PSU upgrade advice

G J · 2026-03-07T13:18:56+0000

I'm currently running since about 2009/2010 the following PSU reviewed here and looking to upgrade that is way overdue:

Seasonic S12-II 500W PSU | bit-tech.net

Seasonic's reputation for quality is notorious - we check out the company's cheap and cheerful S12-II 500W offering. Will it be quite so cheerful after it's been on the load bench? Let's find out...

www.bit-tech.net

This PSU is now removed off the SPL's PSU Tier List though it was rated as a F- this PSU has been near flawless all the time I've had it but I know I'm running on borrowed time with it and as it lacks modern features and protections as the last thing I need is it to kill parts or all of my system when it does go. It's also showing its limitations as its only 500w and has a 1x8 and 1x6 pin PCI-E connetor that have effected some of my upgrade choices over the years though I've seen this as a plus in some ways as I really dont want to use 250w CPU's and 250w+ GPU's. The cables are non modular, look very basic and are short where I cant route them behind the motherboard tray so it looks a complete mess.

I had some concerns over the years with new GPU connector ( I know with my current PSU :cry:

) and waited for some changes and revisions which they have been some and there's news that some PSU's will start having more features on the PSU side thats due but I really dont have much intrest in using cards that use 300w+ anyway.

I'd be very happy to stick with Seasonic PSU's though I've been reading about the forums in the PSU section and found out the following seems to be a Seasonic unit under the Antec name and is now on a discount where its very near a couple of 850w Seasonic models.

Antec HCG 850 Pro Platinum 850W ATX3.1 Full modular Power Supply

Order Antec HCG 850 Pro Platinum 850W ATX3.1 Full modular Power Supply now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

A Tier rated, made in 2024 and based on the Seasonic Vertex PX that seems to be above the Core and Focus Seasonic models.

Sorry for the wall of text, I've been thinking about this for a long time anything I'm missing before I buy?

tamzzy · 2026-03-07T13:53:26+0000

G J said:
F- this PSU has been near flawless

F = flawless :cry:

/greatwall of text

a good place to start is to tell us what is the new PSU will be powering and your budget, at least you get a bit more of a tailored answer
the generic response to your question would be, yes it's a good psu

Tetras · 2026-03-07T13:56:47+0000

G J said:
I'd be very happy to stick with Seasonic PSU's though I've been reading about the forums in the PSU section and found out the following seems to be a Seasonic unit under the Antec name and is now on a discount where its very near a couple of 850w Seasonic models.

It is a good PSU, there's a decent number of users on the forum already and no reports of problems that I've seen.

Only negative against the Vertex is that Antec have a shorter warranty (by 2 years).

G J · 2026-03-07T17:18:59+0000

Thanks for the quick replies and reading back I do see the F- = flawless. :cry:

My current system is a 13600K, 32GB DDR4, RTX 4070, 1TB NVME and 3 HDD's and was originally looking at a 750w Seasonic unit but realised the 850w Focus/Core modular models where not much more and wanted to keep things under £150ish. I see there's other brands that are cheeper but unsure on what is good and was sticking to Seasonic as its done me so well over the years.

In the future it's highly unlikely that I would pair a 450w GPU with 250w CPU and would want to keep it more under 300-350w for GPU and 200w for CPU so I think 850w should be suitable.

Gray2233 · 2026-03-07T17:37:18+0000

While the HCG is a good range of PSU's, I wouldn't spend £140 on an 850w supply.

Personally, I would opt for one of the following:

My basket at OcUK:

1 x ASRock Steel Legend SL-1200G 1200W ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: POW-ASR-06539) = £149.95
1 x MSI MPG A850G ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 850W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-00Y-MS) = £99.95

Total: £257.89 (includes delivery: £7.99)

The Asrock is massive overkill, but given how long you seem to keep your PSU's, it's also a damn good price.

Both review well, the MSI's OEM is CWT, the Asrock is made by HEC, both are A rated on the SPL tier list, and they each have a ten year warranty.

The funny thing about the Seasonic S12-II 500W, I don't think Seasonic even made the thing, I'm pretty sure it was one of the units they outsourced.