TR Forums

Ok, been wracking my head for a week now researching PSU's and I am stunned beyond recognition at the sheer level of reviews on them. Soo many that have bad remarks due to being DOA. With that many reports stating so I have to wonder, are the all these PSU's truely this bad, or am I reading the posts of sheer idiodicy and the reason these people have this much trouble is cause they have no friggin clue.

I am building this rig -

Mobo - ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX AM3+ R
CPU - AMD: Phenom II X4 975 3.6G AM3
Memory - 4gig G-Skill DDR3-1600 ram x2
Case - COOLER MASTER Storm Scout Mid tower case (bottom mount for PSU)
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 6870 2GB 256-bit (will expand to a 2nd unit in crossfire mode)
Aftermarket CPU cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
SSD - still researching, but will be SATA III 120 or 128 GB
Blueray burner - still researching
DVD rom - also researching.

I will be utilizing about 4 of the USB slots for components and periphials

I've used several calculators to determine the rating for the PSU I will need. Each time it states 500, and have been advised to aim for 650-750 ratings. But which one will fit the bill? Especially with how difficult it is to find PSU's that fit/reach being bottom mounted. I know I will need one that is crossfire ready, but will modular truely be needed? I've researched Roswell, OCZ, Antec, Cool Master, and Corsair, but have also noticed a rediculous amount of bad reviews PSU's get (and that's ignoring the "I didn't get my rebate" whine, and similar nonsense).

I come to thee, O guru's of the Tech Report forums ... thoust areth my only hope ... eth

For what spec's you posted i ran in extreme power supply calculator pro with crossfire config. & it gave this :




Minimum PSU Wattage: 520 W
Recommended: 570W
PSU Wattage: * Power Supply Wattage ResultsPower Supply Wattage ResultsPower Supply Wattage ResultsPower Supply Wattage Results
Amperage (combined)

+3.3V +5V +12V
7.3 A 11.3 A 40.8 A

Minimum UPS rating: 814 VA
Recommended UPS rating: ** 1000 VA

I got one question:
Budget?

DigitalN00b wrote:

will modular truely be needed?

A modular PSU just helps in better cable management.

DigitalN00b wrote:

I've researched Roswell, OCZ, Antec, Cool Master, and Corsair, but have also noticed a rediculous amount of bad reviews PSU's get.

Antec and Corsair have good PSUs. You can add Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax to that list too.

DigitalN00b wrote:

"I didn't get my rebate" whine

If rebates are such a problem (they are for me), consider the price without the rebates.

Here are some recommendations.
SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W - $80+$10
SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W (modular version) - $90
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W - $90
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III PPCMK3S600 600W - $80
Antec EarthWatts EA-650 650W - $90
OCZ ZS Series 650W - $90 (has a 10% off promotion currently)

DigitalN00b wrote:

"I didn't get my rebate" whine"If rebates are such a problem (they are for me), consider the price without the rebates.

Here are some recommendations.
SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W - $80+$10
SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W (modular version) - $90
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W - $90
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III PPCMK3S600 600W - $80
Antec EarthWatts EA-650 650W - $90
OCZ ZS Series 650W - $90 (has a 10% off promotion currently)

None of those have the 4x 6pin PCI-E he'll need for 2x 6870's. Almost all have 2x 6+2 so he could just split them down to 2x 6pin each but it would be easier to get one with 4x 6pin already.
Just stepping up to the 750W Corsair seems to fix the problem there.

This what I'm using now OCZ ModXstream 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018 $90 on newegg

paco wrote:

None of those have the 4x 6pin PCI-E he'll need for 2x 6870's.

Thanks paco for pointing that out.

That Corsair linked appears to be an excellent choice. Some other recommended ones are listed below.
OCZ ZS Series 750W - $100+$4
Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W - $100
More expensive ones...
OCZ Fatal1ty 750W - $110
OCZ ZT Series 750W - $110
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W - $115
SeaSonic M12II 650 SS-650AM 650W - $120+$10

@power requirements, AMD says:

■500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (600 Watt and four 6-pin connectors for AMD CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode)

Source:
http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/ ... iew.aspx#3

I haven't seen a response yet regarding budget, so here is my suggestion:

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

There are a *lot* of crap PSUs on the market; even among some of the more respected brands, there have been problematic models. In general, you get what you pay for; if you see a 600W unit selling for $30, it's a scam.

Stick to brands that consistently get recommended on established web sites, and you'll be OK 9 times out of 10.

My own personal take -- Seasonic and PCP&C are the cream of the crop, with long track records in the business. Corsair seems to be selling some good units these days. Based on what I've seen here and elsewhere Antec seems to have gotten their act back together, though they have yet to regain my trust (I got burned by a number of dodgy Antec PSUs several years back). Ultra (TigerDirect/CompUSA's house brand) and CoolerMaster are making some affordable units that offer good value for the money if you're on a budget.

I've been meaning to try Rosewill (Newegg's house brand); I've generally been pleased with other Rosewill products I've bought, but I have yet to try their PSUs.

The only PSU brand that is solidly on my "avoid" list these days is Thermaltake (they've pissed me off multiple times a lot more recently than Antec), but there are a lot of other "off brand" PSUs that I have no experience with whatsoever, so don't take the fact that I *haven't* mentioned a brand at all as an endorsement.

Thank you for all those suggestions, everyone. Budget is somewhat of a concern, but I am definitly more interested in performance that will last and not fry my system.
I do have a series a questions though ...

SeaSonic M12II 650 SS-650AM 650W - I noticed this PSU is SLI ready, but not crossfire ready. Considering I plan to expand into a crossfire setup, should I not aim for PSU's that are crossfire ready?

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W - Crossfire ready & 7 yr warranty? This one has my attention. The reports of an average 2 yr lifespan worries me a tad though.

OCZ ZS Series 750W, OCZ ZT Series 750W, & OCZ Fatal1ty 750W - The first is crossfire ready. The following two are not, and I have heard WAY too many bad things about OCZ to seriously consider them, despite a one of the PSU's having a5 yr warranty. OCZ is creeping very close on my "do not bother with any of their products" list due to the sheer amount of bad reports I keep hearing from trusted sources.

Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W - crossfire ready, but only a 3 yr warranty. I have mixed feelings about this PSU.

Thanks again for your help folks The (re)search continues.

I have Pc Power 750W power supply in my system. The power supply is about four years old, it is rock sold, quiet, and two years ago I built a new system, except the power supply. System specs Phenom II X6 1090T over clocked to 3.8 Ghz, 8 GB memory, factory over clocked Gigabyte 5850 video card, and four hard drives.

DigitalN00b wrote:

... I noticed this PSU is SLI ready, but not crossfire ready. Considering I plan to expand into a crossfire setup, should I not aim for PSU's that are crossfire ready?

They're effectively the same thing as far as the PSU is concerned -- nVidia calls it SLI, ATI calls it Crossfire.

DigitalN00b wrote:

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W - Crossfire ready & 7 yr warranty? This one has my attention. The reports of an average 2 yr lifespan worries me a tad though.

That would be disturbing if true; they used to be one of the most trusted brands. They were acquired by OCZ a couple of years ago though, so who knows...

Yeah it seem PCP&C are not nearly as good as they used to be pre-OCZ. It is a shame too, looks like they are more living off the name than making sure quality is as good as it used to be.

I purchased this on sale awhile ago for $90

Even at current $109 it is still an excellent vale.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182073

Re: some of your concerns

SLI and Crossfire cert. is just what it says: a formal submission process and granting of a labeling right= certification.
Adds extra cost and time to the PSU, and really doesn't mean anything in particular.

Most new units are 6+2 on the eight pin PCIE = fine for your six pin card.

5 year warranty.

FYI background:
This is the first superflower OEM unit made for Rosewell, the house brand of Newegg.
While Rosewill is not always known for absolute best quality, in this case it is a very solid OEM.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?na ... 5&reid=266

Edit:
PS the AMD 6870 is only a 140 watt card max. in Crossfire it will be well less than the 2x of that figure closer to 250 watts than 300. (unless you are folding or or distributed compute.)
Consequently you will never see more than 500 watts from your described rig gaming usage.

THerefore you could easily consider :

KINGWIN Absolute Platinum Series AP-550 550W ATX 12V v2.2, EPS 12V v2.91 and SSI EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817121094

Had been at $180 but recently reduced to $109 to compete with ANTEC intro. (all be it with the conversion from modular)

With out a doubt one of the best quality units on the market today.

PSS Regulars might notice some redundancy in my recommendations

Been following the market for some years due to interest in folding and efficiency.

Unless you need $40 cheap, these just happen to be two great values in the market now and they cover a pretty wide range of requirements.

I don't own stock in either company.

Starfalcon wrote:

Yeah it seem PCP&C are not nearly as good as they used to be pre-OCZ. It is a shame too, looks like they are more living off the name than making sure quality is as good as it used to be.

This makes me sad. Mid-eighties California tech company gets snapped up by an aughties California tech company then goes to poo.

Almost wish I had seen this thread before posting my own thread

On a slightly broader note, what is the difference between 1 12V rail and 2 12V rails?

druidcent wrote:

Almost wish I had seen this thread before posting my own thread

On a slightly broader note, what is the difference between 1 12V rail and 2 12V rails?

A single 12V rail PSU has the capability of sending all 12V current down one set of plugs, whereas multiple-rail systems will have 3 or 4 separate 12V leads, but each will be limited to 20A or so.

The single-rail technically violates specifications, as the possibility exists that any 12V wire may be asked to carry far more current than is safe for the size of the wire. The multiple-rail stops this potential, but runs the potential of overdrawing the 12V on that leg depending on what you've plugged into that leg.

In practice there is very little difference.

However, if you have a very powerful graphics card, and strict over-current protection on a rail, it has been known to cause problems.
It doesn't happen very often, and was mostly due to poor design in the past.
Single rail design was the pendulum swing of over-correction.

I did just run into a case the other day with a zalman 600 HP

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?na ... y2&reid=30

Only 16 A per rail caused a Nvidia 570 card to shut the system down under heavy load.

The OP could not be convinced that his "600 watt" (really on 504 watt available on the 12V) could not run the 240 + watt card.
Had it been single rail design, he never would have run into the problem.

regarding safety,

Many wires and solder parts are going to fail before you burn down your house.
Sure it is more dangerous to have all the wattage available at once, but in practice, I have never heard of an actual incident. (fire, electrocution) attributed to a single verse multi-rail PSU.

mdk77777 wrote:

Many wires and solder parts are going to fail before you burn down your house.
Sure it is more dangerous to have all the wattage available at once, but in practice, I have never heard of an actual incident. (fire, electrocution) attributed to a single verse multi-rail PSU.

Your PC has an integral containment vessel, known as "the case". Unless your case is made of cardboard, any destruction due to an overloaded single-rail PSU (other than possibly some incidental smoke) is going to be limited to the inside of your PC.

And you'd *really* have to work at it to electrocute yourself with 12V. I figure it would probably take some mad self-surgery skills, as you would likely need to insert metal electrodes attached to the 12V rail directly into your own chest cavity.

Just buy the Seasonic that fits your needs and pocketbook.

Oh, I agree.

Just preempting the inevitable safety retort.

I have had many debates with OEM reps. who only make multi-rail PSU.

However, strangely they have diminished as more and more decided to offer single rail.....hum... co-incidence?

My guess is that it is simple economics -- single-rail results in fewer RMAs. The insignificant number of people who manage to melt the PSU wiring because they've got a short somewhere is dwarfed by the number of people who think the PSU is defective because there isn't enough juice available on the PCIe connectors to run their bleeding edge video cards, even though they're within the overall wattage spec of the PSU.

Any pluses or minuses about this PSU?

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL022812&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL022812-_-EMC-022812-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17341018-L06B[\url]


Other than it's only an 80+ certified, and I'd need to send in the rebate form, getting it down to $50 seems like a good deal..

EDIT:fixed url tag

druidcent wrote:

Any pluses or minuses about this PSU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 41018-L06B


Other than it's only an 80+ certified, and I'd need to send in the rebate form, getting it down to $50 seems like a good deal..

i have no complaints i've using that psu for 3-4 years & trouble free.

My Fortron HEXA 500W is probably busted, so I've returned it and I'm waiting for the refund. While waiting, a took a quick look around some local etailers for a replacement. So which of these would you recommend? Please note that I'm in a pretty tough financial situation this month. The refund is worth $55 and I'm willing to pay an extra $20 max. for a new PSU. The best ones I've found at the local etailers are

Vantec ION2 520W

Sirtec High Power HPC-500-G12S Element Plus

Segotep SG-550BH made by Colorful

Chieftec A85 (CTB-500S)


All of these PSU are in the $70-S75 price range, have 500W, most of them have 80% efficiency, active PFC , long sleeved cables, and 2 x PCI-E 6+2 connectors. Basically they meet my needs, but your opinions are more than welcome. So please fire away

Newegg has a OCZ ZT Series 550W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom + $15 promotional gift card w/ purchase @ 1 pm PT time you can get for( $49.99) that's after ($20 Mail in rebate) & free shipping!


LINK: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817341050

Capstone 550 gold = $64 on sale

No MIR, free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=20
You cannot beat that price for this quality.

For the OP

650 watt, 4 PCIE cables $80

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182071

Ummm... I forgot to mention that Newegg doesn't ship to my country, thus the promo prices don't apply in my case.

Yes, But you still didn't list your country, so no one could possibly help you.

The ones you list are basic and not exciting for the price, but who knows in your market?

Basic is what I'm looking for. I don't want to overclock anything, I don't need LED illumination, nothing fancy-schmanzy for me (I stumbled accidentally upon that modular PSU) . Yes I'm concerned about efficiency and durability, but I'm not that into high-end high-performance quad-SLI (not even simple SLI). Btw, I'm Hungarian (that's in Yerp) and the models you recommended are listed at Hungarian etailers, sans the promo codes, of course. I repeat, newegg promotions don't apply and my max budget is $55 + $15 (maybe $20) = $70 (maybe $75) VAT included