I need best power supply for gaming computer at the lowest price

[JesseConant]

Here are the build specs:
cpu: Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 ($125)
mobo: Foxconn H61MX LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX ($55)
ram: Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ($24)
gpu: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB ($140)
hdd: Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM ($40)
disk drive: ASUS 24X CD/DVD Burner ($20)
case: Aresze 450w atx power supply ($50)
total: $454 (Newegg)
I'm deciding between 2 Power Supply Units.
The Antec VP-450 450w atx power supply ($41)
Or the Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ($65)
Any other power supplies you recommend?
I want the total excluding shipping and tax to be less than or equal to about $500. It can go maybe $5 or $10 over.
Modify my build to fit the price better if you want? Thanks for the answers.

 

[sfbloodbrother]

At those specs, at the top of my head, go for something about 600W or 650W. But you want something that has good quality. Go for something about $100

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

Don't skimp on power supplies, if it goes out it can take some of your hardware with it.

 

[IOWA]

Don't skimp on power supplies, if it goes out it can take some of your hardware with it.

Agree. Buying a cheap PSU on a rig with high end parts is a REALLY bad idea for a variety of reasons. Far and well beyond whether or not it's putting out enough watts to power the parts. A good PSU will keep the power clean, has better tolerance with 'dirty' electricity, (Which I also highly suggest a quality Pure Sine UPS system) among other things.

Do not skimp on the PSU.

 

[unnamedny]

use this link to calculate on what you need http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

go with 50 watts more. And as it was mentioned, don't cheap out on PSU. Bad PSU can cause PC restarts, hardware failure and even fire.

 

[7Priest7]

I upgraded my PSU last month, I bought 750W Gaming Smart Silent 80mm Cooling Fan ATX 12V Computer Power Supply PC PSU | eBay
It has worked great so far.
I really hope none of those problems that the other replies list happen.
This topic now has me worried

 

[unnamedny]

I upgraded my PSU last month, I bought 750W Gaming Smart Silent 80mm Cooling Fan ATX 12V Computer Power Supply PC PSU | eBay
It has worked great so far.
I really hope none of those problems that the other replies list happen.
This topic now has me worried

brand matters in PSU market. I used to have stock unbranded 800watt psu and my pc was rebooting all the time, until PSU failed. Now i have a 480watt power supply and it works better than ever. Wattage is not the most important thing.

 

[7Priest7]

brand matters in PSU market. I used to have stock unbranded 800watt psu and my pc was rebooting all the time, until PSU failed. Now i have a 480watt power supply and it works better than ever. Wattage is not the most important thing.

My PSU is not auto-restarting my computer.
Ultimately new manufacturers have to start somewhere.
Maybe Shark Technologies(the maker of my psu) is high quality but new,
Maybe years down the road Shark will be considered as good or better than name brand manufacturers of today.

EDIT:
"MTBF Life Expectancy of this model: 100,000 hours* (11 years & 2 months)
* Excludes the life of the fan which may vary depending on operating environment"

If I get 11 years out of a $35 PSU

"All new complete 6*Star(tm) system protection with built-in Over Voltage Protection, Under Voltage Protection, Over Current Protection, Over Temperature Protection, Short Circuit Protection, Over Power Protection."

Would the under and over power be equal to dirty power?

 

[unnamedny]

My PSU is not auto-restarting my computer.
Ultimately new manufacturers have to start somewhere.
Maybe Shark Technologies(the maker of my psu) is high quality but new,
Maybe years down the road Shark will be considered as good or better than name brand manufacturers of today.

EDIT:
"MTBF Life Expectancy of this model: 100,000 hours* (11 years & 2 months)
* Excludes the life of the fan which may vary depending on operating environment"

If I get 11 years out of a $35 PSU

"All new complete 6*Star(tm) system protection with built-in Over Voltage Protection, Under Voltage Protection, Over Current Protection, Over Temperature Protection, Short Circuit Protection, Over Power Protection."

Would the under and over power be equal to dirty power?

if you are noymt a hardcore gamer with 20 hdds and SLI cards with liquid cooling for the whole system, you should do well with $50 power supply. Savings of $20 is irrelevant. Would you trust a generic rope for mountain climbing if you didn't know what its made of? Not saying that it will fail, but it might, and then whole $20 saved really go down the drain.

As a matter of fact, more things written how professionally its made than less reliable it might be.

 

[mikedt]

My PSU is not auto-restarting my computer.
Ultimately new manufacturers have to start somewhere.
Maybe Shark Technologies(the maker of my psu) is high quality but new,
Maybe years down the road Shark will be considered as good or better than name brand manufacturers of today.

That's what would concern me, who exactly is this "Shark Technologies" that sells on Ebay, especially for something as critical as a PC power supply. Their English and spelling is not too good on their Ebay auctions. So I'd guess that they're more than likely are a trading company, that just sells whatever things that they can get hold of from manufacturers unknown. They're NOT a manufacturer that's for sure.

You know our sticky about off-brand phones and tablets, worth the low cost?
http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/631594-off-brand-phones-tablets-worth-low-cost.html

It very much applies to PC components as well, and most other forms of tech.

Save $20-30 bucks and maybe it blows up your computer or maybe it works for a long time. That's the gamble you take I guess.

Last PC we built, think we used a Thermaltake PSU, it wasn't cheap, but we wanted good reliability.

 

[Davdi]

On my first PC (386SX/25 if your memory is long enough) the PSU went with a bang and lots of smoke, took the motherboard, memory and processor with it. somehow the Hard Disk and Floppy drive (remember them?) survived.

Don't skimp on the Power Supply, if it goes bang it's a VERY expensive way to save $20

 

[7Priest7]

That's what would concern me, who exactly is this "Shark Technologies" that sells on Ebay, especially for something as critical as a PC power supply. Their English and spelling is not too good on their Ebay auctions. So I'd guess that they're more than likely are a trading company, that just sells whatever things that they can get hold of from manufacturers unknown. They're NOT a manufacturer that's for sure.
...
Save $20-30 bucks and maybe it blows up your computer or maybe it works for a long time. That's the gamble you take I guess.

So... Who is considered name brand in PSUs?
The shark technology PSU is the only one I ever ordered/installed myself.

Give me some trusted/name brands? please

EDIT: Did some searching, I bet http://support.amd.com/us/certified/power-supplies/Pages/listing.aspx is a good place to start.

 

[mikedt]

So... Who is considered name brand in PSUs?
The shark technology PSU is the only one I ever ordered/installed myself.

Give me some trusted/name brands? please

Sure... makes like Corsair, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, Antec. All are well known and should be quality and thoroughly tested. These are reputable makes, that offer a full warranty as well.

Problem with Ebay, you don't really know what you're getting when buying tech items from there, so often it's cheapo stuff shipped directly from China, and some of it can be real garbage. I wouldn't buy an SD card or USB drive from Ebay, because of all the fakes. And we don't recommend Ebay for Android devices either. IMO it might be ok for a second hand bicycle or something, but that's about it.

EDIT: Did some searching, I bet AMD Certified Power Supplies is a good place to start.

A very good place to start, can't go wrong with what AMD recommends.

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

This is a good place to start, you can see who is actually making the power supply, if it is the same company that makes psu's for a known good brand then you may be safe, but remember how much a company is willing to pay for quality control still influences the outcome greatly.

Personally I use Coolermaster and know to budget accordingly. I would also use Antec or Thermaltake if I could get a better deal on them at the time.

 

[Mehta23]

I've heard bad things about the low end and cheap CM power supplies, but their higher end ones are pretty good. I'll also trust nearly anything by Antes, Be quiet, Corsair, Seasonic, Thermaltake or XFX