People keep telling me I'm fine with a 430w PSU for this build. Please tell me why.

[asher1611]

The build is below. I am using an old DVDRW in addition.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($195.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer V193WEJb 19.0" Monitor ($91.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $674.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-22 12:12 EDT-0400)

My biggest concern is that I had a larger power supply originally but was recommended the 430w by multiple reddit users and the 7850's specs suggest a 500w PSU minimum. I have used calculators that say the power draw for this will only be around 300w. I just want to make sure I'm not killing my build early, as nothing is together or even arrived and I still have time to get a bigger PSU.

The PSU I'm using has a single 12v28A rail if that helps. I just need a detailed explanation of why 430w would be sufficient for the build above. I have included a link that shows the 7850's average power draw as being around 110w, with other reports I have seen listing the max as 130w.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages..._review,6.html

[sizzlinsauce]

i3 3220 is like 95watts tpd ram hdd's fans, probably only another 30 watts

ur gpu at max 175watts should be fine. would only go bigger psu if you are definite you will upgrade.

[razski]

I would go with a 650w, minimum.

But thats because I'm always upgrading parts.

[Vinho]

People stress over too small of a power supply, and AMD / ATI are only covering their butts when they say "minimum" 500 watt PSU.

In actuality the estimated wattage for this build would probably be less than 350 (At maximum power consumption). 430 is clearly enough, even WITH expansion.

If you're planning on throwing in another 7850 to run Crossfire in the near future, I'd suggest a 500W then.

[inux94]

430w is more than enough, IIRC the 7850 only draws 150w on load.

[Moinaldo]

The thing is, even if you are "fine" right now, as some of the poster say, PSU will degrade over time, depending on the load and hours/day you use it... so that's why it's better to buy a good brand more powerful PSU.

[Tonyctattoo]

i just ordered an i5 system with a 7870 and i was nervous about going with only a 600 watt psu .. good luck

[inux94]

CX 430w V2 is a perfectly good PSU from Corsair.

Corsair's products are usually of very high quality, I highly doubt the PSU will seriously start degreading within the next 4 years, even on heavy use. (I use a 550w on an i5-3570k OC'd at 4,2GHz, with a GTX 670. Aswell as H60 and 11 case fans.)

[Jurwi]

You should be fine even with some degradation over time. But forget any plans of upgrading CPU/GPU while using the same PSU.

---------- Post added 2012-09-22 at 08:09 PM ----------

CX 430w V2 is a perfectly good PSU from Corsair & Corsair's products are usually of very high quality, I highly doubt the PSU will seriously start degreading within the next 4 years, even on heavy use. (I use a 550w on an i5-3570k OC'd at 4,2GHz, with a GTX 670. Aswell as H60 and 11 case fans.)

11 fans? Why on earth... I'm using i7-2600K @ 4GHzand GTX 580. ONE case fan. I can only imagine the constant, pointless humming, of 11 of them.

[inux94]

Humming only happens on a bad combination of fans/case, mine is barely hearable.

Bragging reasons mostly

[skrump]

That Psu has plenty of power, you could even get away with adding a extra harddrive or two.

Though I would still recommend upgrading to 650w or more simply because you will eventually realize you need a better video card like a geforce 550/560ti to get decent framerates from even wow and good video cards really suck up the power.

Not only that but you got to remember power supplies are rated by maximum output and that output is not expected to be continuous as it really stresses the components of the psu itself which could cause power fluctuations and damage other computer parts.

Most people generally forget about such things but I killed 3 harddrives within a year before I figured out the power supply was failing due to being continuously pressed to it's limits.

[Deleted]

Though I would still recommend upgrading to 650w or more simply because you will eventually realize you need a better video card like a geforce 550/560ti to get decent framerates from even wow and good video cards really suck up the power.
.

7850 is better than a 560ti

I would opt for another psu, afaik the builder series from corsair or not up to par with their other products. This PSU, actually produces only 330 watts on the 12v line. I would get an XFX/seasonic 450/550 watt psu

this one for example
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207013

Yes it will cost more, but it actually produces 530 watt (ye, not 550 like advertised, but the difference is minimal compared to the corsair one). You dont want to skip money on your psu.

[The GameMaster]

The build is below. I am using an old DVDRW in addition.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/i3wS/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($195.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer V193WEJb 19.0" Monitor ($91.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $674.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-22 12:12 EDT-0400)

My biggest concern is that I had a larger power supply originally but was recommended the 430w by multiple reddit users and the 7850's specs suggest a 500w PSU minimum. I have used calculators that say the power draw for this will only be around 300w. I just want to make sure I'm not killing my build early, as nothing is together or even arrived and I still have time to get a bigger PSU.

The PSU I'm using has a single 12v28A rail if that helps. I just need a detailed explanation of why 430w would be sufficient for the build above. I have included a link that shows the 7850's average power draw as being around 110w, with other reports I have seen listing the max as 130w.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages..._review,6.html

A 430watt PSU is a bit weak for this build if you was to ask me personally, and the main reason why is the video card. If you was to reduce the video card to more of a mid range level it would be fine in that case (AMD Radeon 7770 or lower). WHAT PSU you get is every bit as important as how strong of one to get as PSUs ARE NOT EQUAL. My rule of thumb is that I do not want my FULL LOAD (in watts) of the entire build to exceed more than HALF of the PSU's rated sustained wattage. This means, for example, I have a high quality 700 watt PSU in my computer and under a heavy load my 4 year old computer with an OCed Intel C2QEx, 2 HDDs in RAID, Optical Drive, Readers, 4 sticks of high speed DDR2 (OCed), 5870 Radeon, etc. is around 350-400 watts... just slightly above that 50% mark. I am comfortable with this PSU given my build. Even with PSUs that are 80% certified (which mine is) I still don't want to come near that point with a computer build. The logic is this... PSUs are a point of failure in your computer... and the less stress you put it under the longer it will last. So while you COULD get away with a weaker PSU in a computer... you put it under more stress... more stress means it may failure earlier rather than later... more stress means more unstable power output (another issue)... and if a PSU fails and depending on HOW it fails that could put other parts of your computer at risk (due to power surges/spikes/etc). Your choice of PSU wasn't bad (Corsair makes good PSUs), but it's wattage is a tad weak for that configuration (unless you go with a weaker video card) for me to be comfortable. That configuration under heavy load would likely close to 250-275 watts (~58-64%) of that rated PSU's wattage.

I would recommend a 500watt or stronger for your build. On another note... your choice of CPU is somewhat weak... I would suggest an i5 quad core instead of a i3 dual core. The reason is not only is the i3 a bit weak... your choice of video card would overwhelm that CPU causing some CPU bottlenecking in performance. This is also the other reason why I suggested a mid range video card such as a Geforce 550 or Radeon 7770 instead of a high range video card in your build. Regardless I would tweak your build a bit and my best suggestions is to go to a i5 quad core (not that much more expensive) and a somewhat stronger PSU (500 watt or stronger). Not going to get into the choice of motherboard here, but that's just experience yelling at me.

[Deleted]

I would recommend a 500watt or stronger for your build. On another note... your choice of CPU is somewhat weak... I would suggest an i5 quad core instead of a i3 dual core. The reason is not only is the i3 a bit weak... your choice of video card would overwhelm that CPU causing some CPU bottlenecking in performance. This is also the other reason why I suggested a mid range video card such as a Geforce 550 or Radeon 7770 instead of a high range video card in your build. Regardless I would tweak your build a bit and my best suggestions is to go to a i5 quad core (not that much more expensive) and a somewhat stronger PSU (500 watt or stronger). Not going to get into the choice of motherboard here, but that's just experience yelling at me.

His choice of CPU wont be bottlenecking the gpu in any game.

[asher1611]

7850 is better than a 560ti

I would opt for another psu, afaik the builder series from corsair or not up to par with their other products. This PSU, actually produces only 330 watts on the 12v line. I would get an XFX/seasonic 450/550 watt psu

this one for example
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207013

Yes it will cost more, but it actually produces 530 watt (ye, not 550 like advertised, but the difference is minimal compared to the corsair one). You dont want to skip money on your psu.

The bolded above is one of my biggest concerns with this PSU. I know it can run the system, my concern is too much stress over time. Especially with the wiring in my house being especially old. I have a high quality surge protector...but still.

This is what I was thinking of at first, although 650w would be overkill for this build I could keep using it when I did eventually upgrade: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

His choice of CPU wont be bottlenecking the gpu in any game.

+1

This is exactly why I went with the i3 after having my heart set on the i5 for so long. The i3 is actually a very good CPU for gaming from everything I've read. I'm not looking for critiques of my build though as I already have been through that gamut, just looking for PSU advice since it is vital to the sustainability of my computer.

People stress over too small of a power supply, and AMD / ATI are only covering their butts when they say "minimum" 500 watt PSU.

In actuality the estimated wattage for this build would probably be less than 350 (At maximum power consumption). 430 is clearly enough, even WITH expansion.

If you're planning on throwing in another 7850 to run Crossfire in the near future, I'd suggest a 500W then.

I'm not planning on doing crossfire at this time. I understand what they're saying about the minimum 500 watt, which is why I asked here since there are some knowledgeable people around and available.

As said above, my worry is stress over time with the 12v rail on the Corsair PSU. There's a lot that is going to be running through it.

[Deleted]

This is what I was thinking of at first, although 650w would be overkill for this build I could keep using it when I did eventually upgrade

I have no clue about antec PSU's, but i think they are alright. Otherwise you could go for a corsair TX v2 one.

[glo]

So much misinformation in this thread it's making my head hurt. The misconception of what type of power is needed for builds has grown to astronomical proportions over the years. Any single GPU setup available would run with that power supply at stock clocks, including an i7-3770K and a GTX 680/HD 7970.

i3-3220 = 55w under full load
HD 7850 = 115w under full load
Motherboard, RAM, HDD, fans and whatever = 35w~

Your system maxes out around 205w with everything going full blast. Just don't worry about it.

[Deleted]

SO you still want to say, altho it seems enough, that 430 corsair psu is a good psu, compared to the XFX 550 i linked for instance.

And i think, a couple of the ppl in here know more is overkill (OP stated it a couple of posts above) but he wants a bigger one for safety. I see nothing wrong there.

[asher1611]

SO you still want to say, altho it seems enough, that 430 corsair psu is a good psu, compared to the XFX 550 i linked for instance.

And i think, a couple of the ppl in here know more is overkill (OP stated it a couple of posts above) but he wants a bigger one for safety. I see nothing wrong there.

I agree that it's overkill to get more based on the specs out of the box. But it's also a matter of I'm buying all these parts now, I might as well buy a PSU that will last so that when I do eventually upgrade the CPU/GPU in a few years, I don't have to go through the hassle of doing it again.

Yes, there is a lot of misinformation in this thread. But it's pretty easy to tell who knows what they're talking about and who doesn't. So thanks for the help and feedback!

[westom]

I agree that it's overkill to get more based on the specs out of the box. But it's also a matter of I'm buying all these parts now, I might as well buy a PSU that will last so that when I do eventually upgrade the CPU/GPU in a few years, I don't have to go through the hassle of doing it again.

Any assumption that wattage and quality are related is bogus. If any relationship exists, a higher wattage supply may simply be missing essential functions to increase profits. Since nobody needs wattage that large, then a supply manufacturer knows he is selling to consumers who have no idea what to ask for.

Important number is current for each voltage. Therefore computers designed by engineers even have 200 watts supplies. But 'current for each voltage' can be too complex for most computer assemblers. So we calculate the wattage. Double that number. And tell computer assemblers that he needs 400 watts. Then component manufacturers (ie Nvidia) simply increase that number further. So that computer assembler are not clogging up cusomter support phone lines.

Does your computer output heat like a four slice toaster? Of course not. At most, it is outputing less heat than two 100 watt light bulbs. Just another reason why you know 600 watts supplies are never needed.

Essential to any supply selection are a long list of manufacturer spec numbers. If not provided with each supply, then the few who know this stuff cannot provide assistance or warn about defective supplies. If not provided, then the manufacturer can put more money into watts while ignoring other critically important functions.

Who is responsible if those functions are missing? Not the supply manufacturer. Any missing function is the responsiblity of each computer assembler. Only the assembler is responsible for and must confirm all necessary functions are inside a supply.