New PSU time, best deal?

[slim01]

Hey all

Got a 5080 (msi inspire, also have a zotac solid core to try) and would like to run without a pcie riser going forward. Trying to fit in a HTPC case a chonky AIO (Arctic Freezer iii).

Big issue with gpu width due to nvidia adapter: cant get the top lid on with it in.
Even with this 80 degree adapter its mm close to the 2x14cm fans above GPU (I dremmeled out holes for these).

51-UGx-XHAIGL-AC-SX679 hosted at ImgBB

Image 51-UGx-XHAIGL-AC-SX679 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

I miss the 3080ti's recessed/angled power socket SO much!

Options...
1 - Use 180 degree adapter AND the nvidia adapter AND 3x8pinPCIe = urgh. Dodgy much?
2 - Use 180 degree adapter then to my psu via a (+£28) 3rd party 3x8pin cable = hmmmm not sure.
3 - get a 90 degree adapter and bend it to fit under fans = I'm sure this is a big no no.
4 - Use 180 degree adapter and just get a new PSU + = Worry less + save 3 thick pcie cables plus an adapter + space saved = new PSU it is.



So guys, are any of the below any good? +Any idea which brand has the bendiest/slimest/flatest cables?
I noted The power zone 2 has an angled 12v2x6 connector, not sure if this would be taller than with the EZDIY-Fab 180 degree adapter... if it is, it'd have to be returned

£110 - Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 850​

£120 - be quiet! Power Zone 2 850 Platinum​

£131 - CORSAIR rm850x Gold

£140 - Seasonic Focus GX-850 Gold​

£150 - be quiet! Straight Power 12 80+ Platinum​

£164 - CORSAIR SF850 Platinum

 

[Rroff]

I may have some of these wrong but I believe:

Wouldn't be my first choice based on OEM - Thermaltake (HKC), Corsair (Great Wall, CWT).

Seasonic usually make good PSUs, the be quiet! units I believe both use FSP who have a solid reputation.

The power topology of the Straight Power 12 probably suits a 5080 better but overall the Power Zone 2 is probably a slightly better PSU (EDIT: The Straight Power 12 does use better quality components internally as well - premium brand Japanese capacitors vs good tier Chinese ones, etc.).

 

[pastymuncher]

You can't base psu buying on OEM anymore. Great wall and CWT make some of the best psu's available and even HEC who I have always steered away from have turned out a cracking psu in the form of Asrock's Steel Legend 850w which has a 10 year warranty. I would avoid the be quiet power zone 2 as it has not exactly ideal ripple, something that FSP seems incapable of curing. I would also avoid the Corsair RMx series as there have been quite a few failures of the latest version and the Corsair RMe should be avoided altogether as they have cheaped out again and it's actually worse than the model it replaced and only has a 7 year warranty instead of the 10 years that the previous version had. If you are looking at spending that much on a 850w psu then I wouldn't look any further than the Antec HCG 850w Platinum. It's a cracking psu built by Seasonic and based on their Prime platform.

Others also worth looking at are the Asus TUF Gaming 850w, Superflower Leadex III Up 850w, Asrock Steel Legend 850w.

 

[slim01]

You can't base psu buying on OEM anymore. Great wall and CWT make some of the best psu's available and even HEC who I have always steered away from have turned out a cracking psu in the form of Asrock's Steel Legend 850w which has a 10 year warranty. I would avoid the be quiet power zone 2 as it has not exactly ideal ripple, something that FSP seems incapable of curing. I would also avoid the Corsair RMx series as there have been quite a few failures of the latest version and the Corsair RMe should be avoided altogether as they have cheaped out again and it's actually worse than the model it replaced and only has a 7 year warranty instead of the 10 years that the previous version had. If you are looking at spending that much on a 850w psu then I wouldn't look any further than the Antec HCG 850w Platinum. It's a cracking psu built by Seasonic and based on their Prime platform.

Others also worth looking at are the Asus TUF Gaming 850w, Superflower Leadex III Up 850w, Asrock Steel Legend 850w.

Wow how things have changed then. Last time I was buying PSU's for builds it was wise to steer clear of Antecs.

So to throw a spanner in the works - I can now get £40 off either of the Corsairs with store voucher.
rm850x - 91
sf850 - £124

Pasty you heard anything bad about corsairs SF Series? Thinking maybe the extra space might come in handy for something; cable routing or the 3 sata SSD I currently have velcro'd on.

But yeah maybe I should look at the Leadex. The EVGA p2 I've got was a leadex, was best psu out at the time (re: johny guru) and has been a solid unit, although I am getting some electrical interference from somewhere in the pc, not sure if it's the psu (another reason why I want a new PSU, to test).

 

[slim01]

Any thoughts on the SF guys?

AI example below @ platinum being about 16w more efficient at 50% load:
To estimate the yearly cost of running a 16W bulb in the UK, you need to know the electricity price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and how many hours per day the bulb will be on. Assuming a typical UK electricity price of £0.27 per kWh and the bulb being on for 5 hours a day, the yearly cost would be approximately £7.92

So 4 years of electricity costs easily make up the +£33 difference to rm850x anyway and easily makes it the cheapest PSU here (easily because I use around 6-7hrs a day);

 

[slim01]

looking at the included cables though what the hell is this thing? like a 12vHPWR with two ends? why?

hpwr hosted at ImgBB

Image hpwr hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[pastymuncher]

That will be 2x pci-e into the awful high power connector. I would have much preferred a dedicated high power socket on the psu but I guess being a SFX psu there is only so much room to fit headers. I wouldn't touch the new RMx, way too many failures for my liking. The old SF750 was argueably the best SFX psu you could buy and they have kept Great Wall as the oem for it's replacement the SF850. Reviews say it's a fine psu but I haven't seen much said about it anywhere. Do keep in mind they only have a 7 year warranty compared to 10 years on the full size psu's.

 

[slim01]

That will be 2x pci-e into the awful high power connector. I would have much preferred a dedicated high power socket on the psu but I guess being a SFX psu there is only so much room to fit headers. I wouldn't touch the new RMx, way too many failures for my liking. The old SF750 was argueably the best SFX psu you could buy and they have kept Great Wall as the oem for it's replacement the SF850. Reviews say it's a fine psu but I haven't seen much said about it anywhere. Do keep in mind they only have a 7 year warranty compared to 10 years on the full size psu's.

well i bought one as time running out before my price match runs out tonight in a panic and just noticed jesus the cable length!

i thought would be a BIT shorter on the SF850 but are actually like less than HALF in some... I think thats far too short even for my HTPC. It's still a big old case..... Damn, might have to call em and cancel. PITA.


SF
ttl length cm
Mobo - 30
CPU - 40
12v2x6 + PCIe 40
Sata - 44


rmx
ttl length cm
Mobo - 61
CPU - 75
12v2x6 + PCIe 65
Sata - 85

 

[slim01]

tempted by the b grade antec hcg 850 one on here now for like £130 but the b grade states might be missing accessories - not ideal with a psu when a single cable is £20+.... lottery that one

gonna take some measurments now on the PC but yeah likely gonna have to refund the sf850. oops!

 

[Gray2233]

tempted by the b grade antec hcg 850 one on here now for like £130 but the b grade states might be missing accessories - not ideal with a psu when a single cable is £20+.... lottery that one

gonna take some measurments now on the PC but yeah likely gonna have to refund the sf850. oops!

If you get in touch with OCUK they might actually knock some more money off for you, see here:

**B-GRADE CLEARANCE AND FORUM DEALS**

Hi, Looking to get a deal and save some pennies then why not check out the clearance section on our website or just click here. As part of a forum deal I'm looking to open up my b-grade sections to offers. A lot of prices are reduced heavily already so if I can't match the offer I will...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

Chances are it was just a return, but if there are problems you can always send it back.

 

[Tetras]

tempted by the b grade antec hcg 850 one on here now for like £130 but the b grade states might be missing accessories - not ideal with a psu when a single cable is £20+.... lottery that one

Yeah, not worth it for 30 quid.

 

[slim01]

Yeah, not worth it for 30 quid.

yeah to miss out on a 10 year warranty. Like gray2233 said maybe they'll do cheaper but meh.... seen two reviews now saying the Antec is not great: Toms HW had not one but two units fail on protection quite badly in review tests.

Decided I want a platinum and I'm honestly leaning toward the BE Quiet Power Zone 2 now. Shame the Leadex isn't a platinum.

I've not read all the reviews on the internet for all the above (maybe about 20 and im getting fed up lol). But for the price the Be Quiet seems the best out of all mentioned above to me. The chinese caps and ripple were mentioned as not being perfect but also that they shouldn't be an issue for the average user and well its £30 cheaper than the Straight Power.

I'm gonna have to just hope that the angled 12vHPWR cable connector it comes with isn't taller than using the 180 degree adaper... I'm playing with mm's lol. But if it does well another £20 saved and potential fire risk removed I guess.

 

[Tetras]

seen two reviews now saying the Antec is not great: Toms HW had not one but two units fail on protection quite badly in review tests.

The Vertex it is derived from has a few reviews and they're solid PSUs. The Antec you're referring to was the previous model, not the HCG Pro. I'm fairly sure they were reliable in the field, since the platform they were based on was everywhere in a bazillion different PSUs with other labels on the box.

Decided I want a platinum and I'm honestly leaning toward the BE Quiet Power Zone 2 now. Shame the Leadex isn't a platinum.

Personally, I'd consider the Power zone a tier down on the Antec and SPL's tier list agrees with me (well, half a tier ).

 

[Rroff]

Personally, I'd consider the Power zone a tier down on the Antec and SPL's tier list agrees with me (well, half a tier ).

Ripple aside, and it isn't that bad, the PZ2 does pretty well in reviews but I then saw it uses Chinese components which while not bad are not in the same league as the parts used in other FSP based PSUs and some of the others on the list - I'd kind of glossed over that originally as usually FSP designs use higher tier components.

 

[slim01]

The Vertex it is derived from has a few reviews and they're solid PSUs. The Antec you're referring to was the previous model, not the HCG Pro. I'm fairly sure they were reliable in the field, since the platform they were based on was everywhere in a bazillion different PSUs with other labels on the box.


Personally, I'd consider the Power zone a tier down on the Antec and SPL's tier list agrees with me (well, half a tier ).

ahhh damn yeah youre right, well it was an HGC one of those reviews from years ago! I can't seem to find a proper review for the newest atx 3.1 (which is what I initially searched), so the second not great review was probably an older unit too. kit guru liked the 1000w one - 9/10.

Mind sharing with me the tier list mate, not sure what an SPL tier list is tbh? anything on there closer to the £120 mark @ platinum?

 

[Gray2233]

platinum

The rating has absolutely zero indication of quality, you could technically have a hyper efficient PSU that's prone to failure while a bronze unit isn't. The actual money savings between a gold and plat' are pennies per year in reaslistic usage, you'd need to be running high loads 24-7 for it to make a difference long term.

We seem to be in this strange era where there's too much information available, and I'll never forget a long gone mentor in the tech field expressing that a little knowledge is a bad thing. I'm not saying this to be insulting, you're massively overthinking for no reason and have had some fantastic suggestions in this thread.

These would be fine for your needs/budget and are excellent PSU's:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02519) = £104.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-060-AS) = £129.95
• 1 x Super Flower LEADEX III GOLD UP 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply PCIe 5.1 ATX 3.1 (SKU: POW-SFL-04172) = £149.98
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead, 10A, 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00

Total: £392.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

I'd personally opt for the Leadex III simply for overhead and potential upgrades, and if you want to get technical in regards to power use and pennies on the pound, you might even save more on the electric bills on a 1000w gold over a 850w platinum. Then there's the margins for the rating, they're often slim and the pass metrics don't always add up to better for X vs Y. It's a marketing thing more than anything else for consumer goods, don't fall into the trap.

 

[slim01]

Ripple aside, and it isn't that bad, the PZ2 does pretty well in reviews but I then saw it uses Chinese components which while not bad are not in the same league as the parts used in other FSP based PSUs and some of the others on the list - I'd kind of glossed over that originally as usually FSP designs use higher tier components.

yeah few peeps mentioned they wouldnt have expected to see it - however I'm not surprised if its £30 cheaper tbh. Where would the "power zone" fit into their line up if it was more, wouldnt it then compete against the "straight power" or "dark power" (which i assume is the best tier, and "pure power" being their budget ones?

 

[Tetras]

Mind sharing with me the tier list mate, not sure what an SPL tier list is tbh? anything on there closer to the £120 mark @ platinum?

There's a link in the first post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1iry3a3/new_and_updated_psu_tier_list_is_out/

I use tier lists because it is hard to keep track of the reviews/platforms used across different brands/models and I don't have the specialist knowledge to weigh them up into tiers like that. SPL's is the most recently updated one I'm aware of.

£120 isn't enough for a top tier / minimal compromise 1000 watt platinum unit, unless you get a decent offer/discount.

The Phanteks AMP GH is the closest to your budget, which from the tier list uses the same platform (for the 1000 watt version) as the PSU reviewed here. Which of the Power Zone 2 or the AMP GH are better, I don't know, the price (for what it is worth) suggests there isn't a whole lot in it.

 

[Craig_d1]

The rating has absolutely zero indication of quality, you could technically have a hyper efficient PSU that's prone to failure while a bronze unit isn't. The actual money savings between a gold and plat' are pennies per year in reaslistic usage, you'd need to be running high loads 24-7 for it to make a difference long term.

We seem to be in this strange era where there's too much information available, and I'll never forget a long gone mentor in the tech field expressing that a little knowledge is a bad thing. I'm not saying this to be insulting, you're massively overthinking for no reason and have had some fantastic suggestions in this thread.

These would be fine for your needs/budget and are excellent PSU's:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02519) = £104.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-060-AS) = £129.95
• 1 x Super Flower LEADEX III GOLD UP 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply PCIe 5.1 ATX 3.1 (SKU: POW-SFL-04172) = £149.98
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead, 10A, 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00

Total: £392.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

I'd personally opt for the Leadex III simply for overhead and potential upgrades, and if you want to get technical in regards to power use and pennies on the pound, you might even save more on the electric bills on a 1000w gold over a 850w platinum. Then there's the margins for the rating, they're often slim and the pass metrics don't always add up to better for X vs Y. It's a marketing thing more than anything else for consumer goods, don't fall into the trap.

if looking at £150 mark
Could just go 1kW psu


The msi been dropped from £170 at mo on offer and decent psu. Also the phanteks...the cables are loose so to speak, so should be very flexible for bending around. Also, at 1000w, you not really going to be stressing the psu tyhat much, and gives a nice tidyroom for upgrade down the line

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 UK PSU 1000W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-00W-MS) = £139.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) = £128.99
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead, 10A, 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00

Total: £276.97 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

 

[Gray2233]

Any thoughts on the SF guys?

AI example below @ platinum being about 16w more efficient at 50% load:
To estimate the yearly cost of running a 16W bulb in the UK, you need to know the electricity price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and how many hours per day the bulb will be on. Assuming a typical UK electricity price of £0.27 per kWh and the bulb being on for 5 hours a day, the yearly cost would be approximately £7.92

So 4 years of electricity costs easily make up the +£33 difference to rm850x anyway and easily makes it the cheapest PSU here (easily because I use around 6-7hrs a day);

I feel the need to return to this (AI, lol).

Alright, I'll make this very simplified because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to look up the exacts. To preface, ratings (bronze, silver, gold, platinum, titanium) are spectrums rather than exacts.

Lets say that a gold unit requires scale of 0-9, it can be a gold unit within that range but obviously higher will be more efficient in power use. Now for a platinum rating you need an 10-20, there's a scale of accepted parameters to fit into whatever rating.

Are you going to save money over a gold unit that rates a 9 over a platinum unit that rates a 10? Are you willing to look into that fully to find out? It's a bad avenue of judgement and not one I'd recommend getting hung up on.

The Leadex III is fantastic, there are better platforms within your price range but please don't get hung up on it too much. It's great to research components properly before buying, especially PSU's, but you're definitely over thinking it a tad bud.

Trying to clarify the above:

Gold would be 0-9, platinum would be 10-20, they're on the same 0-20 scale.