Power supply advice

[himmy]

Friends laptop died, and he has tasked me with building a desktop for him.

Currently looking at a 4870, WD 640GB HDD, DVD burner, Q9550, 4GB DDR2 1066, and a Gigabyte GA-EP45.

There will be NO overclocking being done.

is the PC Power and Cooling silencer 500w good enough for this rig?

 

[magoo]

Corsair VX 550 if you are not interested in modular.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...er+Supplies-_-Corsair+Memory++Inc.-_-17139004

The Corsair units are all very high quality.
This unit has a higher 12V amp rating than the PC P&C.
Corsair also uses a larger fan for cooling and thus is quieter. PC P&C units have always been noisy, despite the "silencer" label.

Corsair also has a number of modular units under the HX branding.
I have the VX 550 and it's a good unit. I also have a 620HX and a 750 TX.
I have a couple PC P&C 510W units too. Not a thing wrong with PC P&C, but I have come to find Corsair units better due to less noise.

 

[Potatocodone]

Corsair PSU are win.

But if you want to shave a bit more you can't go wrong with the Antec 500EA.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

Though it is a bit expensive in my taste since I bought a few of them last year for $55 when they were on sale.

If you need a case as well I would grab this the Antec Sonata III + 500EA combo for $109 shipped.

A very solid case and very silent.Not the best airflow but not seriously not bad enough to kill anything.

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Another thing which is a bit off topic. Since your friend has been a laptop user is he really a power user? If he is not a q9550 is an extreme overkill. But if he is power demanding you can go with the Phenom II for a better value and have future overhead room.

 

[Zero82z]

is the PC Power and Cooling silencer 500w good enough for this rig?

Yes.

Is this a PSU you already have, or are you buying new? If you're getting a new one, there are better deals available. Take a look at the following options:

Seasonic SS-500ET - $70: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151080
Seasonic S12 II SS-500GB - $82 ($72 after rebate and free shipping; this is probably the cheapest option overall if you're willing to deal with the rebate): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151034
Antec EA500 - $75: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007
Antec EA650 - $82 (overkill but only slightly more expensive so why not): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

The Corsair VX550 suggested above is a good PSU, but at $100 with a $20 rebate, it just isn't a good deal compared to the other models I listed which are just as good quality.

 

[himmy]

Every thing is being purchased at Microcenter, since we have a local one here.

Building this from scratch to replace his laptop that finally died.

 

[Zero82z]

If you have a list of the PSU models available to you, that would be very helpful for making recommendations.

 

[himmy]

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...dium=topnav&utm_campaign=nav_byopc_case_power

location is OH - Northeast Ohio/Mayfield hts.

PC Power and Cooling 500w is same price as the antec earthwatts 650(89.99).

I was thinking the PC Power and Cooling would be the better buy for the better quality?

 

[Dangman]

http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...dium=topnav&utm_campaign=nav_byopc_case_power

location is OH - Northeast Ohio/Mayfield hts.

PC Power and Cooling 500w is same price as the antec earthwatts 650(89.99).

I was thinking the PC Power and Cooling would be the better buy for the better quality?

Actually I would rate the Antec Earthwatts as a better quality PSU than the PC P&C 500W. Newer and more efficient PSU design, significantly more power, etc. So definitely go with the EA650 instead.

 

[Zero82z]

Actually I would rate the Antec Earthwatts as a better quality PSU than the PC P&C 500W. Newer and more efficient PSU design, significantly more power, etc. So definitely go with the EA650 instead.

Agreed. The EA650 is a better choice than the Silencer 500W in any situation, and especially if they are both equally priced.

 

[MacLeod]

Im using the 500 watt PC Power Silencer and think its a pretty solid unit. Its virtually silent and seems to be a very good quality PSU.

However, I got mine for $70 shipped and anything over 500 watts from Antec, Corsair or the other major quality brands was around $100. That was 2 months ago. Doesnt that just make you sick. You search and search and think you finally have the best piece for the best price in your budget and almost the instant you buy it, the higher priced stuff drops. Ugh.

 

[JonGerow]

Microcenter is pretty much GIVING AWAY the LS-450 for $50: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0314011

They took all of BFG's remaining inventory on that model.

 

[oculescent]

Agreed. The EA650 is a better choice than the Silencer 500W in any situation, and especially if they are both equally priced.

are you sure?
On paper as far as ripple and things go the silencer looks to be pretty solid.

 

[Zero82z]

are you sure?
On paper as far as ripple and things go the silencer looks to be pretty solid.

The EA650 is a very good Delta PSU, which is quieter than the Silencer as well as having much more power to offer. The Silencer is a good PSU, but the EA650 is just as good or even better.