Comparison of power supplies

I'm trying to decide which power supply to use for my new computer

Here are the things that will draw power

Fans:
Cooler Master Eclipse
2 Scythe 120mm case fans
1 200mm Antec tricool
3 120mm Antec tricool

Motherboard:
Gigabyte P35-DS3L

Processor:
Intel E8400

RAM:
OCZ XTC 4GB (2GB x 2 modules)

HD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB

Optical Drive:
LG GH20NS DVD writer

Video Card:
eVGA GeForce 8600GT

So the two power supplies I am thinking of getting are:
Corsair VX550W
or
Antec Earthwatts 500W

I just want to know which one is more efficient and will do a good job of running my computer under load (I plan to play games and maybe overclock in the future) and saving me money on my electrical bill. I can't think of any other criteria right now. (by the way the case I am getting will be an Antec nine hundred).

 

I'd go with the Corsair; it has more power (41a total on the +12v line) and I have a grudge against Antec.... but the grudge really has nothing to do it... the Corsair is better.

 

OK I guess I'll go with Corsair then. Earthwatts seems like a weak name... XD

But I was going to go with it because I heard it was efficient and it would save you on your electric bill. After some research I saw that they were both 80+. Now it's only if it's worth it to spend 30 more dollars.

I'll wait for more input, but I am more on Corsair now.

Thanks

 

It's better to spend a bit more now, and have a bit more power than you might need, versus saving money now, and possibly spending a bunch more leter when a lack of power causes some serious issue, or the PC locks up/shuts down due to lack of juice.
You can always use one of the online PSU calculators listed in a different thread http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=161211 scroll down to my post (#6) and there's some links there to online PSU calculators that will determine what you should be running for power....

 

Ummm... the calculators say i need around 250 watts. Is there something wrong?

 

No, when I ran it on my system, it said I needed 22a and 384w which seemed a bit low to me; I run a 600w with quad 18a rails. What they do is calculate the minimum needed to power the system. I don't think they take into account what would be required to run everything at full draw (like if you had 2 hard drives reading, 2 CD drives burning, 4 fans spinning, a graphically intense game running on SLI video cards, and a partridge in a pear tree surfing the internet). The bare minimum and full load are completely different numbers. It's usually best to try several different PSU calcs, then add at least 20% to the result

 

oh
Well, if I do that, I would get only 200 watts because the other calculator only gave like 150 watts. I'll just get a 550 anyways just to be safe.

EDIT: Oh, btw, what is your opinion on the OCZ Stealthstream as it is a bit cheaper than the Corsair 550W. I'm on a limited budget with about 50 dollars of wiggle room, (since I'm getting a job this summer ) It would be good if I could save a few dollars. All of my other hardware is down pat, just wondering what case/psu to get now. (If I get a Sonata III that means I don't even have to get a PSU)