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I ran into a problem running 2x GTX260 MaxCores in SLI. Thread on that here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66689&p=949193#p949193. So I'm pondering a new PSU since I'd have to upgrade at some point anyway. My current PSU is a Season S12 and it's been an excellent unit but the 12V rail on it only puts out 36A which isn't enough for the 260s. So I've been looking at the PC P&C 910W power supply. Reviews seem to be good on it and I see it on Amazon for $163 currently (brand new). I haven't looked at that brand for a while but I recall they made good stuff, is that still the case?

Oh, I looked at Seasonic's 850W supply and it's wonderful but too darn expensive.

Your Seasonic is probably pretty quiet, as my Seasonic built Corsair HX620 is. Do not expect a PCP&C to be quiet, but you can be fairly assured it will work.

What you're looking for though is something that sports 4x6pin connectors at a minimum? A quick Newegg search isn't so helpful, and PSU reviews are fairly inconsistent. I hate to sound like a Corsair fan here, even though I love mine, but have you looked at the 750TX and 850TX units? They have the connectors and should have the amperage, and should be quality units.

I was under the impression that the quality on those cheaper Corsairs is going to be less than Seasonic but PC P&C is going to be on par. Is this not so?

I am running a PCP&C 750W. It is one of the best purchases I have made for my computer. Silent, cheap, stable power. If the 910 is anything like my 750 I suggest going for it. If modular cables are something you desire, look elsewhere.

Airmantharp wrote:

Do not expect a PCP&C to be quiet, but you can be fairly assured it will work.

Are you kidding me? PCP&C power supplies are extremely quiet. I am not aware of a unit they make that is 'loud'. Seasonic makes some quiet power supplies, I'll give you that, but they are not the end all be all.

The April System Guide did mention some reports of reliability issues with recent PCP&C units though. Something to think about.

I would pick a 650W+ unit from Antec, Seasonic, or Corsair at this point.

Flying Fox wrote:

The April System Guide did mention some reports of reliability issues with recent PCP&C units though. Something to think about.

I would pick a 650W+ unit from Antec, Seasonic, or Corsair at this point.

Is there a point to swapping a 600W supply for a 650W one? I do realize that the 12V rail is going to be much bigger on 650W but I figure it's worth picking up something with extra wattage for future-proofing would make more sense. So at least 850W is in order.

Synchromesh wrote:

Is there a point to swapping a 600W supply for a 650W one? I do realize that the 12V rail is going to be much bigger on 650W but I figure it's worth picking up something with extra wattage for future-proofing would make more sense. So at least 850W is in order.

If we take the Corsair 650TX for example, you are going from 36A across 2 rails to a single rail (sometimes preferable) of 52A. We are talking 192W more power already. Do you really need 70A of the 850TX for example? If anything the 750TX's 60A looks more reasonable. One thing you don't want to do is to end up on the low load portion of the efficiency curve. Unless you are going triple/quad SLI, I simply fail to see why you need so much power. The way GPUs have been experiencing in terms of power consumption growth, like the CPU, is not going to be sustainable. Ordinary wall socket's theoretical limit of 1500W is a hard one, but other problems should exhibit themselves in a regular computer setup before that.

Triple SLI is not out of the question since the board and video cards support such a setup. Altogether, I just want something future-proof though.

The Corsair HX850 looks pretty awesome in this review. That's a fair bit more expensive than the PC P&C you were looking at, but there's also a 750W version that's closer to the same price and still more than adequate for your system. If you don't need modular cables, then the TX range is about $50 cheaper at the same power levels. As others are saying, a modern 650W PSU with most of its total power available at 12V would actually be enough.

Airmantharp wrote:

Your Seasonic is probably pretty quiet, as my Seasonic built Corsair HX620 is. Do not expect a PCP&C to be quiet, but you can be fairly assured it will work.

What you're looking for though is something that sports 4x6pin connectors at a minimum? A quick Newegg search isn't so helpful, and PSU reviews are fairly inconsistent. I hate to sound like a Corsair fan here, even though I love mine, but have you looked at the 750TX and 850TX units? They have the connectors and should have the amperage, and should be quality units.

Alright, you can call Corsair and ask them for your percentage of the sale. I just ordered an TX850 since it was $113 after $20 rebate which is full $50 cheaper than the Silencer 910W. I do realize that a 650W might have been sufficient but I would like room for future expansion, plus I figure if I don't run it at near 100% capacity all the time it will last longer.

I meant no harm- Corsair has put out some great products, and I can attest because I've purchased and used one for two years now. Incredible device really. My personal recommendation would be for the 750TX or the 850TX, but I was stumped on finding good reviews for them; I wish Hardocp would review more PSU's, they genuinely try to destroy them in the process of testing them.

jink wrote:

I am running a PCP&C 750W. It is one of the best purchases I have made for my computer. Silent, cheap, stable power. If the 910 is anything like my 750 I suggest going for it. If modular cables are something you desire, look elsewhere.

Airmantharp wrote:

Do not expect a PCP&C to be quiet, but you can be fairly assured it will work.

Are you kidding me? PCP&C power supplies are extremely quiet. I am not aware of a unit they make that is 'loud'. Seasonic makes some quiet power supplies, I'll give you that, but they are not the end all be all.

Over the years PCP&C units have been known for being exceptionally loud, while still fairly robust. I believe it's been since OCZ took them over and started 'mainstreaming' them that they started putting out some quieter units. Even their Silencer line was noted for being on the louder side, just not as loud as their normal units.

I've never owned one, I must admit, but the Corsair in my signature has been known to be one of the very quietest PSU's on the market, which is my reference point. If the PCP&P unit is even remotely audible, it's louder than my Corsair. I don't even know what this Corsair sounds like, and it will probably take an overclocked quad core processor and a second GPU to find out.