Which PSU should I buy?

I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts on this power supply unit, and specifically if it would be enough to handle running two of these graphics cards in Crossfire...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-064-_-Product

Wait... you actually own two of those cards already? I really hope you aren't planning on buying another one. 🙂

I'm not really looking to buy anything right now, don't worry about that, since I already have two setups and I'm thinking about just building a new PC with Crossfire support to see how that performs... And I don't play games much anyway, so there isn't much need for a new graphics card at the moment.

Honestly, even a 400 W power supply is overkill for what you're doing here.

Bryan Evans77 said:A picture really does say a thousand words, doesn't it?
http://www.google.com/search?q=modular+psu...=2048&bih=1027

Modular means the cables are detachable. You just use the ones you actually need and tuck the rest away so they aren't cluttering up your case...

...thanks...that really is a top-tier power supply... 😁 😉

James Fisher11 said:Is this power supply actually any good? It looks decent, but it's so cheap I feel like there must be a catch.
http://www.newegg.com/p/product_info.php?product_id=9128

Hmm... the link provided is from February. Back then—and for several months after—the entire CX series was labeled a "low quality" product line, which explains why the feedback on that specific link was mostly negative.

That said, this appears to be a newer model featuring an 80+ certification. We might have been overly critical of this series for longer than necessary. That’s common, though; once a collective opinion forms, people tend to ignore the possibility that the hardware actually improved in the meantime.🙂

Paul Wright7 said:hmm... that GamersNexus link dates back to February—and during that period (and for several months following), the entire CX series was widely dismissed as a "low quality" line, so I suspect most of those comments were predictably negative.

That said, it seems this might be a newer iteration featuring an 80+ certification. Perhaps we were being overly critical of this series for longer than strictly necessary—though, I suppose, that is simply how collective opinion works; once a consensus forms, the possibility that incremental improvements have actually occurred is often just ignored.🙂

Just because they secured an 80+ rating doesn't necessarily mean they've overhauled the build quality. There might have been some minor adjustments, but certainly not enough to warrant recommending them over brands like Seasonic or others... 😉

So, I tossed an EVGA 450 W1 into a bucket of parts I was throwing together last week—an Intel Core i3 paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460—and gave them a decent little overclock (Intel @ 3.5 GHz, NVIDIA @ 825 MHz). I ran them through a bunch of different stress tests, and honestly? The voltages stayed rock solid. No noticeable overvolting or undervolting issues at all, and everything ran smooth as silk during both testing and actual gaming. My budget was pretty tight, so it was basically a toss-up between that Corsair unit, some EVGA gear, or some other half-crap power supply...

Benjamin King2 said:I tossed an EVGA 450 W1 into a bucket I was putting together last week along with an Intel Core i3 and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460, both moderately Overclockers (Intel at 3.5 GHz, NVIDIA at 825 MHz), and ran them through all sorts of stress tests; the voltages stayed steady, there wasn't any noticeable over or undervolting, and everything held up perfectly during both testing and actual gaming. My budget was pretty tight, so I was choosing between that Corsair unit, an EVGA model, or some other semi-crap option...

If I had to pick something for someone else or suggest a specific buy between that weirdly stripped-down Corsair unit and something else, I’d go with this EVGA model from the GeForce series without hesitation because even though it costs a bit more, it’s definitely worth it, especially since it features a 14cm cooling fan that stays incredibly quiet.😁

When you consider the hardware involved, specifically looking at this test performed by a guy on another forum who was clearly trying to push that power supply to its breaking point—and he certainly isn't lying—it becomes crystal clear that the EVGA GeForce 450 W1 model is worth every penny.😁🍿

http://forum.pcekspert.com/showpost....6&postcount=51

What kind of pathetic loser are you talking about?

Benjamin King2 said:What kind of stripped-down version are we even talking about?

I’m talking specifically when you compare it to that old Corsair CX 400 W which actually had a Seasonic unit inside; compared to that, this new EVGA 450 W1 has been gutted quite thoroughly, as they’ve clearly stripped away all the quality without hesitation.😁

What makes it even more amusing is how people still fall for it today, operating under the delusion that this EVGA 450 W1 is identical to the old CX 400 model just because it carries the Corsair name. A brand name is just a label, and once you look under the hood, you realize it's something else entirely—basically a hollowed-out shell of what it used to be, if you catch my drift.😂🙂

Here are two useful sites regarding power supplies:

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80P...rSupplies.aspx
http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-sup...certified.html

EDIT: If you have trouble opening the first link, just go to www.plugloadsolutions.com and select the 80+ power supply section from the menu.

Regarding the platinum series, these two (EVGA and Delta Electronics) are likely the best options currently available under 600W, at least until the next two releases from Seasonic and EVGA are tested (though those will be 860W or higher, according to the second link above):

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=219
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...print&reid=221

And one silent fanless model from the platinum series:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=244

EDIT: If the links aren't working, you can find the JohnnyGuru reviews for these specific units via Google:

Delta Electronics Lazer Platinum 550W
EVGA Golden King 550W

The silent option:

Seasonic Prime Fanless 500W

Based on this data, even the Seasonic X series and the current EVGA lineup are probably lower tier.

By the way, EVGA already has 11 units in the 80+ platinum series (according to the first link).

I doubt these specific EVGA and Delta Electronics models will ever hit the US market, though Seasonic and EVGA might.

Andrew Miller102 said:I mean, compared to that old Corsair CX 400W—which actually had Seasonic components under the hood—this newer EVGA 450 W1 is definitely a step down. They seriously gutted the quality on this one; they stripped it bare, no question about it.😁

Are we talking "new" CX 430W or the actual new EVGA 450 W1? Looks like you’ve got yourself an upgraded little offspring there. 😁

Benjamin King2 said:"New" EVGA 450 W1 or actually a new EVGA 450 W1? You've got yourself an upgraded version here. 😁

I am aware it is a newer revision, but it still doesn't inspire much confidence; after all, that model represents the absolute bottom of the Corsair power supply lineup, which really says everything you need to know. In contrast, that EVGA GeForce model isn't exactly the worst thing EVGA offers, since there are plenty of weaker 500W units below it that would have likely spontaneously combusted during a test like this.😁

It is also quite strange that the EVGA GeForce 450 W1 didn't buckle and fail during that test, especially considering the 12V rail is rated at 230W, which suggests something is seriously off regarding the actual power delivery.😂😵

So, you have an Intel Core i7 with a stock TDP of 130W, then you overclock it just as much as they did by bumping the voltage, pair that with an HD 4870x2, boot up Prime, and finally run 3DMark, yet the power supply keeps chugging along without shutting down—the only reason the thread is being closed is for housekeeping, because the results themselves are baffling enough.🙏

I am genuinely curious how it would perform in that exact same scenario; specifically, if we used the "improved" EVGA 450 W1 in that identical configuration during the same test, I wonder if it would even manage to boot the system, or if the PC would just instantly die the moment you looked at it wrong.🙂😵

Andrew Miller102 said:It’s just weird—really weird—that the EVGA GeForce didn't completely tank during that test, especially since it's only rated at 230W on the 12V rail. Something is seriously off there—either with the actual voltage stability or just the raw power delivery itself. It just doesn't add up.😂😵

Some guy over in the factory decided to wrap a few extra loops of wire around the transformer—because apparently, they think we don't know what 500W actually looks like. Real geniuses, those guys. 😍

Hey there

I’m starting to think it’s finally time to swap out my power supply unit.

My current setup looks like this:
Corsair 350 w - basically an antique at about 10 years old
Pentium 4 4000+
4 GB DDR2
Geforce 7600GS AGP
2 IDE + 2 SATA drives
DVD-RW
1x DVB-S
1x DVB-T
1x wlan
plus some random USB gear here and there

The new build I'm putting together:
Core i3 450
2x 4 GB DDR3
FX570 - I'm not using this for gaming or anything, just need the graphics for 2D work and some occasional CAD stuff via OpenGL
Everything else stays the same.

I definitely need to ditch the old PSU because it's really seen better days, but honestly, what should I actually get?
What kind of power supplies are actually worth looking at these days, you know? What's reliable without breaking the bank?

--
Z

Check this out

For those who can follow English:

Roughly 99% of the power supply reviews online are...just poorly executed.👎

Take this, for example:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/artic...re-Wrong/410/1

After reading through it, I think there’s some actual logic to what they're saying..👍

Most of these reviews don't use a lab setup. It's a joke. They don't even provide links to facilities that actually have the right equipment.🙂.

dustyskipper77 said:Check this out

Thanks, Wozniak! I haven't really been messing around in this scene for a few years now, so please don't judge me if I ask—is this power supply actually legit? Like, can I actually trust it to hold up?

driftinggardener18 said:Thanks, Wozniak! I haven't been in this scene for a few years, so don't mind me asking—is this power supply actually proven? How reliable is it?

Proven and reliable.