Which PSU should I buy?

wiredmarlin5 said:What a shocker. I plug the PSU in, hit the switch, and—Boom! The breaker trips and a fuse blows.

It actually turned on normally later. What a disaster. My Strider is definitely quieter than this thing....

I'll write something more useful tomorrow.

By the way, if you're looking to grab a power supply, hurry up. I asked Best Buy about their stock and they said they had a massive Christmas sale with 50% off and everything flew off the shelves... whatever is left in the stores is all there is.

Wait, are you kidding me? 😁

The guys over at Protis gave me my money back because they sold their last unit this morning. Apparently, the next shipment arrives in 15 days and they don't even know what the pricing will be yet... what a joke. :/

BTW, after that stunt, I'm not sure if this power supply is even meant to be mine. 😬

I honestly thought those prices were just because of the holiday season...

Looks like I'll just wait for better times when those high-end Seasonic units finally drop in price. hehe

wiredmarlin5, why would 80+ be the baseline? Based on what? You can't even put a non-80+ PSU in a recommended list these days, right? Why? What was wrong with a single U01 back when they were actually stocked at Links, specifically for the $50 330W models? I mean, if we were having this debate a month ago, would this have even made the cut for recommended power supplies in the $67 class?

Thomas Martin4 said:That test is five years old. Maybe the efficiency threshold was lower back then, but nowadays, you expect at least 80% from any decent power supply.

Could be... I haven't really kept up with power supplies lately, but I didn't realize things could change that much in just a few years. Like keyboards or cases, for instance. I mean... there are updates, sure, but I didn't think there were this many... And I definitely bought this PSU at least 3 or 4 years ago...

placidcanyon2 said:wiredmarlin5, I have to ask, why on earth would anyone insist that an 80+ rating has to be the absolute foundation of a build? What exactly are we basing that on? It’s not like you can even find a power supply these days that doesn't carry that 80+ label without it being tossed straight out of any decent recommendation list... so why the obsession? And honestly, what was the big deal about grabbing a single U01 back when they were actually stocked at Links? It really wasn't that much of a gamble... $50 A 330W model? Honestly, if we had been sitting around having this exact same conversation just a month ago, I really think we would have ended up putting this one right at the top of our list for highly recommended power supplies in its class... though you know how much things can shift in such a short amount of time... $67?

Look, there are just so many different power supplies out there on the market that it’s honestly impossible to put together a truly comprehensive or meaningful list without spending an eternity on it... so, for now, I’m perfectly happy with what I’ve managed to pull together! 🙂

I put this entire list together strictly by following the most credible, rock-solid reviews I could find out there... which is exactly why you won't see any power supplies from that lower tier anywhere in my build... $67.

You really can't go around trying to test a used power supply using a brand-new one... it just doesn't work that way at all, you know...

Jacob Foster11 said:It’s actually quite possible... I haven't really kept a close eye on the power supply market lately, but I honestly didn't realize things could shift quite this much in just a few years. It reminds me a bit of how much keyboards or PC cases have evolved, you know? I mean... sure, there are always small updates here and there, but I never imagined we'd see such a massive overhaul in technology again... And that PSU I picked up? I definitely bought that at least three or four years ago...

Everything has just... changed so much lately, hasn't it? It feels like the whole landscape has shifted under our feet, and honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how much has actually moved around... 🙂 Honestly, when you look back at everything that’s hit the market over the last couple of years, it’s just incredible how much the landscape has shifted... we’re seeing these absolutely brutal pieces of hardware popping up everywhere, and they honestly feel like they belong to a completely different era compared to those old power supplies we used to struggle with... it’s almost hard to believe how far the technology has come in such a short amount of time!

I was just sitting here thinking about how much things have changed lately, you know, and it really got me wondering about the sheer scale of everything we deal with on a daily basis... it’s almost overwhelming when you stop to actually process it all! I found myself drifting down a bit of a rabbit hole earlier today, just pondering the nuances of our current situation, and it struck me that we often overlook the most important details because we're so caught up in the rush of life... but there's such a certain beauty in slowing down to appreciate those little complexities, don't you think? Anyway, I suppose I'm just rambling now, but my mind was racing with all these ideas, and I felt like sharing a bit of that energy with everyone here... kaže:
Wait, are you actually kidding me right now... or is this some kind of elaborate joke... because I honestly can't tell if you're being serious or just pulling my leg... 😁

So, the folks over at Protis actually ended up cutting me a check since they sold out of everything this morning, but now they’re sitting there telling me the next shipment won't be in for another fifteen days and they haven't even figured out what the new pricing is going to look like yet... honestly, what a bunch of characters...

Honestly, after everything that just went down with this setup, I’m starting to wonder if this power supply was even meant to be mine in the first place... maybe it’s just some cosmic sign from the universe telling me to move on... 😬

I honestly found myself sitting there thinking that maybe the price spike was just some seasonal madness tied to the holidays... you know how it goes when everyone starts shopping at once...

I think I might just hold off for a little while longer and wait for some better timing, you know... maybe hoping those top-tier, extreme-performance Seasonic units might actually see a bit of a price drop if I play my cards right, haha...

You know, I was thinking that they might have something tucked away over at the Best Buy, but honestly, it’s a bit of a trek to get there... $246. 🙂

I had my eye on that X650 Sisu myself, I really did, but I ended up taking the path of least resistance and went with a much more budget-friendly option instead... I'm just not one of those total noise fanatics who needs absolute silence at all costs, so this setup feels like it hits that sweet spot perfectly for me... 😬

I am absolutely not joking around when it comes to the fuse and the circuit breaker, because I swear I just saw some sparks flying inside my PC case... man, what a mess...

I honestly don't get this whole business with the fuse and the spark 😕

By the way, I finally pulled the trigger on that 650W Seasonic unit... yeah, it cost me a bit more, but at least I won't be hunting for spare change under the couch cushions to pay for it 😁

Once I've finished poking around this annoying little thing, I'll put together a proper review for you guys

And stay tuned, because we'll be doing a quick deep dive on the XFX gear too 🙂

I honestly couldn't tell you for sure, but I’m standing by what I said earlier... it really was just like that.

That is such a fantastic choice... seriously, huge congratulations to you! 🙂 🙂

My only regret is not having a decent oscilloscope on hand to actually run some tests once 🙂

Maybe one day I’ll finally drop some cash on a USB scope—even if it’s just a basic 20MHz model, haha.

By the way, looking at your voltage readings, it seems even this unit of yours isn't handling the idle-to-load transition particularly well... quite a sight to behold.

So, what kind of specs are we looking at here?

Nothing too crazy here, just running an E6300 clocked at 3.5GHz—it actually goes quite a bit higher than that, but I don't really game much anymore so there's honestly no point... paired with an HD3870 x2.

I mean, if modern power supplies aren't showing more than 30mV peak-to-peak ripple under full load, then it’s pretty obvious that obsessing over measuring it isn't all that vital...

The one thing bothering me about this new case is that the cables are a bit too stiff, so they don't exactly follow orders when you're trying to route them... 😁 ... It feels like a bit of a silly move choosing fixed cables; they throw in two 8-pin EPS connectors, yet they don't include a single Molex or SATA lead. The cables aren't particularly long either... I haven't pulled out the ruler, but I suspect they're even shorter than my old Strider. Also, that extra +2 connector on the 6+2 pin is just poorly designed, making it such a pain to fiddle with. On the bright side, the fan is quieter than the other fans in my chassis, though I feel like it could be even better. I will say, it's a huge plus that there's no whining noise, which is a relief because my Strider used to whine constantly...

I noticed that immediately with his setup—just a massive pile of useless fixed cables, while the ones you actually need are modular. :/

Looking at that 135mm ADDA fan (hitting 2050 RPM @ full load), it doesn't look half bad. Then again, the real test is whether it suffers from coil whine... which can be absolutely maddening.

I haven't checked what kind of protections it carries yet... Do you happen to know (maybe from the manual) so I don't have to go hunting all over the internet?

They usually include some limits on the rails like OCP or OPP, though lately, I've been paying pretty close attention to the primary protection (OVP) too...

The manual is clearly written for an American audience, spanning about three pages... It mostly just goes on and on about how it features every possible protection imaginable... 😁

If this thing was handling a 996W load on an HS without breaking a sweat, I’m feeling pretty confident it won't be overwhelmed by my rig... 😬

Is this PSU actually any good? Check the specs here:

Power Specifications:
110/220V, 50/60 Hz
+3.3V, 36A
+5V, 30A
+12V, 30A
+12V, 30A
-12V, 0.6A
+5Vsb, 5A

It’s just some random no-name 850W unit.

Thanks

850W is a joke, and honestly, can you even trust those Power Specifications anyway?

Kyle Sanchez4 said:850w is a joke, plus you can't even trust their power specs

What's the worst part? 😁

And what should an actual 850w unit look like?

Also, why two +12V rails... does that mean it's 60A? Or what?

thanks

Look, if there’s absolutely no reputation behind them, then we're basically flying blind here... and my gut feeling tells me it's probably going to be total junk.

wiredmarlin5 said:Look, if it's some random no-name brand, you don't know anything. Just assume it's garbage.

Finally tracked it down:

It's this one:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=AK850

Could this be 60A?

And this one should be 72A...

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=ACE950&cat=PWR

thanks

Look, for fifty bucks, you should honestly just be thrilled if the thing actually turns on and runs... 😁

What are we even talking about with 60A? If it’s pulling somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 35A on the +12V rail, then we're doing just fine, I suppose... though, of course, that's all just pure guesswork at this point...

wiredmarlin5 said:For fifty bucks, just be glad it actually works. 😁

What are you talking about with 60A? If it pulls 30-35A on the +12V rail, it’s fine. But that’s just a guess...

🤣🤣 😁
Seriously though... what are you thinking? That 60A thing😍

And this other one is pretty much identical to that beast of yours👍

I see the Antec CP-850 is listed on some supply lists here in the States, but I can't seem to track it down anywhere 🤷

If anyone knows where I can grab one, could you please drop a link or even just let me know which retailer carries it???

I'm planning on picking up an Antec P-193 case, and since this power supply would be a perfect fit, I was wondering roughly how much it would run me. From what I've read, it looks absolutely top-tier... my only real hesitation is that I don't actually need a full 850W 😲

slyfox31 said:I see the Antec CP-850 listed as an available power supply here in the States, but I can't seem to find it anywhere online 🤷

If anyone happens to know where they're stocked—I'd appreciate a link or even just some basic info on where to buy one???

I'm planning on picking up an Antec P-193 case, so since it fits perfectly, I'm curious about what that PSU would run me... from what I can tell, it looks excellent—the only real downside for me is that I don't actually need 850W 😲

What are your thoughts on this?

http://www.nabava.net/trazilica.php?...c+850w&x=0&y=0

Thomas Martin4 said:What do you think about this?

http://www.google.com/search?q=850w+power+supply

Not quite—I already checked some listings on Amazon, and the models in your link are just the TruePower Quattro and Signature series. What I'm actually hunting for is the CP line—those specific high-wattage units designed to fit perfectly into certain Antec cases.😉