Basic guide for the right power supply

[ameya.gargesh]

Hi everyone, I could really use some help choosing a PSU for my build.

I have a machine with the following configuration -

Processor - Athlon II X4 630
Motherboard - Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Graphics Card - None (Using onboard graphics)
RAM - Kingston 2x4GB (1333MHz)
HDD - WD 500GB Sata
Optical Drive - Samsung DVD R+W
Cabinet - Zebronics Bijli with PSU

I use this machine for Software development. I am running a couple of Virtual Machines on top of Opensuse 12.1. The machine was running fine for the last year or so but for the last couple of weeks, there has been a strange whirring sound coming from the Power supply. I knew I was taking a risk when I didn't buy a proper PSU (but had budget constraints at the time) and relied on the one that came with the cabinet which normally is pretty crappy. I want to upgrade now to a branded PSU before I burn out some other parts of the machine. I calculated my Power requirements and it comes to somewhere around 290W (with all upgrades I would think of for the next couple of years including a graphics card even though I am not thinking of it now). Given that, which of the following PSU's would you recommend?

Gigabyte Superb RS 460 for 2-2.2K
FSP Saga II 400W for approx 2K
FSP Saga II 500W for approx 2.2K
Antec 350W for approx 2.4K (I am thinking that this will be too close to my existing power requirements)

I am not planning on upgrading this machine with a graphics card as I already have an Xbox 360 for gaming.

I am open to any other suggestions as well. Any place to purchase the PSU would also help. I am currently based in Pune and most of the vendors here are carrying only VIP PSUs. I wouldn't mind buying online

[Sam]

i am using FSP Saga II 400W. only complain is short length of all the cables. Gigabyte Superb 460W is based on FSP Saga II 500W (most likely its relabelled).

get it from ITWares. check Corsair CX430W V2. it carries 1yr additional warranty over FSP's 2.

[topgear]

@ ameya.gargesh - your rig can't consume 290W even with full load - the max power consumption wouyld be around ~160-190W without any gfx card - so if you buy a gfx card later ( having around ~100-130W TDP ) you can safely use it with PSus like FSP Saga II 500 / Corsair CX430v2 but if you plan for some more powerful gfx card get something more powerful

[thetechfreak]

@ameya
out of the ones you mentioned which are

Gigabyte Superb RS 460 for 2-2.2K
FSP Saga II 400W for approx 2K
FSP Saga II 500W for approx 2.2K
Antec 350W for approx 2.4K

get the Fsp II 500w. Would be better if you change your mind in future about installing a graphic card.

[happy17292]

Originally Posted by thetechfreak

You mean the FSP 500w Yes it will easily run the Athlon

no i mean my current psu,

i am currently running this config on that PSU

pentium D 2.8GHz [95W TDP]
2 X DDR1 RAM
40GB IDE + 1TB WD green
FX5500 GPU [50-70W TDP]
ODD
450W PSU with 19A on +12V rail


plz check voltages and temps, of above config running on that same psu

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/v...s/untitled.jpg


after upgrading i will have

athlon II X3 [95W TDP]
4GB DDR3 1333MHz single stick ram
80GB IDE+ 1TB WD green
ODD
GT240 1GB [70W TDP]
450W PSU with 19A on +12V

is it safe to run above config on same PSU considering my current Pentium D is running fine, and both pentium D and athlon II X3/X4 have same 95W TDP ??

bcoz if its unsafe i will have to buy intel G620 [65W TDP] CPU. as i can't afford new PSU for few months

[topgear]

^^ you better not use the tri core cpu and GT 240 with the PSu you have howeer as G620 consumes very little power it can be used with the PSu but I would recommend you to buy a AMD apu based rig and get a good gfx card later

[happy17292]

i will have to chhose G620 as i can't afford a new psu yet

[Sam]

give that excuse to yourself when your psu gives out smoke

[funskar]

my frnds rig is

i5-2500k
msi z68 gd65 gen
8gb gskill ripjaws 1600mhz ram
1tb seagate hdd+500 seagate hdd+250gb hitachi hdd

he will b adding zotac gtx560 ti n he has corsair vx550 psu
is it safe

[Tenida]

^^Yeah.Corsair Vx550 is perfectly enough.

[thetechfreak]

Originally Posted by funskar

my frnds rig is

i5-2500k
msi z68 gd65 gen
8gb gskill ripjaws 1600mhz ram
1tb seagate hdd+500 seagate hdd+250gb hitachi hdd

he will b adding zotac gtx560 ti n he has corsair vx550 psu
is it safe

Yes it is good enough Does he overclock?

[ameya.gargesh]

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me out.

@Sam I looked at the ITWares site and it seems like they don't have the FSP 500W or the Gigabyte 460W. I had also heard that there were some problems with the Corsair 430 earlier on. Have they been fixed in V2? Also I found the Seasonic 400W on the ITWares site at the same price as the Corsair. Which of them would be better or doesn't it matter as both are reputed brands with 80 plus and active FPC?

@topgear Sorry for the confusion, I meant that I calculated the power requirements for my rig with any additions I would make over the next couple of years including a modest graphics card (I think I checked against the HD 5670) would be 290W. Honestly speaking I don't see myself getting a very powerful gfx card even in the future as I am happy to use my xbox for gaming.

@thetechfreak I checked the online sites again and unfortunately neither theitwares nor primeabgb seem to carry the FSP 500W any more. I could however, find it on bitfang. Has anyone got an idea about the reputation of bitfang?

Once again thanks all of you for responding.

[funskar]

Originally Posted by Ghonada

^^Yeah.Corsair Vx550 is perfectly enough.

ye he is in mood to overclock when he get bucks for cooler..

n i heard that corsair service centre is givin tx650 in replace of vx550 if vx550 gone kaput n in warranty

[MegaMind]

Originally Posted by funskar

i5-2500k
msi z68 gd65 gen
8gb gskill ripjaws 1600mhz ram
1tb seagate hdd+500 seagate hdd+250gb hitachi hdd
he will b adding zotac gtx560 ti n he has corsair vx550 psu
is it safe

Originally Posted by funskar

ye he is in mood to overclock when he get bucks for cooler..

Even with OCing, the PSU is good enough to handle w/o any hick-ups..

[topgear]

Originally Posted by ameya.gargesh

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped me out.

@Sam I looked at the ITWares site and it seems like they don't have the FSP 500W or the Gigabyte 460W. I had also heard that there were some problems with the Corsair 430 earlier on. Have they been fixed in V2? Also I found the Seasonic 400W on the ITWares site at the same price as the Corsair. Which of them would be better or doesn't it matter as both are reputed brands with 80 plus and active FPC?

@topgear Sorry for the confusion, I meant that I calculated the power requirements for my rig with any additions I would make over the next couple of years including a modest graphics card (I think I checked against the HD 5670) would be 290W. Honestly speaking I don't see myself getting a very powerful gfx card even in the future as I am happy to use my xbox for gaming.

@thetechfreak I checked the online sites again and unfortunately neither theitwares nor primeabgb seem to carry the FSP 500W any more. I could however, find it on bitfang. Has anyone got an idea about the reputation of bitfang?

Once again thanks all of you for responding.

even if you add a gfx card CX-430v2 would be enough

[d6bmg]

Originally Posted by ameya.gargesh

@thetechfreak I checked the online sites again and unfortunately neither theitwares nor primeabgb seem to carry the FSP 500W any more. I could however, find it on bitfang. Has anyone got an idea about the reputation of bitfang?

Call them to confirm the availability. Most of the time, they have it but they do not update their website.

[topgear]

@ ameya.gargesh - you can get it from here at 2.2k
FSP SAGA II 500 500W Power Supply - SAGA II 500 by: FSP - TechShop.in

[ameya.gargesh]

@topgear I checked the techshop site and it is showing the FSP 500 as no stock on its search page. Power Supplies - TechShop.in - Buy Tech Online Now!!!

I have heard that the Corsair 430 V2 has had a lot of complaints because of a whining/whirring noise coming from the PSU. I found the complaints logged all over the place including the Corsair forums as well. Has anyone got any personal experience with this? I looked and found another option - Seasonic 400ES model for the same price as the Corsair 430 V2. Would this be an ok buy? Otherwise I will have to go in the next segment i.e. 500W series of Tagan or Seasonic which is approx 3500 Rs.

[Sam]

but Tagan carries just a single year warranty. why not raise your budget and get Seasonic S12-II 430W? check flipkart. they now sell PSU and price is same as other shops as it includes tax & carrying charges.

[topgear]

@ ameya.gargesh - here on TDF many members have purchased Corsair CX430v2 and I've not seen anyone complaining about any noise issue so far

[Cilus]

Sam, Tagan carries 2 Years of warranty, not 1 Year. Initially there was lots of confusion regarding this but now it has been cleared. Check online shops like Theitwares where it has been updated with 2 Years of warranty.

Also I don't hear any complain regarding CX 430 V2 till date. All the review sites, specially Jonnyguru and Kitguru have praised the PSU in their reviews and it addressed all the issues of the orginal CX series.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Cilus

Sam, Tagan carries 2 Years of warranty, not 1 Year. Initially there was lots of confusion regarding this but now it has been cleared. Check online shops like Theitwares where it has been updated with 2 Years of warranty.

thanks. didn't know warranty is revised now.

[ameya.gargesh]

Hi Guys, I unexpectedly came into a bit of money (about 7000 Rs.) and was thinking of investing in a graphics card using the same (sorry for the about-face on my earlier statement - "Not looking for graphics card in my build"). I looked up the forums and looks like the Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 is around this budget. Will the Corsair CX 430 V2 or the Seasonic S12II -430 be able to support this graphics card? or will I have to go for the next level i.e. Corsair CX 500 V2 or the Seasonic S12II 520? Also, I saw that the recommended power for the 6770 is 25 A on the 12V rail. Now the Corsair 430W has 28A on a single 12V rail while the Seasonic 430 has two 12V rails with 17A on each and a total of 360W on the 12V rail which makes me suspect a total of 30A. Will the fact that there are two rails make a difference? Will this (Seasonic) be able to power this graphics card adequately? I am tending a bit toward the Seasonic because of the fact that they are the OEM and that they are giving 5 years of warranty as well as the 85% efficiency.

[Tenida]

Originally Posted by ameya.gargesh

Hi Guys, I unexpectedly came into a bit of money (about 7000 Rs.) and was thinking of investing in a graphics card using the same (sorry for the about-face on my earlier statement - "Not looking for graphics card in my build"). I looked up the forums and looks like the Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 is around this budget. Will the Corsair CX 430 V2 or the Seasonic S12II -430 be able to support this graphics card? or will I have to go for the next level i.e. Corsair CX 500 V2 or the Seasonic S12II 520? Also, I saw that the recommended power for the 6770 is 25 A on the 12V rail. Now the Corsair 430W has 28A on a single 12V rail while the Seasonic 430 has two 12V rails with 17A on each and a total of 360W on the 12V rail which makes me suspect a total of 30A. Will the fact that there are two rails make a difference? Will this (Seasonic) be able to power this graphics card adequately? I am tending a bit toward the Seasonic because of the fact that they are the OEM and that they are giving 5 years of warranty as well as the 85% efficiency.

Please post your whole configaration, then only we can suggest best product within your budget.

[ameya.gargesh]

Hi Ghonada, my specs are already posted as the first post on page 22 of this thread. Unfortunately, I don't know how to link to it so posting here again -

Processor - Athlon II X4 630
Motherboard - Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Graphics Card - None (Using onboard graphics)
RAM - Kingston 2x4GB (1333MHz)
HDD - WD 500GB Sata
Optical Drive - Samsung DVD R+W
Cabinet - Zebronics Bijli with PSU

[d6bmg]

Originally Posted by ameya.gargesh

Hi Guys, I unexpectedly came into a bit of money (about 7000 Rs.) and was thinking of investing in a graphics card using the same (sorry for the about-face on my earlier statement - "Not looking for graphics card in my build"). I looked up the forums and looks like the Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 is around this budget. Will the Corsair CX 430 V2 or the Seasonic S12II -430 be able to support this graphics card? or will I have to go for the next level i.e. Corsair CX 500 V2 or the Seasonic S12II 520? Also, I saw that the recommended power for the 6770 is 25 A on the 12V rail. Now the Corsair 430W has 28A on a single 12V rail while the Seasonic 430 has two 12V rails with 17A on each and a total of 360W on the 12V rail which makes me suspect a total of 30A. Will the fact that there are two rails make a difference? Will this (Seasonic) be able to power this graphics card adequately? I am tending a bit toward the Seasonic because of the fact that they are the OEM and that they are giving 5 years of warranty as well as the 85% efficiency.

HD6790 + FSP Saga II 500W/ Corsair CX430V2.

[Tenida]

Sapphire HD 6770 1GB- 7.2K
Corsair CX500 V2-3K or Seasonic S12 II 520 Watt-3.4K

According to Tomshardware, AMD 6770 consumes 108Watt and AMD HD6790 consumes 150Watt of power.And since the performance is negligible.Its better to go with HD6770 than power hungry HD6790.

[ameya.gargesh]

@Ghonada Thanks for the suggestions. Seasonic S12II seems to be closer to 3600 in price wherever I checked. Anyway, it is not available on flipkart and I was wondering if Seasonic S12II 430 will be sufficient to power the 6770 graphics card? If not I will have to look to some other online seller to get the Seasonic S12II 520. Also is it true that Seasonics have 5 years warranty compared to Corsairs 3 years?

[Jaskanwar Singh]

ghonada translate that into money. Suppose you game for 5hrs. And suppose a unit is 3rs. Then monthly bill of 6790 will be 0.150x5x30x3 = 67.5rs. 6770 = 0.100x5x30x3 = 45rs.

And performance difference isnt 'negligible'. So 6790 is worth

[Tenida]

Originally Posted by ameya.gargesh

@Ghonada Thanks for the suggestions. Seasonic S12II seems to be closer to 3600 in price wherever I checked. Anyway, it is not available on flipkart and I was wondering if Seasonic S12II 430 will be sufficient to power the 6770 graphics card? If not I will have to look to some other online seller to get the Seasonic S12II 520. Also is it true that Seasonics have 5 years warranty compared to Corsairs 3 years?

If you're tight on budget you can go with Seasonic S12 II 430 watt(Will be enough for your current rig) if not 520 Watt version.More headroom in power department is always good for future upgrade.As we don't upgrade PSU much

Yes Seasonic S12 series has 5 years of warranty.Whereas Corsair CX v2,GS series has 3 years.