. Its about on par with the 550Ti except it uses more power, and gives out more heat.

 

[genghiskron]

id say the $155 ($125 After MIR with lifetime warranty) xfx hd6850 is the best card in the range right now, and will have no problems with a 380w psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033&Tpk=antec%20380
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516

 

[DataSnake]

Even with a 256bit bus and 352 SPUs? Do you have any head-to-head benchmarks? All I've been able to find is hwcompare (too theoretical, but gives the 465 a slight edge) and PassMark (favors the 465).

 

[genghiskron]

http://guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-550-ti-review-msi-cyclone-ii-oc/15

 

[DataSnake]

thanks. That link shows the 465 outperforming the 550 too, so at this point the only reason I wouldn't get it is if it needs a stronger PSU than I can afford (currently leaning towards the HCG-520, but nVidia says the 465 requires at least 550w, while Outervision puts my prospective config w/ the 465 under 500w)

 

[DataSnake]

Actually, the 465 is $5 cheaper than the 550, and if I divert the extra to my PSU budget, I can get the EarthWatts Green 650w, which should be plenty of power (38a per rail, 2 rails), so I think I'll do that.

 

[ps3hacker12]

Actually, the 465 is $5 cheaper than the 550, and if I divert the extra to my PSU budget, I can get the EarthWatts Green 650w, which should be plenty of power (38a per rail, 2 rails), so I think I'll do that.

i thought the 550Ti was cheaper after rebates:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121435
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162052

 

[DataSnake]

Best answer selected by DataSnake.