Decisions, decisions... Antec, FSP, or SeaSonic?

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im attempting to determine which PSU i should buy when i decide to build my gaming rig.

my requirements are: at least 430W, dual 12v rails, SATA, PCIe, and quiet (basically one 120mm fan).

these are the three that ive found best suit my needs:
Antec TruePower2 430W
FSP 500W
SeaSonic 430W

The FSP is probably the most well-rounded of the three, but each has their perks.

I picked the Antec because its a very reliable brand. there isnt much that sticks out. it does have a large amt of connectors, though.

The SeaSonic is very quiet, stable, and high quality, and its the most expensive of the three at only 430W.

The FSP is the best bang for the buck. quiet, stable, blue, and sleeved. its also relatively "inexpensive."

the FSP has my attention, but if theres anything out there that may be better than what i have here, let me know. my budget is approx. 100$. the big question basically is the SeaSonic worth the extra 9$ for the quietness and quality, but drop in power, or will the FSP do just fine?

EDIT: Heres a list of possible parts. some i know i will buy, while others are up in the air:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice
Mobo: ASUS A8N-SLI (maybe Deluxe) or DFI LanParty Ultra-SLI
HSF: Thermalright XP-90C
RAM: most likely Gigaram 1GB (512x2)
GPU: most likely 6800GT (brand unknown at this point)
HDD: 1 +200GB SATA Seagate
Optical: 1 DVD Burner, 1 CD Burner (brands unknown)
Extras: at least 2 120mm, 1 92mm, possibly 1 80mm, possibly a Fanbus, at least 1 CCFL
 
i say antec since i juss got mines and its very nice and stable and very quiet
 
Well the seasonic is the most efficient out of them and if you actually look at the specs the seasonic has the same amps on the 3.3, 2 more on the 5v, 1 less on 12v1 and the same on 12v 2. The seasonic is pretty much the quietest fanned power supply out there and has a 3 year warranty along with the antec, the fortron is 1 or 2 I cant remember which for sure (depends on the model). The seasonic and I believe this fortron (most of the fortrons are) rated at 40c ambient temp for the power output. Antec is still 25c. The other difference is the seasonic has active pfc vs passive pfc for the others.
Personally I'd get the seasonic with the fortron my second choice.
 
what is the PFC?

quiet is what i really want, along w/ stability. i really like the fortron because the cables are presleeved, though the SeaSonic does include zip ties and a few other items, which is convenient.

430W seems to be enough for what im going to be sticking in there.

the one thing i just noticed is that none of these PSUs support PCIe. PCIe cards do have power adapters, but would it be worth the extra 30$ to spring for a natively-supported PCIe PSU?

btw, ive learned that the SeaSonic cables are braided, so there wouldnt really be a need to sleeve them.

 
Fortron and Seasonic have a build quality edge over Antec/CWT, but all three will be good units.

Seasonic is the only one of the three to rate at 40 degrees. Antec is 25 degrees. Some Fortrons, like the EPS models, are rated at 30 degrees with the bulk of them at 25 degrees. Currently, I'd have a hard time deciding between the Seasonic and Fortron, but I think the Seasonic might be the one I went for.

FWIW, the FSP AX500-A is a 460w PSU, not 500w as the model number would have you believe.
 
thanks for clearing that up w/ the Fortron.

what are these temp ratings? 40C and 25C? what do they pertain to? :confused:
 
They indicate the operating temperature at which maximum output can be reached. The Fortron, for example, is rated only for 460w at 25 degrees. For every degree over 25 degrees Celcius, maximum power goes down 2 watts.

Don't worry too much though - SPCR's review sample managed the whole 460w at better than 40 degrees. While this is no guarantee yours would duplicate this result, it does indicate that Fortron does build in some extra capacity to be on the safe side ;)
 
Not among those two - they're both good units. I prefer Fortron in general however, as my bank account likes it when I save money; and it's really hard to find anything better for anywhere near the same price. My Fortron 530w was $120 at a time when people were (and still are) paying through the nose to get OCZ.
 
yea, my wallet definately prefers it when i save money, but i really want to get the best in this price range. if its worth it, i can afford the SeaSonic, but the Fortron would do just fine.

id just like to know how quiet the Fortron is compared to the SeaSonic, because quietness is pretty much my main concern. theyre both very stable and of high quality. thats what makes it so hard to choose.

but say that the price isnt an issue (for you or your bank account), which would you buy? id really like a definate answer from somebody as knowledgable as yourself.

 
Price no issue, I would go for the Seasonic S12 500w or 600w at this point... in fact I've already settled on the 500w should I upgrade anytime in the near future. The 430w will definitely be quieter than the Fortron - if silence is a priority to you, grab the Seasonic.
 
oh thats right its the eps that have the dual power rating, thats what i was thinking of :). I dug up a response from fortron about the warranty of the bluestorm, its 1 year (though that doesnt mean it wont last)
 
tokath said:
oh thats right its the eps that have the dual power rating, thats what i was thinking of :). I dug up a response from fortron about the warranty of the bluestorm, its 1 year (though that doesnt mean it wont last)
Click to expand...
but does your opinion still stand for getting the Seasonic over the Fortron?
 
I got my Seasonic S12-600HT on Wednesday and I've been loving it. My Fortron 530W (NOT BlueStorm) was the noisemaker before. And now I have to quiet down the rest of my system to keep up with the S12.
 
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