Is the SeaSonic S12II Series S12II 620 Bronze (SS-620GB) 620W a safe PSU for the 1080 Ti?

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

I'll be picking up the 1080 Ti FTW3 Hybrid card in a few hours and am looking to see what your opinion is. I have to stay with Amazon. Max. budget is $60

and a Vivo Titan is the rest of my PC.

Any advice or tips about other necessary upgrades(16GB RAM will come later) will be appreciated.

sizzling · Jan 7, 2018

Yes its fine. What resolution and Hz will you be gaming at? Your cpu will hold you back if aiming for high fps/Hz but at 4k 60Hz should do good.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

sizzling :

For now and for the foreseeable future I have to stay with my 1080p 60Hz 32" TV(in Speccy's screenshot). I don't have a penny over $2000 for my VR purchases(including the card) so a new monitor just isn't possible. I wouldn't mind a sub $200 suggestion...

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

sizzling :

For now and for the foreseeable future I have to stay with my 1080p 60Hz 32" TV(in Speccy's screenshot). I don't have a penny over $2000 for my VR purchases(including the card) so a new monitor just isn't possible. I wouldn't mind a sub $200 suggestion...

Jwpanz · Jan 7, 2018

Nvidia recommends a 600 watt unit so 620 should be fine. Seasonic is known for building quality PSU’s so I would assume you’re safe with that.

The rest of your system looks good and the inclusion of additional RAM is a good idea especially if you plan on doing any rendering work. Also, what resolution will you be playing on? i5’s a great gaming chips but once you hit 4K you may see a slight dip in FPS when compared to an i7 or equivilant. It won’t be noticeable but a 1080ti is a beast and will want to churn out as many frames as possible.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Jwpanz :

Same resolution that Speccy shows

Jwpanz · Jan 7, 2018

Ya you’re fine with what you have then.

Rexper · Jan 7, 2018

Jwpanz :

Assuming is never a good idea when it comes to power supplies, especially when the unit has multiple professional reviews.

The S12ii is based on an ancient group regulated design with poor protections, overall a mediocre PSU. I suggest upgrading the PSU if you can, if you're going to use the GTX 1080ti.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Rexper :

Jwpanz :

Assuming is never a good idea when it comes to power supplies, especially when the unit has multiple professional reviews.

The S12ii is based on an ancient group regulated design with poor protections, overall a mediocre PSU. I suggest upgrading the PSU if you can, if you're going to use the GTX 1080ti.

Where are you getting the poor protections from?

Can you offer an alternative that's under $60?

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Rexper :

Jwpanz :

Assuming is never a good idea when it comes to power supplies, especially when the unit has multiple professional reviews.

The S12ii is based on an ancient group regulated design with poor protections, overall a mediocre PSU. I suggest upgrading the PSU if you can, if you're going to use the GTX 1080ti.

Where are you getting the poor protections from?

Can you offer an alternative that's under $60?

Jwpanz · Jan 7, 2018

I’m not “assuming” based off of nothing. I know Seasonic makes great units and I could not find a review for the 620 watt unit. However, I did find one for the 520 watt unit here: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=185

It was highly recommended and was scored very high on his scoring table. If you could provide a review on the 620 where it is listed as not being a good PSU I would appreciate the resource. I don’t want to be wrong about the unit as I can only base my suggestion off of its 520 watt cousin.

EDIT: I also just found this thread from 2014: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2326680/seasonic-s12ii-620w-80plus-bronze.html

Many people are stating it’s a great unit and had many of the same points I made.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Jwpanz :

Thanks for the information. This will be one heck of an investment so I need to make sure I am not making any bad purchases that could make a $860 paperweight. It should only be $700 but miners have changed that.

This is a little off topic but I am wondering how VR mirroring works. I'm pretty sure I need to run a DP adapter to HDMI 2.0 cable from the card to the TV. I'll then use an HDMI cable for the Vive.

Jwpanz · Jan 7, 2018

Ya you just need to connect your TV via HDMI. Your VR system should have the option built in to the program to enable mirroring.
This might help: http://www.tomsguide.com/faq/id-3069445/mirror-htc-vive-screen-monitor.html

jankerson · Jan 7, 2018

aquielisunari :

Jwpanz :

Thanks for the information. This will be one heck of an investment so I need to make sure I am not making any bad purchases that could make a $860 paperweight. It should only be $700 but miners have changed that.

This is a little off topic but I am wondering how VR mirroring works. I'm pretty sure I need to run a DP adapter to HDMI 2.0 cable from the card to the TV. I'll then use an HDMI cable for the Vive.

The S12ii will work for now, but I would recommend getting an better unit Like the Seasonic G-650 or Focus Plus 650W once you get the cash.

Rexper · Jan 7, 2018

Jwpanz :

Yes, it was reviewed highly at JonnyGuru... Over seven years ago... Technology has changed. And rest of the pages in the review (besides the conclusion) are there for a reason. It's group regulation has poor support for haswell sleep states, and loose voltages in Crossload, which is what modern computers tend to use. The poor protections and lack of crucial protections (OTP and OCP) is also a feature in the s12ii.

Any modern review of the unit would rate it mediocre, it simply is just an outdated PSU, not made for newer computers.

It is also a bad idea to choose purely by brand, as there are many other brands that sell same quality units for possibly cheaper, better, or low end units. Always choose by model, based on professional reviews.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Rexper :

Jwpanz :

Yes, it was reviewed highly at JonnyGuru... Over seven years ago... Technology has changed. And rest of the pages in the review (besides the conclusion) are there for a reason. It's group regulation has poor support for haswell sleep states, and loose voltages in Crossload, which is what modern computers tend to use. The poor protections and lack of crucial protections (OTP and OCP) is also a feature in the s12ii.

Any modern review of the unit would rate it mediocre, it simply is just an outdated PSU, not made for newer computers.

It is also a bad idea to choose purely by brand, as there are many other brands that sell same quality units for possibly cheaper, better, or low end units. Always choose by model, based on professional reviews.

I don't see that review. Which PSU do you recommend?

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Rexper :

Jwpanz :

Yes, it was reviewed highly at JonnyGuru... Over seven years ago... Technology has changed. And rest of the pages in the review (besides the conclusion) are there for a reason. It's group regulation has poor support for haswell sleep states, and loose voltages in Crossload, which is what modern computers tend to use. The poor protections and lack of crucial protections (OTP and OCP) is also a feature in the s12ii.

Any modern review of the unit would rate it mediocre, it simply is just an outdated PSU, not made for newer computers.

It is also a bad idea to choose purely by brand, as there are many other brands that sell same quality units for possibly cheaper, better, or low end units. Always choose by model, based on professional reviews.

I don't see that review. Which PSU do you recommend?

jankerson · Jan 7, 2018

Rexper :

Jwpanz :

Yes, it was reviewed highly at JonnyGuru... Over seven years ago... Technology has changed. And rest of the pages in the review (besides the conclusion) are there for a reason. It's group regulation has poor support for haswell sleep states, and loose voltages in Crossload, which is what modern computers tend to use. The poor protections and lack of crucial protections (OTP and OCP) is also a feature in the s12ii.

Any modern review of the unit would rate it mediocre, it simply is just an outdated PSU, not made for newer computers.

It is also a bad idea to choose purely by brand, as there are many other brands that sell same quality units for possibly cheaper, better, or low end units. Always choose by model, based on professional reviews.

The S12ii isn't a bad PSU, it's fine for most systems even today, just because something is based on an older model doesn't make it a bad unit today.

They are still as solid NOW as they were back then, that hasn't changed, it's still the same PSU.

NOW, for the OP system and that GTX 1080Ti FTW3 I would go with a new model like the G-650 or Focus Plus 650W, or Corsair RMX 650W, EVGA G2 or G3 650W.

jankerson · Jan 7, 2018

aquielisunari :

Rexper :

I don't see that review. Which PSU do you recommend?

There aren't any bad reviews.

It's just dated, nothing wrong with it.

My only issue is that it's 576W on the 12V and the FTW3 can pull some serious power, well over 300W.

My recommendation would be a Seasonic G-650W or a Seasonic Focus Plus 650W.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

jankerson :

Rexper :

The S12ii isn't a bad PSU, it's fine for most systems even today, just because something is based on an older model doesn't make it a bad unit today.

They are still as solid NOW as they were back then, that hasn't changed, it's still the same PSU.

NOW, for the OP system and that GTX 1080Ti FTW3 I would go with a new model like the G-650 or Focus Plus 650W, or Corsair RMX 650W, EVGA G2 or G3 650W.

So would I but $60 is all that's left. Okay, maybe $80. I was going to buy a new fordable chair(going to have an outdoor VR gaming space that's 10' x 20'). Guess I'll use my old one. I'll look into the recommended PSUs.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Any issues withhttps://www.amazon.com/SeaSonic-650-Watt-CrossFire-Certified-SSR-650RM/dp/B00918N4A0?

jankerson · Jan 7, 2018

aquielisunari :

That's an EXCELLENT unit.

DC-DC and with all the latest protections built in.

I am using a G-550W in one of my systems.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

Thanks guys. This has been a year long endeavor with months of questions, research and anticipation. adding in the new PSU and that 1080 Ti is something I see lasting for at least 5 years at 60Hz 1080p. Now I just need to wait for a couple weeks until everything is delivered and I can use the Vive. Anitcipation......

jankerson · Jan 7, 2018

aquielisunari :

Keep the S12ii as a backup unit, or if you build a new machine later and transfer the GTX 1080Ti and PSU to that one and put the S12ii back in the old one.

aquielisunari · Jan 7, 2018

jankerson :

I have the 500W EVGA unit. The 620W was going to be an upgrade. I decided on that 650W Gold unit. Order made. Insane!!!! Never did I think I'd spend that much on a graphics card.

Is the SeaSonic S12II Series S12II 620 Bronze (SS-620GB) 620W a safe PSU for the 1080 Ti?

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