Good quality, yet cheap PSU?

[retro_93]

TL;DR - Need a PSU for a friend, recommend a PSU under £70 (800w max)

Hi,
Just a quick question - what is a good, trustworthy, yet fairly cheap PSU? I live in the UK, and want to purchase a PSU that is less than £50 (if possible - may be able to stretch to £70) to run the follow PC specs.

CPU: Intel Core2 Quad Q8400
Motherboard: Foxcoon P43AL
RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066Mhz (If I remember correctly)
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD6870
Sound Card: Integrated

I'm not 100% sure on what to purchase, as I am purchasing it for a friend. There needs to be a bit of space to upgrade in the future (especially the motherboard/ram).
I know I won't need over a 800w PSU, probably not even a 750w, but what would you recommend?

I was looking at this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-032-OP ; but not sure whether or not to trust a shops own brand.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Rugger]

The HD6870 has a relatively low power consumption of 150W at full load. You can estimate about another 150W for the rest of your system at load (that's a conservative estimate. A good quality 600W has more than enough power for your planned system. The largest power consumers in a gaming PC is typically the GPU. Memory consumes very little power. Your current CPU is rated for 95W...it is highly unlikely that any future CPU upgrade will consume significantly more than your current CPU. Mobo power consumption isn't a major consideration to factor for power consumption in a PC.

All that being said, the major concern you should have for future upgrades is the GPU and potential planning for SLI/CF. If you're not considering SLI/CF, then a good 600W system is more than sufficient for your system and has plenty of room for upgrades.

I am unfamiliar with the OcUK PSUs. My recommendation is to spend money to get a good quality PSU from a reputable mfr like
1. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-psu-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-650s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-at
2. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w-psu-silverstone-tech-strider-sst-st60f-es-80-eff-80-plus-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v2

Please see the links in my signature for a list of recommended PSUs and a PSU guide.

 

[Rugger]

By the way, the prices on the site you linked seem to be a little high...

 

[retro_93]

The HD6870 has a relatively low power consumption of 150W at full load. You can estimate about another 150W for the rest of your system at load (that's a conservative estimate. A good quality 600W has more than enough power for your planned system. The largest power consumers in a gaming PC is typically the GPU. Memory consumes very little power. Your current CPU is rated for 95W...it is highly unlikely that any future CPU upgrade will consume significantly more than your current CPU. Mobo power consumption isn't a major consideration to factor for power consumption in a PC.

All that being said, the major concern you should have for future upgrades is the GPU and potential planning for SLI/CF. If you're not considering SLI/CF, then a good 600W system is more than sufficient for your system and has plenty of room for upgrades.

I am unfamiliar with the OcUK PSUs. My recommendation is to spend money to get a good quality PSU from a reputable mfr like
1. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w-psu-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-650s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-at
2. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w-psu-silverstone-tech-strider-sst-st60f-es-80-eff-80-plus-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v2

Please see the links in my signature for a list of recommended PSUs and a PSU guide.

I highly doubt there will be a need for CF/SLI , but a huge thanks for the recommendations!

By the way, the prices on the site you linked seem to be a little high...

I know about this, I wouldn't have ordered from them anyway. I love scan's prices, but this was a link that a friend sent to me, so just used it on here.


Huge thanks!

 

[Rugger]

Not a problem - glad I could help!