Forgive me computer, for I have sinned (regarding PSU)

[iggie]

I bought my new computer, built it all, but I'm afraid to even turn it on now. I used a website to find my optimal PSU power, but now looking to the future (and at my LED fans), I think I should be on the safe side and just replace the bloody thing.

* Asus P8Z68-V PRO GEN3
* Intel quad-core Core i5 processor i5-2500K - 3.30GHz/LGA 1155/6MB three cache / 95W
* EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
* Kingston HYPERX x2 4G DDR3 1600
* Intel 128G SSD
* Some Samsung 500G HDD (7200 RPM)
* Razer Naga
* Asus 515 Chassis (has a fan in it as well)
* Cheap Asus DVD/R
* Massive Coolmaster CPU cooler (looks like the Hyper TX3 RR-910-HTX3-G1)

I initially purchased an ANTEC 550W CP PSU, but I think it's too small risky, especially with my fans + an already OC'ed GPU. My question for yous is this: what size should I be upgrading to? My hope is to OC my CPU to 4.0ghz at some point. I might also add a third LED fan if I need more air circulation as well.


Question 2: air flow. This is my case, the Asus 515. Red indicates intake fans, yellow is my PSU (yes, it's at the bottom left) and purple is my exit fan typically where the PSU is. Is this enough air flow? I know I don't have a top intake fan (I opted for the side fan to blow on my GPU instead of in top) , but will this hold me over for now, and possibly later on when I try and OC my CPU a bit?
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/d21c3

I could add another FAN on top sucking air out... but maybe that's overkill?

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

A high quality 550w PSU would do you well. This semi-modular psu is one example.

If you went a bit higher, you would be able to possibly SLi in the future if you wanted to. If I am not mistaken, a 750w would be fine for this purpose. Something along the lines of this psu or this modular psu.

Of course these are just examples for you.

[iggie]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371016 is what I have now. I'm really worried about using it. I got a screaming deal on it though. Not really sure how it stacks up against the ones you linked (which are higher priced to).

I will do SLI in the future (at least 1 year, prolly 2) but would a big PSU like a 1000W last for that many years? It's also hard as balls to get a big PSU in China.

[Fuzzeekee]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371016 is what I have now. I'm really worried about using it. I got a screaming deal on it though. Not really sure how it stacks up against the ones you linked (which are higher priced to).

I will do SLI in the future (at least 1 year, prolly 2) but would a big PSU like a 1000W last for that many years? It's also hard as balls to get a big PSU in China.

Those aren't bad low/mid range PSUs Idrinkwhiterussians linked...Doesn't really get a whole lot cheaper before it's non-certified. You should look up the FSP aurum or seasonic brand... Best PSUs you can get really. They are a bit more. Around 110-170$ on average if you're worried about the performance and you can afford it. I personally use the seasonic X series (I know random people are going to comment and flame me for no reason)...But if you're on a budget don't go worse than a non-certified PSU like everyone is saying. I have learned in the past from explosions/fires/etc...

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Sure a 1000w would last that long, but it is not needed. 750-850 at a high quality would do you quite well.

The reason I linked what I did was not so much for price, but was more for the quality of product. Seasonic and most Corsairs (Corsair PSUs are partially manufactured by Seasonic) are some of the highest quality makes out there.

About the fans... A top exhaust is nice because, well, heat rises. It would just help it rise a bit quicker. It depends on the size it requires of course, but I hear pretty much only good things about Noctua fans.

[iggie]

My current one is 80 PLUS Certified though? The biggest seasonic I've seen here is the 620W. Price isn't an issue, it's mainly availability. ANTEC is the big dog over here it seems (for non Chinese brands), with Coolmaster a close second.

This was a Corsair I was looking at, but since I'm not ordering off newegg (through a friend at a company) I'll most likely end up with an ANTEC/Coolmaster (all the fans + CPU cooler I have are coolmaster). Most likely I need to pick a model from those two companies and tell him which one I want.

Sure a 1000w would last that long, but it is not needed. 750-850 at a high quality would do you quite well.

I use my computer a good 12-16 hours a day, work and pleasure, I read that I should expect a 20% decay in power in that case. I figured if I went big I'd be able to add a third LED fan and be ready for SLI whenever I need it. Now, my fiance would rather me upgrade to a 650-750 and upg bigger later.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

I am quite unsure how hard it is to ship to China. You could try going through Taiwan to get a PSU... Just a possibility

[iggie]

I am quite unsure how hard it is to ship to China. You could try going through Taiwan to get a PSU... Just a possibility

www.newegg.com.cn has a limited selection, but the PSU's aren't THAT bad. Just pop in 650W or whatever you want in the search and you'll get a few PSU's from each brand. You don't think I should buy ANTEC or Coolmaster? Because that's probably all my friend in the same city as me can offer me.

[Fuzzeekee]

You could but it might end up way more expensive. I really wish I knew since I'm in Canada. > Sorry friend! Antec here at least is more expensive, even though they make great PSUs. If you're limited to ANTEC and like lets say you buy an HCP 750w series they have or similar, it's going to last 5-10 years, and you'll probably be reusing it in multiple builds because it lasts so long. The price COULD be justified for you....But I paid a lot for mine, though it was a different brand, but I bought it a long time ago, and my PSU has dropped in price by almost $70 here.

I wish I knew what to recommend but I don't know your budget/needs ...You'd be fine with a bronze 80 plus corsair unit, or any quality unit. I ALSO agree completely with what Idrinkwhiterussians is saying.

Good luck

[iggie]

The one I have is 80 plus.. and that's it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS . Seems that the different between 80plus and bronze is minimal at best.

Do you think my current specs can run safely off the ANTEC BP 550W 80 plus?

[Fuzzeekee]

The one I have is 80 plus.. and that's it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_PLUS . Seems that the different between 80plus and bronze is minimal at best.

Do you think my current specs can run safely off the ANTEC BP 550W 80 plus?

I can't find any reviews but you could try? It's probably as good as the corsair units since it's at least certified. I wish I knew the answer. I mean personally I would just hook the sucker up and try it out. I personally don't buy that, but I'm trying really hard to put myself in your shoes so I can feel what you're thinking about your PSU. The difference isn't just the 80 plus rating, there are WAY more things to consider. Ripple, noise, reliability, and ACTUAL efficiency. A really high end PSU is going to exceed the 80 plus rating, some cheap corsair units fail it. But they are still reliable. For low end PSUs efficiency isn't such a big thing, you're more worried about how the thing performs when you hit between 60-100% load. They can fail, but my gut instinct if I was in your situation would be just to power the thing on. I mean you're having second thoughts but you seem pretty serious about your PSU even though the 550 watt will barely make it for your setup. Those are very efficient parts though too, so it could work. If you had some power leech like my piece of garbage 125w phenom, that would be different. I mean you are really intent already on running the thing. I'm not trying to use my opinion at all.

If your ripple and noise levels are too high (which I can't tell since I don't have a review) it can corrupt circuits with low fault tolerance such as memory. It can also destroy your PSU components like capacitors over time. It doesn't really have much of an effect on a CPU since they are pretty noise resistant. How it does this, is digital logic operates on voltage levels....Logic gates will change state based on if the voltage goes high or low, there is some room for error, but if there is a massive spike it will add some strange issues. But also there are all kinds of things that are built into to stop this. So I wouldn't worry, there are parity checks and other things. But it is an issue that can happen, and it's more of an issue though when you're recording music through your computer.

Good luck

[iggie]

I can't find any reviews but you could try? It's probably as good as the corsair units since it's at least certified. I wish I knew the answer. I mean personally I would just hook the sucker up and try it out.

My worry is when I try and crank up my graphics for swtor launch I'll crash and burn. I'd flip my lid if I needed to travel to the cyber mall here to get it fixed when I could be pew pewing Imperials!

[Skelly]

You'll be fine.

[glo]

http://www.newegg.com.cn/Search.aspx?keyword=corsair

Plenty of Corsair PSU's there, including 750w+.

[iggie]

http://www.newegg.com.cn/Search.aspx?keyword=corsair

Plenty of Corsair PSU's there, including 750w+.

That's the plan right now, to aim for a 750W Corsair 80 plus for my current setup. If I can get a good deal I might get 900+ for SLI/overclocking so I don't need to upg down the road. Hopefully the friend I'm seeing tomorrow stocks Corsair.

[Nellah]

That's the plan right now, to aim for a 750W Corsair 80 plus for my current setup. If I can get a good deal I might get 900+ for SLI/overclocking so I don't need to upg down the road. Hopefully the friend I'm seeing tomorrow stocks Corsair.

That's ideal, a GTX 570 SLI setup would be comfortable with a 750-watt PSU. It's not quite enough for me to be comfortable running a GTX580 SLI setup, but it's good for any dual-GPU setup besides that I think.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Sorry for not chiming in for a bit, but you would want to go with either the HX or AX series from Corsair (if you can afford it - I cba to look up the conversion rate for yuan right now).

They are decent units that are modular. The AX being the more efficient units.

[iggie]

I ended up going with the Corsair GS700. Yeah it's not modular.... but I'll be upgrading it in a year when I go SLI and I have three case fans which SHOULD keep my temps in control until then. Holy balls is there a lot of cables though (PSU is mounted in the bottom left of the case).