What PSU?

Gullanian · 30 Oct 2015 at 11:13

Currently I have an old PC, with a 650w BeQuiet. Upgraded graphics card recently, and I had to underclock it because PSU kept failing. Am unsure if this is because it's old (~5y) or because of more power being drawn.

I'm looking at eventually upgrading to a skylake system. In the interim, I'll replace my PSU so I don't need to underclock my graphcis anymore.

What's a good PSU that will allow me to upgrade around it? And am I right in saying going for overkill (850w/1000w) will be quieter and more efficient?

Thanks!

Borealis · 30 Oct 2015 at 11:39

If you're not going SLi or xfire, then you don't need more than 650W-750W, even if you're OCing. A good 650W PSU should power any single-card setup, as long as you don't have ridiculous numbers of HDDs etc.

pastymuncher · 30 Oct 2015 at 11:55

Either of these will be more than enough for a single card system:-

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x EVGA Supernova GS 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply= £76.99
1 x EVGA Supernova G2 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply= £77.99

Total: £166.08
(includes shipping: £11.10)

The GS is a Seasonic built unit with a single 12v rail of 648w, hybrid fan control and a 5 year warranty. At 150x150mm it is also quite compact. Review here.

The G2 is a Superflower built unit with a single 12v rail of 649w, hybrid fan control and a 7 year warranty. Review here.

Gullanian · 30 Oct 2015 at 12:07

Thanks for replies, bit nervous about 650w because that's what I currently have, and I suspect the current system is failing because 650w is not enough!

Phenom II power consumption peak 338w
Radeon R9 200 peak ~300w

I want something future proof, so multi cards might be an option for the future. Would you still recommend another 650w supply?

Gullanian · 30 Oct 2015 at 12:10

Was honestly looking at something like this:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/supe...us-platinum-power-supply-white-ca-007-sf.html

It's overkill but will be future proof, has a good warranty. (And I'm assuming spare power = better efficiency and quieter)

Borealis · 30 Oct 2015 at 12:35

Spare power doesn't necessarily mean better efficiency. At low loadings, a high wattage PSU can actually be less efficient. For xfire/sli I'd say you'd be looking for 850W as a minimum, probably better off with 1000W long term.

I'm no expert though, so don't just go with what I've said.

Gullanian · 30 Oct 2015 at 12:37

I'm just trying to avoid needing to buy another one for 5+ years, this is why my old one's been so great. At the time it was overkill and I've saved money because of it in the long run!

Just trying to avoid buying another 650w one and running into problems with it later. I think I'll probably go for 1000w/1,200w unless someone tells me strongly otherwise.

This one is what I'm close to ordering, good reviews and says it's very quiet:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/supe...0-plus-gold-power-supply-black-ca-010-sf.html

pastymuncher · 30 Oct 2015 at 13:19

You don't need it though. A 650w unit is more than enough for your needs. Hell, a 550w unit can power just about any single gpu setup going. Where did you get your wattage figure from? Chances are they are total system power figures and not single component figures. The pc in my siggy pulls a peak of 452w at the wall and only if I run IBT and Furmark both at the same time. Normal gaming use is between 132-366w with the exception of Anno 2070 when it pulls 422w. I suspect that your psu or something else is failing and that's why you are having problems. BeQuiet are overhyped and overpriced for what they are. Their oem for the vast majority of their psu's is FSP who have been rather hit or miss with quality over the years. BeQuiets older and budget models also tend to have a much weaker 12v rail than the total output stated in the sticker. Any decent modern psu should be able to deliver all or near enough all of it's power on the 12v rail.

I don't see the point of buying a overspecced psu just to keep the option of multicards open for the future when you may not even go down that route. Most of the time a powerful single card is the better option as you have less chance of having driver problems. If you still want to keep that option open look at the EVGA G2 or P2 850w. They are more or less the same as the Superflower leadex (they build them for EVGA) but have no leds that can't be turned off and come with a whopping 10 year warranty.

Gullanian · 30 Oct 2015 at 14:33

Thanks for tips, went for EVGA SuperNova P2 1000W '80 Plus Platinum'. 10y warranty sounds great.

Perhaps it's massively more than I need but it's a solved problem for the next 5-10 years now!