First PC Build - PSU advice welcome

Fleehisalt

Commendable
Oct 29, 2016
31
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1,530
Hey. I'm putting together my first ever gaming PC and could use some pointers for the PSU. This is the build I've currently got in mind (i7 6700k and GTX 1080):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (€341.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (€39.24 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€152.84 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€125.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€97.57 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€50.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Video Card (€536.94 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (€57.48 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow (Blue) 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan (€6.51 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor (€267.76 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €1700

My main questions are:

- Is 650w enough for this build? Can I get by with less or do I need more?
- Is the EVGA Supernova G2 the right choice? I've skimmed through the stickied threads here and while it's part of top tier in the "official" list, some people have told me it's pretty expensive and that I should go with, for example, an Ante High Current Gamer Series (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371047).
- Am I better off with full modular or semi?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Solution
Semi modular should be fine. The semi means only some of the cables are modular, others are hardwired. The ones hardwired to the psu are usually the power cables you need anyway like the 4/8 pin cpu, 20+4 pin motherboard main power, so there's no real advantage to fully modular in that regard.

Albionm00n

Reputable
Jan 31, 2016
462
1
5,165
Greetings!

The EVGA Supernova G2 is an excellent PSU and really not that expensive for what you get. I have the 750W version in my rig and I am totally happy with it. The modular capability is great for you don't have to have cables you don't need taking up space in your case. Also, Your system looks like it will run ~400W as far as PCPartpicker is concerned and I have found their estimates to be close enough to use for figuring need, and in your case you have 250W of headroom with the 650W G2. This should be ample headroom...unless you plan to toss in two Titans down the road:) The Antecs are OK, but the 10 year warranty and proven reliability of EVGA PSUs are worth the consideration. If you really need to save the few dollars, I would personally go with a cheaper SSD and get the better PSU, for I believe it is the one part you don't want to scrimp on if it can be helped.

I hope this helps!
 
That's looking like a really nice build. I'm not across local pricing in Germany, so can't comment on whether you're getting good value for money, but it's certainly a high end build.

My only question is around why you decided to go with last-gen Z170 & 6700K over the current gen (Kaby Lake) Z270 and 7700K? There's not a huge gap between them, but the 7700K is superior so should be the choice unless you're getting the 6700K at a good deal less.

RE PSU, a good quality 550W is actually plenty for that build, even with OCing. IMHO you'd be better off with a 550W EVGA G2 over a 650W lower quality unit. Those G2 units are really nice quality and sit well with that high end rig you've put together. If you're really looking to save money you probably could do fine with a cheaper unit, but that's high end rig. It deserves a high end PSU - but drop to 550W.

You really don't need fully modular. Usually the only cables that are hard wired in a semi-modular PSU are ones that are required for every build anyway. So it doesn't really make a difference. If you're going to for a gorgeous looking show-rig people like fully modular PSUs because they allow you to buy custom cable sets with colour schemes or styles that match your design. But from a functionality perspective, there's little difference between full or semi modular.
 

Fleehisalt

Commendable
Oct 29, 2016
31
0
1,530


Thanks for the detailed reply. I definitely won't go above 650w and might even downgrade to 550 and save some money. What cheaper SSD's would you suggest if I were to go with the EVGA PSU?
 
I had a look at SSD pricing on the German PCPartPicker site. You could save 15 or 20 euros, but I don't think it's worth it. All the cheaper drives are planar TLC drives, which are about as slow as SSDs get.

The only ones that really make sense would be the SP550 for 81 Euro: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/gf98TW/a-data-internal-hard-drive-asp550ss3240gmc
Or the Sandisk SSD Plus for 77 Euro: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/8jH48d/sandisk-ssd-plus-240gb-25-solid-state-drive-sdssda-240g-g26

Both are very much entry level SSDs. They're okay, but nowhere near the 850 EVO and they do save you a little cash. It's quite likely with a normal gaming workload that you wouldn't often notice the difference between them.

Personally, unless you're really looking to save a few pennies, I'd still go the Samsung. If you were putting together a budget rig and scrambling to get enough for your CPU or GPU, then those cheap planar (2D) TLC SSDs make a lot of sense. But that's a high end rig. The 850 EVO belongs there.
It's your money, obviously, so your call.
 

Fleehisalt

Commendable
Oct 29, 2016
31
0
1,530


I've spent several nights comparing prices and running all of my choices through a dozen webstores, so I'm pretty that the value is right.

The reason I'm going with Skylake is simply because of the value. I've had another person from the US suggest me to upgrade as well, only for him to look up the EU prices and find that the price difference here is still pretty big. I've got a good deal on the 6700k and the jump to a Z270 mobo and 7700k CPU is quite a jump, especially considering I've already had to convince myself to go with an i7 instead of an i5...

Aesthetics mean very little to me. The case I'm going with is default all black, so I really couldn't care less about another cable or two hanging around in there. If I get a good deal on fully modular I'll go with that, but otherwise semi will be fine, I think?
 
Semi modular should be fine. The semi means only some of the cables are modular, others are hardwired. The ones hardwired to the psu are usually the power cables you need anyway like the 4/8 pin cpu, 20+4 pin motherboard main power, so there's no real advantage to fully modular in that regard.
 
Solution

Fleehisalt

Commendable
Oct 29, 2016
31
0
1,530


Yeah, I already thought so. Depending on the price, I'll probably end up going semi then. Thanks.
 

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