Help me pick a PSU (850 - 1000W)

[Constantine]

Here's my case. I'm opting for a graphics card upgrade from a 6950 to an R9 290 but with that note, I have to go for a PSU upgrade since I'm only running an Antec Neo Eco 520W.

 

I'm going to be getting it from PCCG (http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15_535&vk_sort=1&page=2&zenid=a84e84e97ff37ddc14260e890de0bd42)

but I'm looking for something of REALLY good quality so I'm looking at the big dogs right now and I'm looking at the 80+ Gold range (namely Corsair's RM series, Seasonic, FSP and maybe EVGA).

 

A couple of considerations that I've been thinking about:

1) I'm going for the long haul (5-7 yrs).  I really want this one to last since I bought my 520W back in 2011 thinking AMD would be refining power consumption but in order to catch up to Intel/Nvidia they just started injecting more power into their chips. (see 9590 and R9 290X)

 

2) Considering the previous point, I really want to see where AMD and their HSA tech goes and I'm going to upgrade my i5-2500k once they come out with something decent. Seeing their approach with their current chips, they'll probably release something kinda decent then end up having users overclock it to "HOLY BALLS" in order to be really competitive. The point here is, my next CPU upgrade most likely will need more power than what I currently have because of overclocking and a built-in high grade GPU.

 

3) I may want to Crossfire this in the future (depending on if I want to burn my house down) but I'll most likely cool it with AIO water coolers since I'm already planning on using a g10 on the R9 290 that I'm getting.

 

4) Efficiency. Should I go for a Gold rated Corsair RM 1kW or a Platinum Seasonic 860W? (thought bubble: Seasonic designs AND manufactures their own PSUs so I have really high expectations from them)

 

5) I'm getting an H440. A little quiet would be nice

 

Hopefully you guys can help inject some logic into my brain. Right now I'm just tempted to scroll to the bottom of the page and grab the Seasonic XP-1kW.

 

TL;DR: POWAAAAAAHHHHHHH. No seriously, reading would be nice

[Tmh85]

AX 860 non i version

[TheEpicCanadian]

This should last just about 1200 years: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-platinum860

 

EDIT: changed to one with a better rating

[WoodenMarker]

Unless you're planning on crossfire, I doubt you'll need any more than a good 600w psu. 

Systems use less power than you think.

[Lays]

Wait, you have a 2500k and an r9 290?

 

You'll need like 650 max, and that's heavily OC'd.

[Constantine]

Unless you're planning on crossfire, I doubt you'll need any more than a good 600w psu. 

Systems use less power than you think.

 

Both of those are Intel+Nvidia systems and both companies have heavily invested in power efficiency over the last couple of years.

 

 

Wait, you have a 2500k and an r9 290?

 

You'll need like 650 max, and that's heavily OC'd.

 

Planning for the future. And 650 W cuts it too close for my comfort.

[Lays]

Both of those are Intel+Nvidia systems and both companies have heavily invested in power efficiency over the last couple of years.

 

 

 

Planning for the future. And 650 W cuts it too close for my comfort.

 

 

You won't need anywhere near 1,000 unless you're running a 5 Ghz 2011 chip with 2 modded bios 290/ 290x or 780/780 TI @ 1.3v or above.  

 

What are you planning to get in the future?

[Constantine]

You won't need anywhere near 1,000 unless you're running a 5 Ghz 2011 chip with 2 modded bios 290/ 290x or 780/780 TI @ 1.3v or above.  

 

What are you planning to get in the future?

 

Maybe another 290 but hopefully not another PSU

[WoodenMarker]

Both of those are Intel+Nvidia systems and both companies have heavily invested in power efficiency over the last couple of years.

Planning for the future. And 650 W cuts it too close for my comfort.

The 290 and 780 Ti are similar in power draw. http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_780_ti_gaming_review,7.html

Considering you could run an oc'ed 4670k and 780 Ti off of a 450w, you'd be hard pressed to find a scenario where a 600w would have any issue. 

650w is far from close for a single gpu system. 

 

You won't need anywhere near 1,000 unless you're running a 5 Ghz 2011 chip with 2 modded bios 290/ 290x or 780/780 TI @ 1.3v or above.  

 

What are you planning to get in the future?

3, not 2 gpus. A decent 850w is already easily more than enough for 2 gpus in sli/cf. 

[Constantine]

 

The 290 and 780 Ti are similar in power draw. http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_geforce_gtx_780_ti_gaming_review,7.html

Considering you could run an oc'ed 4670k and 780 Ti off of a 450w, you'd be hard pressed to find a scenario where a 600w would have any issue. 

650w is far from close for a single gpu system. 

 

3, not 2 gpus. A decent 850w is already easily more than enough for 2 gpus in sli/cf. 

 

 

Ah Woody, you've always been good to my questions. So 650W for single card, and 850W if I want to Xfire?

[Lays]

q

 

 

 

 

Extreme overclocking with 2 gpu's and a 2011 chip can easily hit over 1k watts.    Plenty of people with 1k+ watt psu's have had their PSU's shutdown during benchmark runs with modded 780/titan bioses.

[WoodenMarker]

Ah Woody, you've always been good to my questions. So 650W for single card, and 850W if I want to Xfire?

A good gold rated 550w is plenty. 650w is enough for sli/cf for some cases but you can go with one if you are really paranoid and/or want the psu to run at low loads most of the time. 

 

Extreme overclocking with 2 gpu's and a 2011 chip can easily hit over 1k watts.    Plenty of people with 1k+ watt psu's have had their PSU's shutdown during benchmark runs with modded 780/titan bioses.

Depends on the psu. Not all 1000w psus are created equal. 

I doubt 2 gpus + a 2011 chip could hit 1000w. Kill-a-watt measurements show otherwise. http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=386353

[Lays]

A good gold rated 550w is plenty. 650w is enough for sli/cf for some cases but you can go with one if you are really paranoid and/or want the psu to run at low loads most of the time. 

 

Depends on the psu. Not all 1000w psus are created equal. 

I doubt 2 gpus + a 2011 chip could hit 1000w. Kill-a-watt measurements show otherwise. http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=386353

 

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/1425102/updated-ab-b18-team-skyn3ts-unlocked-ncp4206-voltage-llc-mod-tool/120#post_20778292

 

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2341641

 

 

I'm not talking about stock bios cards overclocked, I;m talking about 1.3-1.6 volt bioses.  Hence why in my original post I said "modified bios" 

[WoodenMarker]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1425102/updated-ab-b18-team-skyn3ts-unlocked-ncp4206-voltage-llc-mod-tool/120#post_20778292

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2341641

I'm not talking about stock bios cards overclocked, I;m talking about 1.3-1.6 volt bioses.  Hence why in my original post I said "modified bios" 

Wow, those are some high numbers. I know there are definitely scenarios where you can hit very high power draws but I was thinking about more realistic scenarios. 

The thing is that these are benchmark numbers and that actual real-world scenario power draws would be significantly lower.

[Lays]

Wow, those are some high numbers. I know there are definitely scenarios where you can hit very high power draws but I was thinking about more realistic scenarios. 

The thing is that these are benchmark numbers and that actual real-world scenario power draws would be significantly lower.

 

 

Yea I know .

 

Anyways, he would be fine with an 860 like you said, as long as he doesn't plan on doing ridiculously crazy crap and risk frying things

 

Especially since gaming loads are much lower than benches

[Constantine]

I think the reason I'm so confused is that there's a large discrepancy in pricing over PSU in the same performance bracket and then some.

 

Seasonic X-850 - $269 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_972&products_id=15955

Corsair RM-850 - $225 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=25691

FSP Aurum PRO 1000W - $215 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1470&products_id=26786

 

Anyone throw me a ball on why?

[ThePcMasterRace]

I think the reason I'm so confused is that there's a large discrepancy in pricing over PSU in the same performance bracket and then some.

 

Seasonic X-850 - $269 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_972&products_id=15955

Corsair RM-850 - $225 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=25691

FSP Aurum PRO 1000W - $215 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1470&products_id=26786

 

Anyone throw me a ball on why?

seasonics are built to last my friend, i doubt you would ever run into issues with one EVER if you picked one up

[WoodenMarker]

I think the reason I'm so confused is that there's a large discrepancy in pricing over PSU in the same performance bracket and then some.

Seasonic X-850 - $269 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_972&products_id=15955

Corsair RM-850 - $225 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=25691

FSP Aurum PRO 1000W - $215 AUD http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1470&products_id=26786

Anyone throw me a ball on why?

They aren't really in the same bracket. The x and rm series are made for silence and turn off the fans at low load and you're comparing gold and platinum psus from different brands.

Things in general vary in price because whoever is selling them thinks they would make the most reasonable profit at a certain price.

[Constantine]

They aren't really in the same bracket. The x and rm series are made for silence and turn off the fans at low load and you're comparing gold and platinum psus from different brands.

Things in general vary in price because whoever is selling them thinks they would make the most reasonable profit at a certain price.

 

Aren't they all Gold rated PSUs?

[quan289]

Aren't they all Gold rated PSUs?

 

Yes, they are. The Seasonic X (looks like the older revision based on the pictures) and FSP Aurum Pro was targeted in the high-end segment, while the RM are targeted in the mainstream segment. Pricing on Seasonic and Corsair units tends to be rather inflated in comparison to other competitors in the AU/NZ. 

 

The FSP Aurum Pro 1000w would give you the best value as it provide you more usable power than the SS X and RM; although, it is overkill. A more affordable option may be the Silverstone ST85F-GS. http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_995&products_id=25473

[Faa]

I would go with the EVGA Supernova 850 G2. It's superflower and theyre just the best atm in terms of ripple/voltage reg & noise with a very reasonable price and customer service. http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=220-G2-0850-XR