how important is a good PSU?

Eerazer · 4 Oct 2011 at 22:36

i use a

1 oc'd 1100t, 1 oc'd gtx 570, 6 case fans, 2 hard drives, 1 ssd + 1 blu ray drive

on a OCZ fatal1ty 550w PSU.

is my computer going to suffer in performance from this? will the speed of the 570 etc be running at 100%

i am not sure but i read having a great psu is important.. but just how important.. like ("buy it now, are you mad?") kind of important...?

i was looking at this one.

Corsair TX 850W ATX2.31 80 PLUS® Bronze certified Power Supply

what are your thaughts?

edit i just checked a chart and apparently my 570 oc'ed is pulling in around 413 watts under load.

stulid · 4 Oct 2011 at 22:40

A good PSU is everything, never buy a cheap one.

Also getting a PSU well matched to your spec/future spec is ideal.

Its best to run a PSU at around 60-70% load for best efficiency.

A rubbish/wrong PSU can lead too,

bad 3D performance
crashing games
spontaneous reset or imminent shutdown of the PC
freezing during gameplay
PSU overload can cause it to break down

Eerazer · 4 Oct 2011 at 22:40

someone else posted this on the battlefield forum when i asked about new parts and stuff... is this correct?

"A 550w PS wouldn't power a large number of newer configurations fully, even on single card setup. The card will run, but not optimally. It won't be able to sustain full power under heavy graphic load when it trys to, so it's being bottlenecked in that aspect. I would definately get the PS upgrade regardless of what other upgrades you decide to go with, you can never go wrong with a solid gaming PS, and it can be used in future rebuilds as well. I'd personally stick with 570x2 over 6970x2 too."

Eerazer · 4 Oct 2011 at 22:44

thankyou for the help

stulid · 4 Oct 2011 at 22:45

I think you should, a 550W PSU is good for a 6950 card which uses less power than a GTX570, plus your CPU etc are power hungry too compared to a Sandybridge system.

Maybe - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-039-OC&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1098

ian54 · 4 Oct 2011 at 23:14

I've been building PCs since the early 90s and the only component that has consistently failed is the PSU ... and a HDD dropped from the workbench. It is the most annoying thing in the world when a PSU goes bad, so always spend a bit more to get a reliable one rather than an overly powerful one.

Admetos · 5 Oct 2011 at 00:53

Better PSU is also more stable. With my Seasonic X650 I can undervolt lower then I could on a OCZ 600. Not to mention my X650 runs 100% passive on my rig!

joeyjojo · 5 Oct 2011 at 03:20

stulid said:
bad 3D performance
crashing games
spontaneous reset or imminent shutdown of the PC
freezing during gameplay
PSU overload can cause it to break down

And death. Don't forget death!

CSA · 5 Oct 2011 at 07:51

if you buy cheap , you'll buy twice

Admiral Huddy · 5 Oct 2011 at 08:52

joeyjojo said:
And death. Don't forget death!

yes death can be fatal

Good advice from stulid.. Only buy a PSU that is rated on or above 80% efficient

wilber · 5 Oct 2011 at 09:57

CSA said:
if you buy cheap , you'll buy twice

This! I spent extra on my power supply and its still going strong (touch wood)

It just had its 8th birthday

atpbx · 5 Oct 2011 at 10:12

Very important, I've seen more than one cheap one catch fire.

The__Malteser · 5 Oct 2011 at 10:15

Let me give you an idea of a PSU.

Imagine a human with a VERY bad heart.
Or a car with a faulty engine.

If they fail, the whole system fails. A PSU is the most important part of the system.