New PSU needed

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  1. Posts : 2,973
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
       #11

    Lol, oh really? Efficiency is marketing hype?
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  2. Posts : 1,476
       #12

    kbrady1979 said:
    Lol, oh really? Efficiency is marketing hype?
    No, but the 80+ Certification is.

    On PSU Efficiency

    PSU 50% Load Myth
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  3. Posts : 2,973
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
       #13

    Do you recommend PSU's that aren't at least 80+ or better?
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  4. Posts : 1,476
       #14

    kbrady1979 said:
    Do you recommend PSU's that aren't at least 80+ or better?
    I don't judge PSUs by the 80+ Certification because it's about as useful as judging them by the color of the paint.

    I recommend that you read those two articles. That's why I linked to them.
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  5. Posts : 2,973
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
       #15

    The question remains, would you recommend a PSU that wasn't 80+ rated or better?
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  6. Posts : 1,476
       #16

    kbrady1979 said:
    The question remains, would you recommend a PSU that wasn't 80+ rated or better?
    These days, the chances are almost 100% that the PSUs that can be safely recommended are about 80+ Bronze or better. However, that doesn't mean I am looking at the 80+ Certification, nor does it mean that I recommend that people judge PSUs by the 80+ Certification. So not only that, it also doesn't mean that one can say, "...well then it's safe to buy a PSU if it has the 80+ Bronze certification or better". No, that's almost like saying it's safe to buy any PSU that has a very nice appearance to it. Sort of. I mean, that's a bad example because not every PSU that's safe to recommend has a "very nice appearance" to it, but you get the idea.
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  7. CJW
    Posts : 439
    10 Pro. 64Bit
    Thread Starter
       #17

    Another reason I was looking at the 500s, they're close to the same price range as the
    XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W.
    I know getting less power than recommended would be bad, but does the same go for getting too much power?

    A friend of mine mentioned that this one would be a good fit as well:
    Antec EA-500 Green 500W

    Are the modular PSUs actually good/just hype?
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  8. Posts : 7,466
    Windows 10 Home Premium 64bit sp1
       #18

    CJW said:
    Another reason I was looking at the 500s, they're close to the same price range as the
    XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W.
    I know getting less power than recommended would be bad, but does the same go for getting too much power?

    A friend of mine mentioned that this one would be a good fit as well:
    Antec EA-500 Green 500W

    Are the modular PSUs actually good/just hype?
    I don't think getting a PSU with more that you need is an issue there is a issue of using to little to stress out what quality PSU you have I know for what I am using is Overkill but at the same time if I wanted to add a third card to my set up I have no worries I would look for a PSU at least the minimal amount to be 650 to 700w it will run efficient and also won't stress it out compared to using the max for your system it might work well for a while but stressing it out trying to run something that might need more would be redundant

    I am just being honest and would tell you in the long run getting something a little higher will set you up for better system upgrades in the future one poster I think TWO CABLES said that the 80 plus certification doesn't mean anything which in a way it does believe it or not all PSU's aren't the same you can use a cheap PSU and give you all of what you need but the parts degrade quicker due to the requirements like a 80plus PSU see what you don't know if it isn't a 80plus bronze gold what ever the parts are cheaper and less quality and could damage something if it is really weak you can opt for a name brand that you know or opt for a off the wall but there is a reason for the 80plus marketing or not there is a reason just like there is a reason the world is round and not flat

    Don't be a cheapskate get something of quality and longevity or you'll end up here in a few months with the same question just get a 650 to 700 w call it a day there no more then the one you choose and if you look around you can find a top notch one and don't have to blow over a $100.00 to get it
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  9. Posts : 1,476
       #19

    I am being misunderstood.

    Again, even though the 80+ Certification is pure marketing hype, the chances of finding a recommendable PSU these days with the PLAIN 80+ Certification are getting closer and closer to 0%. Taking it further, the chances of any recommendable PSU having at least the 80+ Bronze certification is getting close to 100%. The chances of a recommendable PSU having at least the 80+ Silver or Gold rating is getting closer and closer to 100% as well. However, this does not mean that the 80+ Certification is important. It's not!

    The 80+ Certification labs test PSUs at only 23°C (room temperature) even though the typical temperature of an engineering room is 25°C. A PSU's efficiency goes down as heat goes up, so a PSU that might meet 80+ Certification standards at their temperature testing levels of only 23°C might not achieve those efficiency numbers in real world conditions of 30-40°C, or worst-case condition levels of 50°C!

    So again, the 80+ Certification is marketing hype.


    CJW said:
    Another reason I was looking at the 500s, they're close to the same price range as the
    XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W.
    I know getting less power than recommended would be bad, but does the same go for getting too much power?

    A friend of mine mentioned that this one would be a good fit as well:
    Antec EA-500 Green 500W

    Are the modular PSUs actually good/just hype?
    You're powering the system below right?

    System Manufacturer/Model Number Self built comfuser #5
    OS 7 Pro. 64Bit w/SP1
    CPU AMD FX 4100, Socket AM3+ - 3.6GHz
    Motherboard ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0
    Memory 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 1600 MHz (2x 4GB Kingston sticks)
    Graphics Card ASUS Radeon HD 6670
    Sound Card Onboard High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays Envision H190L LCD
    Screen Resolution 1280x1024, True Color (32bit), 75Hertz

    Keyboard AOpen KB-910
    Mouse Logitech G500
    Case Antec Super Lanboy
    Cooling Stock CPU fan + 2 (1 front, 1 back) 120mm Antec fans
    Hard Drives WD 750GB, 64MB Cache SATA Drive
    Internet Speed Verizon FiOS
    Antivirus avast! Internet Security v8
    Browser IE8
    Other Info 1 LG GH24NS90 SuperMulti DVD Rewriter 1 RocketFish Media Card Reader 1 WD 500GB Passport USB External Drive

    The parts to look at are the CPU and the video card. You have a CPU that won't use any more than 95W, and a video card that won't use any more than 66W. Your system, as it is right now, will never pull more than 250W from your PSU. Here's proof:

    http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph4278/36851.png

    Source: AnandTech | AMD

    They are showing the power draw at the wall outlet. So, this is what the PSU is pulling from their wall outlet.

    With one 6670 in their power-hungry test system, their PSU pulled 199W from the wall outlet while running Furmark. It pulled 198W from the wall outlet while running Crysis because Crysis is less demanding than Furmark (Furmark is extremely unrealistic) and it includes a bit of the CPU in the mix as well, unlike their Furmark test which is 100% GPU and 0% CPU. So, their CPU was idling during the Furmark test. Your CPU will never pull more than 95W, so I will add 95W to the 199W power draw which would then make the PSU pulling 294W from the wall outlet. Therefore, if your PSU is 85% efficient while pulling 294W from your wall outlet, then your computer would be pulling 250W (249.9W) from your PSU.

    This is an unrealistically high power draw because we're talking about Furmark with your CPU under absolute full load as well. Your gaming power draw will be lower at around 175-225W. This means that the 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition is major overkill. That means it has more power than you will ever know what to do with. Thanks to the price of this PSU and its quality, it is just about the best PSU to get. However, due to this extremely tiny power draw, you could also get the 360W SeaSonic G Series which is an even better unit (it's a very high-end unit).

    The 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition is able to continuously deliver 450W if it's ever needed. This means that it can deliver 450W "24/7" - again, if it's ever needed. Your power draw of 175-225W while gaming is 38-50% of the total capacity of the 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition. The 360W SeaSonic G Series is a superior unit and it can deliver 360W "24/7" if it's ever needed. Your power draw of 175-225W will be about 48-63% of its total capacity. Therefore, neither PSU would ever even come close to breaking a sweat. They would look at you and go, "Seriously? Is this all you got? Yawn..."

    Are you worried about future upgrades? Then go with the 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition. Let's say that you get the HD 7970. Here's the power consumption:

    AMD Radeon HD 7970 review - Hardware setup | Power consumption

    With one 7970 under full load in their system, their PSU pulled 355W from the wall outlet. Their CPU was idling, so I will add 95W for your CPU under full load. This makes the PSU pulling 450W from the wall outlet. Don't be confused: it is a coincidence that it happens to match the wattage rating of the 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition. Anyway, so if your PSU is 85% efficient while pulling 450W from your wall outlet, then your computer is pulling 382W from your PSU.

    Again, this is an unrealistically high power draw. Your gaming power draw will be lower at around 325-350W. This is only 72-78% of the capacity of the 450W XFX Pro Series Core Edition. Therefore, this PSU would be in "the sweet spot" for maximum efficiency for your daily average power draw if you had the 7970 in your computer.

    The GTX 680 has an even lower power draw!

    Are you worried about future CPUs and future GPUs? Don't be, because we have reached a point where each new generation of CPUs and GPUs requires less power than the previous.

    If you have any questions, then please ask and I will do my best to answer them.
    Last edited by TwoCables; 11 Apr 2013 at 09:11.
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  10. CJW
    Posts : 439
    10 Pro. 64Bit
    Thread Starter
       #20

    WOW, great explanation TwoCables, thanks for the help. Decided on the XFX ProSeries P1-450S-X2B9 450W. Ordering that & some other items from Newegg now.
    Thank you for the replies everyone.
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