About 80+ 85+ Bronze Silver Etc...

[Sipko]

Hello.
A few weeks ago i started a thread about a new Homebuild system I'm already making. I'm currently waiting for the parts to arrive but, When I started the thread people wrote me that i need a min 600W 80+Bronze or higher. My question is the deal with the 80+ PSUs? These PSUs are quite expensive in my country. So i need a reason why i should buy one of these.

If you wanna know what my build looks like here is the link to the thread:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/355738-13-planning-computerbuild#t2676772

 

[hunter315]

What country are you from? We may be able to find you one at a good price.


As for why they are important, 80+ implemented new standards for efficiency which most old power supplies could not pass. Most older units had up to about 75% but most were usually around 70% which meant they consumed a lot more power and generated a lot more heat. If you have a system that needs 300 W from the power supply and you have one that is only 70% efficient and another that is 85% efficient, the first will need to draw 428 W from the wall while the second only needs 353 W from the wall, thats 70 W less of power per hour you use at load, and 70 W of heat that isn't being dumped into your house heating it up even farther.


Many people assume that higher 80+ rating means a better quality power supply, this is somewhat true but not exactly. A design that can get 80-90% efficiency is going to need better, more consistent components to achieve the efficiency, but one with 80+ silver isn't necessarily better performing at anything other than efficiency than one with 80+ basic, often this is true, but not always.


For more on efficiency check out the link in my signature, i did a write up about some of the myths related to it a little while ago.

 

[Sipko]

im from latvia. and another question is do i really need it or would a usual 600W-650W psu do?

 

[hunter315]

Most of the "usual" PSUs you are going to find are going to be extremely cheap and low quality units these days, when 80+ first came out there were some good units available that didn't have the certification, now any unit that isn't likely to explode on you can generally pull off at least 80+ basic.


What sites are you able to order from and what are your system specs? You likely don't need a 650 W unit.

 

[Sipko]

I give you a general latvian site where a couple of shops are available.
http://www.alsogarante.lv/index.php/kur-pirkt
I will not be ordering from these sites but i have a more direct route. but anything whats on these site I will be able to get.

but i would also be willing to order from amazon germany. since i still have 14 days to wait for my mobo the waitingtime is alright.

 

[Rugger]

What are the components in your PC? We can't give a good recommendation without knowing what's in your PC.

 

[Sipko]

my first post contains a ling to my specs but for the sake of someone asking:

i5 3570k
ASrock Extreme 4
OCz Vertex 2 180gb SSD (i know only sata2 but i already had it so i will use it as system drive)
Seagate 7.4 rpm 2tb as filebox (i simply bought it because i got a really good price on it)
and later i wanna add a hd 6870 or even a 7870 if i have money in the near future. i simply wasnt able to buy a gfx card because of my budged.