Looking for a new PSU

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by 1031982, Dec 6, 2015.

  1. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    I'm building a new system and my current PSU is around 3 years old, and I don't see it making the cut.
    I'm planning on eventually running an i7 with a nVidia GTX 900 series GPU. Ram will either stay at 8GB or I'll add another couple sticks to make it 16 GB.
    Two optical drives, three internal hard drives, a SSD, and I'm holding onto my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum with from panel until I can afford a new set of speakers that will decode digital audio.
    Also have four USB 2 devices always hooked up, and that at times could be up to 7 at once. I'll also need enough power to support up to three USB 3 devices at once.
    Most likely, total USB devices at one time will be 5 or 6 USB 2 and two USB 3.

    I'm thinking a decent 750 W should be good with proper amperage on each line.
    Issue is I was going to go with Thermaltake, but it seems there has been some issues with them. Same goes for some Corsair's. At times, they take out the motherboard and everything connected to it.
    I would like to have one that is semi-moduler and not too expensive. Preferably around $120. I can go up if need be, as I know going cheap on this can cost me the build.

    FYI, I'm starting out with an i5 6500, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and you can add the HDD's, optical drives, and sound card from above. USB usage will be usually 4 always connected devices and a couple things in addition on USB 3 and 2.

    I have heard good things about the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 80+ GOLD, 750W
    Any input and/or suggestions?
     
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I don't think you need anything more than 500W. Your system will idle at about 50-100W, and peak at around 300W. The advantage of lower Wattage PSU is that it will be more efficient at lower load (less than 100W).
     
  3. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    And this is why I come here. A lot of places I have gone to suggest getting at least a 630W, if not 700W. I added another 50W to help with lifespan. I would like the PSU to last for a good five years if not longer.
     
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Yeah, unless you are going SLI, I don't see you using anything more than 500 W.

    USB devices and SATA drives don't take up all that much power. USB devices use between 2.5-5W, and the average HDD uses less than 10 W at full load. Even if you hook up 7 USB devices and 5 HDDs at the same time, they will only use a maximum of 85W.

    The single component that consumes the most power is the graphics card.
     
  5. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    What do you think about this one?
    SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
    I know it's more then I need, but it has good specs and high efficiency.

    Forgot to mention, the new build is using the Skylake processor series.
     
  6. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    I would like it if someone could let me know what they think about that SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold before I buy it.
    I haven't heard of them, so I am not sure about there quality.
     
  7. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Seasonic makes some of the best power supply. I have been using seasonic based power supply for close to 10years. Currently I'm using cosair ax760, which is a platinum psu.

    Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
     
  8. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    I see, well then I will put in my order.

    Thank you for the info.
     
  9. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    I purchased the Seasonic S12II-620Bronze for the new Tech ARP testbed. I wanted the 520W model but they didn't have stock.

    FYI, it's powering :

    Intel Core i7-6700K
    8 GB DDR4-2800 SDRAM
    AMD Radeon R9 390 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
    256 GB HyperX Savage SSD

    Overkill really...
     
  10. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    Well, a little overkill won't hurt it. I got my order in, and it should arrive in three to four days.
     
  11. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Well, technically overkill doesn't hurt, but if your PC spend most of its time at idle, then a lower wattage PSU will be more efficient especially at lower load. That's why I got the Platinum because one of the key point of Platinum is >80% efficiency at 10% load. Most PSU will struggle at that load level, dipping to 60+-% efficiency only as it is very hard to achieve high efficiency at low load.

    Most people, especially in Malaysia, prefer 'higher' rating over higher efficiency. That's why it is almost impossible to get a high end low wattage PSU. All the platinums sold here are always 700+W.
     
  12. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    I'm really into whatever will work what I will eventually be running. If I get a good price, great. When power factor correction first started coming out, I made sure to get a PSU with active PFC.
    Efficiency is important to me, however I am willing to take a cut with idle times. I also leave my PC on 24/7. At times, I have it doing some video converting (home movies to DVD). If I'm not doing stuff on it, then I am sharing Linux distros.
    For a time I had run folding@home as my screensaver. I used that to help research, and keep the power efficiency up. That eventually stopped when I found a screen saver I actually liked the look of.
     
  13. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    in light of some recent benchmarks I have seen, I might be switching from nVidia to AMD again for graphics. I will probably use one graphics card, but I might use the hacked drivers to get PhysX with the GTX 650TI I currently have.
    Think that 650W will be enough if I run two cards?
     
  14. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Which benchmark did you see? From what I have been seeing, NVidia still has a slight lead, especially in terms of power vs performance numbers. Nvidia is more efficient and as fast as AMD. And recently, AMD is plagued with bugs on newer games.
     
  15. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    This is coming from benchmarks on DirectX 12. If things change, then I'll stay with NVidia.
    At that point, I might want to have my current card as a dedicated PhysX card anyway.
    My current card is a GTX 650 TI. It's nothing special, but using it as a PhysX card would be more then enough.
     
  16. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Well, personally, I would get the card which excels at the games you are playing.
     
  17. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    Personally I would avoid the PhysX hacked hybrid setup. There's some limitations with OS and driver versions. I believe only older drivers works with the hack.
     
  18. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    Well, this won't be for a while. I barely got the new system tested, and need to move over the stuff from my current system. Then comes the fun of re-installing Windows, and all my programs.
     
  19. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    FYI, I'm testing the R9 380, and I have to say - it's fast but AMD is still nowhere close to NVIDIA as far as software is concerned.

    Their new Radeon Software Crimson Edition may be faster than the Catalyst drivers but they still cannot do a seamless driver update notification + update like NVIDIA GeForce Experience.
     
  20. 1031982

    1031982 Just Started

    Well, I don't trust the seamless updating. I always just uninstall the old driver and then after a reboot install the new one.
    Plus, I don't think it will be an issue for a while.
     

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