choosing a power supply

[Dehaka]

hi, im making a 3400g build with 16gb 3200mhz ram, no gpu no oc (getting a320 mb so cant oc anyway). i wanted to find the lowest power supply i can (for efficiency) but there doesnt seem to be any 300w 80+ bronze. i was thinking about https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Power-Supply-Units/VS-Series%E2%84%A2-VS350-%E2%80%94-350-Watt-Power-Supply/p/CP-9020052-EU but its rated dangerous in the psu tier, is it safe to get this for such a lite build?

 

i read in another older tier thread, that the corsair units have "grey, orange, green" model. does that mean the color of the words? e.g. the link is orange model? and is this https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Corsair-CX-Series-CX450-450W-80-Plus-Bronze-Certified-Desktop-Power-Supply-PSU-/362501132845?hash=item5466c0522d the tier B+ CX 2017 one? im afraid they released multiple versions with same grey color, given how confusing they already are.

[Dehaka]

what is this btw https://www.umart.com.au/Corsair-450W-VS-Series-VS450-Power-Supply---80-PLUS-White-Certification_22907G.html, orange VS450, not even on their site.

[Semper]

If you're looking for efficiency, you don't want your system pegged near it's max capacity. There's an efficiency curve, which generally tends to be around the 50% mark. This number refers to current (as in, what it's drawing at any given moment, which fluctuates) draw, not theoretical max (of the system or the PSU)

Here's a little more insight on what's going on. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to delve into it right now.

 

[Dehaka]

so how do i tell the manufacture date? i need to know if my link is the 2017 CX450

[Spotty]

16 hours ago, manchild said:

i wanted to find the lowest power supply i can (for efficiency)

If you want a more efficient power supply you should be looking at the 80+ efficiency ratings, not the wattage. The corsair VS series power supplies have poor efficiency compared to other units.

 

The CX you linked is the new one (grey label)

The VS you linked is the old one (Orange label)

 

Get a B450 motherboard instead.