Choosing the right PSU

J

JoseJones

Gawd
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
602
Hey there,

I could use some help in choosing a PSU for a new i7 build. What would you consider a wise choice in a PSU for the build below?

I have a small business I work out of my home and mostly use Adobe CS, Office, Word, Photo Shop, XSite Pro (website building). We also create our own power-point lectures. We now also have to create/render/encode our own HD videos and DVD's. I do some gaming but, not that much. We're always working (or playing) on something so, our computers are always on. I'm just not sure which PSU's are worth having anymore due to all the gimmicky adverts:

MB: Gigabyte z77 UD5 or Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH (out at the end of June)
CPU: Ivy Bridge i7 3770
RAM: 16g DDR3 1600
SSD: Mushkin 120g
HD: 1T
GPU: Probably an NVidia 660TI (when it comes out)
Case: Antec 302 or 1
OS: Windows 7 Prof, 64-bit

PSU: ?

My local computer shop mostly sells Kingwin and CoolerMaster - if you had to choose between one of those, which would you chose? I'm guessing a 600w or 650w would be okay or should I go with a 750w? I need a PSU that can handle the 8 hour stress test just to be on the safe side.

Thanks for writing these articles:

Why 80 PLUS® is Irrelevant to You When Buying a PSU and A [H]ard Look at Power Supplies.
 
Last edited:
I'd choose a quality Kingwin unit over a CoolerMaster (not a fan of CM PSUs).

That SeaSonic unit is great, you can also look into Corsair HX series, those are also excellent PSUs.
 
Neither kigwin or CM. If you can order it online. Look at the [H] reviews and pick the one thats in your price range. I have a XFX semi modular 750W PSU($110 @ NCIX US). Its basically a seasonic power supply that looks different. So far its running fine and got great reviews.
 
I second XFX. IF you plan to SLI in the future go with a 750-850 if not then a good 650-600 is perfect ( If it were me I would go no less than a 650)
This is a ranked list of most PSU's available. I would suggest a PSU in either tier 1 or 2(a) (simply for peace of mind.)
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Oh yeah I would not get a CM or a Kingwin. My guess is that your current setup at MAX load will probably need around 400-500 watts. Most anyone will tell you that a 100 watt buffer is a must with a setup like yours, even though a top tier psu will be able to easily push their rated it is still smart to buy a little high so you can upgrade parts with out having to worry about your psu being up for the job. The best quote I have heard is a "The best psu is one you can install and forget about" which is why I suggest no less than 650, and please don't get a CoolerMaster There are a few decent CM psus out there; I have read too many horror stories to justify purchasing one. There are much better options in the respective price range to ignore.

Which ever one you choose look at multiple reviews and focus on how much ripple each rail has. The amount of ripple is way more important than efficiency(regardless of the fact that efficiency ratings are pretty much a sham) because too much ripple kills parts.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088 Seasonic X 650
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016 XFX XXX 750 (if sli is a consideration)
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I haven't seen any PSU from Cooler Master that impresses me yet. The review of the Seasonic X Series: X-750 did impress me though. In fact, that's how I got turned onto SeaSonic. I don't know much about the XFX PSU's.

I'd certainly like to be in the sweet spot for efficiency most of the time at around 50% so, I figured all I really needed was a 500w or 550w but, for that sweet spot I figured 650w. I don't want to screw myself down the road in case I decide to get a GPU like say an NVidia 680 or something though - I shouldn't ever need more than a 750w though since I'll never buy more than one GPU. I doubt I overclock either - I tend to keep my systems until the die so, I'll probably keep this new build for 8-10 years. When I do get a new system I'll pass this one down to the kid or something.

I need to learn more about "ripple."

Here's the Newegg Power Supply Calculator

It's telling me that 500w is fine even when I enter the 680 GPU. Is that fine or are there better PSU calculators out there? I wouldn't try to run a 680 on a 500w PSU.
 
If you aren't going to go SLI in the future a quality 500w will be more than enough for the system you have/are getting.
 
JoseJones said:
Yeah, I haven't seen any PSU from Cooler Master that impresses me yet. The review of the Seasonic X Series: X-750 did impress me though. In fact, that's how I got turned onto SeaSonic. I don't know much about the XFX PSU's.
Click to expand...
As far as XFX goes they are re branded seasonic power supplies. Many companies buy power supplies from a couple of major OEM manufacturers and simply make a custom outer shell. The XFX Pro series XXX psu's are a rebranded XFX black series PSU which in tern are rebranded Seasonic M12d PSU's. the seasonic M12d series PSU's are some of the best on the market.
I'd certainly like to be in the sweet spot for efficiency most of the time at around 50% so, I figured all I really needed was a 500w or 550w but, for that sweet spot I figured 650w. I don't want to screw myself down the road in case I decide to get a GPU like say an NVidia 680 or something though - I shouldn't ever need more than a 750w though since I'll never buy more than one GPU. I doubt I overclock either - I tend to keep my systems until the die so, I'll probably keep this new build for 8-10 years. When I do get a new system I'll pass this one down to the kid or something.
Click to expand...
when you say you do not plan on overclocking do you mean no on CPU and GPU because if you do not plan to overclock either, then a 3770k is not necessary. The "k" model processors are unlocked solely for overclockeing. With that being said I would highly suggest you stick with the K model and plan for overclocking at least in the future because it could give you roughly 1-2 year extension of processing power. Granted this is all speculation because who knows what types of computers we will be rocking 7 years from now.

I need to learn more about "ripple."
Click to expand...
In a nut shell; there are 3 types of rails a psu has 12v 3.3v and 5v and ripple is how much this voltage fluctuates when loading and unloading the psu (there is much more to it and it is more complicated than this but you get the point). Here is a dense article on this phenomena http://power-topics.blogspot.com/2008/11/ripple-noise-specs-and-measurements.html
It's telling me that 500w is fine even when I enter the 680 GPU. Is that fine or are there better PSU calculators out there? I wouldn't try to run a 680 on a 500w PSU.
Click to expand...
The newegg calculator estimates a bit high. I would say a 650 is absolutely perfect for your needs It gives you some breathing room, so to speak, allows for a bit of capcitor aging (even though with a good quality psu this is almost negligible) and it gives you some room to add parts if you need them.

This is a really good PSU calculator http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp One thing to note is that with your plans to keep your computer for as long as you are the capacitors age, albeit not much at all. But in 5-8 years you will see a bit of age so I would still try and add 100-150 watts to your estimated wattage needs. Due to the amount of time you want your computer to last, I would also consider a cheap aftermarket cooler to keep the heat down on your processor. The Hyper 212+ or evo are fantastic coolers.
Hyper 212+

Granted this is all my personal opinion so an aftermarket cooler and a 650 watt psu is not entirely necessary, but I would highly suggest both.
Some other things to look for when buying a psu

105°C Japanese Capacitors (these are the most reliable capacitors on the market and will give your psu the most life)
Over current protection / Over power protection
Under voltage protection
Short Circuit Protection
Also Make sure it is an Active PFC Power supply
In all honesty you can just skip all the reading and research and just get a seasonic X series 650 PSU and call it a day.
 
Last edited:
The newegg and extreme PSU calculators are worthless. A good power supply would not experience any significant capacitor degradation before it fails, usually due to other causes. This is what you should use if you want a PSU calculator.

If you're running everything at stock, even a cheap $20 CX430 V2 would be more than sufficient. 77 watts for the CPU, less than 220 watts for the 680, and 50 watts for everything else. That leaves you with under 350 watts under a full load scenario. Overclocked, the 3770k might draw 150 watts, and the 680 might draw up to 260 watts, depending on how far you overclock.

With a 660 GPU, considering the 670 uses less than 170 watts, the 660 can probably be safely estimated at 150 watts.
 
Tsumi said:
The newegg and extreme PSU calculators are worthless. A good power supply would not experience any significant capacitor degradation before it fails, usually due to other causes. This is what you should use if you want a PSU calculator.
Click to expand...
Just a note the psu calc and Extreme PSU calculator (with 0% capacitor aging) calculate the same estimated wattage within 20 watts. While we are at it all psu calculators are pretty much useless but they are a good starting point. Your right though capacitor aging is negligible with any good quality PSU.
 
My bad, Stanfiem - I apparently had a brain fart when I added the "k" - I'm just getting the i7 3770 without the "k." So, I just edited my OP to remove that "k." I had planned on not overclocking anything CPU or GPU to help with long life-span.

"XFX are re branded seasonic power supplies"

I am just now learning about that as I read the XFX and Kingwin reviews here at HF. Are the Seasonic M12d PSU's even better than the X-series? I guess Seasonic makes Kingwin PSU's too. So, I suppose the Kingwin LZP-650 would suffice as well.

I had planned on getting the 212+ or Evo aftermarket cooler for the HSF. I've heard too many bad things about Intel's stock HSF.

So, I'll try to find the best prices on a 650w by either Seasonic, XFX or Kingwin.

Then, I'll just be waiting until the end of June to see if that Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH is worth getting or not. I'm considering it due to the claims of lower temps on the mobo - I figure every little bit helps since the Ivy CPU's get hot - Plus, during the summer months it gets up to 85F (31C) indoor room temps in here since we just rent and it doesn't have central air or air con. I was hoping that HF would do a review of that board to review the claims so I started a thread on it here. I doubt anybody relevant at HF got the word though - how do I put in a request to review that board? I don't even care about the Thunderbolt ports I'm mainly interested in the lower temps for long lifespan and the new ultra durable 5 revision.
 
JoseJones said:
My bad, Stanfiem - I apparently had a brain fart when I added the "k" - I'm just getting the i7 3770 without the "k." So, I just edited my OP to remove that "k." I had planned on not overclocking anything CPU or GPU to help with long life-span.

"XFX are re branded seasonic power supplies"

I am just now learning about that as I read the XFX and Kingwin reviews here at HF. Are the Seasonic M12d PSU's even better than the X-series? I guess Seasonic makes Kingwin PSU's too. So, I suppose the Kingwin LZP-650 would suffice as well.

I had planned on getting the 212+ or Evo aftermarket cooler for the HSF. I've heard too many bad things about Intel's stock HSF.

So, I'll try to find the best prices on a 650w by either Seasonic, XFX or Kingwin.

Then, I'll just be waiting until the end of June to see if that Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH is worth getting or not. I'm considering it due to the claims of lower temps on the mobo - I figure every little bit helps since the Ivy CPU's get hot - Plus, during the summer months it gets up to 85F (31C) indoor room temps in here since we just rent and it doesn't have central air or air con. I was hoping that HF would do a review of that board to review the claims so I started a thread on it here. I doubt anybody relevant at HF got the word though - how do I put in a request to review that board? I don't even care about the Thunderbolt ports I'm mainly interested in the lower temps for long lifespan and the new ultra durable 5 revision.
Click to expand...
To be honest any top quality PSU will suffice. The difference in quality of the seasonic x and m12d and any other top quality kingwin or xfx or seasonic or antec or corsair are all personal preference. I would say go with what psu stands out the most to you (granted it is not total crap) The main thing I look for in a psu is peace of mind. I would want to know that the PSU I get is going to withstand ANY thing i throw at it. Since you are positive you are not overclocking a good 550 would work fine. I only recommend a 650 because of personal preference.

Another thing to note is some brands use different OEM's for different model PSUs. So you need to do some digging to see which brand uses what OEM on what model. Also seasonic is not the only top quality oem they just have a bigger name than most. So it would be wise to do some research with what ever psu you choose and dont rule them out just because its not made by seasonic. This is a good reference for checking OEMS of Power supplies. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913.html
 
JoseJones said:
My bad, Stanfiem - I apparently had a brain fart when I added the "k" - I'm just getting the i7 3770 without the "k." So, I just edited my OP to remove that "k." I had planned on not overclocking anything CPU or GPU to help with long life-span.

"XFX are re branded seasonic power supplies"

I am just now learning about that as I read the XFX and Kingwin reviews here at HF. Are the Seasonic M12d PSU's even better than the X-series? I guess Seasonic makes Kingwin PSU's too. So, I suppose the Kingwin LZP-650 would suffice as well.

I had planned on getting the 212+ or Evo aftermarket cooler for the HSF. I've heard too many bad things about Intel's stock HSF.

So, I'll try to find the best prices on a 650w by either Seasonic, XFX or Kingwin.

Then, I'll just be waiting until the end of June to see if that Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH is worth getting or not. I'm considering it due to the claims of lower temps on the mobo - I figure every little bit helps since the Ivy CPU's get hot - Plus, during the summer months it gets up to 85F (31C) indoor room temps in here since we just rent and it doesn't have central air or air con. I was hoping that HF would do a review of that board to review the claims so I started a thread on it here. I doubt anybody relevant at HF got the word though - how do I put in a request to review that board? I don't even care about the Thunderbolt ports I'm mainly interested in the lower temps for long lifespan and the new ultra durable 5 revision.
Click to expand...

The X series is higher end than the M12D series. Gold vs silver efficiency, fully modular vs semi-modular, and overall just better components used.

Kingwin does not use Seasonic PSUs. They use a variety of OEMs, but as far as I know, none of them are Seasonic. In the case of the Lazer Platinum, they used Super Flower.

[H] usually does reviews of boards that are sent to them by the manufacturer, they don't usually go out to buy the board to review (as far as I know). And they can only do the review if it's already been released, not before. As far as I know, the UP5 is only in the preview stages.

Since you're not overclocking, and don't plan to SLI, don't even bother getting a Z77 board of that high caliber. Get the UD3H, or even a Z75 board.

Also, Intel motherboards put out very little heat, due to practically everything being on the CPU nowadays.
 
Okay, I am really stoked right now because the SeaSonic X750 is on a crazy sale right now at Newegg - retail $189 minus a $30 discount minus another $40 for a promo code = $119 - which is $20 bucks cheaper than the 650w

So, I bought TWO! :D
 
JoseJones said:
Okay, I am really stoked right now because the SeaSonic X750 is on a crazy sale right now at Newegg - retail $189 minus a $30 discount minus another $40 for a promo code = $119 - which is $20 bucks cheaper than the 650w

So, I bought TWO! :D
Click to expand...

Hah, awesome deal, and nice job!
 
JoseJones said:
Okay, I am really stoked right now because the SeaSonic X750 is on a crazy sale right now at Newegg - retail $189 minus a $30 discount minus another $40 for a promo code = $119 - which is $20 bucks cheaper than the 650w

So, I bought TWO! :D
Click to expand...

Eh... I've seen them go for $110 from Newegg before. And these sales occur about once a month or two with amazing regularity.
 
JoseJones said:
Okay, I am really stoked right now because the SeaSonic X750 is on a crazy sale right now at Newegg - retail $189 minus a $30 discount minus another $40 for a promo code = $119 - which is $20 bucks cheaper than the 650w

So, I bought TWO! :D
Click to expand...

Tsumi said:
Eh... I've seen them go for $110 from Newegg before. And these sales occur about once a month or two with amazing regularity.
Click to expand...

Wow, how can Newegg sell the SeaSonic X750 for $110? That just seems so cheap.

Well, I did score free 3-day shipping though ...
 
JoseJones said:
Okay, I am really stoked right now because the SeaSonic X750 is on a crazy sale right now at Newegg - retail $189 minus a $30 discount minus another $40 for a promo code = $119 - which is $20 bucks cheaper than the 650w

So, I bought TWO! :D
Click to expand...

Great deal. I got my X-760 (newer version of X-750 no major changes though I don't think) for $119CAD and am very happy with it, it's nice to have the peace of mine of owning a top tier PSU. I was going to go with the XFX PRO750/850 series but this deal was too good to pass up. It's definitely overkill for my setup (and yours) but still runs efficiently at the ~350W I draw from it (and the fan is quiet).
 
grambo said:
Great deal. I got my X-760 (newer version of X-750 no major changes though I don't think) for $119CAD and am very happy with it, it's nice to have the peace of mine of owning a top tier PSU. I was going to go with the XFX PRO750/850 series but this deal was too good to pass up. It's definitely overkill for my setup (and yours) but still runs efficiently at the ~350W I draw from it (and the fan is quiet).
Click to expand...
Oh, I didn't even realize that there was an updated version or I would've at least checked into it. I'd be curious to find out what was different about it and if it's better or not.
 
10 additional watts, slightly better efficiency and slightly better ripple suppression and voltage regulation. That's about it.
 
^
"10 additional watts, slightly better efficiency and slightly better ripple suppression and voltage regulation"

Well, that would've been worth the upgrade. Where did you get it from? It's not even mentioned at Newegg.

http://www.seasonicusa.com/NEW_X-series_560-660-760-850.htm

Found it at Newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151103 but then, it says: "Deactivated. This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked."

I wonder what's up with that?

Well, I'm kinda hoping that they'll accidentally send me the upgraded 760 version. I won't be mad.
 
Last edited:
I had to search to find it but, Newegg says the same thing about the Seasonic upgraded version of the SeaSonic X660w too:

"Deactivated. This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked."
Click to expand...

I wonder what's up with that?

I notice the older versions only offer SLI and not Crossfire, which won't matter to me since I'll never use more than one GPU. I just wonder what else I may be missing out on with the older version? Wish I'd known I may have held out for the newer version. Now, it's going to bug me.

Since Tsumi got his X-760w for the same price, I wonder if I should cancel my order and get it from wherever Tsumi did? Where did you order it, Tsumi?
 
Wrong person, that was Grambo :p I'm using a Seasonic M12D 750w.

Anyways, I believe he ordered it from NCIX, based on his statement of CAD (canadian dollars).

There is the possibility that Seasonic diverted that supply to other companies. I believe the Corsair AX series (besides the AX1200) use the upgraded X series, but not too sure on that. It could also be because it was more expensive to manufacture with little results.
 
It really highly depends on where you live and what you're doing with your computer. For the majority of users, 80 plus is mostly irrelevant, because it would simply take too long to realize any sort of savings.

If you live in say California, where electricity is $0.12 per kwh or higher, and you're folding 24/7 with 3 580s and an overclocked i7 920, assuming each GPU pulling 250 watts DC and the CPU pulling 200 watts, that's 950 watts DC. With an 85% efficient silver 1000w power supply, that would be a wall pull of approximately 1120 watts. With a 90% efficient platinum 1000w power supply, the wall pull is approximately 1055 watts. That's a difference of 65 watts, or 1.56 kwh per day. That's a cost difference of at least 18 cents a day, or $68 a year.

The cost difference between an 80 plus silver and 80 plus platinum power supply (using Corsair HX1050 and Seasonic 1000w platinum, current Newegg prices) is ~$60. Thus, for this extreme scenario, it would take less than a year to recoup the costs of investing in a more efficient power supply (given that it actually is more efficient). However, for most users, which are idling, and their computers aren't on 24/7, the electric bill cost difference is much smaller, and it would take much longer (typically at least 5 years, probably up to 10 or more) to recoup the costs of investing in a higher efficiency power supply solely for the higher efficiency.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top