New PSU Necessary?

D

devman

2[H]4U
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
2,400
Things that draw power:
AMD FX-60 (Toledo)
eVGA nForce4 SLI Edition Mainboard
eVGA e-Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI-E
3072MB Corsair PC3200 (Using 4 sticks)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB w/16mb
TV tuner PCI card.
Two Optical drives
120mm case fan.

PSU: Antec SP-450

I'm thinking of upgrading to an 8800GTS 320 and adding a Raptor HDD as well as some additional cooling (probably a few extra case fans). My question is will my SP-450 be up to the task, or should I consider upgrading. After reading the glowing reviews about Corsair's 520W PSU I'm thinking thats a likely selection, but being rated at only 520Ws I see other 500W PSUs for about half the price, is the Corsair really worth that much more?

I would like something that is reliable and have enough headroom to last through some more upgrades or new system. I have no plans on ever going SLI (I love my dual monitors to much) so it will likely always be powering a single card.

Suggestions appreciated.
 
I'd upgrade the psu. The reason the Corsair is so expensive for a 500w unit, is because it's not like the others; assuming you're talking about a decent 500w unit, certain models (silverstone ST-50EF, xclio goodpower 500, etc), have much less amperage; the corsair has 40a on the +12v rail. comparison: OCZ Powerstream 620: 33a combined. OCZ evostream 600w: 40a. And of course, generic units which don't do what they're told to.

go nuts with the corsair.
 
Also, many PSU companies rate their stuff @ 25c, whereas the Corsairs are @ 50c, if I'm not mistaken. Bottom line, the average consumer will actually be able to get the rated power from their PSU (without breaking a sweat) as opposed to the igloo-rated lesser competition.
 
Sorry if this is a kind of noob question, but will the Corsair 520 be able to fit in the same place my Antec SP-450 currently is?
 
Yes, no problem. All atx psu's are exactly the same size in terms of width and height, with the same screw locations; it's the length that vary's from psu to psu. most are 5.5", there are some that are longer (usually high-powered units, like the PCP&C Turbocool 1kw, or silverstone zeus 850, etc)
 
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