Upgrading the PSU?

[scotty220]

I'm currently in the process of upgrading my PC and was wondering whether I should upgrade my PSU. The current system is:

AMD Phenom II x4 955
Palit GTX 550ti 1GB
8 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
1tb WD Caviar HDD
Zalman Z11 Plus case with 3 120mm LED Fans & 3 80mm fans
Zalman CNPS14X CPU Cooler
600w PSU (standard factory)
Samsung DVD/CD Combo
Zalman ZM-MFC1 Fan Controller
Multi Card Reader

Now I am also thinking of possibly getting a Sandisk Ultra 120GB SSD to boot from and lightly OC my CPU & GPU. I'd never SLI as my motherboard doesn't support it. The PSU I was looking to get is the Corsair CX750M as its neat and not too expensive (around £70). Is it worth it or shall I just stick with my factory fitted 600w PSU? Thermaltake Calculater seems to think I need 800w but I can't believe this!?

 

[twelve25]

The cost of an upgraded power supply + a second GTX 550 Ti, would equal the cost of a single GTX 660 and not perform any better (worse in many cases). I would recommend buying a single higher end card and selling your 550 Ti to help recoup some of the upgrade cost.

With any single card, a half decent 600W is more than adequate.

 

[coffeecoffee]

Hello scotty220,

From what I can see, your system is slightly aged but still very solid for most games. I definitely recommend getting a brand name power supply (i.e Corsair, Seasonic), simply for their level of quality and stability. I would personally never use a OEM PSU for a gaming PC, they are notorious for their poor overall quality. A bad PSU could take down a number of parts if it decides to go. The Corsair 750m is a very solid PSU, it's a tad excessive. If you find the 650 version for much cheaper, go with that instead.

I recommend upgrading the follow, from most to least important:

1) PSU - Upgrade this ASAP. Never trust OEM PSUs for gaming PC.
i) Corsair 650W (Enthusiast Series/Gaming Series)
ii) Corsair 750W (Enthusiast Series/Gaming Series)

2) Graphics Card - I'd recommend the following:
i) Nvidia GTX 660 (the TI version is not worth the 5-15% performance for an extra 20-25%).
ii) AMD 7870.

660 vs 660TI Benchmark.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/660?vs=647

660 vs 7870 Benchmark.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/660?vs=548

3) I'd suggest holding off on the SSD unless you have money after the above upgrades. Sure, having a SSD as a boot drive is awesome but it's still very much a luxury in my books. If anything, you should consider getting a Intel i5 and LGA 1155 Mobo. It's expensive, but you will see dramatic FPS improvements, I used to use a Phenom II x4 945. Then I took a 25%+ FPS improvement to the knee w/ when I switched to an i5 2500k.

Hope this info helps.

Coffee~

 

[scotty220]

Wow thanks for the detailed replies! Its interesting you both suggest upgrading the GPU, I thought/was hoping that my 550ti was still considered fairly decent but maybe not anymore! Maybe I'll look to upgrade that then and grab a Corsair TX650. I'm not too keen on upgrading the mobo and CPU just yet as money is pretty tight! Thanks again for the great replies, this is such a great board!

 

[coffeecoffee]

Your welcome ^_^ glad I was able to help.

 

[twelve25]

I thought you eluded to buying a second 550 Ti and running SLI, but I guess you said you would NOT SLI! That's the only real reason I mentioned upgrading vs SLI. If you are happy with the 550 Ti, keep running it! It's lower end by today's standards but should still be capable at lower resolutions (i.e not good at 1080p)

I don't recommend upgrading a perfectly functioning power supply. Do you know what brand it is and how many amps it is providing on the 12V?

 

[scotty220]

Its an FSP Group PSU model FSP600-80EPN. Its 80 plus rated and provides combined power of 504 watts. On the 12v it provides 18a. So is it really worth upgrading?

Info: http://www.sparklepower.com/pdf/PC/FSP600-80EPN85.pdf

What I'm considering are:
OCZ OCZ600MXSP http://amzn.to/XKS061 as its cheap and quiet
Zalman ZM600-GT http://amzn.to/10QTY7S as its also cheap and quiet
ZALMAN ZM600-HP Plus http://bit.ly/YtxH93 As its Modular and ultra quiet. Plus I'm a fan of Zalman
Seasonic SS-650RM http://bit.ly/13UFdS0 as I've heard good things about Seasonic plus its Modular
Corsair TX650M http://bit.ly/YcNzgL combination of all the above I guess

 

[coffeecoffee]

Hello scotty20,

I have never heard of this FSP brand before. This is what I found on newegg, the fact is has only 1 review and has been discontinued raises questions... Regardless, 18amps on the +12 volt rail is simply too low anyways.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104136

I would have to recommend the Corsair TX650M. It's a good PSU with a solid track record using a true and test design; the reviews don't lie. Also, I quote from the specification page "12V@54A". That's right, 54 amps on the +12volt rail.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139031&Tpk=TX650M&IsVirtualParent=1

Warmest Regards,

Coffee~

 

[scotty220]

Thanks for another great answer Coffee! I'll grab a TX650M then next stop, GPU!

 

[twelve25]

FSP is a higher end OEM builder and Sparkle is one of the oldest and most reliable PSU brands. You already have a good quality PSU.

And yes, 18A alone is not very high, but you have FOUR rails with 18A each, so 72A total.

It's frustrating hearing people tell you to throw away perfectly good hardware.

 

[scotty220]

OK so now I'm really stuck! Would anyone else like to throw their thoughts in?

 

[coffeecoffee]

FSP is a higher end OEM builder and Sparkle is one of the oldest and most reliable PSU brands. You already have a good quality PSU.

And yes, 18A alone is not very high, but you have FOUR rails with 18A each, so 72A total.

It's frustrating hearing people tell you to throw away perfectly good hardware.

Hello Twelve25,

Shame on you for trying to mislead the original poster. Please explain to me how FSP and Sparkle are related. Also, can you even find a solid review for said PSU the original poster is using?? On the other hand, if you google for Corsair Power Supplies, you'll find hundreds if not thousands of reviews; majority of which are very positive. I rest my case.

I have given my suggestion, it's up to the OP to decide.

Warmest Regards,

Coffee

 

[twelve25]

FSP and Sparkle are the same company, the make power supplies for literally dozens of different brands including some models of Antec

No reviews doesn't mean a product is poor any more than it means it is good. There are plenty of very well reviewed FSP/Sparkle products on Newegg and Amazon.

At any rate, here is a review of the unit: www.anandtech.com/show/2581
Solid performance with stable output.

I did not say Corsair was a bad power supply, they are very good. But throwing out an excellent power supply to make way for a different excellent power supply that is causing zero problems is ridiculous. Lets replace his perfectly functional case while we are at it because Antec Cases have more reviews than Zalman cases.

Shame on me? What problem are you trying to solve for the OP? His power supply has had zero issues and is more than capable of powering his rig and any planned expansions. I'm trying to save him money.

 

[scotty220]

I'm sorry I didn't mean this to cause an argument! As Twelve25 has said, it hasn't actually caused me any problems over the 2 years I've had it. The reason I was thinking of replacing it was because I didn't think 600w would be enough to run everything I wanted to do. It appears that both of you agree that it will so I think I'll stick with my current PSU and invest in a GTX660 or 7850. Thanks for the help guys