# PSU Recommendations?



## Kangamutt (Sep 6, 2012)

Right now I'm in the process of building a whole new computer from the ground up. After some help from my more tech-savvy friends, I've got everything set for what I need, save for one crucial component; the power supply. I have yet to get a solid recommendation on the proper wattage for my system, though from my research, 750W should do the job, however I still want some solid recommendation than trusting only my judgement. As far as major components, this is what I have set up:
Asus Sabertooth 990fx motherboard
EVGA GTX570HD GPU
AMD Zambezi 8 core, 3.1 GHz CPU
All of this is being put into a Chassis with 3 230mm and 1 140 mm fans. Not too sure if the addition of disk drives and hard drives will make any difference as well. In addition, this is being intended for gaming. As far as a good brand, I have been pretty much told to use Antec or Cooler Master, though if anyone else has a brand that might do better for a better price, then by all means put 2 cents in.


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## Runefox (Sep 6, 2012)

Cooler Master isn't great. Antec's good. What I'd recommend would be the Corsair TX750W. I'm using the v1 version of it, and it's been solid so far, and really should handle everything you throw at it unless you're going to go ahead and quad-SLI 570's. It's also usually on sale, which is great; There are higher wattage supplies, and gaming variants with more bells and whistles. If you want more brand suggestions, PC Power & Cooling and Seasonic are reliable, too.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 6, 2012)

Nah, nah, I'm not looking to do anything crazy like that, nor do I need anything too fancy. While the thought of it would be fun, I hardly have the cash to do that. Thanks for the recommendations, I assume then that 750W is sufficient, and I'll try to look up that Corsair one, soon as newegg is back up. Seems to be down on my end.


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## Ames (Sep 6, 2012)

Corsair makes excellent PSUs.  Good build quality and bulletproof reliability for a decent price.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 7, 2012)

Two for two on Corsair, then. Got a look at the one you recommended, Runefox. Looks to be a good buy, too! Good reviews, high average score on a large amount of reviews, only $100 to boot. Seems to be a bit of a noisemaker, but I think I'll live if I get it.


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## Ames (Sep 7, 2012)

Kangaroo_Boy said:


> Two for two on Corsair, then. Got a look at the one you recommended, Runefox. Looks to be a good buy, too! Good reviews, high average score on a large amount of reviews, only $100 to boot. Seems to be a bit of a noisemaker, but I think I'll live if I get it.



I've got a Corsair PSU, and I'm pretty sure it's the quietest thing in my case.  CPU fan is going to be loud, GPU fans are going to be loud, and with case fans on top of that I honestly think PSU noise is the very last thing you should be worrying about.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 7, 2012)

JamesB said:


> I've got a Corsair PSU, and I'm pretty sure it's the quietest thing in my case.  CPU fan is going to be loud, GPU fans are going to be loud, and with case fans on top of that I honestly think PSU noise is the very last thing you should be worrying about.



Well like I said, noise isn't too much of a bother for me. There are far more noisy things happening here, and I would probably find it all to be a welcoming white noise for when I'm on a 3D modeler/drawing.


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## greg-the-fox (Sep 7, 2012)

750 watts is more than enough, the reason it's so popular is because in most cases it's the minimum you need for SLI/crossfire, with some extra power to spare. 600 watts would be fine for a system with one video card. But people buying only one card usually get 750 watt power supplies anyway, because of the potential to upgrade.


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## Lobar (Sep 7, 2012)

http://www.amazon.com/PC-Power-Cool...qid=1347030197&sr=8-1&keywords=silencer+mk+ii
Better and quieter than the TX750 already posted, from an even more reliable brand than Corsair, and 30 bucks cheaper right now.

Also, you didn't ask about it, but the best value in current-gen system building right now is in Intel's Sandy/Ivy Bridge CPUs, not AMD.  Pick up this CPU + MoBo combo and you'll get more bang for about the same buck.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 7, 2012)

greg-the-fox said:


> 750 watts is more than enough, the reason it's so popular is because in most cases it's the minimum you need for SLI/crossfire, with some extra power to spare. 600 watts would be fine for a system with one video card. But people buying only one card usually get 750 watt power supplies anyway, because of the potential to upgrade.



Definitely a good thing to think about if I ever want to pop in another one of those, though I don't think it'll be happening anytime in the near future, hahaha.



Lobar said:


> http://www.amazon.com/PC-Power-Cool...qid=1347030197&sr=8-1&keywords=silencer+mk+ii
> Better and quieter than the TX750 already posted, from an even more reliable brand than Corsair, and 30 bucks cheaper right now.
> 
> Also, you didn't ask about it, but the best value in current-gen system building right now is in Intel's Sandy/Ivy Bridge CPUs, not AMD.  Pick up this CPU + MoBo combo and you'll get more bang for about the same buck.



Newegg has it for the same price (I have a problem with Amazon, and shipping in general; why bother when I can easily do will call?). While the quieter aspect is a nice bonus, it does have a higher rating on the 80+, though I don't think the 85% Bronze or 88% Silver would be much of a difference.....

As far as CPU, I've already settled with the AMD setup, after looking about, I got the performance I need for substantially less on CPU+MoBo than what I would have going with Intel.


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## darkflame4 (Sep 7, 2012)

Kangaroo_Boy said:


> Right now I'm in the process of building a whole new computer from the ground up. After some help from my more tech-savvy friends, I've got everything set for what I need, save for one crucial component; the power supply. I have yet to get a solid recommendation on the proper wattage for my system, though from my research, 750W should do the job, however I still want some solid recommendation than trusting only my judgement. As far as major components, this is what I have set up:
> Asus Sabertooth 990fx motherboard
> EVGA GTX570HD GPU
> AMD Zambezi 8 core, 3.1 GHz CPU
> All of this is being put into a Chassis with 3 230mm and 1 140 mm fans. Not too sure if the addition of disk drives and hard drives will make any difference as well. In addition, this is being intended for gaming. As far as a good brand, I have been pretty much told to use Antec or Cooler Master, though if anyone else has a brand that might do better for a better price, then by all means put 2 cents in.


 750W should be plenty for your computer build. I suggest using Corsair, Antec or PC Power & Cooling. Very solid PSUs. I'm personally using Corsair in my computer. Haven't had any problems. Hope that helps.


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## Koda (Sep 11, 2012)

I'm pretty fond of Antec PSUs. The trick is to do your research and learn about em. The benefit of separate 12V rails is huge, especially if you're going to use a meaty graphics card or lots of drives. Its good to isolate solid state components from mechanical components as much as possible. In all actuality too, your system will probably need less than 500watts. 750 is good (as others have recommended) simply for the buffer zone.

I have an i7 machine with SLI 560TIs, a bunch of fans, and a bunch of drives, but under full gaming load (like playing a match in COD or BF3) the wattage requirement of my rig never goes above 450watts. At idle it sips power at a cool 200 or less.

Antec HCP-750. THis is the one I got for myself, and recommended for my roommate's build.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371052&Tpk=antec hcp-750


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## Kangamutt (Sep 13, 2012)

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions and advice. I decided to settle for a Corsair AX750, and picked it up earlier today. Unfortunately, when I went to plug the ATX power cable into the PSU itself, one single wire popped out of the connector. Talk about a perfect moment to pull the "FUUUUUUUUUU-" rageface. After some further research, and some council with a couple other techie friends I finally managed to get a hold of, the Antec HPC 750 is looking like something up my alley as a suitable replacement.


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## Runefox (Sep 13, 2012)

Modular power supplies... From any manufacturer, I despise them.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 13, 2012)

Runefox said:


> Modular power supplies... From any manufacturer, I despise them.



I'm a wiring neat-freak, and anything that goes unused and dangling loose will haunt me to no end. Hell, the front panel audio cable has an HD audio and AC 97 plugs. I've zip-tied the AC97 to the loom, but the bastard still irks me. Were it from the PSU, I think I'd probably lose my mind!


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## Ames (Sep 13, 2012)

Runefox said:


> Modular power supplies... From any manufacturer, I despise them.



This so much.  I would strongly recommend not going with a modular power supply.  It's completely unnecessary and stupid.

I'm a wiring neat freak too, but just a little creative wire-tucking is more than sufficient to sate any with OCD.


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## Lobar (Sep 13, 2012)

At this point I'm starting to get confused by your build.  You shied away from Sandy Bridge for cost reasons, but now you're looking at super-premium power supplies at about double the price of the more-than-adequate PSU I'd already suggested.  It's important to not skimp on your PSU, sure, because you don't want your computer to blow up, but there's a definite point of diminishing returns here.  You won't be boosting your computer's actual performance with "better" power, and you can't blow up your computer less than zero.  Every dollar you spend overspeccing your PSU could instead be going to an Ivy Bridge CPU, or a higher-tier GPU (which is what is going to actually determine most of your gaming performance), a bigger hard drive, or any of your other parts, really.


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## Koda (Sep 14, 2012)

Modular power supplies are the sex.

I wont buy regular ones any more. WHY THE F WOULD I NEED 6 MOLEX CONNECTORS sitting there on their own dedicated 12v rail, which I can't use now? I'd rather them all be SATA. Or PCIe, or whatever the hell I need them to be with the current state of my computer. The HCP750 clearly identifies which rails you are plugging what components into, so you can balance the power draw across all of them for the best efficiency and isolation. Hard drives on one, graphics card on another, fans on another, etc.

Also, there's only ONE component in your computer case which can FUBAR all the other ones; the power supply. I think putting some extra dough there is a much better idea.


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## Arshes Nei (Sep 14, 2012)

I guess, just seems a bit silly to me. I just tuck the cables away. Paying more for something that has the same chances of going FUBAR as a non modular PSU is a waste of money. 

It's not even like you see most of those cables. The only reason I am particular about cable management is for cooling reasons and just easier to swap things. Other than that, really doesn't matter.


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## Lobar (Sep 14, 2012)

Koda said:


> Also, there's only ONE component in your computer case which can FUBAR all the other ones; the power supply. I think putting some extra dough there is a much better idea.



Which is why you don't buy some Rosewill piece of shit, sure, but Corsair and PC Power & Cooling are already some of the most famously reliable PSU brands out there.  I can't see myself dropping that much on a PSU unless I was going to SLI a pair of GTX 690s or something.


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## Kangamutt (Sep 14, 2012)

Lobar said:


> At this point I'm starting to get confused by your build.  You shied away from Sandy Bridge for cost reasons, but now you're looking at super-premium power supplies at about double the price of the more-than-adequate PSU I'd already suggested.  It's important to not skimp on your PSU, sure, because you don't want your computer to blow up, but there's a definite point of diminishing returns here.  You won't be boosting your computer's actual performance with "better" power, and you can't blow up your computer less than zero.  Every dollar you spend overspeccing your PSU could instead be going to an Ivy Bridge CPU, or a higher-tier GPU (which is what is going to actually determine most of your gaming performance), a bigger hard drive, or any of your other parts, really.



Well to be fair, the reason why I shied away from Sandy Bridge is not only because of cost, but also the fact that the CPU+MoBo were already purchased. I know I'm bouncing around about balancing pricing and performance. It's my first honest solo build, so I'm still trying to get a good mind about what's good, and what isn't.


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## Arshes Nei (Sep 14, 2012)

I'd then put that into your RAM and GPU over a modular PSU that gives no real benefit than a Luis Vuitton feeling


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## Kangamutt (Sep 14, 2012)

Arshes Nei said:


> I'd then put that into your RAM and GPU over a modular PSU that gives no real benefit than a Luis Vuitton feeling



I had already put out for RAM and GPU (16GB DDR3, 2.5GB GDDR5 respectively), and after going back to The store I got it from, did some looking and exchanged for a non-modular Antec 750W. All the unused molex and SATA plugs still irk me a bit, but in the end, it isn't as bad. The wiring came neatly loomed, and if anything the PSU is mounted to the bottom of the chassis, so they're sitting neatly bound in their wire tie instead of dangling everywhere from above. Plugged everything in, and it lives. So in the end, I'm happy with it mostly, and got almost $80 back on my exchange.


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