PSU: EVGA
110-BQ-0500-K1

Description: 500 BQ, Modular
Standards: 500W, ATX12V/EPS12V, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular, OVP, UVP, OCP, OPP, SCP

It cannot be over emphasized just how important the PSU really is. It is the weakest link in reliability, and you're entire computer is at its mercy. Therefore, if you care at all about value, then it is imperative that it is the best of the best.

Digging through websites by major distributors, VARs, and reviewers, its clear that when it comes to reliability nothing compares with EVGA. They have the lowest return rates and provide the cleanest power, and at great pricing. We are fully convinced that EVGA is the best brand in the PSU business.

One tricky thing about the PSU is that it is easy to imagine it taking all the power its rated for rather than just the power necessary. This is actually a detail that has changed in recent years. Your newer "smart power supplies" trim back the power to just what you need. You save power, and prevent unnecessary heat. So now its more about making sure that you have enough. A stock PC from Silver Bullet PC will take very little. In fact you could get by with just 200 watts. Its all those possible expansions that cannot be predicted. And 500 watts should handle a majority of those. Things likely to take more are the super high end GPU's (generally the larger the size the more power it will take), and external devices that do not include their own power. Most internal devices require very little power on today's Coffee Lake platform.

500 watts is almost certainly way more than you'll ever need in a Mini-ITX, let alone Coffee Lake. Between these two standards its unlikely you'll ever need more than 300 watts. But, the excess power is not actually produced unless you actually need it. So you aren't wasting power, and it doesn't cost any less for a lower powered unit. So instead, it is there as a guarrantee that you'll always have enough. That's peace of mind on all sides.

The tough part of the decision is to decide between the modular and non modular design. There are pros and cons. This PSU is the modular design, which means that nearly all the cabling is optional, allowing you to save a tremendous amount of internal air space by omitting those cables that you do not need. We think that for average users this is a bad idea because it potentially adds confusion about what goes where, it may or may not include all the cables that you need (possibly requiring separate purchases), and it makes it more likely that something important gets disconnected while the cover is off. If on the other hand you are a DIY, then this decision will likely be the way you want to go. None of these points will get in your way as you see value in saving internal air space.