Please help me pick out the perfect 600W PSU

[OhYeah]

I want the perfect harmony between solid electrical performance and low noise levels. I'm down to these 3:

Nexus NX-6000 R3 630W: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1012-page1.html (review is of a 530W model)
Nexus RX-6300 630W: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/859
Corsair TX650 650W: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article813-page1.html

The first one should be the quietest. The second one should be a bit louder, but it has *sleeved* modular cables (I absolutely hate ribbon style because of my non-standard Chieftec case). However, both Nexus models use Taiwanese caps instead of Japanese. Corsair should be technically the best (built by Seasonic, most say), but the noise levels rise up pretty quick after 50%+ load. The prices are: $130, $119, $113. Yes, the RX version is actually cheaper than the NX version.

I'm going out of my mind here. Please help.

[StuG]

Corsair +1, fork out the extra money for a modular one though (HX650).

[Voldenuit]

The Nexus should be quieter, but may not be as reliable.

I recently suggested the Cooler Master Silent Pro M700 in lieu of a Corsair HX650. It's $20 cheaper on newegg and is quieter. Hm... I notice that you don't like ribbon cables, which is what the Cooler Master has.

You could also look at the new Seasonic M12-IIs, or the Antec Truepower New if you don't want ribbon connectors.

[OhYeah]

Yes the ribbon cables are out of the question unfortunately, because my hdd bay is rotated 90 degrees to the left and i have very limited space there. Ribbon cables are harder and stiffer, while normal sleeved cabled I can use quite easily. So the Corsair modular (HX-series) is out of the question.

[mdk77777]

OK

100 % silent. Based on 850 watt components, massive cooling for fan less. 80% of rigs could use this (watt requirement) However, needs to face up. (bottom mount or horizontal layout) Only fan-less PSU I would recommend without hesitation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151097

OR

120$ with MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151098

These are totally silent until like 50% load. (Fan does not run at all under low loads)

These are the best choices for low power silent PC at the moment.

There is also a 650 watt if you want more POWER (you did not give the build specs.)
Again, the fan is totally silent until you get up to around 300 watt load. (higher than many gaming rigs running single cards)
idiots actually RMA this PSU because the fan never needs to turn on and they think it is defective.
Can't get more silent than that.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151088

[FuturePastNow]

Since Newegg is still selling the Corsair 620HX for $100, I'd say it. I've been very happy with the two Corsair PSUs I own.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139002

[JustAnEngineer]

The most efficient 600-watt power supply available may be the Enermax Pro 87+ line.

I believe that the Corsair 650TX is built by Channelwell, while the 620HX is built by SeaSonic.

[Voldenuit]

I believe that the Corsair 650TX is built by Channelwell, while the 620HX is built by SeaSonic.

The 650TX is a Seasonic. CWT builds the 550VX, but the 450 and 650 non-modular corsairs are seasonic parts*.

* Don't be put off, though. In some reviews, the CWT PSUs have had better voltage regulation and crossload than the seasonics.

[OhYeah]

Guys, thanks for all the input. However, the thing is, that I live in the middle of nowhere and ordering stuff from newegg is not an option (time constraints). So I would really love it if you'd make a pick among the three that I presented in the first post.

My system:

Core i5-750
4 GB DDR3-1333
5x SATA 7200 RPM
Radeon 5850 1 GB
PATA DVD-RW, 120mm fan
3-4 USB devices regularly used

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp says I'm on my limit with my current 460W PSU.

[mattsteg]

Guys, thanks for all the input. However, the thing is, that I live in the middle of nowhere and ordering stuff from newegg is not an option (time constraints). So I would really love it if you'd make a pick among the three that I presented in the first post.

My system:

Core i5-750
4 GB DDR3-1333
5x SATA 7200 RPM
Radeon 5850 1 GB
PATA DVD-RW, 120mm fan
3-4 USB devices regularly used

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp says I'm on my limit with my current 460W PSU.

If your current PSU is a good one with the right amp capabilities on the right rails, I likely would not worry. http://techreport.com/articles.x/17747/12 - similar system (more power hungry processor, 5870 rather than 5850, but fewer hard drives) pulled around 300 from the wall under load so 15%+ less than 300 of the "rated" power" depending on efficiency)

[Voldenuit]

Guys, thanks for all the input. However, the thing is, that I live in the middle of nowhere and ordering stuff from newegg is not an option (time constraints). So I would really love it if you'd make a pick among the three that I presented in the first post.

My system:

Core i5-750
4 GB DDR3-1333
5x SATA 7200 RPM
Radeon 5850 1 GB
PATA DVD-RW, 120mm fan
3-4 USB devices regularly used

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp says I'm on my limit with my current 460W PSU.

Don't believe online calculators. Xbitlabs measured the power consumption of an i5-760 under CPU load and it topped out at 129W. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-ii-x6-1075t-x4-970-x2-560_9.html#sect0
It even had a 5870! Heck, even the new 6-core 1075T maxed out at 152W! Maybe add an extra 150W for GPU + CPU load, and an extra 4x10W for the 5 extra HDDs, and you still only hit 320W. Assuming you have a good PSU, that's plenty of headroom.

But if you *had* to choose, any of those PSUs should be good. I'm tempted to go with the Nexus 6000 for its proven quietness, but if I were recommending to someone else, I'd put the nod to the Corsair for its known reliability.

[JustAnEngineer]

Voldenuit, those tests weren't loading the graphics card, just the processors.

The Enermax Pro87+ EPG600AW is $140. Anandtech reviewed it.

[OhYeah]

The current PSU is 3+ years old and there are occasional funny beeping noises coming from inside it. I think it's time to change it.

I do a fair bit of heavy gaming, so my system might be maxed out both on the CPU and GPU, plus all the drives inside. I wonder how much power my computer *really* needed under that kind of load, if the online calculators can't be trusted.

[Voldenuit]

Voldenuit, those tests weren't loading the graphics card, just the processors.

The Enermax Pro87+ EPG600AW is $140. Anandtech reviewed it.

Yes, that is why I added 150W for GPU load (a very conservative figure, as that is the delta between idle and load for a 5870, and the OP has a 5850). I also added 10W power for each HDD to reach a very unrealistic scenario where the CPU, GPU and all 5 hard disks are maxed out at the same time (when would that ever happen?), and it was *still* much, much lower than 460W. Also, the system load power was measured at the wall, so real world draw on the PSU will be lower still.

Bottom line, is, the OP was given poor predictions from an online power calculator. I'd trust a Magic 8-ball more than one of those. At least the 8-ball comes out right once in a while.

[Voldenuit]

The current PSU is 3+ years old and there are occasional funny beeping noises coming from inside it. I think it's time to change it.

I do a fair bit of heavy gaming, so my system might be maxed out both on the CPU and GPU, plus all the drives inside. I wonder how much power my computer *really* needed under that kind of load, if the online calculators can't be trusted.

Well, that sounds like a valid reason to get a new PSU then. Don't tell me the old PSU came with the case?

[OhYeah]

Oh no, it's a trusty Zalman with a really really quiet fan. Right now I'm leaning mostly towards RX-series Nexus, cause it has a large fan, modular SLEEVED cabling and actually it's cheaper than the NX-series. I trust the Corsair might be better in some regards, but the fan does have a really steep upwards curve when the load becomes significant and I'm worried it simply might get too noisy under load.

[mattsteg]

Oh no, it's a trusty Zalman with a really really quiet fan. Right now I'm leaning mostly towards RX-series Nexus, cause it has a large fan, modular SLEEVED cabling and actually it's cheaper than the NX-series. I trust the Corsair might be better in some regards, but the fan does have a really steep upwards curve when the load becomes significant and I'm worried it simply might get too noisy under load.

If the cut-in is above 50% load, you may or may not hit it. Also, for me at least, "when" is at least as important as "how loud" when thinking about noise. Noise at idle sucks, but if the noise only kicks in when I'm gaming etc, then depending on what I'm using for an audio setup I may or may not care.

[JustAnEngineer]

Your system isn't going to put much over 300 (maybe 350) watts of load on the power supply, even at peak. Mine pulls 280-320 watts from the wall while gaming.

[OhYeah]

Your system isn't going to put much over 300 (maybe 350) watts of load on the power supply, even at peak. Mine pulls 280-320 watts from the wall while gaming.

Hmm... you have a quite similar system to mine. In that case even a 550W Corsair would do, the VX one. It's a bit cheaper and the fan doesn't start to speed up until ~275W load. In that case I'm probably already wearing headphones anyway. But on the other hand, the price difference between VX550 and TX650 is so small... Might as well go for the TX then.

**** this is so hard. I can recommend stuff to other people in a heartbeat and yet I can't make my mind up even about something as simple as a PSU.

[mdk77777]

JustAnEngineer wrote:Your system isn't going to put much over 300 (maybe 350) watts of load on the power supply, even at peak. Mine pulls 280-320 watts from the wall while gaming.



Hmm... you have a quite similar system to mine. In that case even a 550W Corsair would do, the VX one

See, I told you that most people could get by with a high quality 400 watt even though they think they need 600.

All the models you are looking at are adequate, but not optimal. The new Seasonic X series is a generation newer and two or more levels of quality better.
What is a week of waiting for Fedex cost you?

300 watt DC / 82% = 365 watt AC
300 watt DC / 92%= 326 watt AC

When running full out, that would be about 40$ per year. (You don't game 24/7/365) I'm just pointing out that a newer(Gold rated) PSU will pay for itself over time in addition to the low fan noise, less heat, and excellent clean power (low ripple, in spec ranges ect.) If you are buying a new one anyway, the 30$ extra is well worth the investment.

Get the 560 X, you will not regret it.

OPTION 2:

60$ delivered Use the promo code until 9/27

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817371020

[Airmantharp]

Your system isn't going to put much over 300 (maybe 350) watts of load on the power supply, even at peak. Mine pulls 280-320 watts from the wall while gaming.

Hmm... you have a quite similar system to mine. In that case even a 550W Corsair would do, the VX one. It's a bit cheaper and the fan doesn't start to speed up until ~275W load. In that case I'm probably already wearing headphones anyway. But on the other hand, the price difference between VX550 and TX650 is so small... Might as well go for the TX then.

**** this is so hard. I can recommend stuff to other people in a heartbeat and yet I can't make my mind up even about something as simple as a PSU.

Dude, if those are your choices, Corsair all the way. My 620HX is still going strong, over two years later, and is still silent.

[OhYeah]

Yep, it seems that Corsair is the right choice. As I said before, I don't like the HX series because of the ribbon modular cables which are a nightmare to install for my hdds because of my Chieftec case. So the cables must be sleeved. It's going to be either VX550 (the fan kicks into high gear a bit earlier, 275W-ish, but on the whole it's better cooled, made by CWT) or TX650 (really quiet until around 400W, but it gets rather hot, made by Seasonic).

At the moment VX550 seems like the better overall option... I could get that for $105 here.

[mattsteg]

Dude, if those are your choices, Corsair all the way. My 620HX is still going strong, over two years later, and is still silent.

I'm not saying I disagree on the Corsair, but no trouble in the first 2 years should be the expectation, regardless of what you choose.