Rosewill Capstone 550w vs Hive 650w, why same amperage output??

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDFAQs

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=Testing_Methodology
the above links are just some ood iinfo from good review websites

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=332

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/02/04/seasonic_platinum660_660w_power_supply_review/3

you can learn allot from review sites and hardocp is another favorite. if you look at this last link they will describe the actual components and it is these exact components that specify how many amps volts and watts can be produced

amps * volts = watts
so if a component can only hold 20 amps then that rail that that component is on will only produce 240 watts

So this all leads to the very important question are 22 amps on your 12v rail enough. I would like 30 amps or 360 watts capable on my 12v rail. and in all honesty I really prefer 40+ amps on the rail because it really species to the quality of the equipment. PLease read some of the above links especially the hardocp review and ask any more question.

The HIVE is 80plus Bronze and the Capstone is rated Gold. The power from the wall (110~ volt or 230v~ depending on what country you are in) is more efficiently converted from AC to DC in the Gold units. This efficiency is what helps the Capstone produce similar amperage on the rails; more efficient use of power. In addition the Capstone is rated to produce the listed wattage (and therefore the amps.) at an ambient temperature up to 50C, while the Hive is rated to 40C. As you probably know, when the temp goes up in your case it becomes more difficult for the PSU to produce or maintain its rated power output. To me this tells me that the Capstone will probably last a little longer.
The Capstone is actually built by Super Flower, one of the best manufactures out there. I don't know who builds the Hive, but they have also received good reviews. (Just found that Sirtc(HighPower) builds the HIVE)
Re. your question about enough power: EVGA recommends a MINIMUM 500 watt psu with a +12volt rating of 30amps for a single 670FTW card. The 550 should be more then enough for your system at stock speeds; but you plan on some overclocking so, being the cautious person I am, I would recommend 650 watts or, if you are going to add another 670 a little ways down the road, a 750 or 850 PSU.
I am attaching a link to the Capstone 650, it is only $10 more then the 550. If you do more shopping I recommend you stick with the major brands - Seasonic (probably the best there is), Corsair, Antec, PC Power & Cooling, XFX (built by Seasonic). Read the reviews etc that fkr posted, some really good info in there.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182071
(Might want to look at the Corsairs, Seasonics, XFX's etc. before settling on your purchase)

One more thing; your GPU will use both the PCI-E connectors on that 550, you will not be able to add another video card. The 650 CAPSTONE has 4 connectors, BUT at 54amps you still might not be able to add another video card. I know, you said you weren't going to do that SLI thing. I said it once, too. I caved in after a few days, and added another card. Just food for thought
that relates a bit to my suggestion of 750-850 if you are considering a second GPU.
Lastly, When you are happy with the information you receive(ed) from the forum, please select a Best Answer. It helps everyone know the outcome of the thread.

Hi - The Capstone is a higher quality unit than the Hive, and therefore would
tend to have very good/excellent specs.

In your situation (you need only a quality 500w PSU) I would opt for the
Superflower built Capstone over the Sirtec built Hive every time.

You also hit on the key power rating, the +12v rail amps, that is what your
most power hungry components(Gpu & CPU) use, and consequently is
the spec you should pay most attention to.

Hi - didn't miss the 2nd part - I answered it above;
The Capstone is a higher quality unit and would tend to have better specs than
a lower quality unit. it was designed to have almost all of it's total rated power
avail where it's needed(+12v amps).
The +12v amps being the same for both units means that in real world terms
there is the same amount of power avail for those components using +12v, like CPU & GPU.
that you have the same power available for you most power hungry
Higher quality units are generally conservatively rated and can frequently deliver
more than their publ specs.

Hype, you're very welcome. Good decision on the PSU. I don't think you can choose two. I would make your best choice, and then send a Private message to the others thanking them: to do that click the little red envelope by the avatar and the PM section will open. You can send single messages or put everyone's 'handle' in the message box and send just one.
Glad we were of help. Did you get into the course? Best of luck with your studies.

Yes - the Capstone 550 is the way to go & you plenty of +12v amperage headroom.

Don't think you can select multiple solutions, just pick one, I'm sure nostall
like myself doesn't do this to rack up best solutions and like me probably
has no idea how many correct solutions he has.

We're all looking to help best way we can.

PS - If you go thru the same amp breakdown study when you add a 2nd 670 -
you won't need an 850, a quality 750 will do.

For a system using a single GeForce GTX 670 graphics card NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 500 Watt or greater system power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 30 Amps or greater and that has at least two 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

For a system using two NVIDIA reference design GeForce GTX 670 graphics cards in 2-way SLI mode NVIDIA specifies a minimum of a 700 Watt or greater system power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 45 Amps or greater and that has at least four 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) rated at 45°C - 50°C ambient temperature, is the most important factor.

Overclocking of the CPU and/or GPU(s) will require an additional increase to the maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current ratings, recommended above, to meet the increase in power required for the overclock. The additional amount required will depend on the magnitude of the overclock being attempted.

So if you looked at that hardocp review of a power supply you will see that caps are rated from 90-110C. the higher the rating on those specific components will dictate how well the power supply works at higher temps and if it will continue to hold its same rated efficiency with hard use. there are also things to consider like the quality of the soldering, the placement of heatsinks, size and quality of the fan. does your power supplpy use Sanyo Denki fan and capacitors by Nippon Chemi-con (standard) or Enesol (solid). If not then it will not hold up to abuse and heat as well.

So herre is a review for your power supply.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Rosewill-CAPSTONE-550M-Power-Supply-Review/1584/3

I cannot teach an EE class here and you have to realize you will get what you pay for.

anything else you may need to know should be in this article.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Anatomy-of-Switching-Power-Supplies/327

I do not think your power supply is enough. once you overclock everything you will be butting heads with what that unit can produce and if you run that power supply for four years you would be lucky to have it survive that long. your 670 will pull between 150 and 350 watts.

360 watts
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1925/15/
215 watts
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-15.html
150 watts:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_670_review,8.html

So 550 is the lowest you can go

The Rosewill Capstone 550M should have no problem handling an Intel Core i5-3570K overclocked to 4.6 GHz and an EVGA GTX 670 FTW Signature 2 overclocked to 1160 MHz Base Clock/1239 Boost Clock.

It should leave you with 33% over provisioning to handle ""capacitor aging".

whatever ko888 says is what i would believe. I still think if you run some hard benchmarking utilities you will be cutting it close but ko888 has allot of experience and is a very reliable source.

I am pretty sure some of my last post was straight copy/pasted from one of his past posts.