Solved Power Unit upgrade

[PwnFrnzy]

I'm upgrading my power unit this Friday when I head to Fry's Electronics and am looking for recommendations as to what I should look for. I already know I'm looking for 80+ certification so I won't have to worry about under-wattage killing my current one since it doesn't have under-wattage protection. I'm mostly looking at wattage and amperage (especially amperage), I also plan on upgrading to a 6-Core 1100T processor in the future and want the power unit ready to withstand that when it comes. I used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator (eXtreme Power Supply Calculator) and it said 360W would do the trick so I'm thinking a 500W-600W PSU would do just fine, but I'd like the opinions of people with more experience.

 

[Comp Cmndo]

... I won't have to worry about under-wattage killing my current one since it doesn't have under-wattage protection....

There is no such thing as "under-wattage protection". Maybe you mean undervoltage/overvoltage protection? If your current PSU is functioning properly, there is no benefit in replacing it. You only need to replace it when future upgrades require it. For now, save your money, your future plans might change.

 

[bassfisher6522]

Depending on what other future upgrades ie...gpu, cpu and so on, the wattage size can be as little as 500 watts or upwards to and past the 1200 watt range. That being said, and what size/type case you have I would suggest a modular PSU of a reputable brand.

 

[PwnFrnzy]

There is no such thing as "under-wattage protection". Maybe you mean undervoltage/overvoltage protection? If your current PSU is functioning properly, there is no benefit in replacing it. You only need to replace it when future upgrades require it. For now, save your money, your future plans might change.

From what happened, I would believe my current unit to be unreliable since last time a circuit breaker tripped on my house the power unit died with it, I'm running in a replacement of the same model and I would believe it to die if another outage is to occur. Also I don't think it would provide adequate amperage for a Phenom II x6 to run at it's full potential.

Depending on what other future upgrades ie...gpu, cpu and so on, the wattage size can be as little as 500 watts or upwards to and past the 1200 watt range. That being said, and what size/type case you have I would suggest a modular PSU of a reputable brand.

My case is a Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid-Tower case. And I was thinking of a modular unit as well, freeing up space and having no unused cables laying around the interior of the case. And reputable brands such as Cooler Master, SeaSonic, and Corsair, Antec are also what I will look for, but mostly the 80+ Certification.
As for future upgrades, no significant ones, I'm just looking to upgrade my CPU to the 6-core to remove the bottleneck on my games caused by my dual-core, I know my GPU is not the best but it is a great card.

 

[Phone Man]

On my new system I went with SeaSonic X650. It is last years model and they have the new series out. SeaSonic makes their own PSU and also makes them for other people like Corsair.

Welcome to Seasonic USA

These are fully modular and 80 PLUS Gold but are not cheap but are probably the top PSU design.

Jim

 

[PwnFrnzy]

SeaSonic USA is a great company and I hear they are just about the best maker of power units on the market, but the 80+ Gold are a bit pricey, so I think I'll stick with 80+ Bronze since those fit more snug into my price range.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

This system, with an AMD 1100T Black Edition processor

ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card (Catalyst 10.5 WHQL)
1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 hard disk
PC Power & Cooling 750W PSU
Asus P6TD Deluxe motherboard
Asus Crosshair IV Formula motherboard
Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard
4/6GB (3 x 2GB) Corsair 1,600MHz DDR3 memory (CL9)
Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ CPU cooler

Uses 108 watts at idle and 207 watts under a load, according to this link:

Phenom II X6 1100T BE Power Consumption | bit-tech.net

The first two Seasonics at this link:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Power Supplies, Power Supplies, SeaSonic USA, Yes

are Bronze certified, modular, and either 520 or 620 watts. They are about $90, including shipping, in the USA.

I think the Coolermaster 500 watt Extreme Power Plus is made by some outfit named "Acbel"---who I have never heard of. I'd guess it is of average quality at best.

 

[Phone Man]

I was lucky and got mine on sale for $100. They do make the M12II Models that are 80 PLUS Bronze for under $100.

Jim

 

[PwnFrnzy]

I now will be looking for SeaSonic USA units at Fry's Electronics when I head out there Friday, If I don't find one I'll get the ones I'm seeing here online.
I currently like this one: Newegg.com - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

 

[linnemeyerhere]

That SeaSonic looks great and should handle the power needs for years, keep in mind that PSU's lose a percentage of there capacity as they age so over purchasing only allows for more upgrades and time to pass before failure.

 

[PwnFrnzy]

That SeaSonic looks great and should handle the power needs for years, keep in mind that PSU's lose a percentage of there capacity as they age so over purchasing only allows for more upgrades and time to pass before failure.

What do you mean by that? Please explain.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you look at the lower right section of this link:

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

You will see a control for capacitor aging.

How much of a factor it is in real life is subject to debate. You can google for endless discussions.

If you think 600 of something is necessarily better than 500 of something, you would probably pay attention to it. Otherwise, maybe not.

 

[pparks1]

Your hardest draw on a power supply is a powerful graphics card, not really the CPU in your system. I'm running a Corsair HX620, with an Intel Q9550 quad core, 8GB of RAM, SSD, HDD, DVD Burner, eVGA GTX570 and I have no problems whatsoever with having adequate power.

When dealing with power supplies over about 750W, you really need to be running multiple video cards and such to really warrant the need.

 

[PwnFrnzy]

Any other specific brands/models I should look for when browsing the inventory?

 

[pparks1]

I always stick with SeaSonic, Corsair and Antec.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Seasonic is preferable because you know Seasonic made it.

Certain Antec and Corsair models are made by Seasonic, but you can't be certain since that could change at any time without notice.

You can browse these links:

Maximum PC | How to Pick the Right Power Supply

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers

and jonnyguru.com for actual reviews.

There aren't many high quality PSU makers. Most brands you see were made by someone else under a subcontract.

 

[PwnFrnzy]

Okay, thanks everyone, SeaSonic USA will be my choice. I'm surprised of how SeaSonic USA manufactures their own units while all the other companies have so many sub-contracts.

 

[PwnFrnzy]

UPDATE::
Okay, I've narrowed down two units I like, should I go with option A since it's final price (including tax + S&H) is $95 (is discounted $45)?
Newegg.com - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Or should I go all-out and go with option B (Final price being $154, currently discounted $40)?
Newegg.com - SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

$60 for 30 watts is a little steep.....

 

[ignatzatsonic]

UPDATE::
Okay, I've narrowed down two units I like, should I go with option A since it's final price (including tax + S&H) is $95 (is discounted $45)?
Newegg.com - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Or should I go all-out and go with option B (Final price being $154, currently discounted $40)?
Newegg.com - SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Get the cheaper one. It has plenty of power, much more than you need.

Use the saved money toward some other upgrade or blow it on your girlfriend.