What PSU to buy now? (Read What Happened.. .)

[truest]

READ THE LAST QUESTION IF YOU DONT WANT THE LONG STORY.

Soooo. I've had my gaming rig since November 2009 and everything was solid and straight until yesterday evening.

My OCZ Stealth x Stream power supply 700w went out on me.

First of all here are my specs.
-------------------------------------
Phenom II x4 955 B.E.
W7 Premium 64 Bit
XFX Radeon 4890
2x 2g G.Skills DDR3
Antec Case 900 (I did have great cable management)
Scythe Katana 3 After Market Heatsink
2 SATA HDD
1 IDE HDD
1 DVD-RW


So I was playing Battle Field: Bad Company 2 full screen, while running another game Team Fortress 2 (Yes, I was idling =p). I had AIM running and VENTRILLO. After several hours of playing BFBC2, I started to sense a burning smell, but ignored it. Several of minutes later my computer dies, and through trial and error I found out my PSU died out (everything else is okay, thank goodness).

Which PSU should I purchase now? Obviously I want to upgrade, but I am afraid of which brand to buy. I thought OCZ would have lasted me a couple of years, but it only lasted about 4 months. Do I need to increase the watt amount? Or look into better efficiency? Or improve the amp and rail v12.

 

[obsidian86]

the lower end ocz is not too good

but I'd recommend the a corsair 750watts or any of the antec 750 watts

which will run 2x4890 with ease

 

[delluser1]

No need for more watts or amps,the SXS 700 was powerful enough, it just sounds like you got a bad one. ( RMA it )
Better efficiency is never a bad thing.
A good quality 550 watt psu would be enough for your system, 650 watts would give you more upgrade room, since OCZ has probably left a bad taste in your mouth due to this situation look to Antec or Corsair.

 

[jsc]

A Corsair 550VX (41 amp 12 volt rail):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
will be more than enough to power a system with a single 4890.

A Corsair 650TX (52 amp 12 volt rail)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 will power a system with 2 4890's, but it doesn't have enough PCI power cables.

For 2 4890's, I recommend the Corsair 750TX (60 amp 12 volt rail)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Yes, I am a Corsair fan.

 

[Henry Chinaski]

My recommendations:

- Corsair vx550 http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=62
- ANTEC Earthwatts 650W http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=110

If you are thinking about doing cf, the CORSAIR TX850 ( http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=126 ) has an increbible cost/benefit ratio, but it's not modular. If you want a modular one, the HX750 ( http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/775 ) is an amazing option.

 

[mosox]

Antec Case 900 (I did have great cable management)

Get a modular one, next time you keep the cables and swap the PSU. Antec New Series would be nice.

 

[truest]

I dont mind spending anywhere from 100-150 ish. I want more bang for my buck that will last a couple more upgrades for my gaming rig. I was thinking of the corsair 950 tx. I believe I saw a review of it on OCP or JGuru, cant remember.

Any thoughts on this decision?

No need for more watts or amps,the SXS 700 was powerful enough, it just sounds like you got a bad one. ( RMA it )

If the SXS 700 was in fact powerful enough, then i could just RMA it and wait? I mean if i can avoid spending money all together that would be great.

the lower end ocz is not too good

was the SXS 700 low end, or low tier?

 

[Henry Chinaski]

The Corsair TX950 is a very good psu. Anyway your system will never require such a high voltage (even using cf). The HX750 is a better option.

 

[Henry Chinaski]

then i could just RMA it and wait? I mean if i can avoid spending money all together that would be great.

Yes, you should RMA and wait.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

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