PSU for i7 920 @ 4GHz

Here are the official ATI recommended power supply requirements for the ATI Radeon HD 5770 video cards:

450 watt or greater power supply with one 75watt, 6-pin PCI Express® power connector

600 watt or greater power supply with two 75 watt, 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode

The recommendations are for an entire pc system.

The general rule of thumb is a high quality 500 to 550 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can easily power a system with any single video card made. A high quality 700 to 750 watt power supply with sufficient current (amps) on the +12 volt rail(s) can power a system with two video cards operating in dual mode. There are a few exceptions like the new ATI Radeon HD 5770 cards which use less power due to their energy efficiency.

A high quality 500 to 550 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 40 amps. A high quality 700 to 750 watt psu will have a +12 volt rail rated at 60 amps.

In addition the power supply should be at least 80+ Bronze certified for energy efficiency. There are some models available which have achieved 80+ Silver and 80+ Gold Certifications.

Before purchasing a new psu you will need to decide whether you will eventually have a pc with one or two video cards.

Corsair and Seasonic are two of the brands that have a reputation for high quality power supplies that consistently earn high marks in technical reviews. They are reliable, stable, and come with a 5 year warranty. Some of the newer models come with a 7 year warranty. Lately we've been seeing a few other brands offering some high quality units. One example would be the Antec Earthwatts series which is a major improvement over Antec’s older psu’s like the Basiq models.
 

blackhawk1928

Distinguished


It really depends on your CPU.
-some cpu's are easy to overclock at really low voltages but others need much higher voltage to increase clockrate in which case its power consumption will go up a lot.
 
Psycho - It's usually price. The modular versions usualy cost more. In addition there have been threads and heated discussions about modular psu's increasing resistence due to the extra connections which do not exist in hard wired psu's. However, the resistence is insignificant for the typical user/gamer/enthusiast.