Recommendations Please

[Hlakke]

Ok so here is the setup.

Intel Core2 Quad q9550 (overclocked to 3.28)
1 Rosewill RCX-Z775-EX CPU cooler
1 Gigabyte p43 motherboard
4 gb patriot Viper
1 WD green 160gb (just for the OS)
1 WD 500gb (data)
1 liteon dvd RW
1 BFG 9800GTX OC


2 120MM fans
2 92mm fans
(no LED's)


What is a solid PSU for $120 or under? I went with a cheap powerking 650w that exploded. The rest of the components check out ok but I need to figure out a good PSU for my setup.

Lesson Learned don't skimp on the PSU next time.

 

[Helloworld_98]

anything corsair, PCP&C, Seasonic/Silverpower or OCZ Fatal1ty is generally recommended.

you'd be looking at 550w plus.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, and Seasonic have excellent reputations for high quality power supplies. They consistently earn high marks in technical reviews and comparisons.

If you simply want to replace your old 650 watt psu with a new 650 watt psu, then the Corsair TX650 would make an excellent replacement. It is currently on sale at newegg.com for $99.99 and shipping is free. There's also a $20.00 mail in rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Here's a link to a detailed review over at silentpcreview.com:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article813-page1.html

 

[Hlakke]

one of the things I have been asking myself is "does the system have enough power?"

By my calculations 650w should of given me plenty of extra power. Do I need a higher Watt PSU? Or just a better quality one?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Just a better quality power supply is all you need.

A single Radeon HD 4870 video card uses about 155 watts and 13 amps at full load. The source of the information is a recent Tom's hardware article about actual video card power consumption.

The Corsair TX650 has a single large +12 volt rail rated at 52 amps. The +12 volt rail supplies power to the video card and some other components. It can actually handle two 4870 video cards in dual Crossfire mode which use a combined total of about 300 watts and 25 amps at full load. No problem.

Even factoring overclocking and gaming, you'll be fine.