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Is my PSU Overkill?

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  • Cooler Master
  • Power Supplies
  • Motherboards
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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May 7, 2014 9:55:00 AM

Hello,

Right now I have a PC with this PSU: MS-TECH MS-N750-VAL, 750 Watt PSU

The PC:

Case: Cooler Master 690 II Advanced 3 case fans

Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 945 at 3.0 Ghz with Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X OC

Memory: 8 GBS 4x2 Kingston Value Ram

Motherboard: ASUS M5A99X Motherboard

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120 GB

Samsung DVD Drive

I was wondering if my 750 watt powersupply was too much for my build and if it is a good idea to replace it with a lower watt one to save myself some money. Any suggestions? I live in The Netherlands so I will look if the suggestion are available here.

Thank you! :) 

More about : psu overkill

May 7, 2014 10:19:39 AM

It is a bit overkill. If you wanted, you could cut that down and get yourself a better CPU. If you plan on going Crossfire/SLI in the future, you'll want a power supply of that size, however.
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May 7, 2014 11:37:55 AM

Swartz55 said:
It is a bit overkill. If you wanted, you could cut that down and get yourself a better CPU. If you plan on going Crossfire/SLI in the future, you'll want a power supply of that size, however.


I was looking to maybe upgrade to a FX 6300 since it will fit my budget. I think I won't be crossfiring since I am happy with my 260X.

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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 7, 2014 11:47:21 AM

I take it you already have the power supply right? The labeled wattage is overkill, but I have no idea of that brand, so I doubt it's very good quality. I wouldn't worry about it. If it can supply anything close to its rated wattage, you should at least be in the higher range of its power efficiency.
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May 7, 2014 11:51:45 AM

HiTechObsessed said:
I take it you already have the power supply right? The labeled wattage is overkill, but I have no idea of that brand, so I doubt it's very good quality. I wouldn't worry about it. If it can supply anything close to its rated wattage, you should at least be in the higher range of its power efficiency.


It definitly works fine, and on the website it says it has a efficienty of 80%. Is this true?

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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 7, 2014 11:59:34 AM

Well it has an efficiency of less than 80%, just means that it's not 80+ certified. And it only can supply 456w on the +12v rails, so it's a bit of a stretch for them to label it a 750w power supply. That said, 456w is plenty for a 100w CPU and a 125w GPU. I wouldn't worry about it :)  However, I wouldn't try to Crossfire on that power supply though.
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May 7, 2014 12:02:16 PM

HiTechObsessed said:
Well it has an efficiency of less than 80%, just means that it's not 80+ certified. And it only can supply 456w on the +12v rails, so it's a bit of a stretch for them to label it a 750w power supply. That said, 456w is plenty for a 100w CPU and a 125w GPU. I wouldn't worry about it :)  However, I wouldn't try to Crossfire on that power supply though.


Great! Will it be a good upgrade from my current processor to the FX 6300 by the way?

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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 7, 2014 12:05:13 PM

It will be a good upgrade. I wouldn't expect a big jump or anything in gaming, but what it will give you is better resistance from frame drops, and a bit better general computing performance :) 

If you get the 6300, since you have a decent cooler and good motherboard, I would overclock it as much as it'll let you lol
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May 7, 2014 12:07:53 PM

HiTechObsessed said:
It will be a good upgrade. I wouldn't expect a big jump or anything in gaming, but what it will give you is better resistance from frame drops, and a bit better general computing performance :) 

If you get the 6300, since you have a decent cooler and good motherboard, I would overclock it as much as it'll let you lol


Haha, I will look into that. And you deserve the best solution, my good man. You've earned it, you helped me alot! :) 


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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 7, 2014 12:11:45 PM

Glad I could help out, enjoy it!
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May 9, 2014 6:39:22 AM

HiTechObsessed said:
Glad I could help out, enjoy it!


Would it hurt if I go for a R7 265 too?

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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 9, 2014 12:01:03 PM

If you already have the 260x, the 265 wouldn't be much of an upgrade.
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May 9, 2014 12:55:53 PM

HiTechObsessed said:
If you already have the 260x, the 265 wouldn't be much of an upgrade.


Thanks for the answer.

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May 15, 2014 1:32:50 AM

Oh, and how about the R9 270?
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 16, 2014 8:25:25 AM

The 270 is a great card, especially if you get a decent one that can overclock well. The 270 is a good deal better than the 265 if you can get it :) 
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May 21, 2014 12:51:04 AM

Can this PSU damage my system, or decrease performance in games because the brand isn't known as well and is made with lesser parts as others brands?
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 6:50:13 AM

It's definitely a possibility. I don't have any experience with MS Tech, but being a generic brand isn't comforting.

A non-overclocked 6300 and an R9 270 will pull around 275-300w at full load. That PSU can supply up to 38a on the +12v rails, which is very low for a 750w PSU, but *should* still be alright.

If you can, I would definitely recommend getting a new, quality power supply just to be safe. That said, if you won't be overclocking or anything, you should be able to run your system without a problem. It's up to you whether or not you want to risk it, as like you said, a bad power supply can damage a system if it blows.
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May 21, 2014 6:58:01 AM

I don't want my pc to explode. :(  So what PSU do you think is the best for me? And is it possible that there was already damage done by the PSU? I got some blue screens recently with a variety of error codes my I think I fixed it by deleting the USB inpist with yellow explanation marks in the device manager.

You have helped my alot already, so what PSU is recommended for me? Like you said I won't do anything fancy like overclocking and crossfiring. I really just don't want to risk it, I value my hardware I spent my hard earned money on. :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 7:36:12 AM

I appreciate that you are concerned, too many people shrug off poor PSUs and then come back when they have problems lol

The PSU can definitely be what's causing some instability, but I wouldn't worry too much overall. If any of your parts were noticeably damaged you would know by now. Really the only thing it would do without actually blowing is causing premature wear on your parts due to overly-varied voltage fluctuations, but don't worry too much on this, as most components are built to handle that kind of thing for the most part.

Do you have a specific budget in mind? A few great quality units:

http://www.pixmania.nl/pc-voeding/antec-hcg-520m-pc-voe...
http://www.pixmania.nl/pc-voeding/enermax-etl650awt-m-t...
http://www.pixmania.nl/pc-voeding/ocz-fatal1ty-550-w-pc...

All 3 are top-notch quality, and would be more than capable of running your system :) 
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May 21, 2014 7:41:47 AM

Mhm, I have about 250 euros saved up right now, before the FX 6300 and R9 270 upgrade since I havent done that. The FX 6300 I will be getting new, and the R9 I will be getting used for aroud a 100 euros, is that smart by the way? These are pretty affordable for me. I usally can't choose though, as I have no idea which one will be best.
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 7:54:30 AM

It depends how it was used. I don't think Europe saw the crazy mining thing nearly as much as the USA did, but I would make sure it wasn't used as a currency miner. If it was just normally used, buying used is generally fine, as long as you can get a return policy lol

As for the CPU and PSU, the 6300 is selling for around 100 Euro and the PSU around 75 Euro. That puts you just a tad over what you have now, if you can get an extra 25 saved up :) 
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May 21, 2014 8:00:31 AM

Alrighty.

Why is the Antec 520w more expensive than the OCZ 550 and the Enermax 650? Shouldn't the Enermax be the most pricey? :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 8:04:53 AM

It's all in who it is lol Antec is a very well-respected PSU maker, and they can reflect that respect in their prices. OCZ doesn't produce any power supplies any more since they went bankrupt (though it's still great quality, and their warranty is still served through Toshiba), and Enermax is good as well.

Economics I guess is the reason lol
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May 21, 2014 8:12:36 AM

550 or 650 watt? :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 8:22:09 AM

Either or, you'll only run around 300w or so, do there won't be much difference. Whichever is cheaper :p 
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May 21, 2014 8:30:14 AM

Any opinion about the Corsair or Cooler Master PSU's? The closest store to me only has those brands, their price are awesome, I'll post the link although I am not sure if it will work outside the Netherlands, so you can see the model numbers, otherwise I will post a GIANT list.

Link: http://www.mycom.nl/componenten/voedingen
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May 21, 2014 8:50:39 AM

What I forgot to say about the budget is that my Phenom 2 will be sold for 40 euros, and my 260x for about 70. I will save about 80 euros in the end, I'd say thats a good number of money left after an upgrade. Since the PSU's you suggested are all around 80 or so euros, which brand is the best?
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 8:52:06 AM

Between Corsair and Cooler Master, Corsair has better quality and support. The CSM650 I linked above would be your best bet at that price range.
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May 21, 2014 9:01:37 AM

Alright, I will go for that one! Is the rest of my PC pretty good for the upcoming CPU, GPU and PSU upgrade?
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 9:48:36 AM

Yeah, everything else looks perfect for the upgrade :) 

Before you swap CPUs, I would make sure your BIOS is fully up to date. Other than that you're golden.
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May 21, 2014 10:09:20 AM

I see my bios is already up to date to version 1708 which is the latest I find on the ASUS website. Thanks a ton! I will stop bothering you now. :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 21, 2014 10:53:05 AM

lol no problem. If you were bothering me I wouldn't keep coming back. Enjoy your setup!
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May 21, 2014 1:07:29 PM

Haha, alright. Well, I just ordered it, should be here tomorrow. Pretty good investment I reckon! I'm glad I didn't let my PC suffer.
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May 22, 2014 6:55:53 AM

Wouldn't a XFX have been a better choice? I see it's made by Seasonic which is the absolute top of the line I see. I could have looked at a different store. I heard some stuff about bad capacitors and stuff. The Corsair just came in but I have seen XFX's at a bit lower prices. Or am I completly fine with the CS650M? I'm sure you can enlighten me. :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 22, 2014 7:08:01 AM

I was under the impression you could only shop at that store lol

The XFX would be better quality, yes. I honestly don't know what their international customer service is like, but the CS650 is actually manufactured by Corsair themselves, and they have good quality control, and great international customer support.

The bad capacitors are a problem in the CX, VS, and RM series. And with the build you're looking at, you won't top out over 300w at full load, so you're not going to be putting any kind of intense stress on the power supply anyway. In fact, with how the CS650 is made, it hits peak efficiency right around the 40-60% load, meaning when your system will be pulling the most power, the power supply will be around its most efficient state.

If you can switch to the XFX for cheaper or similar price without taking a restock/return fee, might as well, but I wouldn't worry about it at all if you already have the CS650.
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May 22, 2014 7:27:55 AM

I ask myself how I'am that paranoid about a power supply lol

I found it odd that the corsair gest higher review scores than the xfx though. Oh well, you said I'm fine, and will definitly keep your word for it :)  . Since the PSU is already here, returning it would be kind of a hassle I guess. Thanks for the info!
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 22, 2014 10:31:25 AM

Yeah, if you already have it, definitely wouldn't be worth trying to return it lol It's a good PSU :) 

And that's the thing I hate about reading reviews online. It's either the (obvious) paid reviewers or workers for that company, or the people who get a DOA and feel they need to 'warn' people before they get a replacement. DOAs are a fact of life, and the SeaSonic-built XFX definitely has good quality control.
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May 22, 2014 11:05:56 AM

Some reviewers are defenitly very shady, you can just tell from how the review is written. Every PSU would have probably be better than my MS-Tech no-name brand. Thank you for helping me choose. :) 
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a c 120 ) Power supply
a c 120 V Motherboard
May 22, 2014 2:15:31 PM

No problem man, enjoy it :) 
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May 27, 2014 9:12:38 AM

:) 
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