PSU Broken - looking for advice on a new one

[mrduck1997]

Well, I recently purchased a rosewill PSU (link below), knowing that it is a risk because of the low price. I have a friend that has the same PSU and has done fine, so I gave it a try. The computer shuts down after 30mins-1hour of running. I could most likely continue running this PSU, but I've heard stories that overstrained PSUs can fry your other components, so I'd rather not risk it. I'm going to send it back to get a refund, and in the meantime, need to get a new PSU.

I play high stress games, such as Crysis and Company of Heroes. My new graphics card is a Nvidia 8800 GTS (G92) and it has impressed me, but obviously my PSU was not up to running it at full capability. I don't think the wattage is the problem; the PSU runs at 550W, 400 is required for the graphics card. However, maybe a little more wouldn't hurt if the PSU got stressed.

I have also checked to make sure its the PSU that is causing the problem. My video card fan is running at 85%, obviously enough. All of my other computer fans are running, including the PSU fan, so obviously overheating is not the problem.

What does the TechSpot community recommend for a quality PSU for gaming, while at a reasonable price (preferably under $100, but feel free to post anything).

links:

My old PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...A-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-N82E16817182017

My graphics card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...A-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-N82E16814130325

 

[EXCellR8]

ZipZoomFly has the ULTRA X3 600w modular PSU in stock for $89.99 plus shipping. They are very good units and will provide you with enough power for that 8800; they feature FlexForce cables which are easy to work with.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006089

 

[insoman]

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/product.php?productid=6094&cat=0&page=

 

[mrduck1997]

ZipZoomFly has the ULTRA X3 600w modular PSU in stock for $89.99 plus shipping. They are very good units and will provide you with enough power for that 8800; they feature FlexForce cables which are easy to work with.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006089

Hmm this seems like a good choice, how do I tell if it has the right amperage for the 8800?

 

[EXCellR8]

The 600w model can support 36 amps on the single 12v rail. The box that your graphics card came in should tell you how much amperage the card needs. 36 should be enough for one 8800 but all cards are slightly different so I would double check. If you cant find the info on the box, I'm sure it's listed somewhere on the manufacturer's website.

 

[mrduck1997]

Yeah 28 amps minimum, so it should do fine

 

[mrduck1997]

Hmm, I've done some research and found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001

Has free shipping and 30 dollar rebate. What do you guys think about OCZ, is it a high-quality brand?

 

[SNGX1275]

What are your other components? I highly doubt you need anything over a quality 500W. I run a more power hungry 8800GTS (the old 320) on a C2D6400, with 3 hds, 3 fans, 3 gigs of RAM all on an Enermax 485W. I've never seen a draw higher than 244W according to my kill-a-watt meter, and actual consumption by components is probably even lower since the PSU isn't 100% efficient.

 

[mrduck1997]

OS Name Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium

Version 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1 Build 6001

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

System Manufacturer Gateway

System Model GT5426E

System Type X86-based PC

Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+, 2600 Mhz, 2
Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)

BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 1/30/2007

SMBIOS Version 2.4

Windows Directory C:\Windows

System Directory C:\Windows\system32

Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2

Locale United States

Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.0.6001.18000"

Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 2.00 GB

Total Physical Memory 2.00 GB

Total Virtual Memory 4.23 GB

So yeah, 2 gigs ram, my current PCU, 8800 GTS, Amd processor dual core.

 

[SNGX1275]

Yep; I'd bet you anything an Enermax Noisetaker II 485W would run that with plenty of power to spare. But whatever, get that Ultra 600 modular. But I'd trust my components much more on a lower wattage enermax than I would any Ultra.

 

[EXCellR8]

OCZ makes decent units as well from what I hear. Enermax is probably one of the better manufacturers other than PC Power & Cooling but you should be fine with the Ultra PSU if you decide to take up that option. I have had various Ultra model power supplies and have had 0 problems with them. I like the X3 line of units because they are 100% modular and the FlexForce cables look really neat inside the case; they are easy to route throughout.