New Build PSU question, bronze certification or higher

November 17, 2011 5:00:33 PM

I was wondering if its worth to pay a little more to get a silver or gold certified psu isntead of a bronze one?

At first i was thinking of getting this one for my new build:
CORSAIR Professional Series HX650
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

But then i wasnt sure how important the certificaton is, i know it means that its more efficient. So i found this corsair
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

It may not be a fair comparison because one is 650 and the other is 750 but a general idea would be appreciated. Im not planning on doing sli or crossfire at first but down the line i would consider it. Also, the full modularity is a big bonus mosty for looks

Thanks

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chesteracorgi

November 17, 2011 5:14:25 PM

Generally the increase in efficiency from Bronze to Silver to Gold to Platinum is not worth the price difference. Going from 87% to 90% efficiency gets you a return of a couple of KWhrs over a year use (if that much). What is more important is the quality of the PSU and its effect on your rig.

Corsair is a quality OEM, although they use different manufacturers for their different units.

The Gold AX series is better than the HX series, but the price difference is more dependent on your personal goals.

A 750 AX Corsair would probably be able to SLI or Xfire 90% + of GPUs. Only the highest end (GTX 580/590 or AMD 6970/6990) will need more than the 750W -- but I run a 950 W PSU for two GTX 470s because I want the PSU to be in the sweet spot for SLI. A good PSU can be a longer term investment as you can use it in an upgraded rig.

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hopefulhype

November 17, 2011 5:25:05 PM

chesteracorgi said:

Generally the increase in efficiency from Bronze to Silver to Gold to Platinum is not worth the price difference. Going from 87% to 90% efficiency gets you a return of a couple of KWhrs over a year use (if that much). What is more important is the quality of the PSU and its effect on your rig.

Corsair is a quality OEM, although they use different manufacturers for their different units.

The Gold AX series is better than the HX series, but the price difference is more dependent on your personal goals.

A 750 AX Corsair would probably be able to SLI or Xfire 90% + of GPUs. Only the highest end (GTX 580/590 or AMD 6970/6990) will need more than the 750W -- but I run a 950 W PSU for two GTX 470s because I want the PSU to be in the sweet spot for SLI. A good PSU can be a longer term investment as you can use it in an upgraded rig.

Thanks, I was looking to get an amd6950 for my build

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