Power supplies

[Toxin]

Nvm.

[trakaill]

Nvm.

 

nvm what???

[Dark Torcher]

Never forget power efficiency! Don't forget to also look for online reviews where they test if the actual power ratings match up to what's on the box. The ones you named are reliable, I've used both the Antec quattro 1000w and the Corsair HX1000 (1000W), and they both work reliably up to their power ratings. They both run quiet and match up in a bunch of other qualities but the main difference between the two is that Antec is semi-modular and Corsair is fully modular, meaning Corsair was a lot more tidier inside the case, plus it has longer cords than Antec's.

[Shadowex3]

The average modern gaming computer, at it's absolute peak load, will only draw about 400w if you have multiple hard drives and cold cathode lights.

 

The reason we don't all have 500w power supplies and instead go from 650->750 on average is because a modern gaming computer also has an extremely high ampere requirement, so even if it doesn't need too much voltage the wattage is still kept high by the high amp requirement certain parts (graphics cards mostly) have.

[KScorp]

The average modern gaming computer, at it's absolute peak load, will only draw about 400w if you have multiple hard drives and cold cathode lights.

 

The reason we don't all have 500w power supplies and instead go from 650->750 on average is because a modern gaming computer also has an extremely high ampere requirement, so even if it doesn't need too much voltage the wattage is still kept high by the high amp requirement certain parts (graphics cards mostly) have.

 

This.

 

As it turns out, the wattage on the PSU isn't the whole truth. Each rail in the PSU has it's own specific Amperage limit, and it may turn out that while the PSU advertises it can handle 400W, it may not be able to supply the power your separate components' need, such as the video card, because that specific rail can't handle the power demands of the GPU. This is especially true for the very high end graphics cards that draw over 200W or 250W on a single rail, which would require an amperage rating of at least 22A on their 12V rail. When you go with higher wattage PSUs, they often come with a higher amperage rating on their rails as well, alleviating that problem.

 

This can often be a tricky problem, since two even lower rated PSUs may be superior to higher rated ones.

 

See this wikipedia paragraph on the power rating of PSUs.

[Shadowex3]

There is no such thing as amperage...

[Wrathek]

thats why i love my PSU it has a single rail that can push ~62 amps

[Toxin]

Question.

Newegg is having a great deal on an Antec 520W PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

With the promo codes, that's $44 (edit: WITH FREE SHIPPING). Should I downgrade from my generic brand Xion 700W PSU to a brand name Antec 520W PSU? According to some research, this is a re-branded Seasonic.

[KScorp]

There is no such thing as amperage...

 

ORLY? Excuse me for not using "ampere".

 

And Toxin, I believe that's a decent PSU, especially for that price. I think any change from generic to brand name is a upgrade in this case. And the single 480W rail is a large plus.

 

I'm not too familiar with Antec though. Someone else may be able to make a better recommendation on that PSU.

[Toxin]

Thanks for the input.

Newegg is also selling a Corsair 650PSU for $79.99 with free shipping.($69.99 after mail-in-rebate). That's also a quite viable option.