Cool, thanks for the advice. Knew the GTS 250 wasn't top of the line, but didn't realize it was aging toward obsolescence already. Questions:
Since ibuypower, cyberpower, and buyxg all come out to with ~$50 of each other for similar builds, are any of them more or less reliable?
The PSU guide linked in the OP mentions Corsair as a reliable brand, but also mentions specific models...are they reliable across the board, or do they contract out to different manufacturers like some of those companies? If they're not universally dependable, can you recommend good PSUs on the lists from the configuration pages on those three sites, capable of powering a high-end CPU and a single high-end GPU (no SLI plans)?
Corsairs are good across the board; they have three series, HX, TX, and VX. HX is their first line; it's the modular, no-compromises one that gave them a good name in power supplies. TX is their second line; it's not modular and still rugged. VX is their value line; it's comparable or sometimes identical to the better lines of other companies like Antec. Corsairs are actually made by Channel Well or Seasonic, most of them anyway.
Antec sells a lot of power supplies, some are good or very good, and others are cheap. The Earthwatts line is OK to very good; recent Antec Earthwatts made by Delta are better than the earlier Seasonic-made Earthwatts, and at least as good as Corsair's VX line. You can identify the Delta-made Earthwatts because their model numbers end in "D" (380D, 430D, 500D), except for the Earthwatts 650, which is also Delta-made.
Only a few manufacturers sell retail power supplies under their own name. Seasonic is the best known of these, and Seasonic-branded Seasonics are generally identical to models sold by Corsair. (Antec-branded Seasonics, however, are definitely not Seasonic's better power supplies.)
» Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:34 pm 
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