Opinions on this PSU please.

lttlejoe

lttlejoe

lttlejoe

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My current multi-function computer has a Phenom 11 x 4 955 BE cpu. I have dual optical drives, dual SSDs, one HDD, onboard multi card reader and 6 speed fan controller and 4 120mm fans and I've just added a GTX 1060 3Gb for entry level gaming and everything is running fine and the performance after fitting the new GPU has more than exceeded my expectations and I can comfortably play any game I've thrown at it so far.

However I'm about to upgrade the CPU and mobo ( Ryzen 5 2600 based ) plus DDR 4 ram and I'll transfer the 1060 GPU to the new mobo in my existing Akasa Raptor gaming case and although my Be quiet L7 530w psu ( 2011 vintage) is still performing flawlessly, I've decided as a precaution because of its age, to fit a new PSU for peace of mind and install the old mobo etc along with the Be Quiet psu into another case as a backup computer.

I'll not be upgrading the GPU any time soon nor adding anything demanding to what I already have installed so I don't need a huge ouput PSU and was looking at the one below which should more than meet my needs as my current 530w Be Quiet has no issues with the load from the current components and the Ryzen 5 2600 actually takes up less power than the old Phenom chip so the 550w Cougar should be adequate as it's slightly higher rated.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cougar-gx-s-550w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-02g-cu.html

Any thoughts or suggestions of an alternative?
 
Definitely not a single reason to trust that PSU for powering new PC.
It was dark medieval age cheap PSU already in 2011 and now it's old dark medieval age PSU built from cheap components.

Cougar is consumer/gaming brand founded by HEC, at best average/semi-decent and mostly cheap low quality PSU maker.
And that tradition continues in Cougar PSUs.
Sleeve bearing fan bad for use in PSU, average 12V ripple as new with second tier in good day capacitors, with wire spaghetti hindering their cooling.
And one of the most horrible hold-up times just half of ATX spec requirement in TPU's review.
In short they spent more attention to that fancy logo and look than quality.

Bitfenix Formula has better fan and quality capacitors.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/bitfenix-formula-series-550w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-22y-bx.html

If you would like to minimize number of unneeded cables in case Anter Earthwatts Gold Pro has semi-modular cabling with another step up in performance of platform.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ante...plus-gold-modular-power-supply-ca-24m-an.html
 
EsaT said:
Definitely not a single reason to trust that PSU for powering new PC.
It was dark medieval age cheap PSU already in 2011 and now it's old dark medieval age PSU built from cheap components.

Cougar is consumer/gaming brand founded by HEC, at best average/semi-decent and mostly cheap low quality PSU maker.
And that tradition continues in Cougar PSUs.
Sleeve bearing fan bad for use in PSU, average 12V ripple as new with second tier in good day capacitors, with wire spaghetti hindering their cooling.
And one of the most horrible hold-up times just half of ATX spec requirement in TPU's review.
In short they spent more attention to that fancy logo and look than quality.

Bitfenix Formula has better fan and quality capacitors.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/bitfenix-formula-series-550w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-22y-bx.html

If you would like to minimize number of unneeded cables in case Anter Earthwatts Gold Pro has semi-modular cabling with another step up in performance of platform.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ante...plus-gold-modular-power-supply-ca-24m-an.html
Click to expand...

I take it you're not exactly enamoured with the Cougar brand then?:D:D

Thanks for taking the time to reply and just the kind of info I'm looking for.

As for the old Be Quiet L7, other than while I've been away on holiday or there's been a power cut, it's never actually been switched off from the mains supply in well over 7 years so it's not been subjected to regular start up surges which might account for it's reliability. I rarely switch off my computer too unless I need to reboot or access parts so it's often in sleep mode for weeks on end.
I'd probably trust my Be Quiet psu more than a new one right now but logic tells me it's far exceeded its theoretical working life as the only components ever to fail on any computer I've owned ( other than HDDs) have always been PSUs.

The two PSUs you've mentioned are in a similar price range to the Cougar so I'll take your advice and look at those instead. I'm not remotely bothered about neat cabling as long as it's safely secured. It actually looks like a plate of spaghetti inside my case with all the SATA connectors and power cables, fan cables etc etc and besides, my case is a non visual one and was chosen mostly for function rather than looks so the only person to see inside is me. There are plenty of cases available but I've yet to find one which better meets my requirements so I just stick with that one even if it is one ugly son of a 'B'.:)

Although my case will take an ATX mobo I prefer a mATX board but finding one with 6 SATA connectors is easier said than done as many mATX boards only provide 4 or 5 at most so it looks like I might have to go for an ATX mobo this time, likewise some PSUs only provide up to 5 SATA power connectors but either of those PSUs you mention seem to be what I'm looking for as they both provide 6 which is what I need.
 
lttlejoe said:
I take it you're not exactly enamoured with the Cougar brand then?:D:D


As for the old Be Quiet L7, other than while I've been away on holiday or there's been a power cut, it's never actually been switched off from the mains supply in well over 7 years so it's not been subjected to regular start up surges which might account for it's reliability.
Click to expand...
I'm not fond of anything using fancy naming, colours, looks etc to sell.
Mostly those come at expense of lower actual quality.
If there's any of it compared to price.
I would rather trust 30€ Superlux HD-330 to give good sound in games, than any of expensive gaming brand headsets.
(QPAD QH-1339 which is custom coloured Beyerdynamic MMX300 would be exception)


With likely state of cheap capacitors that beQuiet might well start giving cold boot problems, if disconnected from wall and allowed to cool.
Ironically while higher temperature decreases life of electrolytic capacitors, failing capacitors work better when warm.
And if 5V standby isn't stable motherboard can't give PSU signal to start up when you press power button.
Failing main rail filtering caps are lot more insidious, because wear of those starts increasing ripple stressing PC's components possibly far before any visible symptoms.

Again if primary capacitor (that big round flat topped cylinder in PSU "nude" pics) goes causing failure of PFC or main switcher that's pretty safe failure.
So of course some cheap PSUs pretend quality by having quality capacitor in primary, while secondary is full of cheap capacitors...


That Akasa case is actually quite decent focusing on actual functionality instead of fancy colourful look.
For example rear fan seems to have nice low impedance mesh.
Though with only one front intake fan high end graphics card might require adding side fan.
 
EsaT said:
I'm not fond of anything using fancy naming, colours, looks etc to sell.
Mostly those come at expense of lower actual quality.
If there's any of it compared to price.
I would rather trust 30€ Superlux HD-330 to give good sound in games, than any of expensive gaming brand headsets.
(QPAD QH-1339 which is custom coloured Beyerdynamic MMX300 would be exception)


With likely state of cheap capacitors that beQuiet might well start giving cold boot problems, if disconnected from wall and allowed to cool.
Ironically while higher temperature decreases life of electrolytic capacitors, failing capacitors work better when warm.
And if 5V standby isn't stable motherboard can't give PSU signal to start up when you press power button.
Failing main rail filtering caps are lot more insidious, because wear of those starts increasing ripple stressing PC's components possibly far before any visible symptoms.

Again if primary capacitor (that big round flat topped cylinder in PSU "nude" pics) goes causing failure of PFC or main switcher that's pretty safe failure.
So of course some cheap PSUs pretend quality by having quality capacitor in primary, while secondary is full of cheap capacitors...


That Akasa case is actually quite decent focusing on actual functionality instead of fancy colourful look.
For example rear fan seems to have nice low impedance mesh.
Though with only one front intake fan high end graphics card might require adding side fan.
Click to expand...

I love the case for it's functionality even if it is ugly by today's standards. It's got lots of useful bays which I make use of and it can take up to 5 fans, (4 x 120mm and 1 x 140mm ) so no shortage of air cooling. I also like the fact that I can remove the dust filters and clean them and I can fit a decent height CPU cooler too or even fit water cooling via the rear case access points.

The front fan isn't really effective as half of the air entering is obstructed by the case construction but the top fan (140mm) which sits directly above the CPU is excellent as the CPU cooler I've fitted with the fan facing downward directs the air across the fins 'upward' which is then extracted by the top fan which helps enormously as it assists the CPU cooling fan to work very effectively to the extent that the CPU fan is never under heavy load even when the CPU is working hard.

The rear fan pulls out any rising 'warm' air from the single fan GPU ( Zotac Mini 1060 3Gb) and the side case fan blows in air across the mobo and GPU so there's plenty of air going in and out and I could add a further fan to the case side as there's room for two if necessary but the current push-pull set up 2 + 2 seems to be working effectively even with quite a warn running CPU like the Phenom.
I don't think the GPU has reached much beyond 50 deg C since I installed it so it's definitely not getting too hot even when playing quite demanding games.
The fan controller is excellent as I can tweak the fans so that they are both effective and work quietly. I replaced the old fans with new modern and more efficient ones which are an improvement over the old ones.

Whichever PSU I get, if it gives as good a service as the old Be Quiet has given so far, then I'll be more than happy. I would probably have gone for another Be Quiet model to be honest based of pas experience but I think they are a bit overpriced so I thought I'd have a look around to see what else is on offer but I'd rather spend extra on a decent PSU than try to save a few pound by cutting corners to save money. The PSU is the heart of the computer which is often overlooked, so that is why I wanted opinions before I buy another.
 
With Stock Ryzen 2600 550W is well enough for most graphics cards.
Including Vega 64 if manually undervolting... Or using Power Save profile for 30% less power consumption for minimal performance drop.

With GTX 1060 even full load power draw wouldn't reach highest efficiency area of 750W PSU.
 
EsaT said:
With Stock Ryzen 2600 550W is well enough for most graphics cards.
Including Vega 64 if manually undervolting... Or using Power Save profile for 30% less power consumption for minimal performance drop.

With GTX 1060 even full load power draw wouldn't reach highest efficiency area of 750W PSU.
Click to expand...

So would it be better to go for the 550W rather than the 750W? Price wise they are virtually the same.
 
750W being pretty heavily oversized would mean efficiency being similar to notch lower efficiency 550W PSU.
Especially during most of the time PC is on:
Any web surfing, music listening, reading and such generates only minimally over idle load.

And it's not hard to have idle power draw of components in 50W class.
While 750W Seasonic Prime Titanium could maintain high efficiency down to such loads, 750W 80+ Gold PSU is just reaching over 80% efficiency at such loads.

Now does that sound as high efficiency compared to advertised up to 92% and more numbers?
PSU adds and specs never tell how much lower efficiency would be at typical idle power draws of even quite high end PCs...:(
If you keep PC powered only limited number of hours per day then it doesn't make that much...
But if you have PC powered most of the days or 24/7 that will add up.
 
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