Looking for a solid, reliable power supply in the 350-400W range

TP-999 · Aug 1, 2016

My Grandma's computer is old and dying, so I'm going to build her a new one. It won't have a discrete graphics card or anything fancy. I ran the components through several calculators, and I think I need a power supply with about 350-400 watts, after accounting for efficiency range. It needs to be something reliable that will last a while, have a good 80+ certification, and be decently priced, if possible, but priority on long life and efficiency. Any recommendations?

The other components so far will be:

Processor: Intel i3-6100
Motherboard: Gigabyte H170M-D3H
Ram: 4 or 8 GB of DDR4
Storage: 7200 RPM HDD
Optical Drive: DVD/CD read/write.

turkey3_scratch · Aug 1, 2016

Budget? Really your hardware under max load is about 80W. So something like a 200W unit would generally be most efficient. Unfortunately, there are no such consumer PSUs like that so you are stuck usually with 450W options.

What you want to really look for is a PSU that is highly efficient under light loads. The 80 Plus load testing usually starts at 20%, but for a computer like that, the majority of time it will be using maybe 40W. So there can well be a PSU that is bronze and is much more efficient under the light load of your computer.

One PSU that is very efficient under light loads is the FSP Hydro X 450 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fsp-hydro-x-450-power-supply,4495-5.html

It is $75 https://www.amazon.com/FSP-Certified-CrossFire-Skylake-HGX450/dp/B01F5LX0WI

Very very reliable, great unit. Nonetheless overkill for your rig, as will any PSU you buy. And sort of expensive to be honest. It comes down to, will you really save money in the long run? You can probably buy a $40 PSU and you will probably never ever reach $35 in losses from efficiency. I don't know. But at least with a unit like the FSP Hydro X 450 your computer will be inaudible. Sometimes which the cheaper units you get a noisy PSU or the fan dies earlier on. Though with the light load of your machine, I can't imagine any PSU getting loud.

But it's pretty expensive for your rig, the FSP unit is. A cheaper option is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139146 and is probably the best PSU for $50 anyone can get. Or you can even go cheaper, just ask.

Celsius22 · Aug 1, 2016

Seasonic s12ii or EVGA 500b+

turkey3_scratch · Aug 1, 2016

Celsius22 :

Neither of those will be compatible with the C6/C7 sleep states of his Skylake CPU. Whereas something like the CX450M is.

TP-999 · Aug 1, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

Budget? Really your hardware under max load is about 80W. So something like a 200W unit would generally be most efficient. Unfortunately, there are no such consumer PSUs like that so you are stuck usually with 450W options.

What you want to really look for is a PSU that is highly efficient under light loads. The 80 Plus load testing usually starts at 20%, but for a computer like that, the majority of time it will be using maybe 40W. So there can well be a PSU that is bronze and is much more efficient under the light load of your computer.

One PSU that is very efficient under light loads is the FSP Hydro X 450 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fsp-hydro-x-450-power-supply,4495-5.html

It is $75 https://www.amazon.com/FSP-Certified-CrossFire-Skylake-HGX450/dp/B01F5LX0WI

Very very reliable, great unit. Nonetheless overkill for your rig, as will any PSU you buy. And sort of expensive to be honest. It comes down to, will you really save money in the long run? You can probably buy a $40 PSU and you will probably never ever reach $35 in losses from efficiency. I don't know. But at least with a unit like the FSP Hydro X 450 your computer will be inaudible. Sometimes which the cheaper units you get a noisy PSU or the fan dies earlier on. Though with the light load of your machine, I can't imagine any PSU getting loud.

But it's pretty expensive for your rig, the FSP unit is. A cheaper option is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139146 and is probably the best PSU for $50 anyone can get. Or you can even go cheaper, just ask.

The power supply calculators told me 160 and 200, so I doubled those because I read that power supplies are generally most efficient between 40 and 60% of the rating. Did the calculator double them for me? Also, it was hard to find anything lower. What was the one on Newegg you linked to? When I click, it just sends me to their home page.

turkey3_scratch · Aug 1, 2016

Power supply calculators are not good to use. They are major overestimation machines. You have no graphic card, correct? That I3 CPU should not use more than 60W under full load. The rest of the system should total to about 30W-40W.

The Newegg one is the Corsair CX450M.

Search

Looking for a solid, reliable power supply in the 350-400W range

TP-999

Commendable

turkey3_scratch

turkey3_scratch

Expert

Celsius22

Reputable

turkey3_scratch

Expert

TP-999

Commendable

turkey3_scratch

Expert

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page