# Which PSU should I buy ???....



## surinder (Mar 26, 2009)

As one can see my current configuration in my signature and I'm with cabinet bundled scrap up till now I think my luck can run out any time so its time to change PSU to a better one.

First of all I'm looking to keep my upcoming PSU at least for five years and my budget is 5K max. So it should be that powerful and reliable to not worry about upgrading PSU at least whenever I upgrade my rig's other specs (almost once a year) like in six to eight months time line I'm going to have Intel i7,ATI 4870 or Nvidia GTX 280 kind of stuff.

Here are my personal favorites :-

(corsair VX 550) I think it is most reliable of the lot but cost most as well.

(CM real power pro 550) good value for money there but don't now about its reputation. 

(Antec EA 500)good value for money there but don't now about its reputation as well.

(antec EA 650) if I should go for that much power at least and very good value for money there but don't now about its reputation.

So please help me to choose the right one and if the best one is not in my list please suggest your favorite under 5K just keep in mind cheapest the best meeting my requirements.


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## desiibond (Mar 26, 2009)

My pick would be corsair VX 550


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 26, 2009)

A guide for this was allready made:
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104472


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## Arnab boss (Mar 27, 2009)

Corsair vx 550 is a good choice for this,but I have a friend who is using zebronics 700 w platinum series psu for his rig with gts 260 card and it is running well. He bought it @3100k with 3 yrs warranty ,so not bad at this price.where the cm 600 w cost @3700, so u can think about it also...


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## hell_storm2006 (Mar 27, 2009)

I vote for Corsair VX550!!


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## rhitwick (Mar 27, 2009)

Dude, u r going to keep the PSU for the next five years. U want to upgrade to i7, GTX280, ATI 4870 and down the line u may also upgrade ur LCD (24" or 30" who knows)

And, u r betting on 550Watt only? At least take 750 to 1000Watt PSU.


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## toofan (Mar 28, 2009)

Just Think of 6 months ahead. And with new technology the power consumption is decreasing. So it would be better to invest on 550 to 650 W max. What the use of 1000 if you never gona use that for next 1-3 years and after that the price and the technology might change.

So think of present.


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## surinder (Mar 28, 2009)

rhitwick said:


> Dude, u r going to keep the PSU for the next five years. U want to upgrade to i7, GTX280, ATI 4870 and down the line u may also upgrade ur LCD (24" or 30" who knows)
> 
> And, u r betting on 550Watt only? At least take 750 to 1000Watt PSU.



Well dude I understand your point but first of all I don't think a good PSU of that much power is possible in my budget. Secondly I think my next upgrade can be very well covered by 500w to 600w good power supply and I think possessor & graphic cards manufacturers are now using performance per watt approach that why I shouldn't be buckled down by then with less power on PSU I hope.

And I don't power my LCD by PSU my UPS enabled inverter line take care of whole system. I haven't experienced even a single restart since I took this approach two years ago.
-----------------------------------------
Posted again:
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toofan said:


> Just Think of 6 months ahead. And with new technology the power consumption is decreasing. So it would be better to invest on 550 to 650 W max. What the use of 1000 if you never gona use that for next 1-3 years and after that the price and the technology might change.
> 
> So think of present.



Totally agreed with you why to put 8 grands now if I can't use its potential in next thee years or so and I could be lucky enough with that much power if hardware manufacturer companies keep using performance per watt approach by then. After all 600 odd watts are not mare by any means in computing neither it is going to be I hope.

And at worse if I have to add watts any time in future which I don't hope so Buy a fresh PSU with latest technology,lesser price from now and fresh warranty of five years or so and sell old one with good resale value.


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## amitash (Mar 28, 2009)

> in six to eight months time line I'm going to have Intel i7,ATI 4870 or Nvidia GTX 280 kind of stuff.



6-8months is a LOT of time... i7 will still be the best but gfx cards will keep changing...You have to let the new series release and decide then.


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## acewin (Mar 28, 2009)

LOL @rhitwick, most of the LCDs do not run on power from PSU but UPS, so not problem there.

vx550 al the way, you still will have good options of expansion, until and unless you decide to crossfire putting 2 gfx card, if you decide for crossfire you will certainly need higher PSU.
but VX550 costs around 6K and not 5K, so I doubt buying it
Because then you can go for Tagan 600W modular PSU. which is very good PSU


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 28, 2009)

rhitwick said:


> And, u r betting on 550Watt only? At least take 750 to 1000Watt PSU.


Wrong way to judge a power supply. Things dont work that way if you havent noticed.


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## toofan (Mar 28, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> Wrong way to judge a power supply. Things dont work that way if you havent noticed.



Yup. He might not have read your article.


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## rhitwick (Mar 28, 2009)

Guys........I admit......I got jumbled up about LCD. Ab, mafi de do...*s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj44/visio159/Unismilies/4.png

And, the OP wrote that he needs the PSU to last till 5yrs, and took for what he wrote, and advised about 750 to 1000Watt PSU.

Well, 1000Watt a bit too much, but 750Watt is too future secure (as he now says, he may buy a PSU later)...
In that case 650Watt would be right choice, as Core i7, GTX280 is not that power efficient.


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## paroh (Mar 28, 2009)

How much power suppy this computer required. I want to  Buy new PSU so please Recommend me a PSU .

1) Processor core 2 duo 2.4ghz
2) Motherbord 945GCNL
3) Two usb port always in use
4) Two IDE hard disk (7200RPM)
5) Two sata hard disk (7200RPM)
6) ONE CD-RW  and one DVD_writer (So total 2 optical drive)
7) Ram 2GB DDR 2 667MHZ)
8 IDE card


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 28, 2009)

rhitwick said:


> Well, 1000Watt a bit too much, but 750Watt is too future secure (as he now says, he may buy a PSU later)...


Again- wrong way to buy a good psu. A good psu is typically conservatively rated and gives more power with same stability. Any el cheapo psu can label their substandard psu to 600w or 1kw pretty easily. 
As for the OP, psu advice can be given according to the system so you need to make efforts from your end to mention your *complete* configuration. If you planning to buy i7 rig in the future- why not buy a good psu when you buy a rig and not now?  What if a good psu will a really high efficiency on standard 50 degrees operational temps with really low ripple comes after 6-8 months. 
As for paroh, even a corsair cx400 which costs 3.2k is enough even with some upgrades in the near future.


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## paroh (Mar 28, 2009)

corsair cx400 which costs 3.2k is very costly can u suggest me a little cheap PSU not more than Rs.1800


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## toofan (Mar 29, 2009)

If you can borrow some money from you friend and invest on A Cooler Maser 500W. It will be best for ur usage and budget.


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## surinder (Mar 29, 2009)

desiibond said:


> My pick would be corsair VX 550



Yes all of us knows its the best out there but it is getting beyond my budget a little. My confusion is can I get safe enough results from CM real power pro 550 or Antec-EA 650( few extra watts there)as specs are very good there and still save few bucks from VX 550 as in many posts I learn they are getting a huge premium for its popularity.  

Or corsair VX 550 worth the premium and I should stretch my budget and stick with it if so please clarify the differences and advantages over above mentioned models.

I'm looking for in side stuff kind of replies specially from (The Sorcerer).


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 29, 2009)

Based on surinder's signature


> C2D E7300, ASUS P5KPL-CM, 2GB DDR2, PALIT 4850 512 DDR3, CREATIVE X-FI XTREME GAMER,WD 640GB X2 HDDs, LOGITECH Z5500, BENQ T2200HD


Vx450 is enough- even with moderate overclocks. If by any chance you are planning to go for something with 2 6 pin pcie graphic card in the future, vx550 or coolermaster real power 550w/antec EA 650w.


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## surinder (Mar 29, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> Based on surinder's signature
> 
> Vx450 is enough- even with moderate overclocks. If by any chance you are planning to go for something with 2 6 pin pcie graphic card in the future, vx550 or coolermaster real power 550w/antec EA 650w.


  So you mean to say that I can easily save few bucks with CM real power 550w or even better antec EA 650w with few extra watts which can make me more future proof (but only  three years warranty with this one) with no major issues there.


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 29, 2009)

MODEL RS-550-ACAA-A1 cm real power 550w is made by abacel and its in par with vx550w. cm 550w comes with 5 year warranty. Only reason antec 650w is cheaper is because it has 3 years warranty and has single layer PCB. I wouldn't worry about it much though. Seasonic builts are generally really good manufacturers when it comes to power supplies.


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## maverick786us (Mar 29, 2009)

One more vote for Corsair


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## deadkiss 009 (Mar 29, 2009)

Am happy  with my Corsair TX 750 and it seems I shall be happy for  another 3 to 4 years.So it is futureproof. I don't understand why one will buy a psu for around 5000 Rs. with keeping a headache that he may need another in 2 years while he can spend a little more to keep off the headache and make his pc feel some free space in power supply at present. 

Concerning budget I think buying  a Corsair HX 620 will be a good choice in GTX 280, i7 set up.


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## surinder (Mar 29, 2009)

deadkiss 009 said:


> Am happy  with my Corsair TX 750 and it seems I shall be happy for  another 3 to 4 years.So it is futureproof. I don't understand why one will buy a psu for around 5000 Rs. with keeping a headache that he may need another in 2 years while he can spend a little more to keep off the headache and make his pc feel some free space in power supply at present.
> 
> Concerning budget I think buying  a Corsair HX 620 will be a good choice in GTX 280, i7 set up.


Because not every one is so rich like bill gates or Mukesh ambani and difference of 3k is not little more at least for me and with Antec-EA 650 I think enough headroom spare to be future proof for me along with very good VFM as The Sorcerer passed it as a worthy product against corsair VX 550.


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## deadkiss 009 (Mar 29, 2009)

surinder said:


> Because not every one is so rich like bill gates or Mukesh ambani and difference of 3k is not little more at least for me and with Antec-EA 650 I think enough headroom spare to be future proof for me along with very good VFM as The Sorcerer passed it as a worthy product against corsair VX 550.



I shall not comment against The Sorcerer as he is the best in this business. Your requirements are contradictory.U are going to set a high end pc and at that point u can afford i7 and gtx 280 easily but u can't afford a 2 to 3k price increase for the health of your lovely precious system.

Antec is a good choice of course but personally I will vote for any Corsair psu. And I suggest u go for VX 550 if u stick to ur budget, or else think about HX 620.


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## toofan (Mar 29, 2009)

@compaddict you should go for tangan one as it is cheap and the difference is only due to warranty. look for confirmation form soccessor

Are yaar 5000 or 8000 mein kya anter hai. Mere liye to dono hi mahenge hain. Both are costly and if you have to choose, then chose the cheap among the costlier. Simple funda.


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## surinder (Mar 29, 2009)

deadkiss 009 said:


> I shall not comment against The Sorcerer as he is the best in this business. Your requirements are contradictory.U are going to set a high end pc and at that point u can afford i7 and gtx 280 easily but u can't afford a 2 to 3k price increase for the health of your lovely precious system.
> 
> Antec is a good choice of course but personally I will vote for any Corsair psu. And I suggest u go for VX 550 if u stick to ur budget, or else think about HX 620.


Dude as I wrote earlier my next upgrade is 6 to 8 months away from now and by then 
i7 and gtx 280/ATI4870 or anything else should be lot more affordable.

My approach for upgrades is simple upgrade when desired products comes in VFM tertiaries and when one have got a product at reasonable price he or she can easily get rid of it when reqired with low loses and good resale value and upgrade to next level and I'm not interested in "I'm the first with this product" race.


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## The Sorcerer (Mar 30, 2009)

deadkiss 009 said:


> Antec is a good choice of course but personally I will vote for any Corsair psu.


True- but one of the 2 OEMs for corsair is seasonic and channelwell makes psu for corsair seemingly based on seasonic designs. As of now, seasonic/abacel/ high end seventeam/channelwell/ certain topower OEMS are good. Recently tirupathi hiked the price which I say its wrong. tx750 when I bought was 6.8k inclusive taxes at prime abgb. Now its 8k. Corsair vx450 was as low as 3.2k all inclusive- now its 3.9k- 4.2k. When such situations are happenning No choice- antec EA 650 is a value for money product even in international market. For non oced i7 system- I dont see why wouldnt a vx550~tx 650~ea 650~cm rp 550w will suffice?


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## surinder (Apr 3, 2009)

Yes that's the point I'm trying to put Like Corsair TX 750W is for 90$ on abroad like on Tigerdirect if similar kind of prices offered here in India one can go for corsair's products  eyes closed but they are charging us almost 8K for this one here daylight robbery. Those guys are charging us huge premium across the range in corsair for its popularity so why shouldn't we take headache to search other deserving options and give tirupathi guys chance to relax themselves a bit and of course give them a reason to think again about there pricing policy.   

On the other hand PSU's like Antec EA-650 which has very good specs and great reviews on the net priced same here as in the International market which is very sweat so good VFM is there I think.


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 3, 2009)

I bought my tx750 for 6.9k-7k last year at june-july. The prices were all reasonable and in par with international standard untill TAG stop being distributor for corsair psu and tirupathi got a rare chance to monopolise it. They smartly increased the price by implementing cx400 in between. That's why its always best not to see prices after you buy the product. As of now real power 550w and antec 650w are good vfm.


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## surinder (Apr 3, 2009)

Totally agreed and finally I'm going with Antec-EA 650. Although I love to go with Corsair VX550 but Antec-EA 650 offers me one grand favor plus 100w more continues power from Corsair VX550 but with two years lesser warranty ya I can live with this.


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## surinder (Apr 13, 2009)

Price of CORSAIR TX 650w on buygamingstuff.com is given RS 6020+145 shipping=RS 6165/- in total I booked one PSU for myself.

I want to know although other PSU's prices are same as elsewhere how could they manage to offer such prices as TX 650w for RS 6020/-& HX 620w for RS 6636/- including vat I think because they made my order's amount as given above. Here is the link.

*buygamingstuff.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16_32

Are the prices of corsair full range is going to fall that way and these guys are with fresh rates for only these two products and we can have CORSAIR VX 550w for 4.8k or so very soon in India in that case I shall go for VX 550w.


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 13, 2009)

I have heard that distribution for corsair power supply is changed but not too sure about it. Corsair's warranty support is being centralised to corsair have their own service place cropping up soon corsair india allready started an All India toll free support.


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## surinder (Apr 13, 2009)

Update:-
              These prices are fake I even ordered one Corsair TX 650w online on their site on Sunday at 6020/-(given price on that day) today afternoon I received a phone call regarding they are unable to proses my order due to lack of stock when I ordered my PSU they had 50 pieces in the stock and guess what they changed the price of this product from 6020/- to 6950/- today on there site and HX 650w which is still at 6636/- refuse to open on there site.

My order is still intact online can I force them some how legally to process it?

One thing is sure it is a cheap attraction caching stunt by them.


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## toofan (Apr 13, 2009)

Now leave Crosair and go for Cooler Master.


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 13, 2009)

Well you should be buying from a well establish online shop- typically the ones who have a shop. Some of these online shops run their business from home- reality is that they buy it from the sub dealers. Better off buying from shops like primeabgb.com or lynx-india.com


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 13, 2009)

hey guys i have a query here as well....i wanted to know the review of any person here who has used a corsair vx550...will it be compatible with my system??I also plan to buy a ups now...will that affect it by anyway??

My confi is
m2a vmhdmi
amd x2 4800
250gb hdd
500gb hdd(currently gone for replacement)
2gb ddr2


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 13, 2009)

^^ Keeping the current configuration in mind, even a vx450/cx400 is enough for you. VX550 would be an overkill in you case. VX450 powers upto 650w on 80% load and can power up 4870 ddr5 gfx card without any OCs.


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 13, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> ^^ Keeping the current configuration in mind, even a vx450/cx400 is enough for you. VX550 would be an overkill in you case. VX450 powers upto 650w on 80% load and can power up 4870 ddr5 gfx card without any OCs.


 
Erm...i am eventually thinking of upgrading many things...lcd,graphics card,1 tb hard disk,new cabinet...so is it ok if i go with the vx450 now as well??


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 13, 2009)

Depends on which graphic card?


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## Arnab boss (Apr 14, 2009)

Hi 2 all,I am planning to build a gaming rig and need help in choosing psu. my specs r below...

Amd Phenom 2 940 black edtn.
ASus m3a 78 t.
Hdd 500 g.b seagate 7200 rpm + 1 t.b seagate hdd..
Ram 2*3 gb zion 1066....
2 optical drives L.g and sony d.v.d writer....
gpu xfx gts 250 1 gb or gts 260...
Case antec 900 or thermaltake armor + vx...

And plz suggest that do I need any cooling device for this rig....'

I was thinking 4 Corsair tx 750  but the price is 2 much... as I earlier mentioned abt zebronics 700 watts psu @3.2k,is it worth buying..? ,will it able 2 support my rig....' as it runs 4 nearly 17hrs a day...!

Or should I go 4 the Corsair vx 550...?


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## surinder (Apr 14, 2009)

toofan said:


> Now leave Crosair and go for Cooler Master.


Culprit party is that particular website guys here not Corsair.


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## surinder (Apr 14, 2009)

Arnab boss said:


> Hi 2 all,I am planning to build a gaming rig and need help in choosing psu. my specs r below...
> 
> Amd Phenom 2 940 black edtn.
> ASus m3a 78 t.
> ...


Yes you can do with Corsair vx 550 but don't even think about zebronics 700 watts psu @3.2k should be from an older series. If you really want to save bucks go with Antec EA-650w for 4.8k or so at least. Taking zebronics they have rolled out a fresh series called realwatts In that series pro 600w @3.7k looks little bit intersesting.Check this out just keep in mind they advertised it 80% eficient themself not certified by 80 plus organisasion.

*www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/preview-zebronics-pro-series-600w-smps-132730.html


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 14, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> Depends on which graphic card?


 

Haven't decided one yet...but prolly in the 6-8k range...so more like mid range cars...how much power do they consume?


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 14, 2009)

^^ Grab a Antec EA-650w in that case. Good and clean dc power with a good efficiency in a pretty decent price. It will have good amount of firepower if you need so and the price for corsair is pretty high antec EA 650~ cm real power 550w is a wiser choice.


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 14, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> ^^ Grab a Antec EA-650w in that case. Good and clean dc power with a good efficiency in a pretty decent price. It will have good amount of firepower if you need so and the price for corsair is pretty high antec EA 650~ cm real power 550w is a wiser choice.


 

Erm how is it compared to the corsair??WWhats the price of the antec power supply??


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 14, 2009)

Corsair power supplies are made by 2 companies- seasonic and channelwell. Seasonic makes fantastic power supplies and channelwell uses seasonic power supplies as a reference to design their power supplies. Antec EA 650w is also made by seasonic. This should give you a good idea about +12v rails:
*www.mikhailtech.com/Reviewers/Peter_Kapas/Antec650W/chart1.jpg
It costs around 4.8k. VX550 will cost you 5.5k


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## surinder (Apr 14, 2009)

Ronnie11 said:


> Haven't decided one yet...but prolly in the 6-8k range...so more like mid range cars...how much power do they consume?


In your budget for gfx card at most you can have ati 4850 and your total power requirements should not cross Corsair vx450 or even Antec EA-430w will do.just look at prices.
Corsair VX550 6k
Antec EA 650 4.8k
Corsair VX450 4k (suits you best)
Antec EA430 3.3k


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 15, 2009)

surinder said:


> In your budget for gfx card at most you can have ati 4850 and your total power requirements should not cross Corsair vx450 or even Antec EA-430w will do.just look at prices.
> Corsair VX550 6k
> Antec EA 650 4.8k
> Corsair VX450 4k (suits you best)
> Antec EA430 3.3k


 

Whaa??y is antec 650w cheaper than corsair 550w???Is there difference in quality or something??Or is it less efficient?how is it inferior to corsair 550w one?


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 15, 2009)

I dont think antec ea650 is inferior . This one is also a seasonic built like corsair vx550. Only difference is that the pcb on the antec ea650 is single layer pcb (which isnt a con really) and the warranty is only 3 years, and vx550 is 5 years. Even if you see it that way, real power 550w is cheaper than vx550 and its practically a direct competitor. If you are a person who makes an upgrade every now and then, you would think why would I pay for vx450 for so much when I can add 600-800 bucks and get antec EA 650. If you want complete 5 years warranty, coolermaster real power 550 to the rescue!!! I am not against corsair product- its a fantastic product. But since distris have jacked the price up, one will obviously look for better options and there are options which are available in the market.


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## deadkiss 009 (Apr 16, 2009)

Beside The Sorcerer's valuable thread in hardware section, one can find enough information about PSU in this link :  

*www.evga.com/forums/tm.asp?m=100557126


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## surinder (Apr 16, 2009)

Ronnie11 said:


> Whaa??y is antec 650w cheaper than corsair 550w???Is there difference in quality or something??Or is it less efficient?how is it inferior to corsair 550w one?


And what makes you think if a PSU cheaper then their Corsair counterpart that should be inferior from it. Actually Antec or any other worthy PSU's are not under priced for there quilty or performance issues it is Corsair products which are overpriced for no reseon but just becouse of its distributer in India have monopely with it.In international market Corsair products are very competitively priced. So one should use Corsair's PSU's performance stats as benchmark not there prices.


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 16, 2009)

oh thanks for the reply...was wondering all along about the huge price difference....Thanks for clarifying it...i do make frequent changes in my comp...so this seems to make more sense..thank you so much man...


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 17, 2009)

ps:-just one last question..is it compatible with my system & is it available in mumbai??


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## The Sorcerer (Apr 17, 2009)

Yes to both the questions. You can grab them from mahavir/prime abgb.


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## Ronnie11 (Apr 17, 2009)

The Sorcerer said:


> Yes to both the questions. You can grab them from mahavir/prime abgb.


 

OH thanks man...will be going to lamington road soon...Thanks for all your help...


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## surinder (Apr 21, 2009)

At last I got Antec EA-650w PSU for 5K. Now I can game hard without any worry.


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## Ankit (May 10, 2009)

Now Corsair and Antec prices seems to be comparable. Antec EA380 is priced at 3100 and EA430 at 3350/-. Comparable model Corsair cx400 is priced at 3000/-.The only winner winner Antec has in terms of price point is EA-650 priced around 4850/-. Source lynx india website.


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