Recommend me a PSU that will last 5+ years with this build

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690
First of all, I am not a big fan of Outervision PSU calculator and hence asking real people here. My present Cooler Master Thunder 500W is about to die. I need something that stays stable during overclocks and high usage. Often I have to leave my PC running overnight for downloads and the average up time of my PC every day is around 8 hours.

I narrowed down to these, but I am looking for recommendations.
  • CM Thunder 600
    CM B 700
    Corsair VS 650
Here's my config
  • CPU: AMD FX 8320 @ 3.5 - 4.0 GHz
    GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7850 @ 860MHz (OCed to 900MHz)
    MEM: 12GB (3x 4GB Kingston ValueRAM, low profile)
    MB: Gigabyte 970A-DS3
    PSU: Cooler Master Thunder 500W


    Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200RPM (1 Partition, System Drive)
    WD Green 2TB
    DVD-RAM Drive
    Seagate GoFlex FreeAgent 1TB USB 2.0 HDD

    Multi Card Reader
    PCI-E x1 USB 3.0 expansion Card
    Cooler Master HyperX T3i Cooler in Push/Pull Config
    3x 120mm Fans, 1x 120mm LED Fan, 2x 80mm fans
Future plans: Add another stick of RAM, completely ditch that DVD-RAM Drive, swap the GPU with an R9 270.
 
Solution
I see an OCZ ZS series 650W there on flipcart for under 5000 units of currency ;)

That might be my pick, though that comes with a caveat...

OCZ support is hit and miss. You'd be buying this PSU because it's the best built with the most power and thermal headroom of anything in your price range, not because it is the best supported. The ZS 650W is an old topology PSU design done well, beefy components throughout, all Japanese Capacitors, and measured usable headroom to nearly 800W by 3rd party testing.

---------

Having pointed that one out... There's also a Seasonic S12II 520W on there for just over 5000. That's also a great option here unless you intend to upgrade to something like an R9 290.

--------

The 970A-DS3 is garbage for...

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690


Seasonic would have been the first choice, but I am in India and considering the shipping and everything, it will cost a lot more here. If you are suggesting me something, make sure that at Amazon.in or Flipkart.com, they are priced around 5,000 INR.

And about Corsair, strangely, the VS650 costs less than the Thunder 600. I do not understand why?
What's the catch?
 
The Cooler Master and Corsair VS series of PSU's are not recommended for long term use due to reliability concerns as they are not the best quality.

There were no suitable high quality, (potentially) long lasting PSU's rated at 650W or more, and for Rs. 5000 or less, found at flipkart.com and Amazon.in.

Consider either looking elsewhere for purchasing the PSU and/or increase the budget for the PSU.
 

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690
Well, the fact is, I will make the purchase offline, so, I will probably get it much cheaper than online.

What I do want to know what is what really decides the reliability for a PSU? Is it just the capacitors? My CM Thunder 500 did not even last three years, the company did not do anything because it was just capacitor aging and it was running their system fine.

At home, my +12V rail is going down to 11.446V, but at their place, it was at 11.8V. That drop was just capacitor aging.

If I get an average PSU with decent wattage, then will that run a bit longer than 3 years at least?
 

mdocod

Distinguished
Component quality, component sizing (provisions for overhead), design, and build quality are ALL factors.

CM Thunder series are garbage. The design is bad, the component quality especially capacitor quality is bad, most of the components are UNDERSIZED compared to competing options from other builders. You'd have to subtract about 30-50% from their label rating to make them comparable to even the worst stuff made by Seasonic or Delta (best OEMs IMO).
 

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690


Would you prefer a Corsair VS series PSU over CM Thunder? Because right now, I am pretty tight on budget - I also have a dying monitor. So, if I am getting something, I would have it go through the warranty period at least properly, not me half-dead like my present PSU where the company refuses to do anything with it.
 

mdocod

Distinguished
I see an OCZ ZS series 650W there on flipcart for under 5000 units of currency ;)

That might be my pick, though that comes with a caveat...

OCZ support is hit and miss. You'd be buying this PSU because it's the best built with the most power and thermal headroom of anything in your price range, not because it is the best supported. The ZS 650W is an old topology PSU design done well, beefy components throughout, all Japanese Capacitors, and measured usable headroom to nearly 800W by 3rd party testing.

---------

Having pointed that one out... There's also a Seasonic S12II 520W on there for just over 5000. That's also a great option here unless you intend to upgrade to something like an R9 290.

--------

The 970A-DS3 is garbage for overclocking, in fact, it doesn't even support many 125W AMD CPU's at STOCK speeds, including the one you have installed on it.

An "upgrade" to an R9 270 from an H7850 is pointless. Don't bother. That's largely a side-grade.
 
Solution

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690


Great find. Thanks a lot. I'll check out its prices elsewhere. I am sticking to this one for now.
Also, I got the 970A-DS3 because an user at this forum recommended me that. It's a decent board though, working goo enough for me. Thanks a lot!
 

Rangan Das

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
150
0
10,690


The guy at the store from where I usually buy my PC parts told me to get the Corsair RM450 or the CS600. Which one should I get?