Good cheap PSU?

[#1]

Hi all,
I'm looking for a decent PSU but don't want to pay too much for it.
I'm currently considering the Corsair TX650 (HX650 is a bit expensive, would probably get the TX750 if I was spending that much).
But I'm also considering the CoolerMaster Silent Pro 700W and the 650W XFX XXX.
Can anyone say which is best or if there's something else around this sort of price that would be better?
Thanks.

[#2]

A few PSU's reviewed here http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/psus

[#3]

You don't say what your budget is and the ones you specify vary in price from different suppliers. I'm assuming £80 -> £100
Watch out for them not having all the connectors you need - especially the 4 pin molex for drives etc which tend to be replaced with SATA ones now.
Also check cable lengths are suitable as they vary A LOT e.g not all PSUs will work in a tower case. Cheap PSUs have to compromise somewhere!
Good and Cheap don't always go together and I always recommend going for a good brand and paying a bit more, especially for an overclocked rig (as your other posts seen to suggest you are trying to do). If you overclock, don't compromise on the PSU as the whole rig could become unstable if the PSU can't cope with the extra power needed.
I normally go for ANTEC or Enermax and I rarely have a problem, but they do come at a premium.
Antec TruePower New 650W Modular PSU seems to be in your price range and has very good reviews (I'm using it in a number of my key office servers) and you can add additional power cables as necessary.
If you do go cheap(er), always over spec the PSU e.g if you need 600W go for 700W+ as the cheaper models don't always supply the power they say, and often compromise on current for the key 3.3/5V/12V rails. A decent PSU will keep the voltages within spec when under heavy load, a cheap one won't.

[#4]

That's a good point about the length of the cables, I hadn't thought of that. especially as the cases I'm considering aren't small and the cable management system will likely use up a bit more cable.
I don't think the Antec 650W has enough power cables for me really. That's one thing that does draw me to the Corsair, which is also cheap as it's not modular.

[#5]

Have a look on here.....
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/components/powersupplies/

[#6]

You didn't post the specifications of your rig.
Do you really need a 650/700W power supply for it?
A good 400W unit  is often all that is required. Here is a good, cheap very good Corsair unit:
Corsair CX 400W ATX Power Supply (CMPSU-400CXUK) [CMPSU-400CXUK]
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-CS&tool=3

[#7]

You're right, the specs for my rig would probably have helped!
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T (OCed @ 3.8GHz)
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H
Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
ATI 4870x2 (Might OC)
1TB Samsung F3 HDD
LiteOn DVD Writer (SATA)
Probably in the region of about 6 case fans (not sure how much difference that makes)
XSPC 750 Water Pump (CPU and GPU water-cooled)

[#8]

If you contact Novatech, and tell them your specifications, as above, then they will be able to advise you of the best PSU for it.....
they do build computers to customers spec, and have a good reputation...... They are local to me, and I use them quite a bit....

[#9]

You can either a good PSU for the correct wattage or,
you can buy a cheap PSU for 700W, say, so that it can cope with any power-on surges properly.

[#10]

A useful calculator which should give a roughish guide on the size of PSU required can be found on the ASUS website.

[#11]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/650W-XFX-XXX-Edition-Single-Rail-Modular-PSU-85-SLI-Xfire-EPS-12V-20p...
Based on the same CWT design used in the corsair HX650 

[#12]

I wouldn't buy anything from XFX because of their appalling RMA procedure

[#13]

I've had no problem in the last 5 years but thats just me and as you know theres always problems in every company
Though i have heard that since Nvidia cut the contract on fermi chips things have been abit flaky with the RMA service but i think its nothing to worry about personally
Also i recommend sliverstone PSUs not the most known brand by any means in the psu market but i've got nothing but good things to say about there RMA service recently when i dropped water on my PSU lol

[#14]

In the end I decided to play it safe and go for the Corsair TX750.
It was more than I was planning to spend, but I was bored of trying to choose between the higher amps of the the 12V rail on the Corsair 650Ws and the extra 50W of power on the CoolerMaster 700W.
In retrospect a modular PSU may have been handy, but I think I'll manage to keep the wires out of the way somehow.
Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry if it seems like I completely ignored them!