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Power requirement (does brand matter?)

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Hey guys, I am buying a prebuilt computer from cyberpower and my power supply is the last choice I need to make. I have heard that the brand may be more important than exact watts sometimes and I really dont know which are best from the options I have to choose from.

My specs will be:
CoolerMaster ATC 840 Full Tower Case (dont know if that matters at all)
Intel® Core™ i7-940 2.93 Factory OverClocked to 3.61GHz
Asetek Liquid CPU cooling system
Asus P6T Deluxe Intel X58
12GB DDR3/1600MHz (corsair) Memory
GeForce GTX295
2x 300GB velociraptor in raide 0
1.5 TB data drive
Blu Ray Burner
Dvd Burner

ALSO: do my Monitor (which will be big and probably power consuming) and my external speakers have any impact on power choice or do they completely run seperately

my power choices are:
800 watts supply (cyberpower brand)
800 watts (Ultra 3X Energy)
850 watts (choice of Thermaltake toughpower OR Coolermaster Real power pro)
900 watts (Apevia Warlock Series)
1000 Watts (AXP-1000R14HE Gaming Series Power Supply)
1200 watts (Thermaltake Toughpower)

There was a recent tomshardware article that compared this cyberpower system with ava direct and alien ware system. The system cyberpower sent didnt have some of the parts I have, since I have upgraded in some places (probably implying more power is needed). The article said if you get this system to upgrade from the 800 watt supply sent with the system (presumably the cyberpower brand was sent).
SO if tomshardware says to upgrade from that supply I figure I should be obedient.
Sorry if all these details are not necessary, but I really want to make a good choice so this wont be a future problem

Thanks a lot for any help/opinions/insights I can get (still have a ton to learn)

More about : power requirement brand matter

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Power supply Master

In response to the title of this thread - Yes, the psu brand does matter. There are a lot of cheap low quality psu's of questionable performance. There are high quality brands with a reputation for excellent performance.

A pc monitor and external speakers normally draw their power seperately from the computer. That's why monitors and speakers have their own electrical power cord for connecting to a wall outlet or surge protector.

I am going to have to do a little research this evening on your power requirements and possible psu choices. Are those the only psu choices you have?

Power supply Master

lations said:


my power choices are:

800 watts (Ultra 3X Energy)
850 watts (choice of Thermaltake toughpower OR Coolermaster Real power pro)

1200 watts (Thermaltake Toughpower)


I cut your choices down for you.
The Ultra X3 isn't bad and would do for your specs, but I would take the CM RPP over it.
Tom's did a review of the 295 in SLI and used the 850 watt RPP for thier machine but it wasn't quite as stoked as yours, if you feel you'll go with multiple video cards in the future I think the TT would be the way to go.

Yes, those are all of the ones they offer. I figure this site's article is probably right about getting a better one than 800 by cyberpower. I am really looking for ample power as guaranteed as possible without the police thinking I have grow lights and paying more than my rent for power bills.

If you could help out on those options I would be so grateful. I feel bad for someone doing my research, but when I go to look at these things I just don't understand what makes one better than another (other than wattage). Thanks
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Oh, thanks a lot delluser. I totally forgot that in the future I might be going up to another gtx 295 in sli. Gook thinking, that's got to be a crucial "detail".

So if i went with the 1200 TT, what's the deal with my power usage in general for my home? Does having excess power for a while (until I get another 295) mean the power supply would still use the 1200 watts at all times, or does it hold back some when my system doesnt need it all? I just saw people saying a lot of power can create a high bill, and it isn't a huge concern but I would like to know in case the difference is more than I am imagining.

It only uses the power draw the computer needs

The only thing really to take into consideration is efficiency (getting a huge PSU and barely loading = bad efficiency), but u dont really need to worry about that

Yeah, I definitely want to keep it efficient. I just looked closer at the 1200 TT and saw that it has a large fan that is supposedly not very quiet. I really want a system that can be as close to silent as possible when just watching a movie or something, so if anyone thinks one of the lower wattage ones is good enough (even when another 295 would come later) that would be better for me I think.

Specifically, how much would it be pushing things to use the 900 watt Apevia Warlock? It seems to have good reviews and remains very quiet supposedly.

delluser- I see you didnt include the warlock and I just realized I may have misunderstood your response. Did you mean if I want to expand to another 295 I should go with the 850 TT or the 1200 TT? Both were still on your narrower list, but I was assuming the 1200 for some reason.

Well to go that far i wouldnt bother with cyberpower at all, but thats ur call. I heard iffy things about them and my friends computer came with wrong parts from them...

850 would be pushing it...id get the 1200
Larger fans are not louder....in fact thats fairly silent in comparison. Loud is a 1200w with a 80mm fan vs. that 140 (i think its a 140)
Power supply Master

OK! I found out what I wanted to know. Based on future expansion to two GTX295 video cards in dual SLI mode, overclocking, and gaming, the absolute rock bottom minimum power requirement would be an 850 watt average/typical psu or an 800 watt high quality psu. However, as theAnimal already pointed out, that would be pushing it. Actual power range could be anywhere from 850 to 1300 watts depending on the quality of the psu.

In addition to wattage, the amperage, especially on the +12 volt rail(s), needs to be considered. You could have six different psu's rated at the exact same wattage but the amperage could be different for each one. In modern psu's the +12volt rails supply power to quite a few parts, including video cards. My concern was the amperage for two GTX295 video cards. It's going to be on the high side.

Based on your list of available power supplies, the ThermalTake 1200 watt is the best bet. It's components, performance, and efficiency are excellent. Technical reviews and testing revealed it is a top quality psu equal to the Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, and Seasonic power supplies that I usually recommend. The unit is rated at a total of 100 amps and has been tested with three GTX280 video cards running in tri-SLI mode. It can easily handle two GTX295's and has the video power cables you will need for them. It also comes with a 140mm fan that is efficient and fairly quiet.

Well, there you have it. Any Questions?





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