Looking for a suitable PSU

Tejx · Mar 23, 2014

Greetings, I've nearly completed my custom PC but I'm having troubles picking the correct PSU. I have limited knowledge of computers and I've been told I need extra Wattage in case I do upgrades or just to generally have more than needed.

My PC Build; http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3eWbh
PSU Calculator; http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/tool/psucalc/index.html

The NewEgg calculator told me their recommended Wattage was 561, would a 600W PSU be suitable, or something higher?

Thanks in advance!

matt20020 · Mar 23, 2014

i wouldnt go for the corsair I've got the 550W version and ended up having to replace the fan, also heard other people with simular problems I'd maybe go for an xfx 550W or a seasonic620W instead.

matt20020 · Mar 23, 2014

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii620bronze

matt20020 · Mar 23, 2014

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9

millwright · Mar 23, 2014

IMO, power supply calculator are wrong.
They always make you buy a bigger power supply than you need.

Unless you have something unusual like 6 hard drives in a RAID, the only thing you need to know is what graphics card you have.

In this case the calculator falls a little short.
Your conclusion however is correct 600 watt

The only real upgrade you have to worry about is If you are going to get a second graphics card to SLI.
In that case you want a 750watt

http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce-gtx/GTX_770_User_Guide.pdf

barto · Mar 23, 2014

Corsair does make good power supplies. They are one of the four popular PSU brands because they do sell quality ones. However, matt does point out the CX brand is known to sacrifice some quality parts. If you stick with Corsair, get either the TX or HX. Other good brands are XFX, Antec or Seasonic. Still stick with a 550-600 watt power supply.

Personally, I would get the Corsair HX650 or the Seasonic X series.

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

Made by The best SEASONIC , and at 750 watts leaves you room for upgrades.

At this price you get plenty of power at a low price.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£68.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £68.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-23 15:55 GMT+0000)

Tejx · Mar 23, 2014

Would you say the Newegg calculator is somewhat precise? And would a 600W PSU be good for 561W. Lastly would 700W be too much?

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

No they aren't accurate , I posted a great deal on a SEASONIC made 750 watt above.

Junit151 · Mar 23, 2014

There isn't anything wrong with the corsair PSUs, they are one of the most trusted brands in the Power Supply industry. Go ahead and get that corsair 600 watt.
Newegg doesn't say how many watts you'll use, it just recommends a number with a buffer built in. So if it says 550 watts, it means you are probably going to use 450 watts but it adds in a safety buffer. Running a 600 watt PSU would put you in a goo medium range where you aren't too close to the low or high end of your PSU's range.

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

The CX Corsair series uses poor capacitors (Samxon Capacitors) that will fail when stressed.

The extra wattage can't hurt.

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

This Seasonic made XFX has 44 amps on the 12v rail and is more than enough to run your specs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £44.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-23 16:09 GMT+0000)

Junit151 · Mar 23, 2014

Having not tried or tested the CX series, I can't vouch for them. But the TXM and RM live up to my high standards

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

RM also uses poor capacitors and some lots of the RM 750 and 850 have thermal issues.

The Corsair TX version 2 , HX , AX , AXi , are the only ones I would recommend.

geofelt · Mar 23, 2014

The psu you need is mostly determined by the graphics card.
In this case, a GTX770 will need about 575w.
I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
The corsair CX is a decent budget psu, but Seasonic or XFX(made by Seasonic) is better quality.
I might suggest one of these:
Seasonic 620w
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii620bronze
XFX 650w:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9

Junit151 · Mar 23, 2014

Could that be QC problem? Because mine runs cool all the time and usually doesn't even spin up the fan?

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

Supposedly fixed in the RM series now , but the capacitors are still average at best.

Tejx · Mar 23, 2014

Thanks for the replies.

Going back to the " XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply", the Amazon reviews are saying that people have gotten the wrong power connector and had to purchase an adapter. Is there anyway to see what connector it comes with?

Dark Lord of Tech · Mar 23, 2014

1 x 4+4pin CPU +12V
2 x 4pin Molex
1 x 6+2pin PCI-E Power
1 x 6pin PCI-E Power
2 x FDD Power
3 x SATA Power

sora · Mar 24, 2014

Junit151 :

Some units have the problem, not all.

Looking for a suitable PSU

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