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What PSU should I get for SLI GTX 480s discussion thread

n1ckkk

n1ckkk

n1ckkk

Associate
Joined
21 Nov 2009
Posts
42
Location
Across the Pond, USA
Antec 1200W OC Edtion

Enermax 1050w (want this one but heard some issues, anyone have comments)

Corsair HX1000W (don't really want to get this)

OCZ Z 1000W (not heard much about it)

its really between the enermax and the Antec but I don't like how the antec doesn't feature a power switch!!

anyone have experiences with the Enermax?

Thanks.. also please try to keep this thread open and active, I'm looking on opinions for GOOD power supplies for a new system build so I'd like to see what everyone has to offer.
 
Corsair is probably the safe bet out of those... OCZ Z is a bit of a wildcard - I have a PSU built on an earlier version of the internals and its v. v. good, but OCZ have a bad habit of switching revisions around i.e. a PSU with good reputation will suddenly swap to cheaper components after a few months, or one with some flaws will get an upgrade out of the blue. As to the one in question all the reviews seem very positive, stating high efficency with low noise and out of spec handling better than in spec on cheaper PSUs.

I wouldn't touch any of the others personally.
 
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Corsair HX1000 is 2 x 500 watt psu's slapped together. Its old tech now and not as efficient as the enermax which is around 92% efficiency. Also some multi card owners have experienced issues with the corsair as two cards or a card and cpu can max out one of the 500w psu's. Which is something to bare in mind.


Reviews for the Enermax

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=138

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...volution-85-1050w-power-supply-review-13.html

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=671&type=expert&pid=8

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=801&page=6


Johnny guru is probably the best site for psu reviews.


Edit: It has also been said that OCZ are pulling out of all products that isn't related to memory ie no more psu's.
 
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The HX850W will suffice. Several pro reviews have shown this PSU to deliver over 1000W and mine worked fine running an overclocked tri-fire setup (1x 5870 plus 2x 5850) and an i7 @ 3.8GHz, until I realised that much graphics power was pointless.
 
Any reason you don't want the HX1000? cracking PSU in my opinion - one slight downside is the length of some of the cables compared to some others but not a show stopper
 
~TB~ said:
Any reason you don't want the HX1000? cracking PSU in my opinion - one slight downside is the length of some of the cables compared to some others but not a show stopper
Click to expand...

Well.. lets see where to start.

Don't want the blue color, horrible rail layout with two 500w's slapped together, it's becoming old and out-of-date (released in Early 2008 - it's now April 2010 so I'd probably only get a good year 1/2 out of it if that) and the length of the cables.

Right now I'm going to either get the New Antec 1200W OC Edition (which can support up to four Fermis with native connectors) or the Enermax 1050w.

just not sure if I want to get the Antec cause their no power switch, and I haven't seen any reviews yet (just released) OCZ looks like a no-go now that they are pulling out.
 
yeap... which model is better tho?

Galaxy EVO 1250w or the 1050w ?

Im leaning more towards the EVO but some reviews say the 1050 is more efficient, but the Galaxy got a better score on jonny guru for some minor things that make the Unit better.

Price isn't an issue between the both of them (they are both very expensive and wont mind spending the extra to get the better one)

what does the effiency actually mean in a real world scenario?
 
I have a Corsair HX850 with 1 x 5970 and a 5870 in crossfire cpu is at 4Gig and loads of case fans.

Surely the 480's can't be that thirsty to warrant anything higher? :eek:

If it does then i'm shocked.
 
I currently have a HX1000 and can't find fault with it except for maybe the annoying pci-e flat modular cables. Each one only has a single pci-e 6+2pin which means you need to run 2 lots of cables for your 2nd gpu.


However lots of people on XS use the HX1000 with dual gtx 480's, and it's known to be able to knock out about 1200 watts easily. In fact it's a tweaked Channel Well 1200w design it's based on which Corsair downgraded. I know it's not as efficient as the newer designs out there and is really only 2x500watts stuck together but that has it's benefits too, and the way the rails are managed your not going to overload one psu with a video card and cpu, especially if you stick with corsairs recommendations :

GPU1 and 2 go on 12v2, and CPU and GPU 3 go on 12v1.
http://forum.corsair.com/v3/attachment.php?attachmentid=3676&d=1213300907

Regarding the Enermax, I had 2 Revolution 85+ 1250w psu's. And returned both of them as both had unbalanced fans which made a terrible buzzing noise. At the time I had a Raven RV02 which was a very quiet case, so it was really annoying. Apparently a couple of reviews have picked up on the fan issue. I saw this too late.

The only psu I'd consider now over the HX1000 is the Silverstone Strider 1500w if I was changing and needed the power. JonnyGuru rates is very highly indeed. I reckon you would need to be talking 3 gtx 480's to make it worthwhile.
 
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n1ckkk said:
yeap... which model is better tho?

Galaxy EVO 1250w or the 1050w ?

Im leaning more towards the EVO but some reviews say the 1050 is more efficient, but the Galaxy got a better score on jonny guru for some minor things that make the Unit better.

Price isn't an issue between the both of them (they are both very expensive and wont mind spending the extra to get the better one)

what does the effiency actually mean in a real world scenario?
Click to expand...


The galaxy is the older design psu, the rev85+ is the newer psu from enermax.
 
I actually just ordered the 1250w model of the Galaxy, is that a bad thing?

should I change my order to a 1050w revo? or is everything all good?

One reason why I went with the galaxy is it's listed under SLI zones certified PSUs for GTX 480 in SLI mode, but the 1050w isn't.

Also the revo and the Galaxy are basically the same thing per Jonny Guru quick response please so I can cancel if its really that bad. !!

EDIT: After my research the current newer model of the Galaxy was released after the Revos.

Must be the old Galaxy you're talking about?
 
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If you are in the USA you will have the galaxy evo which we dont have here in the UK. The standard galaxy is the older psu (a few years old) with the rev+ being released at the end of last year.
 
so you're saying there was...

an older "GALAXY" which was from a few years ago

and the Newer "GALAXY EVO" which is the most current model - which is good for NA users?

I know we cant have the Rev+ 1250s because of some regulation thing, but I just wanted confirmation that the Galaxy Evo is the newer line of galaxies and that I got a new unit from 2009+
 
i had a 1000w galaxy and it was a cracking PSU i only moved away from it as it was too big

always have bought enermax PSUs and never had a problem.

Im using an XFX PSU atm as i wanted it for power Vs Size and ive already RMAd it once and it was new last September.
 
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