Should I go with Antec EarthWatts, TruePower, or Corsair TX series?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
G

Guest

Guest
Hey everyone. I need some help on choosing which PSU would best accommodate my system. Here's what I currently have:

CPU: i7 930
Mobo: Asus P6T SE
RAM: Not sure, still deciding on a DDR3-1333 or DDR3-1600 6GB triple channel kit.
GFX Card: PowerColor HD5850 OC
HD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
DVD-RW: An Asus DVD-RW
Case: Antec 900

Last week, I bought the Antec 900 for $50 AR at my local Fry's Electronics. It seemed like an amazing deal for that price. Now, I'm a little torn between which PSU I should get and how many wattages it should be. I'm guessing somewhere around 600-650W should be ideal. I will not be doing any crossfiring on my system, only a single graphics card. There are two reasons why I am not sure which PSU would best fit my system:

1) I have never used the Antec case before, or any case that has the PSU positioned at the bottom of the case (as opposed to the top). My previous system had the Antec Sonata III case already built in with a nice 500W PSU. So, I am not sure which PSU nowadays would best fit my case. I've heard there are newer designs of PSU called "modular" designs. Would this be a good fit?

2) I have also never used such a demanding and lengthy graphics card before. On the box, the card states it's minimum recommendations for a single GPU: "500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors." Now, I wanted to buy a slightly higher wattage PSU (hopefully anything above 600W should be good) for future proofing later on if I choose to add more components.

Please help me choose a PSU based on my current hardware and needs. My budget for a decent PSU is around $80 maximum. Thank you!
 
Solution
delluser1

You remember correctly, and they are good, just not as good as most Seasonic built units.
Sort by date Sort by votes
An atx power supply will fit inside an atx case.

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 5XXX series 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 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 and Antec TruePower New models which are a major improvement over Antec’s older psu’s like the Basiq models.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Let's keep it simple, this is all you need even if you decide to do crossfire with your graphics. Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply for about 80 USD at newegg.com. 750 watt is way overkill for your system.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To size it:

http://www.antec.outervision.com/

To pick it:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_PSUs

Here's a popular combo ....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129064

This is the PSU, I'd put in an Antec 900 $75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=110

In any other case, I would have listed the TX650 from Corsair but not in the Antec cases.

For comparison purposes , the list below contains performance ratings (10 scale) at jonnyguru.com / prices as per newegg on 02/26/2010 and ones w/ double asterisk (**) made it onto silentpcreview.com's Editor's Choice List:

Note: Just because you see a brand name on this list, never make the assumption that their other lines are of matching quality. Silverstone for example has other models w/ 6.0 and 7.0 ratings.

Antec Signature 650W (10.0) OOS **
Seasonic X-650 650W (10.0) $160 **
Silverstone Olympia OP650 (10.0) NFS

Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 650W (9.5) NLA

Antec Earthwatts EA650 650W (9.0) $75

Antec True Power Trio 650W (7.5) NLA

XFX XPS 650W XXX Edition Power Supply (7.0) NFS

Antec NeoPower Blue 650W (6.5) NLA

BFG BFGR650PSU 650W (6.0) NLA

NorthQ Black Magic Flex 650W PSU (5.0) NFS

NFS - Not For Sale / NLA = No Longer Available / OOS - Out of Stock
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thank you for the replies guys. That gives the much needed insight.

Oh, also, Jack, that calculator link is awesome!

In researching some more prices, I found the Antec EA650 on NewEgg to be $75 + $5 shipping. However, I noticed a deal (as shovenose mentioned) was on the EA750 for $74.85 after BCB/rebates/promo code. I think this would be the better deal.

Any disadvantages in going with the EA750 versus the EA650? More power consumption or same? More wire clutter (I'm assuming the EA750 has more "things") that I do not need?

I am getting a higher wattage PSU + half modular cables for a lesser price. Would the EA750 be okay in my case? I hope it's not too different from the EA650.

Another PSU I'd thought would work was the Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W:

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

It is about $8 more total than the EarthWatts 750W (no special deal nor free shipping). Would this be even better than either of the EarthWatts PSUs?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just found another PSU to add to my list: TruePower 650W. So here's the price analysis:

Antec EarthWatts 650W = $79
Antec EarthWatts 750W = $75
Antec TruePower New (not Trio) 650W = $77
Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W = $83
Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W = $86

What are the main differences between the Corsair TX series and the Antec EarthWatt / TruePower series? I just quickly researched the prices on NewEgg and they are actually all quite similar now in price range.

Both the Corsair TX 650W & 750W are very close in range, as are the Antec Earthwatts 650W & 750W. The TruePower 650W also looks nice.

However, I had already ordered the EarthWatts 750W due to the lowest pricing out of the possible 4...but should I cancel it and get the Corsair series or TruePower instead?

Would I be at a huge disadvantage to go with the Antecs as opposed to the Corsairs? What's the diff? I'm sure both would work fine in my Antec 900 case....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
The EA 750 is the oddball out of the bunch, being 1.2 inches longer.
The TPN has the highest rated efficiency and is built on a Seasonic platform ( makes most people go ooh, aah )



Is Antec calling out PCP&C now that the Power Supply Myths Exposed page is down ?
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/PSU/
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


No. I like the corsairs better, but their is not enough of a difference to cancel and re-order. You should be happy with the Antec.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


If I remember correctly, Delta OEM's the Earthwatts line for Antec. They are darn good too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Anyone know if the EarthWatts are more efficient than the TruePowers? Meaning I'll save more $ with the EarthWatts for my system (since I'm not OC'ing much or crossfiring)? I'm deciding which route to go now...EarthWatt 750W vs the TruePower 650W....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

The 2% difference in efficiency between them isn't going to amount to much in savings.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ah, I see. That makes sense.

Do you know as far as cable management and other features (I currently only have 1 HD + 1 optical, nothing too fancy)... since both the EarthWatts 750W & TruePower 650W come with that "semi-modular design," which one would rock the boat in my Antec 900?

I have never use this type of case where the PSU is at the bottom for that matter. I'm hoping by this weekend when all the parts arrive and I start to build this thing, it all goes smoothly with one of those PSUs. Right now, it seems the TP 650W is more favorable for the price/performance.
__________________
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Heh. I just meant that it would fit nicely inside the case.

I wanted a PSU to be compatible within the case. I've heard some PSUs don't the length or long enough design of the cables to ensure that each wraps smoothly.

The design of the Antec 900 looks a bit strange to me. Maybe it's just that I am not use to it before. The previous case I used was an Antec Sonata III already with a built-in 500W PSU. That was excellent.

Now I'm hoping that the PSU + case + all other hardwares matches.

Oh, and one more question is.. would the 650W enough if I want to OC later or add a few more components (more HDs or PCI cards, etc) in the future? I still think I won't do any crossfiring. I just really like to stick with one single GPU, but the possibility of adding a cooler and OC'ing my CPU sounds like a good idea in the future. Just wanted to make sure 650W was enough to do what I need to do later on.

I used the wattage calculators, and it seemed to be just right under the limit If I added a few more devices, so I was not sure.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom