Quick PSU question

madindehead

madindehead

madindehead

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This is one thing I have never been good at: choosing the right PSU.

I am looking at a couple, as it's finally time to change the one I currently have, and it will finally complete my PC (properly).

My rig is as in my sig, plus I am adding a GTX 480 (with possibility to SLI), an Asus Zonar D2X later on, plus a watercooling loop later this year.

I am looking at the following PSUs, but not sure which one would be best:

Corsair AX850
Corsair AX1200
beQuiet Dark Power Pro 1000W
BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 1200W

Is the 1200W PSU overkill? I have read reviews, saying that the Corsair AX1200 is a very good PSU, but then again so is the BeQuiet 1000W :p

I like the fact that even the ATX 24-pin is modular on the Corsair, and I know they make very good PSUs. I need this to be solid :p

Which one would you recommend? I have a bit of time until I want to buy (a few weeks) but I want to sort out the spec now, so I can sort the finances around it :)

Thanks guys :)
 
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According to AnandTech, GTX480SLI total system power consumption is 668W in Crysis, 851W in furmark:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/159

As most people agreed that actual gaming will not pull close to the amount of power consumption to the level of furmark, so I would say if you are planning on overclocking the CPU and the GTX480s, then a decent 950W or 1000W PSU should be fine. But 1000W would be better as it will get more headroom so the PSU won't have to work as hard.
 
the 850 will surfice and its a gret make. People are running sli systems (not 480s though) on 620 psus so 850 should pick up the slack. 1000w if you really want to room for expansion. 1200w would be overkill for lulz.
 
Aren't the new Corsair PSUs not based on slightly newer PSU technology? Wasn't sure if the HX series was still worth buying with the AX series being out.
 
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Don't think you can go wrong with either really.

Personally I'd go for the Corsair purely because I've used their PSUs before.
 
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Thinking that maybe the AX850 will do me for my build. Sadly, it doesn't leave a lot in the tank if I do SLI. But then again, I might not be able to afford a second GTX 480 anyway :p

Gah, I wish picking a PSU was as simple as picking a CPU! I want it to be future proof, and I like the sound of the new Corsair AX series, but I have read that the AX1200 is having some problems (and it's quite expensive).
 
Yeah I noticed :p Not making life any easier for me! I think I want a Corsair or a Be Quiet PSU. Just worried that I will be stressing it too much with an overclocked GTX 480 and an overclocked i7 at 850W.

But I know nothing about PSUs really. Just that Corsair are good, and that the Be Quiet PSUs are meant to be good too :p The calculators all say the loads are higher, but most people here say that 1000W is usually overkill.
 
Yeah, it does look like a very nice, efficient PSU. Better than the HX1000 for efficiency also. I just want to make sure it is solid for running my spec, plus the GTX 480 and a watercooling pump. Having said that, Rich runs an HX850 in his build, and he has a GTX 480 and an i7.

The chances of me upgrading to a second GTX 480 are very slim (the cost mainly), if I watercool, that drops my GTX 480 budget :P And I want to save for an SSD later this year. AX850 I think it is.

What does everyone else think? :)
 
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