For today's gaming I would recommend
a power supply in the range of 500 to 1300W depending on what needs to be powered in your system. One has to take into account that their hard drives,
graphic cards, RAM modules, Motherboard, Keyboard, Mouse, Optical
drives, case fans, CPU fan and any external USB devices that might be attached
to their system all draw upon the PSU for power.
The power rating of most power
supplies is not actually certified but is claimed by the manufactures. There
are certain ways you can test the true power of a PSU to find out what the
actual power output is though. I will explain how to do that in a another
topic.
The below link is to an excellent
calculator used to determine how much PSU power you will need for your build. I highly recommend using it before buying a PSU for your current system or next build.
For my system it said I needed a 636
Watt PSU. I have a 750 Watt PSU now so I should be good.
PSU Efficiency -
You will likely see 80 Plus on may PSU's on the market today.
This means that the PSU will operate with efficiencies of at least 80% if not better.
The program has 4 levels with logos for each one.
80 Plus and 80 Plus Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Modular cabling vs Solid cabling systems
PSU's with modular cabling systems allow you to only use the cables
you need for the equipment in your system. With solid cabling all the cables
are hard wired into the PSU whereas modular cabling allows you to
"unplug" cables that aren't necessary. This feature frees up space and allows for better airflow. It is usually looked upon by
most as a enthusiast feature while others consider it to be a voltage sacrifice
because the connectors aren't hard wired to the actual PSU. They are plugged in.
Many modular cabling systems are now hybrid. The 24-pin ATX
connector along with the 8-pin CPU are solid connectors and the cables for the
peripherals and drives are modular.
Things to look for
1. Most high end PSU's have copper-plated heat sinks that move
heat away from the PSU.
2. If the PSU has multiple 12V rails make sure they have dedicated
transformers for adequate power to each one.
3. The quality of the components matter more than the number
of rails. Buy quality and you are good to go!
4. Don't get fooled by PSU's labeled Nvidia SLI-ready or ATI CrossFire
ready. Most just haven't gone through certification yet but if they have ample
power you should be good.
5. Look for the 80 Plus logo (stay clean go green)
6. A good warranty (you never know what might happen)
