CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $37.99 AC/AR/FS

Worth it for an HTPC? I know it's complete overkill, but the price is hard to beat. Seasonic 300W SS-300ET is $44...

Of course, optimal efficiency is in the 50% of rated wattage range, right? I doubt I'll ever be pulling more than 150W with an i3-3225 + SSD + HDD.

Quote from NORDO : Worth it for an HTPC? I know it's complete overkill, but the price is hard to beat. Seasonic 300W SS-300ET is $44... Of course, optimal efficiency is in the 50% of rated wattage range, right? I doubt I'll ever be pulling more than 150W with an i3-3225 + SSD + HDD.

CX430 is $24.99 AR, maybe better suited.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...&Tpk=cx430

Quote from scheister : CX430 is $24.99 AR, maybe better suited. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...&Tpk=cx430

Good catch - I noticed the CX430 after I posted my queston. Seeing as how it frequently goes on sale for <$20 AR, I might wait for a drop...

Quote from NORDO : Good catch - I noticed the CX430 after I posted my queston. Seeing as how it frequently goes on sale for <$20 AR, I might wait for a drop...

Yeah, it was just on that deal (with $20 VISA GC rebate) a couple of weeks ago. I picked one up and just installed it this past weekend. Its very quiet and I liked the way the wires are wrapped in the sleeves. I haven't had the chance to install the PC and have it run for a period of time to give any other feedback on it yet.

Quote from scheister : CX430 is $24.99 AR, maybe better suited. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...&Tpk=cx430

$26.99 AR for me guys

Either way, I already went for the Antec 620 for $29.99 AR a few days ago

Quote from izzybob : Yeah, it was just on that deal (with $20 VISA GC rebate) a couple of weeks ago. I picked one up and just installed it this past weekend. Its very quiet and I liked the way the wires are wrapped in the sleeves. I haven't had the chance to install the PC and have it run for a period of time to give any other feedback on it yet.

Appreciate the mini-review nonetheless!

Sounds like it'll be perfect for a small HTPC... I'm not in a rush, so I'll probably keep an eye out for another sale.

Quote from izzybob : Yeah, it was just on that deal (with $20 VISA GC rebate) a couple of weeks ago. I picked one up and just installed it this past weekend. Its very quiet and I liked the way the wires are wrapped in the sleeves. I haven't had the chance to install the PC and have it run for a period of time to give any other feedback on it yet.

I got in on this too. It was the final piece in my ultra-quiet, power gamer build. Great piece of equipment! Highly recommended at this price!

Quote from NORDO : Worth it for an HTPC? I know it's complete overkill, but the price is hard to beat. Seasonic 300W SS-300ET is $44... Of course, optimal efficiency is in the 50% of rated wattage range, right? I doubt I'll ever be pulling more than 150W with an i3-3225 + SSD + HDD.

Not worth it. You're better off buying a pico-itx fanless supply with an external AC/DC brick.
You're not going to be pulling more than 80 watts absolute maximum with this setup.

I have the cx 430 watt in my budget gaming build and it was surprisingly quiet. Really good PSU, awesome price, and a great brand. Corsair has amazing customer service, I know from first hand experience and as a result i'd be willing to pay more just for the corsair brand name, they are just plain awesome! I'll probably pick this up for my friends budget build.

Will this work with a UPS that doesn't output a true sine wave?

Quote from NORDO : Appreciate the mini-review nonetheless! Sounds like it'll be perfect for a small HTPC... I'm not in a rush, so I'll probably keep an eye out for another sale.

Just an update on the CX430...Over the past couple of days, I've been heavily using the PC that it got installed in, leaving it on overnight for a couple of nights as well (with power saving options) and its stayed very cool and amazingly quiet. So far, the unit has been very nice! I'm now waiting for another deal on it so that I can swap out the PSU from another PC in the house that has been really loud and I'm not too confident on.