What PSU do I need for my computer?

Hello everybody,

I am currently in the process of building my own computer,
mainly as a learning experience.
However, I do not know which power supply I should get (wattage).

I have chosen out these parts;

Motherboard:
MSI 970A-G45 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ Motherboard
CPU:
AMD FX-4100 3.60 GHz Quad Core AM3+ Unlocked Processor
Graphics Card:
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti Video Card (1GB)
RAM:
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit (2x4GB) DDR3-1600MHz
SSD(possibly change to hdd):
Patriot PP120GS25SSDR Pyro 2.5" Solid State Drive - 120GB, SATA III 6Gb/s



Your help would be greatly appreciated.
I am new at this :)
Also, I am about 80% sure these parts are compatible. If they are not can you let me know? If you have any more advice or helpful tips, I will gladly like to hear them!

Thank you very much,
PencilOwner.
 
I would suggest that something in the 500 watt range would be more than sufficient, unless you're planning on a regular upgrade cycle for graphics.
If you're in the U.S. you might start looking at Newegg's listings. If you're on a budget then you can still find a reasonable product at a reasonable price. The GTX 550Ti isn't a massively power hungry card (Nvidia's recommendation is 24 Amps/400w as a minimum) so you have plenty of scope.
Letting us know a budget, upgrade/expansion plans (if any), and where you're likely to be shopping would allow for a better tailored answer for you.
 
You don't have to be 80% sure, you can be 100% sure that those parts are all compatible (just a note your motherboard has a max memory capability of 32 gb of ram, due to future benefits, I highly suggest getting 2x 8gb ddr3 ram costs $50 more but you don't have to toss them away when you want to upgrade to full 32 gb. Again this is only for future benefits as applications right now have a hard time using 4gb of ram.).

The power supply you get is dependent on your graphics card, and the 550ti requires only 400watts and they overestimate this amount already so it really requires less than that. Still I would suggest getting at least a 500 watt so you can upgrade in the future and Corsair is the best psu company around so I'd recommend them, and I'd also recommend OCZ because I have one and its been working flawlessly the two years I've had it.
 
I will be getting a 500 watt power supply.
Thank you very much for your answers.

And More importantly make sure it is from a reputable manufacture. Brands to look for: Antec (Except Basiq series), Corsair(Except Builder Series), Delta, Enermax, FSP, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic. Many off brand PSUs are not capable of outputting anywhere near the rating on the label.

For Example Here is a Picture of the insides of a good 425w (In this case a PC Power & Cooling) Vs. a Cheap "420w" (OKIA)

picture.php

PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 425 ATX

picture.php

OKIA 420w [This thing would be lucky to do 100w much less the 420w listed on the label]


Great1122 said:
I'd recommend them, and I'd also recommend OCZ because I have one and its been working flawlessly the two years I've had it.

I wouldn't recommend an OCZ these days. Ever since OCZ bought PCP&C all the higher end/better models have been branded as PCP&C and only the more poorly build budget models are labeled OCZ. Most OCZs are built by no-name OEMs and are somewhat under-whelming internally, where as the PCP&C labeled units are generally built by Seasonic (Silencer Series) and are much better built.
 
I would agree that a quality 500w unit is more than suitable.

I wouldn't say most at all. OCZ use Sirtec and FSP for many models, and both are very respectable. For clarification, see here.
 
I would agree that a quality 500w unit is more than suitable.

I wouldn't say most at all. OCZ use Sirtec and FSP for many models, and both are very respectable. For clarification, see here.

The older ones are but they've been using the likes of Sifra and Great Wall recently. They are certainly not the worst of the worst but they aren't among the best either, and given the many other options in the same price range I generally wouldn't recommend them.

For example an OCZ ZS Series 550W built by Sifra is currently going for $80 ($55 after rebate), whereas, a SeaSonic built PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III PPCMK3S500 500W can also be had for $80 ($60 after rebate). Again it's not that OCZs are terrible but there are higher quality options out there for the same or similar price; if there wasn't a rebate on the OCZ there would be a flood Delta or SeaSonic built units for the same price, some of them 600w+. Therefore I don't generally recommend OCZ anymore.
 
If you can, go where you can listen to one before you buy. The Corsairs are generally great buys with impressive reliability... but a couple of models have an electronic whine that will drive a lot of folks nuts.

The profit margin is so incredibly high on power supplies, that there is a lot of expensive junk out there. Read the reviews and the comments here on TechSpot.
 
Back