New build. I've always used Seasonics in the past, but I need to go modular this time around and I'm seeing alot of new options.

Core i5 3570k
Sythe Big Shuriken 2
Gigabyte z77mx
3TB Seagate 7200rpm
1TB Seagate 5900rpm
2TB Samsung 5900rpm
60GB Vertex2 SSD
120GB Vertex3 SSD

Case - still picking one out. Probably a Silverstone and I'm leaning towards either the ML03 or the larger GD06.
Fans - I have a bunch of Nexus 120mm's and a few extra Zalman Fanmates for keeping fan speeds under control.

I would like to get my power supply from Best Buy because I have some leftover rewardzone money - but there are TONS of options available there. Which one should I get?

Link to Best Buy Power Supplies

First priority - decide on your case as it may have PSU size constraints.

If there isn't going to be a separate video card and you aren't planning to overclock your CPU, then you don't need a big wattage PSU....just something that is quiet when loaded @ 120W or so.

At first glance, the only great PSUs at Best Buy are the higher wattage ones (Corsair Gold 650W, Kingwin LZP-650.

Barring constant load, this rig should spend most of it's time closer to drawing 40W than 120W.

The Kingwin Platinum 550W is very unusal in being efficient at low wattages. The 650W is probably not as good but hopefully it's almost as good. In that case, it probably beats anything else available at your shop for the kind of loads you're going to see.

The Corsair Gold reviewed by SPCR at ~10.5% load (DC draw/nameplate): efficiency 83.5%
The Kingwin Platinum reviewed by SPCR at ~11.5% load (DC draw/nameplate): efficency 89.7%
And the difference is even more pronounced at very low loads.

So firstly, I'm really having a hard time not just buying up the ML08, since the Scythe Big Shuriken fits. I like that the case half the height of most, but I hate that it uses all 80mm fans.

So a few questions:
1) PSU seems to allow for 160mm (which includes cables sticking out). While I'm seeing people saying to make sure you keep to 140mm, I think its only if you're using the optical bay, which I won't be.
2) I don't see the Kingwin 550 at Best Buy. How does the KX-1000 compare? Its about $20 cheaper.
3) If I move my store to newegg or amazon, what would you recommend? If the price is right (under $100), then I might go that route instead.
4) I have speed controllers and a massive bag of old 80mm fans, maybe some panaflos low speeds, but I haven't bought an 80mm in years. What would you recommend?

Thanks!

The KX-1000 is almost certainly much worse and not worth considering for your application.
If you want to save cash, see if you can get a Kingwin Lazer Gold. The models with the lowest wattage are quite affordable (in Europe anyway). SPCR has not reviewed this line but others have. It seems good enough and the lower wattage would partially compensate for the lower quality.


See above. The best PSUs cost more than $100 (barring a sale or something) and I suspect that you won't find something better for your application than the LZP-650 spotted by Steve_CA.

Hopefully someone will be able to help you with your other questions.

Looking through best buy's PSUs is like looking into failed PC futures.

OP have you considered a low'ish wattage Seasonic or a rebranded Seasonic from alternative manufacturers?

If you want to go cheap and stay at Best Buy, get the Antec EA-380D. $49, 79% efficient at 10% load, ok build, relatively quiet. Note: it's a standard 150mm ATX length design.

That 380w is a Delta and only 326w on the 12v rail, I'd rather shell out a bit more for a 450w+ Seasonic that can run passive most of the time.

The OP preferred something from Best Buy so he could use gift funds (aka free?). No Seasonic (other than the Corsair Gold) at Best Buy.

Yeah, it's a Delta design. So what. It might not be silent, but if it's not quiet enough for his low power system, he can always open it up and do a fan replacement. Take a look at the newegg and Amazon customer reviews.

Firstly, what's the differencce between the Kingwin Absolute Platinum and the Lazer Platinum? I'm really interested in the low wattage, no-fan-movement feature, and I think I'm willing to pay the extra for it.

Seconly is depth. According to newegg, the depth of the LZW-550 is 6.69" (169.9mm). Is that accurate? Does that include with the modular cables attached or without?

I'm basically swaying between the Silverstone ML03 and GD06, but both have serious depth constraints on the PSU.

- The ML03 is less of a problem because the issue is with an included optical drive, which I won't have.
- I want the GD06 more so because of the 120mm fans. However, in watching this video review, It appears that the depth is only 155mm to the edge of the 3.5" drive bays.

Any thoughts? I definitely need three 3.5" drives in this case. I'm thinking its time to look into suspending the two drives, which I'm a bit worried about because I've never done that before. I just find it somewhat ironic that the larger sized GD06 may not fit what I need, but the ML03 will!

LZW is modular and has a user switch for fanless or low rpm fan at less than 50% load. The AP isn't modular and doesn't have the switch. Here's techpowerup's review.

The depth measurement is for the PSU case. Same for both the LZW and AP. So, you'd need clearance for the cables, too.

What about the GD05?

The GD05 has the exact same layout and is actually less deep overall (12.79" vs. 13.39"), so I can't imagine it being any better. Besides, I rather like the front door on the GD06.

There's actually holes to mount a 3.5" HD right above the PSU, which you can see in video #2 of this reviewer. There's also a spot for an SSD where the hot swap cage is removed. That means I would only need to suspend one of the 3.5" drives after removing the hot swap cage. Unless I hear any other thoughts, I think I'm going to go for it.

edit - on second thought, it looks like either the GD05 or GD06 will work. When removing the hot swap bay, you can install a 3.5" in front of the PSU on the top piece (the example I saw had a 2.5" there, but I think you can do either), along with another 3.5" above the PSU. In the GD05 and GD04, there is no hot swap bay, but just a spot to install a single 3.5" drive in front of the PSU, and it doesn't appear to go low enough to be in the way of the PSU. So I think I might go with the GD05 in the end because it won't leave a gaping hole where the hot swap bay is removed on the GD06.

The feature list for the GD05 says "Supports power supply up to 180mm long". IDK whether or not there is clearance for the cables...