Budget PSU

[Burunow]

Hello guys,

I've recently started updating my old desktop pc and I am mainly thinking of using second hand hardware since it's way cheaper than buying new one and I've come across a PSU problem that stopped me from doing so. The problem resides in the fact that I am using the PSU that came with the pre-built pc and it's only 220W and since I am aiming towards a gaming pc bit by bit I want to upgrade the PSU quickly in order to be able to upgrade the other components. The most recent change I've done was a CPU upgrade that turned the desktop quite faster. I am in need of some really affordable/cheap PSUs or brands that I can trust. I should already warn you that this desktop is currently a piece of garbage due to its really weak components. 

The following list of items are the components that I currently have in my desktop:
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 @ 3.30 GHz (https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/65693/intel-core-i3-3220-processor-3m-cache-3-30-ghz.html) [I managed to find it for about 5€ which is something like 6$ at a second-hand tech store - previous CPU was Intel Pentium G630 @ 2.70 GHz]

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7350 1GB

HDD: 3.5" 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda

PSU: Unknown Brand 220W

RAM: 1x Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Module

Motherboard: Acer H61H2-AD V1.0

Other: DVD-RW

 

Since I really don't have that much to spend right now, I would like for you guys to give me recommendations for cheap but trustworthy PSUs that I could afford for about under 40$ (~35€). I am aware that my desktop is really low end, so if you could lend me a hand I would really appreaciate it. Thanks beforehand!

 

PS: I currently live in Portugal and since shipping fees are high as heck I was thinking of buying a "Nox Urano SX 500W" since it's really cheap (which allows me to avoid buying a second-hand PSU) and I can find it really easily in almost every tech store around my place, but the problem is the amount of mixed reviews that I found about it...

 

[Kanna]

Check the PSU tier list it will help you

[Burunow]

2 minutes ago, Kanna said:

Check the PSU tier list it will help you

I will do so, I still haven't actually checked anything on the forums since I just rushed to post this but I will do it, thank you!

[Spotty]

8 minutes ago, Burunow said:

I currently live in Portugal and since shipping fees are high as heck I was thinking of buying a "Nox Urano SX 500W" since it's really cheap

Just looking at the website for it I can tell that it's a piece of junk. 230V input only. Passive PFC. "85+ Efficiency" (not real 80+ certification, just something they made up). "Green Power Efficiency" (again, just something they made up).

 

Quote

10 protection systems: UVP, OVP, OGP, OTP, OPP, OLP, SCP, NLO, PFP, TFP

I think half of those are just made up.

 

Quote

1 x 20/24 pines (MB)

4 x SATA

1 x 4 pines (CPU)

2 x periféricos

1 x floppy

Only 4pin CPU? No PCIe connectors?

[mariushm]

Link to the online store you're gonna buy from, or take some screenshots of what's available and we'll be able to give you some suggestions. 

 

 

[Gaires]

This would be a lot better than the one you're thinking about.

https://www.amazon.es/Corsair-VS450-Fuente-Alimentación-CP-9020170-EU/dp/B0781G4R35/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=corsair+vs450&qid=1597666600&sr=8-1

[Burunow]

1 hour ago, Spotty said:

Just looking at the website for it I can tell that it's a piece of junk. 230V input only. Passive PFC. "85+ Efficiency" (not real 80+ certification, just something they made up). "Green Power Efficiency" (again, just something they made up).

 

I think half of those are just made up.

 

Only 4pin CPU? No PCIe connectors?

That kinda was one of my worrying factors about it because what if I wanted to plug some GPU that required more than 75W that the PCIe slot supplies?

[Burunow]

55 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Link to the online store you're gonna buy from, or take some screenshots of what's available and we'll be able to give you some suggestions. 

 

 

I have plenty of stores here but some are just overpriced as hell. The stores that I remember now are: Chip7, PC Componentes, Globaldata, PCDiga, MBit... There are some more but I don't really remember their names because they are a bit more underground I would say.

[Burunow]

56 minutes ago, Gaires said:

This would be a lot better than the one you're thinking about.

https://www.amazon.es/Corsair-VS450-Fuente-Alimentación-CP-9020170-EU/dp/B0781G4R35/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=corsair+vs450&qid=1597666600&sr=8-1

I was trying to find a 500W+ PSU though, I'll try to increase my budget a little bit so I can buy something more capable and durable, but thanks for the suggestion, it's always appreciated.

[Burunow]

1 hour ago, Burunow said:

Hello guys,

I've recently started updating my old desktop pc and I am mainly thinking of using second hand hardware since it's way cheaper than buying new one and I've come across a PSU problem that stopped me from doing so. The problem resides in the fact that I am using the PSU that came with the pre-built pc and it's only 220W and since I am aiming towards a gaming pc bit by bit I want to upgrade the PSU quickly in order to be able to upgrade the other components. The most recent change I've done was a CPU upgrade that turned the desktop quite faster. I am in need of some really affordable/cheap PSUs or brands that I can trust. I should already warn you that this desktop is currently a piece of garbage due to its really weak components. 

The following list of items are the components that I currently have in my desktop:
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 @ 3.30 GHz (https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/65693/intel-core-i3-3220-processor-3m-cache-3-30-ghz.html) [I managed to find it for about 5€ which is something like 6$ at a second-hand tech store - previous CPU was Intel Pentium G630 @ 2.70 GHz]

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7350 1GB

HDD: 3.5" 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda

PSU: Unknown Brand 220W

RAM: 1x Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Module

Motherboard: Acer H61H2-AD V1.0

Other: DVD-RW

 

Since I really don't have that much to spend right now, I would like for you guys to give me recommendations for cheap but trustworthy PSUs that I could afford for about under 40$ (~35€). I am aware that my desktop is really low end, so if you could lend me a hand I would really appreaciate it. Thanks beforehand!

 

PS: I currently live in Portugal and since shipping fees are high as heck I was thinking of buying a "Nox Urano SX 500W" since it's really cheap (which allows me to avoid buying a second-hand PSU) and I can find it really easily in almost every tech store around my place, but the problem is the amount of mixed reviews that I found about it...

 

I was searching for a bit now and I think I found a better one, I have my mind on the Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite 500W right now 

[Spotty]

11 minutes ago, Burunow said:

I was trying to find a 500W+ PSU though, I'll try to increase my budget a little bit so I can buy something more capable and durable, but thanks for the suggestion, it's always appreciated.

Your current system will draw less than 100w under load. You don't need a 500w+ power supply. 450W would be plenty, even if you upgrade graphics card.

 

9 minutes ago, Burunow said:

I was searching for a bit now and I think I found a better one, I have my mind on the Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite 500W right now 

Better then the Nox Uranus but it's still not a good power supply.

[Gaires]

This also looks like a pretty good deal. It's one tier higher on the tier list, but you lose 50w and pay 4€ more.

https://www.amazon.es/Quiet-System-Power-Negro-Unidad/dp/B079KG3TZ5/ref=sr_1_13?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=be+quiet+power&qid=1597671797&sr=8-13

[Burunow]

25 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Your current system will draw less than 100w under load. You don't need a 500w+ power supply. 450W would be plenty, even if you upgrade graphics card.

 

Better then the Nox Uranus but it's still not a good power supply.

What about the Corsair CV550 550W? I know that currently it isn't drawing that much power but I am about to slap a GTX 960 perhaps (which draws plenty), an extra RAM module, an SSD and later on I might upgrade to the GTX 1060. 

[Burunow]

19 minutes ago, Gaires said:

This also looks like a pretty good deal. It's one tier higher on the tier list, but you lose 50w and pay 4€ more.

https://www.amazon.es/Quiet-System-Power-Negro-Unidad/dp/B079KG3TZ5/ref=sr_1_13?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=be+quiet+power&qid=1597671797&sr=8-13

I know that I am changing my opinion a lot but right now I have my eyes on the Corsair CV550 550W which I can get on a local store for about that price.

[Mateyyy]

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07S2SRLXP?tag=pcp02-21&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

The cheapest good PSU on PCPP Spain (no prices for Portugal unfortunately).

[Spotty]

The Corsair CV would be better. Basically same as the VS though so if there's a big difference in price between the two go with the cheaper one.

I would prefer the BeQuiet System Power 9 over the Cooler Master Lite, but I'd take the Corsair CV/VS over the system power 9 simply because the CV/VS support full range input (100-240V mains input). But again if the System Power 9 is a fair bit cheaper than the other options it'll do.

 

20 minutes ago, Burunow said:

I know that currently it isn't drawing that much power but I am about to slap a GTX 960 perhaps (which draws plenty), an extra RAM module, an SSD and later on I might upgrade to the GTX 1060. 

RAM and SSD aren't going to consume much power. Maybe a few extra watts for both. The GTX 960 and GTX 1060 will each consume around 125W under load. So total system consumption even with the 960 or 1060, RAM, and SSD would still be under 200W. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that your current prebuilt 220W PSU does not have PCIe connectors (required for the GTX960/1060).

[Burunow]

1 hour ago, Spotty said:

The Corsair CV would be better. Basically same as the VS though so if there's a big difference in price between the two go with the cheaper one.

I would prefer the BeQuiet System Power 9 over the Cooler Master Lite, but I'd take the Corsair CV/VS over the system power 9 simply because the CV/VS support full range input (100-240V mains input). But again if the System Power 9 is a fair bit cheaper than the other options it'll do.

 

RAM and SSD aren't going to consume much power. Maybe a few extra watts for both. The GTX 960 and GTX 1060 will each consume around 125W under load. So total system consumption even with the 960 or 1060, RAM, and SSD would still be under 200W. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that your current prebuilt 220W PSU does not have PCIe connectors (required for the GTX960/1060).

Yes my current PSU doesn't have them, thanks for the help!

[mariushm]

Your power supply doesn't have the pci-e connectors because it wouldn't be able to power video cards anyway.

The processor and the video card in a computer take power from the 12v output of a power supply. 

The power supply produces power on three voltages: 3.3v, 5v and 12v , and a part of the total output is reserved for 3.3v and 5v

Your power supply probably has around 60-80 watts reserved for 3.3v and 5v and the rest of around 100-120 watts is available on 12v. 

 

Your computer works now because your processor only consumes up to around 40-60w from 12v, and the HD 7350 probably consumes around 25-40 watts.

A hard drive consumes around 4 watts from the 5v output of your psu, and 4-6 watts from the 12v output.

Motherboard (chipset, onboard audio, network, ram) consumes maybe 10-15w mostly from 3.3v and 5v

ram consumes maybe 2 watts per stick, most of the time it's powered from 3.3v or 5v through a dc-dc converter on the motherboard

Fans consume around 1-2 watts from 12v  (you can multiply 12v with current that's specified on fan label .. ex 12v x 0.15A = 1.8 watts max)

So you're probably under 100 watts from 12v when it comes to power consumption ... but adding a new video card that consumes over 100 watts by itself would probably kill your current psu - don't look at it as a 220w psu, look at it as a 120-150w psu.

 

Power supplies from reputable manufacturers won't like about the capabilities on the label and even a 450w psu will be able to produce at least 380-400w on 12v output which is enough for your needs.

 

[Burunow]

3 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Your power supply doesn't have the pci-e connectors because it wouldn't be able to power video cards anyway.

The processor and the video card in a computer take power from the 12v output of a power supply. 

The power supply produces power on three voltages: 3.3v, 5v and 12v , and a part of the total output is reserved for 3.3v and 5v

Your power supply probably has around 60-80 watts reserved for 3.3v and 5v and the rest of around 100-120 watts is available on 12v. 

 

Your computer works now because your processor only consumes up to around 40-60w from 12v, and the HD 7350 probably consumes around 25-40 watts.

A hard drive consumes around 4 watts from the 5v output of your psu, and 4-6 watts from the 12v output.

Motherboard (chipset, onboard audio, network, ram) consumes maybe 10-15w mostly from 3.3v and 5v

ram consumes maybe 2 watts per stick, most of the time it's powered from 3.3v or 5v through a dc-dc converter on the motherboard

Fans consume around 1-2 watts from 12v  (you can multiply 12v with current that's specified on fan label .. ex 12v x 0.15A = 1.8 watts max)

So you're probably under 100 watts from 12v when it comes to power consumption ... but adding a new video card that consumes over 100 watts by itself would probably kill your current psu - don't look at it as a 220w psu, look at it as a 120-150w psu.

 

Power supplies from reputable manufacturers won't like about the capabilities on the label and even a 450w psu will be able to produce at least 380-400w on 12v output which is enough for your needs.

 

Thanks for the info, I knew part of that, 550W might be an overkill for the needs of my hardware right now but I will be changing my motherboard sooner or later and with that, a new CPU will be coming aswell and so I thought that amount of wattage in the Corsair PSU that I have in mind would be nice to prevent the need to buy another PSU soon.

[Guest]

NLO = Not Looking Optimistic

 

PFP = Probably F***ing Paper-Mâché

 

TFP = Terrible for Power

[BlackManINC]

4 hours ago, Burunow said:

I was trying to find a 500W+ PSU though, I'll try to increase my budget a little bit so I can buy something more capable and durable, but thanks for the suggestion, it's always appreciated.

 

Here is one

 

Link: RM550x 80 PLUS Gold

[Burunow]

2 hours ago, BlackManINC said:

 

Here is one

 

Link: RM550x 80 PLUS Gold

Thanks but that one blows my budget way too much :s

[BlackManINC]

25 minutes ago, Burunow said:

Thanks but that one blows my budget way too much :s

Well, I don't know what your budget is, but here is another one that's a little cheaper. Its somewhat of a step down since its semi modular instead of fully modular. Someone more versed in all things power supplies could tell you more, but from a consumer perspective, it looks like a good power supply. 

 

Link: CORSAIR TX-M Series TX550M

 

 

 

[Burunow]

32 minutes ago, BlackManINC said:

Well, I don't know what your budget is, but here is another one that's a little cheaper. Its somewhat of a step down since its semi modular instead of fully modular. Someone more versed in all things power supplies could tell you more, but from a consumer perspective, it looks like a good power supply. 

 

Link: CORSAIR TX-M Series TX550M

 

 

 

My budget is somewhere in the house of 65$ and so I am thinking of getting the Corsair CV550 80Plus Bronze

[BlackManINC]

13 minutes ago, Burunow said:

My budget is somewhere in the house of 65$ and so I am thinking of getting the Corsair CV550 80Plus Bronze

It looks like a decent power supply at face value. I can't really recommend it because no one really reviewed it and they refuse to list what protection features it has. A few people said that it might not last that long before you have to replace it. I highly recommend you steer clear of that one and get this one instead. Its only a few dollars more expensive, and it lists all the protections a good power supply should have.

 

Link: CORSAIR CX Series CX550W