Modular Vs Non-modular PSU's

Darkst4r

Darkst4r

Darkst4r

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I'm in the market for a new PSU in the very near future and wanted a few opinions on which route to go.

I took delivery of a Coolermaster Scout case today and am looking for a decent PSU to power my Phenom II and 5850, 2 samsung spinpoint F3's, a DVD writer drive and a Coolermaster V8 cooler.

I was contemplating going for the Coolermaster silent pro 600 watt modular unit but then came across the Coolermaster GX 750 watt which has more power and is quite a bit cheaper.

My question is, are modular PSU's really "all that" when it comes to cable management ,as if I bought a non modular PSU the spare cables would be routed through the cable management hole and hidden away behind the back panel anyway.
 
Darkst4r said:
My question is, are modular PSU's really "all that" when it comes to cable management.
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Yes!

I have the non-modular 750w Corsair and there are SO many cables - Half of which I have never and probably will never use.

The problem is exagerated by small midi case (Antec 300) and the problem wouldn't be as big in a bigger case.
 
Well, if you have a case that allows plenty of management and can be bothered to properly sort it out, then its not such a biggy I wouldn't say. Though if your case is on the smaller side (the storm scout isn't tiny but its certainly not a beast either), then modular could help quite a lot, particularly since the space between the motherboard tray and the side panel isn't that big on a storm scout meaning you wouldn't be able to bunch up too many cables.

Might I suggest: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-002-XF&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1497

And if you are contemplating having more things to power in future, like another GPU or more drives etc, then a modular will give you that potential, but only when you need it, not getting in the way with loads of cables when you don't need them.
 
Cool, didn't realise XFX made PSU's I will definately take it into consideration. Have you used one of these yourself ? Just wondering what the noise levels are like as I'm trying to keep my system on the quiet side.
 
Unfortunately I have not no (due to lack of funds to actually build a new system :D), but unless anything else crops up it will be the one I go for when my bank account allows it for sure.

Maybe try a quick google search, you should find plenty of reviews which take into account noise levels, etc.

I read some myself a while back seeing as I am interested in this PSU, but can't remember exact details, though they are pretty well regarded, and I certainly don't remember anything bad about noise.
 
Never seen the need or modular myself, I tuck all excess cables behind the motherboard and have never had any problems with cable routing, I suppose if you have a window and like to see inside your computer then its a good idea but if not then routing behind the motherboard tray will be fine.
 
Imo modular psu's are a waste of money in the majority of cases.

I look at it like this: Everyone is building to a budget, and a modular psu costs around £10-20 more than a identically specced non-modular.

You either have to spend £20 less on the main components and compromise performance, or you have to settle for a lower-quality psu than you could have afforded if you went non-modular.

In certain special situations modular psu's make sense to me; like if you're building a mini itx pc, or if you go to regular lanparties where everyone cares about how pretty your pc is.

Everyone knows the golden rule no.1 of pc building is never skip on the quality of your psu, and in the majority of situations you'll still be able to get it looking almost as clean by tucking away unused cables.
 
to me
the quality and if the psu is modular/non modular are two different matters
stealthxstream 500w (£49) vs modxstream 500w (£57)
XFX 650w XXX edition (£69) vs XFX 650w Core edition (£72)
you get where im going...
 
do you want spaghetti? no.

do you want a better thermally advantaged build? yes.


"thermally advantaged" is a registered trademark from Big.wayne, LOL
 
stulid said:
do you want spaghetti? no.

do you want a better thermally advantaged build? yes.


"thermally advantaged" is a registered trademark from Big.wayne, LOL
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i thought this whole "thermally advantaged" thing was sticking the PSU into the bottom of the case instead of the top :p

anyways, on topic. I thought Modular cables were nice, but not really worth the premium. Then i thought, sod it, and went out and got one. Now im hooked.

The non modular equivilent, whilst giving me 100w extra, would have meant 3 extra cables, 4 extra molex, 3 extra sata, and 2 extra floppy power connectors id have to cram behind the psu/motherboard/drive bay. Tbh its already pretty messy back there even WITH a modular PSU.
 
you wouldn't need a 750W to power that, I have the coolermaster silent pro 500W PSU and it is very nice, good quality and silent. Plus I couldn't imagine the cable management with non modular.
 
I bought my first modular PSU after having to deal with the cable spaghetti of my old non-modular PSu I wouldnt get a non-modular again. £20 extra for he convienance and ease of use?? hell yeah :)
 
For my new build I went for a Corsair modular PSU. It made getting a tidy build much easier, and the airflow in the case is much better than my previous build.

The only problem is that the cables are very long, so it took a bit of work to get them tucked away nicely. I'd hate to have to do it with even more non-modular cables. It would have been great to have a couple of shorter drive cables supplied in the package.

Initially I wasn't keen on the bottom mounted PSU, but I like it now. My case has a dust filtered air vent in the bottom under the PSU, and a large rubber feet to raise the case off the floor. So with the PSU fan at the bottom it sucks clean filtered air from underneath the case and vents it outside without exhausing any hot air into the case. Seems thermally efficient to me.
 
jimbob27 said:
Imo modular psu's are a waste of money in the majority of cases.
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I don't agree . . .

jimbob27 said:
I look at it like this: Everyone is building to a budget, and a modular psu costs around £10-20 more than a identically specced non-modular
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There is hardly anything in it . . . I think the price difference has almost vanished between a non-modular and a modular . . . I certainly don't think I would pay £10-20 for the convenience of a modular PSU but then one doesn't have to do they? ;)

Is it £10 price difference or £20 price difference btw?

jimbob27 said:
You either have to spend £20 less on the main components and compromise performance, or you have to settle for a lower-quality psu than you could have afforded if you went non-modular.
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Oh I see, in your mind its now £20 price difference . . . so someone has to spend £20 less on other components in order to have a modular PSU? . . . Obviously this is not the case . . . and the sooner we all stop buying and speccing non-modular PSUs the sooner they will stop being made . .

If however the manufacturers start really slashing the prices on the non-modular PSUs so one can actually save £20-£30 towards other components then I think I would go the "spaghetti" route :D
 
Ive just bought and fitted the very modular PSU by CM that you mentioned mate.

Is it worth getting modular?
I'll put it to you like this, it took me 30 mins to remove my old non-modular and 15 mins to fit the new CM, tidy the cables a bit, close the case plug everything back in and boot up.
I used to have 3 unused molex lengths, 1 unused SATA length and a couple that I couldnt even identify behind my mobo tray.
I now have none, and all the cables that are in my system are being used.

Core temp reckons my average CPU temp has dropped by about 3 degreees since getting rid of all the unused cables, so now Ive turned down my CPU fan to totaly silent and its still running cool.

Oh yeah, the CM is pretty damn quiet too.

Infact the only fans I can hear now are the intakes.


MODULAR F T W
 
Nelson Santos said:
non-modular is fine [for me] and its not worth the extra £££ for modular.
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Can you define what you mean by "extra £££" please?

£1.00? . . . £2.00? . . . £5.00?

Nelson Santos said:
anal about cable management
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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! :p
 
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