Advice on Power Supplies

[Aaron-kun]

I'm in the process of building a PC and I'm having a difficult time deciding which power supply to get.  I've been looking at mostly Corsair PSUs.

 

This is the main power supply I had my eye on:  http://www.corsair.com/en-us/ax860-atx-power-supply-860-watt-80-plus-platinum-certified-fully-modular-psu

 

It has an ample amount of wattage for my build, but I'm curious about it's other features.  Is the platinum rating worth it's price?  I can get it on Amazon for around $170.  Is there a different series from Corsair that would be a better value?

 

Also, are there any other brands that make good power supplies that you guys can recommend?

[Guest]

Most things from Corsair, EVGA, Antec, Seasonic, Delta, and Cooler Master are good

 

[bbrooking18]

What parts are you going to use?

My recommendation for 750/850W Evga 750G2 or 850G2 a lot cheaper plus 10 year warranty 

[Oshino Shinobu]

It's a very good PSU, but is pretty pricey. It has a hybrid mode that means that the fan won't spin up until it's under a certain amount of load, keeping it quiet at idle. 

 

EVGA's G2 and P2 (I think it's P2 ) series are good. Seasonic and bequiet! are good brands. The AX series is actually made by Seasonic I believe. 

[Aaron-kun]

What parts are you going to use?

My recommendation for 750/850W Evga 750G2 or 850G2 a lot cheaper plus 10 year warranty 

 

Here's my current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fsPhYJ

[bbrooking18]

Here's my current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fsPhYJ

750G2 will be more than sufficient, may even cope with 970 SLI since 850 is enough for 780 Ti SLI

[Guest]

Here's my current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fsPhYJ

As mentioned above, the 750W G2 would be enough.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr

 

You can also buy custom sleeved cables from EVGA in Red if you want to finish the build off, although they are expensive.

 

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=100-CR-1300-B9

[Aaron-kun]

750G2 will be more than sufficient, may even cope with 970 SLI since 850 is enough for 780 Ti SLI

 

What if I decide to overclock or add water-cooling to my build?  I may plan to add other peripherals later as well.  Will 750 watts be sufficient then?

[Sakkura]

EVGA 750G2 is a bit overkill for your system, regardless of how much you overclock. A good 550-600W power supply would be sufficient.

[Guest]

What if I decide to overclock or add water-cooling to my build?  I may plan to add other peripherals later as well.  Will 750 watts be sufficient then?

Get the 850W version then if you want a bit of headroom. It is still cheaper than the AX860.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20850xr

 

 

I assume you plan on SLI later on ? Otherwise a 750W/850W is a bit of a waste.

[bbrooking18]

What if I decide to overclock or add water-cooling to my build?  I may plan to add other peripherals later as well.  Will 750 watts be sufficient then?

yes, just used the Be Quiet psu calculator for dual 970, i7 4790k 10 fans, 2 Sata devices, 4 sticks of RAM and one pump, and they reckon 552W is needed

[Aaron-kun]

Kind of veering off topic, but does anyone know of any full-tower cases that hide the power supply?  I believe the NZXT H440 does this, but it's only a mid-tower.  

 

Another reason (not the main reason, but an added bonus) that I chose the Corsair AX 850 was because of it's red and black color palette that matches the rest of my build.

[Guest]

Kind of veering off topic, but does anyone know of any full-tower cases that hide the power supply?  I believe the NZXT H440 does this, but it's only a mid-tower.  

 

Another reason (not the main reason, but an added bonus) that I chose the Corsair AX 850 was because of it's red and black color palette that matches the rest of my build.

Phanteks Enthoo Luxe.

[Aaron-kun]

yes, just used the Be Quiet psu calculator for dual 970, i7 4790k 10 fans, 2 Sata devices, 4 sticks of RAM and one pump, and they reckon 552W is needed

 

How does this one look?  http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-80PLUS-Gold-Certified-Supply/dp/B00EB7UITQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413460940&sr=8-3&keywords=Corsair+TX750

[Guest]

How does this one look?  http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-80PLUS-Gold-Certified-Supply/dp/B00EB7UITQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413460940&sr=8-3&keywords=Corsair+TX750

The Corsair RM is an ok psu, but the EVGA is better.

[Aaron-kun]

Between these two power supplies?  Which do you think is a better value?

 

Corsair AX 760 - http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Professional-Series-Modular-Platinum/dp/B00A0HZMEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413463115&sr=8-1&keywords=Corsair+AX760

EVGA 750G2 - http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperNOVA-80PLUS-Certified-220-G2-0750-XR/dp/B00IKDETOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413459549&sr=8-1&keywords=EVGA+750+G2

 

The AX 760 is $30 more, but also is rated platinum, versus the 750G2 rating being gold.

 

Could I go wrong with either, to be honest?

[bbrooking18]

Evga

[Maowhree]

People should seriously stop suggesting always the same power supply because ''it is inexpensive, got the highest scores ever by the most famous reviewers ever, so everything else is just not worth it'' and such.
I mean, that might be inexpensive, but it's not free either. Come on.

 

When you go shopping for shoes you don't only look at the materials, but you also care about the looks.

And I might be like the only one going against the grain, but I think the AX760 is just plain better. Platinum vs Gold, better looks, manufactured by Seasonic.

And for those out there always looking for 1 star reviews and such, there are a few bad reviews on both, some defective units and some random problems with either anyway. No perfection to this world.

You could go wrong with pretty much anything you purchase, power supplies included. But with quality products such as these ones I dare say you're not likely to.

[bbrooking18]

People should seriously stop suggesting always the same power supply because ''it is inexpensive, got the highest scores ever by the most famous reviewers ever, so everything else is just not worth it'' and such.

I mean, that might be inexpensive, but it's not free either. Come on.

 

When you go shopping for shoes you don't only look at the materials, you also care about the looks.

And I might be like the only one going against the grain, but I think the AX760 is just plain better. Platinum vs Gold, better looks, manufactured by Seasonic.

And for those out there always looking for 1 star reviews and such, there are a few bad reviews on both, some defective units and some random problems with either anyway. No perfection to this world.

You could go wrong with pretty much anything you purchase, power supplies included. But with quality products such as these ones I dare say you're not likely to.

Fair point but the EVGA one has a 10 year warranty and he specifically asked about value

[Maowhree]

Seriously. I wouldn't keep a power supply running my system for more than seven years anyway.

And no matter the warranty, if you need to ask for a replacement unit once every year then it is just not worth it.

It is nice to have a longer warranty because that is the way for the manufacturer to guarantee for the lifespan of a product, saying that its internal components SHOULD last that long, but I think a seven years warranty is enough to say a power supply unit is a very high quality one. Also, I would definitely go for Corsair's customer support rather than EVGA's, if you ask me.

[Guest]

People should seriously stop suggesting always the same power supply because ''it is inexpensive, got the highest scores ever by the most famous reviewers ever, so everything else is just not worth it'' and such.

I mean, that might be inexpensive, but it's not free either. Come on.

 

When you go shopping for shoes you don't only look at the materials, but you also care about the looks.

And I might be like the only one going against the grain, but I think the AX760 is just plain better. Platinum vs Gold, better looks, manufactured by Seasonic.

And for those out there always looking for 1 star reviews and such, there are a few bad reviews on both, some defective units and some random problems with either anyway. No perfection to this world.

You could go wrong with pretty much anything you purchase, power supplies included. But with quality products such as these ones I dare say you're not likely to.

It gets suggested a lot because for the money/performance you can't get better (Usually). The AX psu's are very good, but they are also very pricey when compared to the EVGA.

I would also say that Superflower are on par with Seasonic. The difference between Gold and Platinum rated units is only a couple of percent. The extra cost of a Platinum unit isn't worth it, unless you can get it for the same price as a Gold.

There are plenty of good psu's out there such as Antec, XFX etc but the EVGA is usually the best all round when you look at what you get for your money.

[Maowhree]

It gets suggested a lot because for the money/performance you can't get better (Usually). The AX psu's are very good, but they are also very pricey when compared to the EVGA.

I would also say that Superflower are on par with Seasonic. The difference between Gold and Platinum rated units is only a couple of percent. The extra cost of a Platinum unit isn't worth it, unless you can get it for the same price as a Gold.

There are plenty of good psu's out there such as Antec, XFX etc but the EVGA is usually the best all round when you look at what you get for your money.

Dude, have you even read my post? I ask because you're just repeating what I have already said.

I said I do understand the fact people like it because it's probably the best bang for the buck in this category and price range, but it might just not be the best of the best in terms of performance, rate of failure and such.

In fact, the AX760 simply performs better. It is Platinum.

 

Also, the difference between Gold and Platinum rated units is only a couple percent.. as is the difference between Silver and Gold.

And, trust me, there are a lot of 80Plus Silver power supplies which offer the same money/performance as EVGA ones, and you can get them for the same price as a Bronze too.

They cost proportionally less and offer proportionally less. As does the SN 750 G2 compared to the AX760.

 

One thing is suggesting, another one is saying things like ''everything else is just not worth it'' and the like. The design of the enclosure is a cost too. The quality of the fan is a cost too.

[Sakkura]

In fact, the AX760 simply performs better. It is Platinum.

 

Also, the difference between Gold and Platinum rated units is only a couple percent.. as is the difference between Silver and Gold.

And, trust me, there are a lot of 80Plus Silver power supplies which offer the same money/performance as EVGA ones, and you can get them for the same price as a Bronze too.

They cost proportionally less and offer proportionally less. As does the SN 750 G2 compared to the AX760.

 

The AX performs slightly better in terms of efficiency, but not in more important aspects of importance like voltage regulation and ripple suppression. And you're definitely not going to be getting close to the Supernova G2's performance for a lower price. The reason the Supernova G2 is recommended so often is that it is top-tier performance for midrange money.

[Maowhree]

The AX performs slightly better in terms of efficiency, but not in more important aspects of importance like voltage regulation and ripple suppression.

How do you know that? It is a power supply manufactured by Seasonic, KM3 revision, same as my own, and has wonderful reviews over the Internet.

And sorry for answering so late, had to replace my motherboard.. unfortunately.

[Sakkura]

How do you know that? It is a power supply manufactured by Seasonic, KM3 revision, same as my own, and has wonderful reviews over the Internet.

And sorry for answering so late, had to replace my motherboard.. unfortunately.

Of course it has wonderful reviews, it's an excellent power supply. My point is the EVGA Supernova G2 is excellent too, the main performance difference being a little less efficiency (as reflected in the Gold vs. Platinum ratings). And the G2 is MUCH cheaper.

 

Compare the ripple measurements on the EVGA Supernova G2 850W and the Corsair AX860 for an illustration of how excellent the G2 really is. 22.2 mV on the 12V rail is excellent, but the G2 decides to cut that nearly in half. :blink: