PSU recommendation

Seearbe

Seearbe

Seearbe

Associate
Joined
31 Jul 2019
Posts
515
Hi

I'm having intermittent reboot issues on my PC and I have a bit of a feeling it's power related. I have a Corsair TX 850w PSU that I bought back in the crazy days of 2009, so reckon that's probably done enough hours.

What would be the recommendation for something very quiet but reliable, and likely to survive the next couple of upgrades.

Case is a Darkbase Pro 900, currently on a Ryzen 5 3600x / B450 platform although tempted to throw in a 5900x as an upgrade, with a Nvidia RTX 3070. Need a fair few SATA connectors that can string around the case as they power 4 drives, optical drive and the bling-bling case lights.

Think that's about it that's relevant but let me know if there's anything I've missed.

Not interested in splashing top dollar just for the sake of it but can spend whatever is required to get the job done properly.

Thanks all
 
I'd pick the first option for an AIB 3070. It is pre-ATX 3.0/PCIE5, but has a 10 year warranty and is pretty well proven at this point.

The second option is for future upgrade to e.g. 7900 XT, 4070 Ti, 4080. Anandtech review of the A1000G PCIE5 here.

The third option is for something on the level of a 4090, 7900 XTX.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £447.96 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

You might want to look into the 12v-2x6 connector, as some PSUs are shipping with them already, I believe.
 
Thanks for that.

With PC power requirements only heading in one direction at the moment, I'd be inclined to go for the higher wattage of option three, not to mention the future proofing of atx3.

Might it even be worth getting the 1200w version?

I assume the latest iterations will still be backwards compatible with my current mobo and GPU connections?

Edit: someone has posted a product review saying the cables are quite short. My case is very tall so likely to be an issue.

Any other recommendations?
 
Last edited:
Seearbe said:
Thanks for that.

With PC power requirements only heading in one direction at the moment, I'd be inclined to go for the higher wattage of option three, not to mention the future proofing of atx3.

Might it even be worth getting the 1200w version?

I assume the latest iterations will still be backwards compatible with my current mobo and GPU connections?

Edit: someone has posted a product review saying the cables are quite short. My case is very tall so likely to be an issue.

Any other recommendations?
Click to expand...
The be quiet are reviewing well and are quiet, yes atx 3.0 are backwards compatible.

www.overclockers.co.uk

be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W ATX 3.0 80 Plus Gold Power Supply

Order be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W ATX 3.0 80 Plus Gold Power Supply now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
 
Last edited:
Seearbe said:
Might it even be worth getting the 1200w version?
Click to expand...
In my opinion: no. I don't think it is practical for the power requirements to keep going up, it makes the cards too large and the cases can have trouble getting rid of the heat.

If you stay with AMD in the future, then the 7800X3D (or equivalent), has pretty low power consumption, so you'd only be looking at a high draw high-end card, but even then undervolting is very common now, so many high-end cards are only being run around the 200-300 watts range.
 
Last edited:
Tetras said:
In my opinion: no. I don't think it is practical for the power requirements to keep going up, it makes the cards too large and the cases can have trouble getting rid of the heat.

If you stay with AMD in the future, then the 7800X3D (or equivalent), has pretty low power consumption, so you'd only be looking at a high draw high-end card, but even then undervolting is very common now, so many high-end cards are only being run around the 200-300 watts range.
Click to expand...
Is there an efficiency or noise-level benefit in running a bigger PSU at lower load percentages?

Will do some more research on cable length vs what I need in my case. The Thermaltake certainly comes with a lot of connectors but perhaps a bit short in length. I see there's an ASUS TUF and MSI MPG in a similar price bracket, plus a Coolmaster (although not a brand I would normally rush towards) if those might be worth a look.

Seems best to avoid Corsair as they don't have the proper new connector.

Or is this a case of wait a few months as everything is brand new out there?
 
Seearbe said:
Is there an efficiency or noise-level benefit in running a bigger PSU at lower load percentages?
Click to expand...
Efficiency: not normally, but you can check how they perform at different loads in the more detailed reviews. It does depend on samples, conditions, etc, so I wouldn't put much value in it unless the differences are large and they're very unlikely to be.

Lower noise: yes, this can be a benefit of a PSU that is overspec, as a secondary benefit of the lower temps.

Seearbe said:
I see there's an ASUS TUF and MSI MPG in a similar price bracket, plus a Coolmaster (although not a brand I would normally rush towards) if those might be worth a look.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I already linked an anandtech review of the PCIE5 A850G/A1000G, they look like decent PSUs. Anandtech also have a review of the new TUF: here.

I know nothing about the Coolermaster.

Seearbe said:
Seems best to avoid Corsair as they don't have the proper new connector.
Click to expand...
I think they know what they're doing at this point, but it is your call.

I don't know which PSUs are shipping with the revised connector (12v-2x6), but that would definitely influence my choice if I planned to buy a 40/50 series in the future.
 
Well thanks to both of you - I'll take it away and do a bit more research and then hit the buy button on something.

Lower noise: yes, this can be a benefit of a PSU that is overspec, as a secondary benefit of the lower temps.
Click to expand...
Low noise is quite important so will keep that in mind.

Yeah, I already linked an anandtech review of the PCIE5 A850G/A1000G, they look like decent PSUs. Anandtech also have a review of the new TUF: here.
Click to expand...
Oops, skipped over that link the first time. Thanks for sharing - will give both of the reviews a read.

I know nothing about the Coolermaster.
Click to expand...
I'll Scratch that off the list to save adding to the confusion. I think I'd need serious convincing to move away from the more trusted brands!

I think they know what they're doing at this point, but it is your call.

I don't know which PSUs are shipping with the revised connector (12v-2x6), but that would definitely influence my choice if I planned to buy a 40/50 series in the future.
Click to expand...
I've been looking at the images on the OC website to see which have the physical connector with the extra row of four smaller pins. It seems the Corsairs don't have those (and the buyer reviews also note this) and that they're meeting that relevant standard by being able to deliver the requisite 600w down the normal PCIe cables (I could be talking out the wrong hole here of course!). Completely agree there's no point handing over money for something obviously missing a connector that is likely to be used in the future, hence ruling the Corsair out.

This is the RM1000x Shift, for example:

d54af106d9e17521c0ec07f1c52ee550.jpg
 
Last edited:
Seearbe said:
I'll Scratch that off the list to save adding to the confusion. I think I'd need serious convincing to move away from the more trusted brands
Click to expand...
For the record, a lot of these PSUs are made by the same OEM, so even obscure brands are often fine, but yeah, sometimes less is more :)

Seearbe said:
This is the RM1000x Shift, for example:
Click to expand...
As far as I know, the issues with the 12VHPWR connector are only on the device end. I haven't seen any reports of burning connectors on the PSU end, so I don't think the SHIFT's arrangement is a problem (at least, not in that regard).

I don't know if Corsair are using the revised 12v-2x6 connector on the device end and that's the part which would influence my decision, more than what they're doing on the PSU end.
 
Tetras said:
As far as I know, the issues with the 12VHPWR connector are only on the device end. I haven't seen any reports of burning connectors on the PSU end, so I don't think the SHIFT's arrangement is a problem (at least, not in that regard).

I don't know if Corsair are using the revised 12v-2x6 connector on the device end and that's the part which would influence my decision, more than what they're doing on the PSU end.
Click to expand...
I guess you're right - there wouldn't be anything being sold by the likes of Corsair that isn't fit for purpose. But as I understand it the additional 4 pins are to allow the GPU to communicate back to the PSU so in theory, if not in real-world usage, the simple cable implementation isn't as 'smart'. Then again, what's to say the additional 4 pins are actually connected to anything in the PSU - they could be purely decorative to fool people like me into thinking their product is superior.
 
I think the new connector did well in testing, regardless of the sense pins, there's an article here which includes a link to the video. But, yeah, I don't know how much the sense pins are used in reality.
 
Tetras said:
I think the new connector did well in testing, regardless of the sense pins, there's an article here which includes a link to the video. But, yeah, I don't know how much the sense pins are used in reality.
Click to expand...
Ah, I now see what you mean about the cable and that there are two iterations which look pretty identical.

I'm now looking at the FSP hydro ptm X pro, either 1000w or 1200w. Not sure I can justify the cost of the ti pro.
 
Seearbe said:
I'm now looking at the FSP hydro ptm X pro, either 1000w or 1200w. Not sure I can justify the cost of the ti pro.
Click to expand...

Tbh, I never even bothered looking them up because FSP are hard PSUs to find nowadays.

There's some articles saying that MSI and Asus are using the new connectors, but I can't find much confirmed anywhere.
 
Although I have and do own a lot of corsair products, I don't like the fact they use cheap chinese capacitors vs posh japanese ones, there also seems to be a fairly 50/50 split on them being going wrong...

So I went for an NZXT C850, it has a 10 year warranty, doesn't cost the earth and has a silent operation fanless button.
You also get all your cables in a posh wash bag which I thought was highly amusing :cry: :D
I'd highly recommend them for their PSU's.
 
Last edited:
keef247 said:
Although I have and do own a lot of corsair products, I don't like the fact they use cheap chinese capacitors vs posh japanese ones, there also seems to be a fairly 50/50 split on them being going wrong...
Click to expand...

Depends on the model, they use Japanese capacitors on the RMx and they're not alone in swapping them out for their lower priced PSUs (e.g. @ OCUK: Corsair RMe, Thermaltake AF3, Bequiet 12 M).

keef247 said:
So I went for an NZXT C850, it has a 10 year warranty, doesn't cost the earth and has a silent operation fanless button.
You also get all your cables in a posh wash bag which I thought was highly amusing :cry: :D
I'd highly recommend them for their PSU's.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they're decent PSUs, C850 is a Seasonic, I think (linky) :)
 
Tetras said:
Depends on the model, they use Japanese capacitors on the RMx and they're not alone in swapping them out for their lower priced PSUs (e.g. @ OCUK: Corsair RMe, Thermaltake AF3, Bequiet 12 M).



Yeah, they're decent PSUs, C850 is a Seasonic, I think (linky) :)
Click to expand...
See I've heard the opposite, that the RMx also uses the cheap chinese caps.

Yeah, that's why I wanted it, as Seasonic have a very good track record.
Yeah saw that review, it's definitely not noisey, the fan on mine has never even turned on. I did see that review, but this one seemed more accurate.

NZXT C850 Gold Power Supply Unit Review

Thanks to its high build quality, solid rail stability and plethora of electrical protections the C850 Power Supply Unit by NZXT is a strong competitor in the 80 Plus Gold category.
www.nikktech.com www.nikktech.com
 
keef247 said:
See I've heard the opposite, that the RMx also uses the cheap chinese caps.
Click to expand...
I think that's usually because people get confused between all the similar sounding models (RM, RMx, RMe), but obviously I don't know where you heard it!

According to Corsair themselves, the RMx uses 100% 105 c rated Japanese capacitors, so if people are finding cheap brands in them, Corsair are telling lies on their own website. What manufacturers usually do is they don't state specifically 100%, or they only state the bulk cap is Japanese, but this is a quote from Corsair (link):

"100% ALL JAPANESE 105°C CAPACITORS"
Click to expand...

keef247 said:
Yeah saw that review, it's definitely not noisy, the fan on mine has never even turned on. I did see that review, but this one seemed more accurate.
Click to expand...
Aris does very in-depth PSU reviews (I'd say the best since jonnyguru closed down), so he often identifies more 'problems' than other websites, but having an aggressive fan under high temperatures is something that I believe all the Seasonic Focus based models share, except for the ROG Strix (because Asus made it longer and upgraded the heatsinks and the fan).
 
Tetras said:
I think that's usually because people get confused between all the similar sounding models (RM, RMx, RMe), but obviously I don't know where you heard it!

According to Corsair themselves, the RMx uses 100% 105 c rated Japanese capacitors, so if people are finding cheap brands in them, Corsair are telling lies on their own website. What manufacturers usually do is they don't state specifically 100%, or they only state the bulk cap is Japanese, but this is a quote from Corsair (link):




Aris does very in-depth PSU reviews (I'd say the best since jonnyguru closed down), so he often identifies more 'problems' than other websites, but having an aggressive fan under high temperatures is something that I believe all the Seasonic Focus based models share, except for the ROG Strix (because Asus made it longer and upgraded the heatsinks and the fan).
Click to expand...
IIRC it was from an actual teardown and they stated they were just cheap caps and pretty much lying and charging a premium. Also red something silly about the cables having in-line caps as well?
Oh well, at least that means in the future I can always buy one then, as I do like Corsair, but I'm not biased. If something raises alarm bells I wont risk it!
Happy with the NZXT though and was about £20-30 cheaper at the time (possibly on sale cant remember) and IIRC the corsair wasn't in stock or the retailer had decided to bang the price up another £20 making it nearly £50 more than my NZXT.

As I say mine has a zero rpm fan switch and it'll only turn on when absolutely necessary, which to my knowledge it never has, I certainly haven't ever heard it and my system is near silent, FWIW my gpu fan never even gets to the 65C that engages it in quiet mode, as I have it undervolted, my case fans barely spin and are stupidly low db, and my cpu hsf fan curve is very low % rpm's, so I'd think I'd hear the psu if that was to ever kick on judging by that review? Unless it has a sneaky quiet fan which would be an extra bonus haha!

FWIW would it be worth having the fan turned on all the time vs the zero rpm switch on? I figured if it's not running till it doesn't need to, the fan's lifespan is greatly improved but then maybe the psu components will get hotter/stressed more and not live as long? Horses for courses?
My theory was that IF they needed to be cooled the fan comes on and knows when to, so must be pretty efficient to offer a silent fan button mode? And I have a 10 year warranty + made by Seasonic and they know what they're doing?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom