PSU Choice Paralysis

[Curiousbetsy]

Okay I've been researching PSU for like 10 hours straight and can't decide on anything. I want something either B or A tiered with good company support if sh*t hits the fan.

 

My options have narrowed it down to

Antec EAG pro or HCG pro 650w (But I've heard that these are just rebadged seasonics and getting a hold of their support is futile)

 

Seasonic Focus GM/GX 650w (But i've heard horror stories from people trying to get RMA's after it came DOA)

 

EVGA, Supernova 650 GT or G3 or G5 or GM  (Don't know too much about them)

 

Corsair CX650M gray or TX650M or CX650F (I seen really negative reviews about the CXM's so I'm apprehensive about this brand)

 

Can someone help a sister out here?

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Budget?

I would get a rm650, but it depends on budget.

[Curiousbetsy]

Budget is 900-1000$ 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

2 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Budget is 900-1000$ 

I meant for the PSU...... Unless that's for the PSU?

[Curiousbetsy]

Yes, that's the budget for the PSU, did I stutter? 

 

Jk, Something under 110 bucks is the goal.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

12 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Yes, that's the budget for the PSU, did I stutter? 

 

Jk, Something under 110 bucks should is the goal.

If you can spend a tad more, here.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Power-Supply-Units/Power-Supply-Units-Advanced/RM-Series™-80-PLUS-Gold-Power-Supplies/p/CP-9020194-NA?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_term="keyword"&utm_content=corsair&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMrOvrau7wIVB-DACh1XSAm4EAQYASABEgJUm_D_BwE

[Curiousbetsy]

4 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

If you can spend a tad more, here.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Power-Supply-Units/Power-Supply-Units-Advanced/RM-Series™-80-PLUS-Gold-Power-Supplies/p/CP-9020194-NA?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_term="keyword"&utm_content=corsair&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMrOvrau7wIVB-DACh1XSAm4EAQYASABEgJUm_D_BwE

Idk, what am I really getting with that 25 extra dollars over a TX or CXF? 

 

They better have amazing support.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

2 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Idk, what am I really getting with that 25 extra dollars over a TX or CXF? 

 

They better have amazing support.

the RM units are modular, and are really, really good. They not not be as good as RMx units, but they are a teir units.

[Curiousbetsy]

Just now, HelpfulTechWizard said:

the RM units are modular, and are really, really good. They not not be as good as RMx units, but they are a teir units.

Okay, but architecturally, how much better are they compared to the TX and CXF? Are the components and design a big step up? 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

1 minute ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Okay, but architecturally, how much better are they compared to the TX and CXF? Are the components and design a big step up? 

yeah. our teir list for psus has the cx-f and tx ar b anc c respectively, and the rm/x at a. that means you can expect higher efficiency, and higher power rating on rails that matter (like 12v). also the caps would be better.

[seon123]

First of all, what specs will the PC have? I'm assuming you're in the US? Since the pricing and availability will vary depending on where you're buying from.

 

4 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

yeah. our teir list for psus has the cx-f and tx ar b anc c respectively, and the rm/x at a. that means you can expect higher efficiency, and higher power rating on rails that matter (like 12v). also the caps would be better.

That's not.... If you just don't know what you're talking about, please have the decency to not talk out of your ass.

 

Efficiency does not make a PSU perform any better, all of the PSUs have DC-DC for the minor rails (meaning they can all output 100% of rated power on 12V), and a PSU consists of a lot more than just caps.

11 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Okay, but architecturally, how much better are they compared to the TX and CXF? Are the components and design a big step up? 

In terms of how they perform, you can check out reviews of them, or look at test results from Cybenetics. Main things to look at are load regulation, hold up time, noise/fan RPM, transient response and protections. You can also check things like the dimensions (e.g. if you have a small case), connectors, and any other features you want.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-cx650f-rgb-power-supply-review

https://www.cybenetics.com/index.php?option=database&params=1,0,28

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-rm650-power-supply,6187.html

[Helpful Tech Witch]

1 minute ago, seon123 said:

Efficiency does not make a PSU perform any better, all of the PSUs have DC-DC for the minor rails (meaning they can all output 100% of rated power on 12V), and a PSU consists of a lot more than just caps.

I know that dumbass.  But higher quality components do make something have better efficiency. 

Did not know about the dc-dc thing

I know that psus have more than caps, but that's one thing you can have better ones of.

[seon123]

1 minute ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

I know that dumbass.  But higher quality components do make something have better efficiency. 

No. You can have an efficient and bad PSU. E.g. Raidmax had an 80+ Titanium rated PSU that performed pretty mediocre. Silverstone has a bad, high wattage 80+ Titanium rated PSU as well, iirc. Conversely, you can have a well performing PSU with high quality components, and that doesn't make it efficient.

5 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

Did not know about the dc-dc thing

That... says a lot. A very crude way to judge if a PSU is worth considering is looking at the 12V output vs the total output. If it can output full power on the 12V rail, it means it likely has DC-DC for the minor rails, so at the very least, it has indepent regulation for all the rails (as opposed to group regulated PSUs).

7 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

I know that psus have more than caps, but that's one thing you can have better ones of.

Okay....? And it's also pretty irrelevant.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

18 minutes ago, seon123 said:

No. You can have an efficient and bad PSU. E.g. Raidmax had an 80+ Titanium rated PSU that performed pretty mediocre. Silverstone has a bad, high wattage 80+ Titanium rated PSU as well, iirc. Conversely, you can have a well performing PSU with high quality components, and that doesn't make it efficient.

Just because you can have good components bad efficiency and vice versa, doesn't mean that higher quality components aren't part of what makes a PSU more efficient.

[Curiousbetsy]

59 minutes ago, seon123 said:

First of all, what specs will the PC have? I'm assuming you're in the US? Since the pricing and availability will vary depending on where you're buying from.

 

That's not.... If you just don't know what you're talking about, please have the decency to not talk out of your ass.

 

Efficiency does not make a PSU perform any better, all of the PSUs have DC-DC for the minor rails (meaning they can all output 100% of rated power on 12V), and a PSU consists of a lot more than just caps.

In terms of how they perform, you can check out reviews of them, or look at test results from Cybenetics. Main things to look at are load regulation, hold up time, noise/fan RPM, transient response and protections. You can also check things like the dimensions (e.g. if you have a small case), connectors, and any other features you want.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-cx650f-rgb-power-supply-review

https://www.cybenetics.com/index.php?option=database&params=1,0,28

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-rm650-power-supply,6187.html

Ryzen 5600x 

Asus tuf X570 plus

lian li cool II 

gtx 1660ti

 

 

What do you recommend out of the list or in general?

[freeagent]

I just bought my first Seasonic PSU. Its quality makes me moist. Nice cables too. Sale price..

 

I looked at Corsair, Fractal, Thermaltake, and Seasonic as that was what was available to me.

 

You pretty much cant go wrong with any of the popular top choices from any label.

 

[Curiousbetsy]

Just now, freeagent said:

I just bought my first Seasonic PSU. Its quality makes me moist. Nice cables too. Sale price..

 

I looked at Corsair, Fractal, Thermaltake, and Seasonic as that was what was available to me.

 

You pretty much cant go wrong with any of the popular top choices from any label.

 

Except you can go wrong, since if your Seasonic shows up busted or Dies during the warranty period they're gonna rape you when you try to get an RMA. That part is really turning me away from them.

[freeagent]

6 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Except you can go wrong, since if your Seasonic shows up busted or Dies during the warranty period they're gonna rape you when you try to get an RMA. That part is really turning me away from them.

How would it show up busted if it is packaged correctly? How would they rape me if it dies within its 12 year warranty period?

[Curiousbetsy]

10 minutes ago, freeagent said:

How would it show up busted if it is packaged correctly? How would they rape me if it dies within its 12 year warranty period?

Well, as many people have reviewed it said, some of them had gotten a few DOA and some died a year after, and Seasonic's RMA process charges you to ship it back even if it's under warranty, and one guy had a replacement sent to him that also didn't work right and they charged him again to send the replacement unit back.

 

So, yeah, its not the most appealing company to buy from at the moment.

[seon123]

49 minutes ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

Just because you can have good components bad efficiency and vice versa, doesn't mean that higher quality components aren't part of what makes a PSU more efficient.

Well... The RM650 is just a downgraded RM650x 2018, with lower end components, but it's more efficient, because it had some other requirements, including 70% efficiency at 2% load.

https://www.cybenetics.com/index.php?option=database&params=1,0,28

 

And either way, efficiency is not relevant, both in the PSU tier list, and for OP's choice of PSU.

28 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Ryzen 5600x 

Asus tuf X570 plus

lian li cool II 

gtx 1660ti

 

 

What do you recommend out of the list or in general?

Assuming you're in the US, the MSI A650GF is well priced, at $90, and is a good PSU, other than the fan. It's based on the CWT GPU platform, and it has multi rail OCP.

10 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Except you can go wrong, since if your Seasonic shows up busted or Dies during the warranty period they're gonna rape you when you try to get an RMA. That part is really turning me away from them.

You can find people who've had bad warranty claim experiences with any brand, and vice versa. Also keep in mind that people are more likely to vent about their bad RMA experience (people are very mature, I know), than to share their just "okay" RMA experience.

18 minutes ago, freeagent said:

You pretty much cant go wrong with any of the popular top choices from any label.

That really depends. E.g. if you want a quiet system, you'd likely be very unhappy with an EVGA G3, if you have an RTX 3080 or 3090, you're more likely to run into issues with PSUs that handle transients poorly, etc etc.

[freeagent]

27 minutes ago, Curiousbetsy said:

Well, as many people have reviewed it said, some of them had gotten a few DOA and some died a year after, and Seasonic's RMA process charges you to ship it back even if it's under warranty, and one guy had a replacement sent to him that also didn't work right and they charged him again to send the replacement unit back.

 

So, yeah, its not the most appealing company to buy from at the moment.

I have to wonder what their attitudes were like while talking to the CSR. I am not concerned if shipping to them is on me, shipping back should be on them Hopefully that's a bridge I wont have to cross. But really, my last PSU was a Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850.. and all the rails were still tight when I put it away. If my Seasonic shits the bed believe me I will be the first to laugh at them in public

 

Only if they dicked me around.. I don't think they would. But you never know..

[Guest]

1 hour ago, HelpfulTechWizard said:

Just because you can have good components bad efficiency and vice versa, doesn't mean that higher quality components aren't part of what makes a PSU more efficient.

My team could easily engineer the most bullet proof PSU in the world.... if we didn't have to meet an efficiency requirement. 

 

[Sarra]

I ended up grabbing a Fractal ION+ 760w for my main PC. Thinking about getting a 850+ and retaining the 760w for my second PC, when I upgrade to a 5950X. Hasn't given me any issues, it's Platinum rated, quiet, and is Modular, so I don't have anywhere near as much of a rat's nest under my PSU shroud.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Just now, jonnyGURU said:

My team could easily engineer the most bullet proof PSU in the world.... if we didn't have to meet an efficiency requirement. 

 

you don't have to. Just no one would buy it.

[Curiousbetsy]

29 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Well... The RM650 is just a downgraded RM650x 2018, with lower end components, but it's more efficient, because it had some other requirements, including 70% efficiency at 2% load.

https://www.cybenetics.com/index.php?option=database&params=1,0,28

 

And either way, efficiency is not relevant, both in the PSU tier list, and for OP's choice of PSU.

Assuming you're in the US, the MSI A650GF is well priced, at $90, and is a good PSU, other than the fan. It's based on the CWT GPU platform, and it has multi rail OCP.

You can find people who've had bad warranty claim experiences with any brand, and vice versa. Also keep in mind that people are more likely to vent about their bad RMA experience (people are very mature, I know), than to share their just "okay" RMA experience.

That really depends. E.g. if you want a quiet system, you'd likely be very unhappy with an EVGA G3, if you have an RTX 3080 or 3090, you're more likely to run into issues with PSUs that handle transients poorly, etc etc.

Okay, in the US, I can't find the MSI in stock, but I can get a Rm650x, should I pull the trigger on that or is it a waste to spend $120 on a 650w psu?

 

Edit, never mind, i found it.