Looking for a basic psu

RobTi · 26 Apr 2019 at 13:46

Hi I am looking for recommendations and also what to avoid, it’s for a basic desktop with a couple of fans one hard drive and a dvd writer, will only be used about 1hr a day and only for web browsing 16Gb ddr3 and an old amd black edition cpu(forgot which one)using onboard graphics, any help ?
Thanks

Grimley · 26 Apr 2019 at 17:59

This as a minimum:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Bitfenix Formula Series 450W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply= £59.99

Total: £70.49 (includes shipping: £10.50)

RobTi · 27 Apr 2019 at 09:12

Thanks looks like i missed this reply, will have alook at what you recommend

warren_1979 · 29 Apr 2019 at 00:07

I've got the 650w Formula version. Highly recommended.

keylion · 2 May 2019 at 20:21

The Antec HCG Gold 650W 80 Plus Gold is only £73.99 at the moment (+ postage). I know it's getting a bit far from a basic PSU but is great value at that price and may come in for future projects.

Double07 · 3 May 2019 at 13:32

keylion said:
The Antec HCG Gold 650W 80 Plus Gold is only £73.99 at the moment (+ postage). I know it's getting a bit far from a basic PSU but is great value at that price and may come in for future projects.

Sold out now but the 850w is still available for 81.95, although thats definitely a bit beyond basic.

lee32uk · 5 May 2019 at 15:21

You don't need anything fancy for a system with no gpu and just for web browsing.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Kolink KL-400 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply= £34.99

Total: £44.89 (includes shipping: £9.90)

Drumroll · 14 May 2019 at 10:13

I would go for something solid. Avoid basic old designs.

lee32uk · 18 May 2019 at 13:49

Michael Marini said:
I would go for something solid. Avoid basic old designs.

Why spend more than you need to ? The system has no gpu and is only being used for web browsing. The Kolink or something similar will do fine.

edscdk · 18 May 2019 at 14:00

lee32uk said:
Why spend more than you need to ? The system has no gpu and is only being used for web browsing. The Kolink or something similar will do fine.

i was thinking the same, i've sold 100's of PCs and replaced untold PSU's I ALWAYS use £25ish PSUs (unless on the rare occasion there is a mid range+ video card involved) im sure some have failed but not enough for me to remember any..

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-core-series-400w-80-plus-certified-power-supply-ca-02m-kk.html

Drumroll · 18 May 2019 at 14:09

Tried even not unknown brands like OCZ and Thermaltake. Their mid-range, true, but checking how unstable the voltages were, no thanks.
Seems like people buying Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, EVGA, or the likes, get many years of stable efficient power and room for upgrades. Don't need to go mental at the top end 1000w plus gold, but a mid-range PSU is a good investment.

Drumroll · 18 May 2019 at 14:11

lee32uk said:
Why spend more than you need to ? The system has no gpu and is only being used for web browsing. The Kolink or something similar will do fine.

What if the old CPU is a bulldozer? Quite power-hungry CPU.

Drumroll · 18 May 2019 at 14:29

edscdk said:
i was thinking the same, i've sold 100's of PCs and replaced untold PSU's I ALWAYS use £25ish PSUs (unless on the rare occasion there is a mid range+ video card involved) im sure some have failed but not enough for me to remember any..

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-core-series-400w-80-plus-certified-power-supply-ca-02m-kk.html

Yes, but the one suggested isn't quite the freebie PSU which comes with 20 odd quid case.
May not be top end, but as far the PSU has a modern and efficient design and is in fact certified, is a good buy. But some unknown manufactures may pump out 20 years old design PSU that will never, ever deliver the power needed, if not damaging the components.
There's a Brazilian website which has worked hard testing properly PSUs and more often than not, the totally unknown brands are not worthy.
https://www.clubedohardware.com.br/selos/produto-bomba-r30/
Even without dedicated mid or high end GPU, not necessarily the PSU will delivery efficiently or even enough power through the needed rails.
Some old designs wouldn't be able to output enough power at 12v, which is needed in modern systems. The noise and oscillation can be a problem too, as many filters are neglected to save costs.

pastymuncher · 18 May 2019 at 14:56

edscdk said:
i was thinking the same, i've sold 100's of PCs and replaced untold PSU's I ALWAYS use £25ish PSUs (unless on the rare occasion there is a mid range+ video card involved) im sure some have failed but not enough for me to remember any..

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-core-series-400w-80-plus-certified-power-supply-ca-02m-kk.html

That is just garbage. That so called 400w psu only has 276w on the 12v rail and I would be surprised if it could even supply that much. We have seen pictures of the innards of a Kolink KL series which is the next level up from the Core series and the internal components were the cheapest of the cheap so god knows what rubbish is in the core series. While it may be enough to power a basic pc I still wouldn't skimp on the psu and would fit a decent quality one.

lee32uk · 18 May 2019 at 16:04

Michael Marini said:
What if the old CPU is a bulldozer? Quite power-hungry CPU.

No onboard graphics with Bulldozer AFAIK. He must be using an APU if he has an igpu.

realscot · 30 Jun 2019 at 14:52

I'm planning on using my current 4690k as a work pc once I get my Zen 2 system built. Will need a cheap psu to power my old machine as the AX1200i will be moving over to the new setup. I was looking at an EVGA 500W psu for £30 (elsewhere) probably an older model, but like the OP would be running no gpu and just 1 ssd.

RobTi · 30 Jun 2019 at 15:08

realscot said:
I'm planning on using my current 4690k as a work pc once I get my Zen 2 system built. Will need a cheap psu to power my old machine as the AX1200i will be moving over to the new setup. I was looking at an EVGA 500W psu for £30 (elsewhere) probably an older model, but like the OP would be running no gpu and just 1 ssd.

Thanks for that for under £25 delivered I took the chance and ordered it as I said it will be lucky to be used for an hour a day for web browsing, now I just have to find a way to fit it and tell my mother it was my sons old one so she doesn’t pay out

Alan1969 · 30 Jun 2019 at 23:07

3.5yrs ago I bought a Kolink 600w for an overclocked FX8350 and vega56 - it should be enough but recently I have had to take the OC off due to boot issues. I suspect that it is the Kolink PSU that is deteriorating. I now suggest don't go for that one and but rather get a good quality (EVGA, seasonic, superflower) 500w gold (they have 10,7,5 yr warrantys).

what about this 500w (non-modular - fixed cables) be quiet gold for £55?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-quiet-pure-power-11-500w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-12x-bq.html

area51 · 30 Jun 2019 at 23:17

pastymuncher said:
That is just garbage. That so called 400w psu only has 276w on the 12v rail and I would be surprised if it could even supply that much. We have seen pictures of the innards of a Kolink KL series which is the next level up from the Core series and the internal components were the cheapest of the cheap so god knows what rubbish is in the core series. While it may be enough to power a basic pc I still wouldn't skimp on the psu and would fit a decent quality one.

Love the way it say's " Certified" Certified What? Certified to burn your house down if draw more power than a torch light? the one above it says Bronze!

pastymuncher · 1 Jul 2019 at 10:20

Alan1969 said:
3.5yrs ago I bought a Kolink 600w for an overclocked FX8350 and vega56 - it should be enough but recently I have had to take the OC off due to boot issues. I suspect that it is the Kolink PSU that is deteriorating. I now suggest don't go for that one and but rather get a good quality (EVGA, seasonic, superflower) 500w gold (they have 10,7,5 yr warrantys).

what about this 500w (non-modular - fixed cables) be quiet gold for £55?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-quiet-pure-power-11-500w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-12x-bq.html

You made the mistake of taking the label for granted because the Kolink 600w psu's are not capable of delivering 600w on their 12v rails. The Core Series 600w has a pathetic 480w on it's 12v rail and a disclaimer not to exceed 500w total power for continuous power while the KL600M has a even more pathetic 450w on it's 12v rail with the same 500w disclaimer. They are just garbage and it's sad that OCUK are still selling them but as their parent company is pushing them and OCUK get's them for peanuts I doubt if anything will change. To be honest with the power draw of your pc I am surprised the damn thing hasn't blown up which looking on the internet happens quite often with these psu's.

While the BeQuiet you linked to is of better quality than the Kolink it still has only 480v across it's dual 12v rails. Your pc has a power hungry cpu and gpu so you should be looking at a quality 650w psu and sadly there is nothing on OCUK around £55 that I would recommend for your pc. I would have recommended the Bitfenix Formula series 650w at £75 but that and the 750w version are both out of stock. If you hunt around a bit you can find the Gold rated and fully modular Riotoro G2 650w for £73 (basically a Seasonic Focus Plus with a different sticker). If the budget is really tight then shopping around you can find the Corsair CP-9020103-UK CX650M for £62 with free delivery. It's only bronze rated but the quality has improved massively over earlier units and Corsair now gives them a 5 year warranty. It has 648w of it's 650w on the 12v rail so would be more than capable of powering your pc.