"How many watts do I need"? Check Here!

[AliveGhost13]

Yep a good quality 400W or higher. Antec VP450 and Corsair CX430 are decent choices

 

The VP is actually pretty poor, for barely any more money the VPF is a better choice

[Aniallation]

The VP is actually pretty poor, for barely any more money the VPF is a better choice

Link?

[AliveGhost13]

Link?

 

Damnit, seems you guys don't have it In the UK it's been on sale a while now

[bendj]

Thanks. The CX430 is on my list. I just wanted to make sure I didn't make a big mistake. 

[Aniallation]

Thanks. The CX430 is on my list. I just wanted to make sure I didn't make a big mistake. 

Doesn't hurt to have a bit more headroom. The EVGA 500B is a decent option for your rig as well.

[speedyinfinity_3014]

I know it's not really in this topic, but would you know if a normal PSU would work on an ErP/EuP Motherboard? Or do I have to get an ErP/EuP-ready PSU. The way I understand it is that you only need an ErP/EuP-ready PSU if you want to use the ErP/EuP functionality, right?

[suprise]

Question:

Would I be 100% safe if I just used the TDP of GPU + CPU + 100w rule for any system when I select a power supply (if I'm not overclocking), or are there drawbacks to always using this rule? Of course I would be checking the reviews of the PSU and whatnot, but I'm asking about determining the wattage I need. I've built several computers, and I always spend way too much money on a PSU because I never knew how to select the right wattage and I just end up buying a ridiculously high capacity PSU for a system that will never use even half of it.

[Aniallation]

I know it's not really in this topic, but would you know if a normal PSU would work on an ErP/EuP Motherboard? Or do I have to get an ErP/EuP-ready PSU. The way I understand it is that you only need an ErP/EuP-ready PSU if you want to use the ErP/EuP functionality, right?

It just means that the system will use less power in sleep mode. PSUs that are "Haswell ready" combined with a Haswell chip and motherboard make this sleep power consumption go down even further. 

 

It doesn't mean that a non-ErP/EuP PSU with a ErP/EuP motherboard will use more power when the PC is in standby mode compared to if you were to use a PSU that supported it. The difference between best-case and worst-case isn't really noticeable though, only a few watts at most, less then charging your phone.

 

 

Question:

Would I be 100% safe if I just used the TDP of GPU + CPU + 100w rule for any system when I select a power supply (if I'm not overclocking), or are there drawbacks to always using this rule? Of course I would be checking the reviews of the PSU and whatnot, but I'm asking about determining the wattage I need. I've built several computers, and I always spend way too much money on a PSU because I never knew how to select the right wattage and I just end up buying a ridiculously high capacity PSU for a system that will never use even half of it.

Pretty much. I always round up on Intel chips with 80-something watt TDPs to 100W just for the headroom even if not overclocking. So aside from that, the method seems to work out really well.

[speedyinfinity_3014]

Thank you once again 

[fwanta]

Thank you for your great post. Made it clear on what to look on PSU.

[Mayh3M]

I have an EVGA G2 850W. Wanted to know if this is going to power my components, especially with my incoming 980 ti sli:

4790k @ 4.6 / 1.28v

Maximus Hero VII

2x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance Pro XMP

2x EVGA GTX 980 Ti ACX SC

Soundblaster Z

Corsair H105

5 120mm fans

1 140mm fan

2 WD HDD

1 SSD

5 USB devices

Is this OK, and if so, do I have overclocking headroom? Looking for a solid consensus if I do choose to keep it.

[AliveGhost13]

I have an EVGA G2 850W. Wanted to know if this is going to power my components, especially with my incoming 980 ti sli:

4790k @ 4.6 / 1.28v

2x EVGA GTX 980 Ti ACX SC

Soundblaster Z

Corsair H105

5 120mm fans

1 140mm fan

2 WD HDD

1 SSD

5 USB devices

Yes

[DarkTornadoGames]

just search for psu calculator advandced, its from coolermaster i believe and it give an acurate outcome

[rezzed]

what if i get a 500w power supply thats 80+ gold rating without a gpu? is that ok? how wasteful is that? cause i might plan to buy a gpu later on, but don't know when.  cause u know i heard that 80+ gold ratings are very power efficient. 

[Aniallation]

what if i get a 500w power supply thats 80+ gold rating without a gpu? is that ok? how wasteful is that? cause i might plan to buy a gpu later on, but don't know when.  cause u know i heard that 80+ gold ratings are very power efficient. 

It's not wasteful to get 500W if you're not going to use it all, because the PC will only draw as much power as it needs to. It's a good investment especially if you're looking to get a dedicated GPU later on. 

 

However don't worry about 80+ rating, actual PSU quality is what you should be looking for. A high-quality 80+ Bronze PSU is recommended over an 80+ Gold one from a meh OEM that performs rather poorly. 

 

If you ever need help in deciding what specific model to buy fell free to ask us

[Vladelos]

Hello 

I am looking forward to purchase a new computer and I am looking for a Power Supply but I cannot make my mind between:

1. Corsair CX600M
2. Corsair CS550M

The system's other components are:

1. Intel 4790k 4.0 GHz
2. HyperX SSD 240GB
3. HyperX Fury Black 8GB 1866 MHz
4. Asus Z97 Pro Gamer

 

I intend to buy later a nVidia GTX 960/970 (most probably the 960 cause I get enough money for 970). The system will mostly be used for gaming and some video/photo editing (maybe even streaming) but I am not certain about the PSU. Are the 50 Watts difference from the CX worth? Or is the Gold rating of CS better? I also heard some rumors/speculation that the CX series is riskier because of its low quality capacitors. Yes, I intend to OC the system but not now. I am not sure when but if I want to do so, do I need to get a better PSU than these two?

 

Thanks

[Elapo]

Hello 

I am looking forward to purchase a new computer and I am looking for a Power Supply but I cannot make my mind between:

• Corsair CX600M
• Corsair CS550M

The system's other components are:

• Intel 4790k 4.0 GHz
• HyperX SSD 240GB
• HyperX Fury Black 8GB 1866 MHz
• Asus Z97 Pro Gamer

I intend to buy later a nVidia GTX 960/970 (most probably the 960 cause I get enough money for 970). The system will mostly be used for gaming and some video/photo editing (maybe even streaming) but I am not certain about the PSU. Are the 50 Watts difference from the CX worth? Or is the Gold rating of CS better? I also heard some rumors/speculation that the CX series is riskier because of its low quality capacitors. Yes, I intend to OC the system but not now. I am not sure when but if I want to do so, do I need to get a better PSU than these two?

 

Thanks

Honestly, if it's mainly gaming get a 4690k and put the extra money towards a 970.

You won't have hyperthreading, but the 970 is worth it. This'll improve streaming as well, especially if you want to stream demanding games. Video editing won't suffer that much from not having hyperthreading.

[ZeGhostrider]

Hello 

I am looking forward to purchase a new computer and I am looking for a Power Supply but I cannot make my mind between:

1. Corsair CX600M
2. Corsair CS550M

The system's other components are:

1. Intel 4790k 4.0 GHz
2. HyperX SSD 240GB
3. HyperX Fury Black 8GB 1866 MHz
4. Asus Z97 Pro Gamer

 

I intend to buy later a nVidia GTX 960/970 (most probably the 960 cause I get enough money for 970). The system will mostly be used for gaming and some video/photo editing (maybe even streaming) but I am not certain about the PSU. Are the 50 Watts difference from the CX worth? Or is the Gold rating of CS better? I also heard some rumors/speculation that the CX series is riskier because of its low quality capacitors. Yes, I intend to OC the system but not now. I am not sure when but if I want to do so, do I need to get a better PSU than these two?

 

Thanks

 

The difference of 80+Bronze to 80+Gold is perhaps bigger than the difference of 550W to 600W, but it's still not that much.

 

Quick look at jonnyguru tells me the CS series has "better" capacitors, other than that they both seem solid.

 

I would personally take the 80+Gold, 550W is enough for a i7 + GTX970.

 

Take into account that both MSI and Gigabyte GTX960/970 cards need at least one 8pin (6+2pin) PCIe power line, which both PSUs don't seems to have at all.

[Vladelos]

Thanks for the info. I did more research and I'll change the processor from 4790k to 4690k.

Regarding the cables, are there the MSI and Gigabyte models the only one that require that kind of pins? Because I was looking into buying an ASUS video card.

 

Also, are you sure they don't have 6+2 pin PCIe ? Because my local retailer states the following:

 

 

 

4 x 6+2 PCI-E 

 

I can even see an 8(6+2)pin in this picture http://i.imgur.com/8iVifW0.png or am I wrong?

[Elapo]

Take into account that both MSI and Gigabyte GTX960/970 cards need at least one 8pin (6+2pin) PCIe power line, which both PSUs don't seems to have at all.

Thanks for the info. I did more research and I'll change the processor from 4790k to 4690k.

Regarding the cables, are there the MSI and Gigabyte models the only one that require that kind of pins? Because I was looking into buying an ASUS video card.

 

Also, are you sure they don't have 6+2 pin PCIe ? Because my local retailer states the following:

 

 

I can even see an 8(6+2)pin in this picture http://i.imgur.com/8iVifW0.png or am I wrong?

 

The Asus Strix 970 uses 8-pin as well.

 

Also, the CS550M has 2 6+2 connectors (on a single cable), according to the johnnyguru review, same goes for the CX600M.

[Aniallation]

I am looking forward to purchase a new computer and I am looking for a Power Supply but I cannot make my mind between:

1. Corsair CX600M
2. Corsair CS550M

Neither. Go for the EVGA 750B2 instead.

[Vladelos]

Sadly, my retailer doesn't have that PSU. Why not those two that I mentioned earlier? 

[Aniallation]

Sadly, my retailer doesn't have that PSU. Why not those two that I mentioned earlier? 

What else does your retailer have? Generally, unless there's a very good sale, CXM and CSM are pretty overpriced for what you get.

[Vladelos]

Overpriced? The EVGA you recommended was like 125$ and the Corsair ones are 98$  :lol:

I don't know how much this helps you http://www.pcgarage.ro/surse/ but it's the PSU page from my retailer (it's a Romanian one). I'll make a fast translation for you if this helps:

Producator = Producer

Putere = Power

Modulara = Modular

Certificate = Certificates/Ratings

Eficienta = Efficiency

Protectii = Protections

Numar Ventilatoare = Number of Fans

 

I already selected here PSUs with Watts between 550 and 600 because those that are over 600 have spicy prices if these pictures help you see what I've got available.

http://i.imgur.com/sDpgmLm.png

http://i.imgur.com/RiWHb4Y.png

[ZeGhostrider]

 

The Asus Strix 970 uses 8-pin as well.

 

Also, the CS550M has 2 6+2 connectors (on a single cable), according to the johnnyguru review, same goes for the CX600M.

 

You are correct, my trusted retailer had it listed as 2x6pin (which I reported just now for being false information).

 

I did some more detailed google search and it's clearly 2x6+2pin.

 

Thanks for that.