New Build

[Britton30]

Well that just sucks. There certainly need to be more component support for our mates down under!

 

[longhorn]

G.Skill RAM is an excellent choice, as is the seagate barracuda.

 

[JaidynM]

I went with MSY because of cost but would expect a BIG battle if I needed to return a faulty unit. We suffer from limited suppliers in Australia unlike the US who are spoilt for choice To RMA from overseas is a bit risky.

I made a mistake and chose a PSU that doesn't cater for too much growth. I'd go for an efficient 750W - but then I'm not a Gamer.

I wouldn't touch an LG anything - in my opinion their customer service is very bad in this country.

It's very frustrating, isn't it? The US has Newegg and a whole range of other great online stores while we have barely any. Surely they can lend us some.

Also, would it be worth getting the AX750 over the HX850? The AX has higher certification but I'm not entirely sure whether I'll actually need it.

 

[smarteyeball]

If you don't see yourself doing heavy overclocks+higher end SLI/CF in the future, I'd go the AX750.

 

[JaidynM]

I'll be trying a couple of overclocks and might SLI so I'll stick with the HX850.

EDIT: I've put the AX850 down. It's only slightly more expensive than the HX850.

 

[Britton30]

Have a look at comparisons Jaidyn. The HX has a bigger fan and more connectors
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

 

[JaidynM]

Have a look at comparisons Jaidyn. The HX has a bigger fan and more connectors
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

Perhaps. But now that I'm in that price range, I might as well have a look at CM and OCZ too. I promise, this will be the last PSU question.

I though I'd look at other branded PSUs around the $240 range. The majority of people are saying go with Corsair but I've managed to find a couple of other PSUs that look decent.

PSU
SHAW Viper-1500w Gaming PSU --- Carried Over

or
​

Corsair AX850 Gold
or
Corsair HX850
or
OCZ Technology ZX Series 1250W
or
CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold 1000W

They are all 80PLUS Gold Certified (except the HX850) and are all around the same price so at this point in time, it's the quality, not the money. As far as I can tell, all are modular and all are made by decent manufacturers. The HX850 seems to have the most cables. So, which one would you recommend?

 

[kodi]

That's a very hard decision to make, but I would go with the Corsair AX850 simply because they give a 7 year warranty.
Any one of them would be suitable for you, and you wouldn't have any problems with any of them they are all first class power supplies.
Good luck making a decision!!!

 

[Britton30]

If CM is Cooler Master I'd steer clear of them. HX and AX both have 7 yr waranty.

 

[mjf]

The other thing to consider is how easy (or should I say difficult) it may be to get your component serviced under warranty from Australia.

 

[JaidynM]

If CM is Cooler Master I'd steer clear of them. HX and AX both have 7 yr waranty.

You've expressed your dislike for CoolerMaster several times throughout this thread. Any reason for it?

That's a very hard decision to make, but I would go with the Corsair AX850 simply because they give a 7 year warranty.
Any one of them would be suitable for you, and you wouldn't have any problems with any of them they are all first class power supplies.
Good luck making a decision!!!

I'm not concerned about the warranty. My grandfather fixes such computer components. I have complete faith in him as he has fixed a lot of my computer parts when they have broken including the PSU. But a warranty would be great, just in case.

The other thing to consider is how easy (or should I say difficult) it may be to get your component serviced under warranty from Australia.

That's a good point. But as I said above, I know people.

 

[Britton30]

Well I had a CM PSU once and its physical weight was about half of a similar wattage one from Corsair which means a lot for a PSU. Less weight=fewer windings on the transformer, less capacitors, etc. CM's usually will have two or more 12V rails which means the load to each one should be balanced for best stability and clean power. CM power supplies just seem "cheap" to me.

 

[kodi]

Coolermaster have improved their quality and are now up there with the best, they used to be crap but not now.
Length of Warranty is important because if they are are prepared to warrant something for seven years they must expect it to last longer than that.
Warranty claims are much the same as in the States, most are fantastic ,some are slow, and some need to be threatened with legal proceedings (thankfully there are very few of those).
If your Grandfather fixes things he will be out of pocket for parts so why not get it fixed for free (you probably will have to pay postage one way)

 

[JaidynM]

Well I had a CM PSU once and its physical weight was about half of a similar wattage one from Corsair which means a lot for a PSU. Less weight=fewer windings on the transformer, less capacitors, etc. CM's usually will have two or more 12V rails which means the load to each one should be balanced for best stability and clean power. CM power supplies just seem "cheap" to me.

Well then, I suppose it's a choice between the Corsair and OCZ PSU. I'd like the PSU to last a while, even if I'm doing a Quad-SLI (which is unlikely).

Coolermaster have improved their quality and are now up there with the best, they used to be crap but not now.
Length of Warranty is important because if they are are prepared to warrant something for seven years they must expect it to last longer than that.
Warranty claims are much the same as in the States, most are fantastic ,some are slow, and some need to be threatened with legal proceedings (thankfully there are very few of those).
If your Grandfather fixes things he will be out of pocket for parts so why not get it fixed for free (you probably will have to pay postage one way)

So CM is alright then? And would they be up there with Corsair and OCZ? Anyway, that's why I said a warranty would be great but if there wasn't one, I'm not worried. The Corsair PSU has a 7 year warranty while the OCZ has a 5 yea warranty... Now if you disregarded both price and warranties, which one would you choose?

 

[kodi]

Check my system specs and you will find that I am running a Corsair, but on my Second computer (server) I am running a Coolermaster and I can tell you that both are excellent and Have had no problems.
I would choose the Corsair because they have ALWAYS been top of the line.

 

[Britton30]

Thanks for the update Brian, the CM PSU I referred to was about 3 years ago. Hopefully they are better now, but I'd also still buy a Corsair.

 

[JaidynM]

Right. So it doesn't matter that the OCZ is 1250W? I'm just trying to make sure that it will last me as long as possible and handle most GPU as well as overclocks.

 

[JaidynM]

Just bumping this thread as I'd really like a reply. I just need to get the PSU sorted out and I'm done.

So the AX850 beats the ZX1250? I'm just not sure if it'll give me enough room for expansion if I want to dual SLI and run a decent CPU a high overclock. Or would it be worth the extra money to buy the AX1200? It looks like overkill though.

 

[kodi]

Just bumping this thread as I'd really like a reply. I just need to get the PSU sorted out and I'm done.

So the AX850 beats the ZX1250? I'm just not sure if it'll give me enough room for expansion if I want to dual SLI and run a decent CPU a high overclock. Or would it be worth the extra money to buy the AX1200? It looks like overkill though.

The AX850 will do the job with heaps to spare.
You don't need a Mack Truck to go to the supermarket for your weekly grocery shop.

 

[JaidynM]

Just bumping this thread as I'd really like a reply. I just need to get the PSU sorted out and I'm done.

So the AX850 beats the ZX1250? I'm just not sure if it'll give me enough room for expansion if I want to dual SLI and run a decent CPU a high overclock. Or would it be worth the extra money to buy the AX1200? It looks like overkill though.

The AX850 will do the job with heaps to spare.
You don't need a Mack Truck to go to the supermarket for your weekly grocery shop.

Fair enough. I'm done then. Thanks for the help all!