Which PSU should I buy?

David Sanders4 said:The issue is that if you want to be certain, you need to run every single test for at least 45 minutes. That takes serious patience; I usually run them for about 15 minutes and find myself yawning while waiting for the results...

Look, you don't have to run every single combination for an extended period. As soon as it passes a 15-minute stretch, drop to an even lower voltage until it fails. Then, dial it back to the last stable setting and run that one for a longer duration. If that still isn't enough after a long test, bump it up by one increment. Here is the "procedure":

That’s the quick-and-dirty method—undervolt until it fails to boot into Windows, then incrementally increase the voltage until it survives a few hours of testing and temperatures stay within limits. Once that happens, you're set. Essentially, the goal for the perfect overclock is to hit your target frequency (say, 4.5 GHz) at the lowest possible voltage while maintaining total stability. You want maximum performance with minimum heat and power draw. Also, there might be some BIOS settings you can toggle back on.

I've been reading through, but I don't see which cooler is being used... though I did notice they turned on CnQ once everything was assembled?!

Don't use CnQ while you're overclocking. People mention you can enable CnQ once you've found a stable OC and cleared all the stress tests, but honestly, most people hate it (myself included). That feature can cause nothing but headaches:

She should probably stop stressing over what's causing her trouble.

But yes, after you finish the OC, you can re-enable certain features, like thermal throttling. Why not? It prevents overheating, and unlike during a stress test, in normal daily use or gaming, your temperatures won't get anywhere near the limit, so the feature will never actually trigger anyway.

By the way, that guy's cooling setup is a Coolermaster Nepton 280 l Quote

Well, I just grabbed everything that was in the link since it was priced below market value.

What kind of deal? A special discount or through a corporate account?

Timothy Kim60 said:Here is the "procedure"

Look, there's a much simpler way to look at this. I’ll try to find the sweet spot tomorrow...

Timothy Kim60 said:I think you might have misread that. There's no CnQ while you're overclocking. They only mention the possibility of enabling CnQ once you've actually found a stable OC.

That’s exactly what I meant—once a stable voltage is established. I noticed that when I enable CnQ, it sits at a 7 multiplier (1.4 GHz) while idling, but under load, it stays at 7 as well without any real reason. I don't really see the point if it behaves the same way during gaming, which it likely will...
It seems to me that AMD has these features that mostly just confuse the average user or gamer. It all feels a bit unbalanced; everything is set up to be automatic, but it only really becomes useful once you step in and configure it yourself...

Timothy Kim60 said:What kind of scheme? A discount or through a company?

Through the company, essentially part of a trade-in deal... so I just picked whatever they had available at my local shop. I actually wanted to grab the FX-8320E since it's even cheaper and I suspect it has the same potential, but I ended up just grabbing the most expensive parts they had on hand. I’d never pay half the price of a CPU for a cooler; I would have just gone with an i5-4690K instead.

I'm going to go run the Crysis 3 benchmark for a bit. It's running beautifully now, compared to that old Q6600—it's night and day.

David Sanders4 said:That’s exactly what I was thinking—once you find a stable voltage. I noticed when I enable CnQ, it stays at a 7 multiplier (1.4 GHz) while idling, but under load, it stays stuck at 7 too, which feels pointless if it’s just going to behave that way during gaming anyway....

The whole point of that feature is to drop the clock speed and voltage when the PC is idling so you aren't burning electricity for no reason. It shouldn't kick in while you're gaming. Intel has something very similar. The feature itself is fine; the issue is that sometimes the BIOS will include a disclaimer like this:

"In certain scenarios, this may lead to system instability when paired with specific RAM models; if instability occurs, please disable this setting."

That’s likely what happened to the woman mentioned in the link (since nothing worked, she didn't undervolt, and everything was at stock settings).

Basically, it's just hardware quirks caused by how different combinations of RAM, motherboards, and CPUs play together. Honestly, it's mostly noise—you're better off just turning it off and moving on. Personally, once I start overclocking or undervolting and move away from factory defaults, I feel like the transition from CnQ back to standard settings isn't perfectly smooth. It feels like a tiny micro-stutter, maybe for a fraction of a second, almost like a momentary lag... though it probably works better on newer processors and boards...

I've noticed AMD has all these features that just confuse the average user or gamer. It seems unbalanced to me; it's all set up automatically, but once you start tweaking things yourself, then it actually becomes useful...

Every BIOS has options like this; most average users just don't notice them. People only really care when they start overclocking. For the most part, it's not "make or break"—you can go one way or the other. More options generally mean more control. Take LLC, for example: some boards don't even have it, others only offer an On/Off switch, while you can actually fine-tune the levels on others.

I'm going to run the Crysis 3 benchmark. It runs beautifully now, unlike on the Q6600—it's night and day.

The FX-8350 is a beast in comparison. That Q6600 was a massive bottleneck for the GTX 660 in that game.

The Q6600 isn't exactly a bottleneck—and I'm talking about an overclocked unit here; that processor remains a serious piece of hardware even today🙂, provided you push it past 3GHz, which is actually quite easy to do. That GTX 660 sits right on the edge; there might be a minor bottleneck, but it would handle the CPU without any real trouble.

A colleague of mine is running that chip at an OC of 3.2GHz paired with an R9 270, and everything runs perfectly. It’s a remarkable processor. Time has caught up to it slightly, but the guy is still going strong.

mellowtiger83 said:A buddy of mine is running that 3.2GHz overclocked chip paired with an R9 270, and everything runs smooth as silk. It’s a legendary processor; even if it's seen better days, the guy is still getting plenty of mileage out of it.

There's no denying this CPU is a legend and still functional. However, when you pair it with a GTX 660 for modern titles, even an overclock won't save it. Performance varies by title, obviously, but even something like an i3 would barely be a bottleneck for that GPU, since many newer games can really lean on those 8 threads.

Crysis 3 benchmark - Severe CPU bottle neck

It's hardly surprising:
http://www.techspot.com/review/642-c...nce/page6.html
http://www.overclock.net/t/1362591/g...pu-cpu-scaling

If you were using a GTX 680 (roughly comparable to today's R9 280x or a GTX 770) with this processor, you'd likely see your FPS cut at least in half.

Is an EVGA 600 BQ (550W, 80+ Goldman Sachs) sufficient for this build:

ASUS ROG Z97 Gaming 5
Gigabyte GTX 970 WF 3x
i7 4790K
16 GB RAM Kingston HyperFury Black 186MHz
Samsung 850 EVO 120 GB
WD Blue 1TB

And any general thoughts on this PSU if anyone cares. 🙂

Honestly, there isn't anything better for ~$233, though I suppose two GTX 970s might do the trick too.

If I recall correctly, you're looking at triple SLI with the GTX 970? The GTX 970 doesn't pull massive amounts of power on its own, but running them in triple SLI is a whole different beast. I wouldn't dream of going anything lower than a solid 750W unit, like THIS. If you've already sunk that much cash into a rig, are you really going to skimp $200-$100 just to save a few bucks on the power supply?

That’s just the label for the 🤣 Windforce3X 😁 heatsink

hahaha 😂 🙏

Ha. No, I'm not looking to run multiple GPUs just yet. Is this power supply actually reliable?
Someone on another board suggested the Coolermaster V550S, acting like it's some incredible bargain for under $233.

By the way, why is this Fortron 750W so much cheaper than the XFX unit I was planning to grab? o.O I definitely don't need 750W, but I'd prefer something high-quality in the 550-600W range. Power supplies are a mystery to me.😁

I've got plus
So, I have these two power supplies sitting here, both brand new. The XFX one comes with a 5-year warranty, while the CORSAIR one is only rated for 3 years.
My build consists of an i5 3570K, a SAPPHIRE HD 7850 2GB OC, a Samsung 840 evo, an AS rock z77 PRO3, a 1TB HDD, and 8GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3 RAM.
I happened to come across both of these units, so now I’m asking a total newbie question: which one should I stick with for this specific setup?
I'll probably be doing some light overclocking down the road, though there's no real need for it right now.
Don't bother telling me "this one is better" because I'm pretty sure the XFX is superior, but what I actually want to know is if that 408W from the XFX will hold up once I start overclocking, or if I should just opt for more headroom even if it means using a lower-quality unit?

Casey White7 said:Haha. Nah, I'm not planning on running more than one GPU for now. So, is this power supply actually decent?
I saw someone on another forum suggest the Coolermaster V550S as a solid best buy for around $233.

By the way, why is this Fortron 750W unit so much cheaper than the XFX I'm looking at? o.O I definitely don't need 750W, but I'd prefer something high-quality in the 550-600W range, and I don't know the first thing about PSUs 😁

The Coolermaster V550S works too; it's semi-modular and slightly more efficient, though the build quality might be a tiny bit lower. The V550S is $240? You could grab the XFX XTR for $250, which is basically identical to the TSu but modular. Personally, I’d probably stretch those extra $17 to go from the TSu to the XTRa. 🙂

Fortron is cheaper because there's a massive gap in quality, voltage regulation, and especially noise and ripple levels.

Ryan Allen32 said:I have and
So, I've got these two power supplies, both brand new. The XFX has a 5-year warranty, while the CORSAIR has 3 years.
My specs are an i5 3570K, SAPPHIRE HD 7850 2GB OC, Samsung 840 evo, AS rock z77 PRO3, 1TB HDD, and 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 RAM.
I somehow ended up with both units and now I have a total newbie question: which one should I stick with for this build?
I'll likely do some light overclocking down the road, though there's no need right now.
I'm not looking for an answer like "this one is better" since the XFX seems superior—but if I overclock, will that 408W from the XFX be enough, or should I opt for more headroom even if the PSU itself is lower quality?

I'd probably lean toward the XFX TS; it has a better fan and higher build quality. Your setup is actually quite efficient—it won't even pull 250W under full load. You might just want to be careful when you upgrade your GPU so you don't pick something massive with a 300W TDP (like an R9 290 x 😬), but a GTX 970 would be fine.

Yeah, I’m on the same page there. Plus, having that 5-year warranty is a massive win. It's a huge advantage.
So, it's XFX for me. 😁

I'm looking for some solid power supply recommendations under $167 that won't drive me crazy with noise. I need something reliable and high-quality. Here's what my current rig looks like:

CPU: Phenom ii x4 965 box Black edition, 3.4GHz
MBO: ASrock 970 Extreme
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 4GB
HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA III
VGA: Radeon 3870

Thomas Wood21 said:Look for a PSU under $167 if you want something quiet and reliable. Your build is basically

CPU: Phenom ii x4 965 box Black edition, 3.4GHz
MBO: ASrock 970 Extreme
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 4GB
HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA III
VGA: Radeon 3870

http://www.newegg.com/product/details/15157

or

http://www.newegg.com/product/details/14991

Thomas Wood21 said:I'd recommend a power supply under $167 if you want something quiet and reliable. Here's the setup:

CPU: Phenom ii x4 965 box Black edition, 3.4GHz
MBO: ASrock 970 Extreme
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 4GB
HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA III
VGA: Radeon 3870

For the love of God, please just put in a better graphics card... 🙂

Adam Moore3 said:Please, for the sake of my sanity, just put a beefier graphics card in there! 🙂

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on some upgrades pretty soon! 🙂 I'm looking to pick up an SSD... any recommendations? 🎉

Thomas Wood21 said:I'm planning on doing this soon... 🙂 I'm looking for an SSD... any recommendations? 🎉

It depends on whether you go with the Intel 520, the Kingston HyperX, or the Samsung 840 evo. As for the GPU, looking at the graph, an R9 270 would fit nicely... though it really all comes down to your budget.

Adam Moore3 said:For an SSD, you should look at the Intel 520, Kingston HyperX, or the Samsung 840 evo. As for the GPU, it really depends on what you're after, but given your processor, an R9 270 would be a pretty solid match—though obviously, that all comes down to your budget.

Which one should I go with?