which of these PSU is enough for 1 GPU 1 CPU system

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Ahmed Ayman

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i have CPU i5 4690k
MOBO : MSI z97 gaming 5
GPU : sapphire AMD R9 270 Dual-x 2GB DDR5

which of these PSU is enough to work my system proply and i can also overclock my CPU to 4.4 GHz?

1) XFX ProSeries Core Edition 550W Full Wired PSU 80 Plus Bronze

2) EVGA 600B 600W Bronze PSU (100-B1-0600-KR)

3) Cooler Master GM Series G650M 80 Plus Bronze Modular PSU

4) XFX TS Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze PSU (P1-650S-NLB9)


 
Solution
MasterZoen
While I have become thoroughly disillusioned by AMD as a gamer, I still try to keep track of power req. since I build PCs as job/hobby. Sapphire's site lists the following requirements for your GPU:

PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard.
2X75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX™ system.
1X75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required.
4096MBMinimum of system memory.
500 Watt Power Supply is required.
600WattPower Supply is recommended for CrossFireX™ System.

Including the i5 4690K being overclocked you should want a minimum of a 650w PSU. Remember, you always want a 20% buffer for power draw spikes, so 550w estimated...
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bensonae

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Go for the modular Coolermaster. Even though most people believe that modular just provides better aesthetics, it makes it a lot easier to build your system when unnecessary cables aren't in the way.
 
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mdocod

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The system as listed, with overclock, would have a peak power dissipation of <350W (Furmark+P95 torture testing). You could technically power it with a Seasonic G 360W PSU and be just fine. (obviously, no room for upgrades, but it's not possible to know where you are going, if you don't know where you are.).

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A great quality 450W PSU can run a 500W load with higher MTBF and better power quality than a mediocre 600W PSU. Wattage ratings alone are not a good measure of quality or real world long-term thermal and power headroom.

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All other things being equal, more efficiency = better. This is often downplayed because it has very little practical effect on electric bills.

A 90% efficient PSU dissipates HALF the wasted thermal energy of an 80% efficient PSU. This effects component temps. Lower overall temps means longer lasting capacitors and a longer lasting PSU. Barring a special deal on a Bronze unit, I see no reason to even put them on the list for consideration these days. The days of a gold certified PSU being an exotic expensive option are long gone.

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The 600B is OEMed by HEC and is filled with mediocre quality chinese capacitor and components. I can think of several 450W PSU's I'd rather have.

The G650M is OEMed by CWT and is filled with mediocre quality chinese capacitors and components. I can think of several 450-550W PSU's I'd rather have.

The XFX PSUs listed are both OEMed by Seasonic and are built with nicer quality components (Japanese capacitors, among other nicer component selections).

If forced to pick, I'd go with either of the XFX units, but if given the option to branch out I would want to take into consideration the long term plans of the machine, and select the most appropriate size for those plans from among some of the high value gold certified options OEMed by Seasonic, SuperFlower, or ATNG.

 
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bensonae

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"The days of a gold certified PSU being an exotic expensive option are long gone."
Not quite, even now people still pay a premium for that label.

For the system he is building, sure, going with a gold certified will probably be a few dollars more ($20-30), but only if he goes with a low output unit (350-450w). And no matter how "quality" a PSU, it will still be unable to function properly if run beyond its specs. Personal proof of this is available, as I couldn't get my build (i5-4690k, r9 290x) to run on a 550w PSU, even though it was silver certified, overpower protection kept cutting it out under load.

If you are penny-pinching, go with one of the options you suggested earlier. I personally would recommend a Corsair, Cougar or Themaltake PSU, as these come with both modular designs as well as decent components. As a particular component recommendation, get a Corsair CX 430W 80 Plus Modular. $50 on Amazon, and guaranteed to run your system efficiently, even under full load.
 
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mdocod

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If you run the numbers on the i5-4690K + R9 290X, a 550W could indeed be borderline if there was any overclocking involved anywhere.

The over-head before protection trips varies depending on the specific PSU.. The 360W Seasonic won't trip protection till ~450W. On the other hand, it's perfectly possible that your particular 550W PSU was tripping protection right at 550W or less. (12V rail over-current limits may have been set unusually low). This is why it's so important not to judge a PSU based on the label power rating, it's not always a good indicator of what the PSU can really be used for.

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Thermaltake has never made a PSU, but they have enlisted more OEMs to make PSU's for them than any other brand I know. ...Sirtec, HEC, CWT, Solytec, Delta, FSP, Enhance, maybe more. The quality of the enormous smattering of PSU's they've sold over the years is all over the map. Some are pretty decent but the vast majority have been trash.

Cougar is HEC/Compucase. Most of their PSU's are HEC, some are Andyson, same OEM that makes Raidmax PSU's, well accepted as some of the worst on the planet. HEC is hit and miss on PSU quality, with the best offerings still being mediocre when compared to alternatives.

Corsair, another name in the business that has never actually made a PSU, has done a very good job over the years of only enlisting the use of reasonable quality or better PSU platforms, with very few borderline exceptions. Their primary OEM, CWT, is responsible for most of the middle and low tier offerings, with Seaconic building most of the nicer offerings sold under this name. Historically Corsair enjoys bit of a price premium for a given quality of PSU due to the well established name.
 
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bensonae

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You know what? This is the first time I have ever seen a decent explanation of what actually is in a PSU, and how to judge on quality. And you're right about the wattage being almost irrelevant when it comes to PSUs, i have a Cougar RS 750W, yet it is dual-rail, with 30A on each rail. Essentially, it has a 32A cap on each rail, so I have to be careful not to load up one rail.

So to wrap this up for the poor bloke who started this thread, and for a little personal gain, what would be the top brands to source a PSU from, no matter the size or efficiency rating?
 
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mdocod

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Some OEMs that have demonstrated ongoing competence in design quality and manufacturing quality are (in no particular order):

Delta
Seasonic
FSP
Enermax
CWT
SuperFlower
ATNG

There are plenty of other OEMs that have made some nice PSUs, but the short list above stands out to me. Every one of these OEM's has made a some mediocre or worst quality PSU's in their history as well, so there's no such thing as a "sure thing" just by sticking to a brand.

The best resource and convergence of information on PSU's can be found here: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/PSUReviewDatabase.html
 
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MasterZoen

MasterZoen

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While I have become thoroughly disillusioned by AMD as a gamer, I still try to keep track of power req. since I build PCs as job/hobby. Sapphire's site lists the following requirements for your GPU:

PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard.
2X75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required for CrossFireX™ system.
1X75 Watt 6-pin PCI Express power connector is required.
4096MBMinimum of system memory.
500 Watt Power Supply is required.
600WattPower Supply is recommended for CrossFireX™ System.

Including the i5 4690K being overclocked you should want a minimum of a 650w PSU. Remember, you always want a 20% buffer for power draw spikes, so 550w estimated need + 20% = @660w. This way the PSU should last you through your next build. No PC will draw a perfectly constant amount of power, there are always dips and spikes. My own system uses an 850w single 12v rail PSU. I bought it 4 years ago, and plan to use it for another 6, so I bought one that would still provide @700w at 10 years so I had room to overclock and be able to add a 2nd GPU even with expected capacitor aging.

I'd recommend a Seasonic or Corsair. I've never, not once, ever, had a problem with PSU's from Seasonic, and Corsair always replaced any defective units without a hassle. I've bought over a thousand units each from these companies in the last 15 years.

I'd certainly go for a gold certification, but stay clear of the Platinums. Something about the necessary components seems to cause coil whine. Bronze is good enough if you're unable to afford a gold, but silver is usually the best for the price.
 
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