Gold vs Bronze PSU

[j3rkface]

So I'm building a new rig and it has been many years since I last did this. I'm looking at a 750w or 850w PSU. What is the difference between a gold and bronze PSU. My understanding is that gold PSU's are more stable? Here is what my rig looks like to give you a better idea.

i7 3770k
2x GTX 670 SLI
Asus p8Z77-v Duluxe
Samsung 256gig 840 pro series SSD
16gig (2x8gig) Corsair Vengence

At this point my budget is getting pretty thin I was going to go for a bronze PSU but I had a friend that really recommended the gold. Is this a good recommendations? Can i get away with a 750w and still have some room for overclocking/upgrades? Also, if there are any suggestions where I can cut the expenses back a little bit without losing performance, please let me know. My thought was maybe on the SSD drive? Get one that doesn't write as fast perhaps. That should effect my gaming performance, right?

Thanks everyone.

 

[_zxzxzx_]

The different 80+ standards are just for efficiency.
So bronze has a minimum 81% efficiency, gold 87%.

 

[Rammy]

If you are spending that much money on a computer, it makes sense to invest in a good PSU as well, instead of just getting something sufficient.

Strictly speaking, 80Plus certification is only a measure of PSU efficiency (input power versus output power) but it will also have an effect on other characteristics as achieving these efficiency levels generally requires high quality components and production standards. For example, it's fairly easy for a PSU to reach the basic 80Plus, so there will be plenty of rubbish PSUs in that bracket but the vast majority of say 80Plus Gold or better are going to be pretty solid. Having said that, it's worth checking out reviews of any PSU you are considering as they are never going to be equal.

A good quality 750W PSU is sufficient for GTX670 SLI.

As for where to save, if your PC is entirely for gaming then you can potentially save on
-i5 over i7 (no discernible difference in gaming)
-smaller SSD+standard HDD combo
-8Gb of ram instead of 16Gb (unless you have a specific need for it, it's just going to waste)

 

[j3rkface]

If you are spending that much money on a computer, it makes sense to invest in a good PSU as well, instead of just getting something sufficient.

Strictly speaking, 80Plus certification is only a measure of PSU efficiency (input power versus output power) but it will also have an effect on other characteristics as achieving these efficiency levels generally requires high quality components and production standards. For example, it's fairly easy for a PSU to reach the basic 80Plus, so there will be plenty of rubbish PSUs in that bracket but the vast majority of say 80Plus Gold or better are going to be pretty solid. Having said that, it's worth checking out reviews of any PSU you are considering as they are never going to be equal.

A good quality 750W PSU is sufficient for GTX670 SLI.

Thank you both for the replies. Very helpful information! So would I want to do an 850w if I think I might get some different video cards in the future? Or would a 750w be sufficient for most upgrades down the road. I don't see myself getting an upgrade anytime soon with this rig. Plus it seems like a lot of cards are now trying to reach better power efficiency. Here are the 2 that I've looked at.

Corsair 850w Gold
Corsair 750w Gold

Why the 750w is more than the 850w, I have no idea. Is there something I'm missing? Let me know your thoughts.

Also thanks for the recommendations on where to save some case. I'll be considering these! I was under the impression from some reviews that the i7 did help with some gaming, nothing major. But I also thought it might be a good choice in terms of the future? Maybe I'm wrong. Thanks again!

 

[toyftw]

Thank you both for the replies. Very helpful information! So would I want to do an 850w if I think I might get some different video cards in the future? Or would a 750w be sufficient for most upgrades down the road. I don't see myself getting an upgrade anytime soon with this rig. Plus it seems like a lot of cards are now trying to reach better power efficiency. Here are the 2 that I've looked at.

Corsair 850w Gold
Corsair 750w Gold

Why the 750w is more than the 850w, I have no idea. Is there something I'm missing? Let me know your thoughts.
Supply & demand at this point in time, even tho the 750 is enough if the 850 is cheaper, get it.



Also thanks for the recommendations on where to save some case. I'll be considering these! I was under the impression from some reviews that the i7 did help with some gaming, nothing major. But I also thought it might be a good choice in terms of the future? Maybe I'm wrong. Thanks again!

 

[Rammy]

850W is enough to comfortably run 2 GTX Titans in SLI, or like 3-4 mid range cards.
If you are talking about swapping both of your cards at some point in the future, 750W is going to be sufficient for the vast majority of 2 card setups. 850 is overkill, unless you plan on some unusual setup.
The current trend is towards power efficiency. I can't predict the future but I'd imagine that in 2-3 generations power requirements will be similar to what they are now.

Reason the 750W costs more on Amazon is because it's being sold by a different retailer. Also, the AX 750/850 Gold versions have been discontinued and have been replaced by 80Plus Platinum versions.
I'd have a look at the Rosewill Capstone (and Capstone M) 750 if you want 80Plus gold quality at a really nice price.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-power-supply-capstone750m
Also the XFX Pro BLack 750 - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1750bbefx
Both quite a lot cheaper.

i7 is an i5 with Hyperthreading and a bigger cache. For gaming there's not going to be any gains.