PSU for HTPC

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Heath Bradbury

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Apr 23, 2013
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10,510
I'm about to put together a new HTPC and I've dialed in every component except for my PSU. Here's a look at what's already been purchased.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($77.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($96.88 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $512.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-30 01:42 EDT-0400)

Technically I haven't purchased the PSU or the optical drive (i am probably going to pass on it entirely actually).

Now, I was kind of set on that Antec but recently have been researching and now I've got more options and I can't pick one of the narrowed field:

1. Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... - still seems like a great little psu, lots of comments about the efficiency (which is a TOP factor for me); not modular, nor does it appear to have any sleeving or other such cable management benefit
2. CORSAIR CX430M 430W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... - MODULAR, great aesthetic appeal. seems to be pretty popular... is this actually a seasonic unit? the thermally controlled fan seems like a big plus! and it's technically the least expensive after MiR - though i may order from Amazon to take advantage of Prime
3. SeaSonic S12II 380B 380W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... - highly rated, Seasonic brand; some preinstalled sleeving; nothing seems to be unique here...
4. XFX ATX 450 Power Supply - P1450SX2B9 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FPT38U/ - seems to be the priciest of the 4, has more wattage than I think I'd need, doesn't appear to be modular...

I'm sort of leaning towards the Corsair or Seasonic, but just don't know what's going to be the best option...
 
Solution
D
No I would get the Seasonic G. I honestly forgot about that model. I would maybe go with the Rosewill over an S12 II just for the modularity but the G series is excellent and really the only things that compare electrically are the Seasonic X and Platinum series.
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The Antec is made by Delta a good manufacturer. The Corsair is made by CWT also a good manufacturer. Your HTPC is not gooding to tax any of the psu you are considering. I go with the Corsair. It's semi-modular and Corsair does a good job of backing their psus.
 
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All are from good manufacturers - Seasonic makes XFX's PSUs, and they are very good.

All appear to be 80Plus Bronze (couldn't find XFX, but probably), and efficiency only really saves cents per month on your power bill.

If it's cheapest, go for the CX430M, otherwise the EA-380D is fine. That system will run on almost nothing anyway (<100W, under 50W if you go easy on drives and are just watching movies)
 
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I would order them.

1) Seasonic S12 II. It's a Seasonic.
Tie
1) XFX. Seasonic made like all XFX units. Same as the S12 II internally.

2) Antec. Delta made and very good.

3) Corsair. CWT made and uses cheap Samxon capacitors. Still a good budget power supply if cost is your only option.
 
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Missed it. Fixed with edit. Still don't like those cheap caps. Just read the Badcaps forums and see how many CX series die an early death and why.
 
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See that's kind of what I was suspecting ... even 400W is probably overkill... i do tend to push the lappie I'm currently using as my HTPC when i try to have uTorrent, Plex Media Server, XBMC, Chrome (with a handful o tabs), and maybe iTunes or MediaMonkey all running at the same time. iTunes in particular seems to grind to a halt with the giant music collection that I have, but even then, I've gotta imagine I'm not pushing this new setup that hard. So it kind of comes down to noise level maybe? and idle/normal power consumption... reliability too i guess. I've heard that the 120mm fans in the seasonic/corsair are actually going to be quieter than the 80mm in the Antec... true?

i mean am i better off spending another $10 or $20 and getting a GOLD rated Seasonic? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XEYT5M/
 
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hahah I wish... while budget is flexible, I don't want to just break the bank ... seems like i should be able to find a quality unit for less than $70...

 
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so you'd go Rosewill even over this Seasonic? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XEYT5M/ What's the benefit to getting the extra 70W rating? or is it just the modular design?
 
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No I would get the Seasonic G. I honestly forgot about that model. I would maybe go with the Rosewill over an S12 II just for the modularity but the G series is excellent and really the only things that compare electrically are the Seasonic X and Platinum series.
 
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Solution


Ok guys, it's sounding like the resounding opinion here is the SeaSonic's are the way to go... that G series seems nice... should i have ANY concerns about it only being rated at 360W (my understanding is that this should be more than enough but am I going to be listening to that fan spin up more often?) Seems like 450W might be overkill and i'm hoping that 360W is right in that ideal power window, but I'm not 100% clear on calculating that...

 
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As long as you go with onboard graphics you are more than fine with the Seasonic G. They are very quiet power supplies so I would not worry about noise. You could even put a low power discreet graphics card in there with it if needed.
 
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awesome! thanks for the help.

One last question: The connectors should all be fine with that ASRock h77m mobo right?
 
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