Which budget PSU should I choose? + Single vs Multiple 12V rails question

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Tomcassis

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Oct 18, 2015
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Hey guys,

I have some serious troubles deciding for the PSU I will buy. I am on a budget, but I still want quality. My GPU will be a GTX 970, so I am looking for a PSU of 500-550W. My set-up will be power-efficient (Skylake architecture, no overclocking) so I don't need more.

Brands like EVGA, XFX and Super Flower are not available where I live.

1) That being said, which budget PSU should I buy? I don't need the top of the top, just a reliable and safe PSU.
I am considering the Seasonic M12II EVO (80+ Bronze, modular), is it good? Or should I go for a Gold PSU?


2) ALSO, I read reviews about the single 12V rail vs multiple 12V rails issues, and those reviews advised multiple rails because of safety (in case of short circuits). But I see that most top quality PSU only have one 12V rail, so are there any updates on this subject? Could you tell me more about single 12V rail PSUs' safety?

The reviews I read about it were:
- http://www.overclock.net/t/761202/single-rail-vs-multi-rail-explained
- http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3990
 
Solution
Math Geek
the seasonic psu you listed is a great quality unit and well worth the price and will easily run the system you intend to build.

as for single v multi rail this is really an older argument and matters little anymore. in the old days multi rail lost it's appeal as cheap units would overload one rail and leave another less used causing a lot of problems. so folks moved toward single rails to avoid this issue. however most units still use single rails so it's kind of a non-issue. there are some quality units that do use multi rails but so long as they are high quality they are designed to not overload one rail vs another. the power is spread out between them very well.

so long as you are buying quality this is not really a problem. but...
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Math Geek

Math Geek

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the seasonic psu you listed is a great quality unit and well worth the price and will easily run the system you intend to build.

as for single v multi rail this is really an older argument and matters little anymore. in the old days multi rail lost it's appeal as cheap units would overload one rail and leave another less used causing a lot of problems. so folks moved toward single rails to avoid this issue. however most units still use single rails so it's kind of a non-issue. there are some quality units that do use multi rails but so long as they are high quality they are designed to not overload one rail vs another. the power is spread out between them very well.

so long as you are buying quality this is not really a problem. but beware of cheap/crap units as they pull all kinds of bad stuff to save money and are not worth buying no matter what!!

here is a list of psu's based on quality that is worth a look when buying. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
the seasonic you mentioned is tier 2 which is very good quality and made by one of the best in the business.

if you would like post an online store you can shop at and a budget and i can skim and see what is the best bang for the buck in your area. i know the models very well and it only takes me a minute to skim for the best options :)
 
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Tomcassis

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Alright thanks for the detailed help!

About the single/multi 12V rails, I was more worried about the safety issue of single rails PSU. The review said that in case of short circuit, if the single rail has a high SCP (because of its unique rail), then the heat could go up and burn another component (GPU, etc). Did I misunderstand or multiple rails still are safer?

I found the Seasonic M12II EVO Bronze for 80€. At this price I can have the LDLC QS+550W Gold (French model exclusively but great reviews and Seasonic is OEM) but it only has a single 12V rail so this is what bugs me! :)

If you have suggestions of better PSU regarding quality per dollar, feel free to post them! (I live in France if that helps^^) The site I would shop in is http://www.materiel.net/alimentation-pour-pc/
 
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Math Geek

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http://www.materiel.net/alimentation-pour-pc/antec-hcg-520w-62021.html
http://www.materiel.net/alimentation-pour-pc/seasonic-s12ii-82-520w-54739.html

either of these is a good quality psu that fits your needs. the antec is a few bucks cheaper but only a few. again the quality is very high so don't worry about the single 12v rail. there are a lot of protections built in to prevent damage if something goes wrong.
 
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Tomcassis

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Initially I chose the M12 for its modularity allowing a better cable management. However, it's true that it isn't essential and as I am on a budget, I wouldn't mind saving a few bucks!

Well, thanks a lot for all your help, I've now got everything I need to decide!
 
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