Could someone please move this to the upgrade section? Sorry for posting this here, must've had a brain fart.
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I'm looking at powerful gaming PSUs but for a good price, around $60-80 CDN. I'd like a minimum wattage of around 470-500W if possible. It needs to have plenty of peripheral connectors (8), at least one SATA-II plug, and maybe even a PCI-E plug for future considerations:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...005&CatId=1078

This ThermalTake looks very tempting. Also has a PCI-E plug for a future AGP-to-PCI-E upgrade.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...527&CatId=1079

Hmm, Apevia. Haven't heard about this brand but the reviews claim it's stable and reliable as well as powerful enough to support a heavy gaming rig for a long time. This doesn't have the PCI-E plug but it does have 3 80-mm LED fans along with a speed controller.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...966&CatId=1079

A CoolMax. One thing I am looking for is at least two fans to ensure my system stays cool but quiet at all times. Also, this has SLI support leaving room for an upgrade in the near future.

Those are all the ones that caught my interest. Anyone want to share their PSU experience?

PS. No Antec please - both fans stopped working all of a sudden and the bastard fried my old board last year leading to 3 months of head aches and a total overhaul.

The driving factor to determine the proper PSU for today's PCs is the power requirement of the video card(s) used. I recommend you go out the your card maker's site and look up the specs for your card. Most makers will list the recommended PSU for a computer using your card. For example, check out the BFG GeForce 8800GTS, scroll down the Detailed Specs page and look under Minimum System Requirements for their PSU recommendations.

Also, I recommend you check out eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite. Be sure to read the notes about TPD and capacitor aging. Plug in the hardware you expect to have in the next 2 or 3 years - including added drives, upgraded graphics, RAM, etc.

Loaded with your specific PSU requirements, you should be able to make a more informed decision.

Thanks

Today I did some upgrading (finally):

Spiffy new Cooler Master Centurion case includes a 120mm chassis fan, an 80mm HDD fan, and beautiful "tools-free" rear and front panels. Makes upgrading/maintenance quick as hell. I also and bought the Ultra X-Finity 600W dual-80mm PSU and the case to go with it.
It's so darn quiet too; can barely hear it.

I can seriously use the inside of my PC as a beer cooler now.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03156.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03157.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03158.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03159.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03160.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03161.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03162.png
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...C/DSC03163.png

Looking at the second picture (#3157) you need to do some serious dressing and rerouting of your cables. A primary goal for good cooling is unrestricted front to back air flow. You have a rat's nest of cables hindering that.

One of the disadvantages of the X-Finity is its abundance of cables. It really makes no difference though; even through intense gaming this system stays cool as ice.

One of the disadvantages of the X-Finity is its abundance of cables.

You have loose ends all over the place. You should still be able to route, tie back, bundle, or tuck away most so they don't get in the way of air flow. It makes for a little more work now but will pay off later. A neat case is easier to clean and minimizes the risk of knocking something loose while cleaning.

If nothing else, when you "dress" the wiring, it does not look so messy, and presents a professionally built appearance.

Exactly what I did. It resulted in a 5 degree Celsius temperature drop when idle