Help me pick a PSU

Djdom56 · 8 Mar 2017 at 18:40

Hi everyone, just a quick question...

For this build:
CPU - i5-7600k
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
GPU - Probably an AMD RX480 but possibly something a little bit more powerful(depends on prices around Christmas this year)
16Gb DDR4 3000MHz RAM
1TB HDD
240Gb SSD
MSI z270i mobo
Edit - *Bitfenix Prodigy mini ITX case*

Would I see any difference in performance, or limitations in OCing/bigger GPUs going with a 600W Be Quiet! PSU over a Corsair CX650M PSU? Only reason I am preferring the BeQuiet! is due to their good reputation for low volumes.

Thanks in advance.

Grimley · 8 Mar 2017 at 19:03

I wouldn't buy either. For not much more you could buy this:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Super Flower Leadex GOLD 550W Fully Modular '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply - Gunmetal= £69.95

Total: £80.45
(includes shipping: £10.50)

I'm certain Pastymuncher will be along to back me up.

Djdom56 · 8 Mar 2017 at 19:14

Sorry, I should have added the case on there too. The Prodigy struggles to take PSUs that are >160mm depth, especially if they are fully modular - a product of the cutouts in the PSU compartment- both of the PSUs I posted are semi-modular.

Is there any reason that I should avoid specifically either of the ones I suggested? I am happy to take suggestions however the priorities are sufficient wattage for future improvements, case compatibility and low volume operation.

pastymuncher · 8 Mar 2017 at 19:51

About the only good thing about the cheaper BeQuiet psu's is that they use a quiet fan. There is little else good about them. They get mediocre reviews and for the most part have fairly weak 12v rails. The Gold rated and above versions can be good but they tend to be way overpriced. The Corsair CX/CXM series have poor quality internals and should also be avoided.

The new Bitfenix Whisper M psu's have been getting good reviews, have got very quiet fans and have a 7 year warranty. They come in at 160mm long.

If you don't mind hard wired cables the Superflower Golden Green HX 550w and the Platinum King 650w are only 145mm long and are decent psu's with a 5 year warranty.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Bitfenix Whisper M Series 550W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply= £77.99
1 x Super Flower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black= £69.95
1 x Bitfenix Whisper M Series 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply= £84.95
1 x Super Flower Platinum King 650W 80 Plus Platinum Power Supply - Black= £87.95

A very good series of psu's that do work well in the Prodigy are the excellent Corsair SF models but they may be more money than you want to spend. They are very good though and are fully modular and very quiet with their zero rpm mode below a certain load/temp and have a 7 year warranty. There is a 450w version but as we don't know what gpu you will end up with I have listed the 600w version. The 450w would manage a GTX1070 even with overclocking and still have spare headroom. It should also manage a RX480 but the new cards are out soon and we know little about them so if you go for one of those the 450w version may be pushed to it's limits.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Corsair SF Series 600W 80 Plus Gold Modular SFX Power Supply (CP-9020105-UK)= £106.99

Djdom56 · 8 Mar 2017 at 20:14

I had looked at the Bitfenix ones and passed them by for some reason, although now I think we may be onto something. So just to clarify something, I am unlikely to experience any difference between, let's say the 550w bitfenix and the 650w bitfenix?

Also, thanks for the help!

Relentless81 · 8 Mar 2017 at 20:24

Seasonic for me, just bought another recently for my Ryzen build

pastymuncher · 9 Mar 2017 at 13:59

Djdom56 said:
I had looked at the Bitfenix ones and passed them by for some reason, although now I think we may be onto something. So just to clarify something, I am unlikely to experience any difference between, let's say the 550w bitfenix and the 650w bitfenix?

Also, thanks for the help!

The only differences are the extra 100w and the 650w has a extra power rail for a second psu. Apart from that there is no difference. A 550w psu is more than enough for just about any single gpu setup even with overclocking.

Relentless81 said:
Seasonic for me, just bought another recently for my Ryzen build

Seasonic are overpriced and overhyped these days. The likes of EVGA, Superflower and even CWT in some cases have caught them up and passed them by. They are mostly cheaper too. Even the brands such as XFX who Seasonic are the oem for are cheaper than the Seasonic psu's that they are based on.

lee32uk · 9 Mar 2017 at 16:49

Djdom56 said:
I had looked at the Bitfenix ones and passed them by for some reason, although now I think we may be onto something. So just to clarify something, I am unlikely to experience any difference between, let's say the 550w bitfenix and the 650w bitfenix?

Also, thanks for the help!

As long as you don't mind the horrendous looking 24 pin cable then it is a great psu. The motherboard end of the cable has an ugly rubber boot over the end to hide the capacitors. It also is a ribbon type but for some reason Bitfenix decided it would be a good idea to split it into 4 ribbons.

You can see the cables on Jonnyguru's review of the 750W:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=503

I agree that a 550W is more than enough for a single gpu setup.