Modular Vs Non-modular PSU's

Cycrow · 4 Oct 2010 at 14:27

im sure most ppl who arn't worried about the extra cables dont use the high powered psus that come with so many cables.

the corsair 850 came with so many cables that it would be very difficult to try and put them away somewhere.

so for larger PSUs, modular is defiantly worth it.

also, the modular PSU's are not always the same as the non-modular ones just with modular cables, sometimes they are different in many other areas as well

just take the Corsair TX850 and HX850.
they are more different than just the modular cables, for a start, the HX is more efficent than the TX, as well as many other differences

jeckulz · 4 Oct 2010 at 17:08

Big.Wayne said:
Can you define what you mean by "extra £££" please?

£1.00? . . . £2.00? . . . £5.00?

Some people just find it easier to work with a PSU with less unneeded cables, Some people just prefer a case with tidy internals . . . less cable junk does help promote better airflow? . . .

I guess that some people are happy to sweep the dirt under the carpet!

He's just annoyed because his PSU is the only thing not worth putting in his sig.

Liampope · 4 Oct 2010 at 17:32

Big.Wayne said:
. . . less cable junk does help promote better airflow? . . .

If someone can't tidy the redundant cables of a non-modular PSU well enough that there is a measurable effect on case airflow, there's something wrong with them! Even shoving them in the optical drive bays gets them out of airflow. Modular PSU is purely an aesthetic choice. I'll get one one day, though

setter · 4 Oct 2010 at 17:57

Depends too an extent the amount of components you have in the case as well, currently have a moduar corsair HX850w, was grand when i had a single gpu using only two pcie connectors, added a second gpu and a pcie soundcard, along with a fan controller and 3 hdd's and an optical drive, im using quite a few cables from the psu now.

Current setup

Single gpu

In the past i did have a non modular Thermaltake toughpower, was much easier to tidy things then due to the better type of braided cables that the toughpower had compared to the flat corsair ones.

Big.Wayne · 4 Oct 2010 at 18:00

Liampope said:
If someone can't tidy the redundant cables of a non-modular PSU well enough that there is a measurable effect on case airflow, there's something wrong with them!

I don't see why someone should even need to bother tidying away cables that are not using or will never use? . . . some smaller cases combined with a real serious spaghetti PSU creates a bunch of cables that just get in the way . . . for no good reason?

What reason do we want cables inside a PC that will almost certainly never be used? . . . does it really cost a PSU manufacturer more than a few pound extra to create a modular PSU?

If priced the same is there a genuine arguement why someone would prefere a non-modular/spaghetti PSU?

Liampope said:
Even shoving them in the optical drive bays gets them out of airflow

And what happens if someone has optical drives in the optical bays? . . . what happens if someone has a Kama Bay in the optical bays drawing cool air in? . . . what happens if someone has a modern Thermally advantaged chassis with the PSU sitting at the bottom of the chassis?

Why bother "shoving" something anywhere that doesn't need to be there in the first place? :confused:

Liampope said:
Modular PSU is purely an aesthetic choice. I'll get one one day, though

Live and learn I say! :cool:

Xelene · 4 Oct 2010 at 18:33

My first "premium" PSU was a Seasonic S600. It's a fine PSU, and i'll keep it around as a good quality spare & for testing. It was a bloody mess tho, not so bad in my old P180 but not so good in a more open case.

I'm happy with my modular now tho. Plenty of unused cables boxed up for when they are needed, and less space in the case wasted.

euroDub · 4 Oct 2010 at 18:54

I hears on a handful of reviews that modular PSUs have a tendency of having less stable rails especially under load, so I'd opt for a non modular one. Corsair TX series are great heavy duty PSUs imo

dazza13 · 4 Oct 2010 at 19:58

Modular all the way i'm happy to pay extra not have to deal with all the spare cables from non-modular psu.

Have a corsair hx520 mod and ocz 7oo modxstreme at the moment both great psu's.

Bubba · 4 Oct 2010 at 21:29

Even if you save £5 going for a standard psu against modular I would say its worth it, maybe some people have money to waste of gimmicks like this but I would rather have that £5 in my pocket that I could spend on something else.

Maybe im just tight lol

Jony27 · 4 Oct 2010 at 21:31

by the sounds of it bubba your tight

£5 difference?hmmm well i guess you could get a mx-3 with that

Bubba · 4 Oct 2010 at 21:50

lol

The problem is if you say to yourself "oh its only another £5" and you do this on every component then it all adds up, so you could end up spending maybe an extra £50 on a system overall, sure if there is a performance increase then I could maybe justify it but when its something silly like this I wouldn't bother.

If I asked one of my customer if they wanted a modular power supply they would look at me with an blank face, if I then explained to them the "advantages" they would probably laugh at me. But then you do get people who spend money just for the sake of spending it.

Arthalen · 4 Oct 2010 at 22:09

euroDub said:
I hears on a handful of reviews that modular PSUs have a tendency of having less stable rails especially under load, so I'd opt for a non modular one. Corsair TX series are great heavy duty PSUs imo

TX series PSU's are brilliant PSU's for the reliability, stable rails, clean power and excellant output. And for the price, I wouldn't recommend a better PSU.

However as a previous TX750 owner I'm glad I've sold mine on now and am looking at getting a AX750.

Say what? Same size PSU? :eek:

The modular aspect is the first requirement - I've downsized my case and don't need the complete clutter of what the TX cables give.

Secondly, I wanted a Gold rated PSU for efficiency. Efficiency = less power required = less electric bill over time.

Thirdly, due in part to its efficiency, the AX750 is a lot quieter than the TX series at similar loads.

Last, the AX series is just as good as the TX series for clean power and stable rails. Check out the JonnyGuru reviews of the AX series, you'll see what I mean.

So for me, is that extra THIRTY pounds worth it for going from a TX to an AX series PSU? Well, I'll give that a 'hell yeah'.

Did I think it was worth it putting off my build by a month until October pay day so I can afford the AX series PSU? Yes, well yes I have. (I could have had my new build this month instead by keeping the TX).

Sometimes, Its worth having that extra bit of patience for the parts you want.