The power supply (PSU) is one of the few items in an electrical device that will affect the performance and reliability of your entire system. It's often the most undervalued, under-appreciated component within any device, yet one of the first components to cause failure.
Determine the wattage you need. Use a PSU calculator web page or software to help determine your requirements.
Look for PSUs with high-efficiency ratings. And, ones rated under load temperatures, not room temperatures. Anything 80% and above is good.
Determine the robustness of the PSU. How well does the PSU handle changes in current? Although not a guarantee, there's a strong correlation between weight and quality: bigger components (ie, capacitors) equate to a more tolerant, reliable PSU.
If you want to buy a high performance power supplie, I recommend the brand new mainstream series from Thermaltake.
Thermaltake introduces the brand new TR2 Bronze series of mainstream power supplies. With the 80 Plus Bronze certification these power supplies offer up to 88% efficiency and the 99% Active Power Factor Correction guarantees lowest power loss. The TR 2 Bronze series comes in six wattage models thereby catering to individual user needs. The 380W, 450W 500W, and 600W models are specifically targeting mainstream setups, while the TR2 700W and 800W models are certified for 2-way NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX supporting more demanding enthusiast and gaming configurations.
The entire series use a dedicated single 12V rail with built-in PCI-E 6pin and PCI-E 6+2pin connectors for support of all high end graphic cards available on the market today.
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