Help with psu please

[manos]

Hi.
I have an old system (i7-870 and AMD 6970) and i need a new psu. Max load wattage according to outervision calculator is ~500 w and minimum recommended ~550 w. Now where i live my choices are limited. I can find a few descent low budget psu's like the ones below
1.Be Quiet System Power 9 600W - Bronze
2. Be Quiet System Power B9 600W - Bronze
3. Be Quiet System Power 9 600W CM - Bronze
4. CoolerMaster MWE 600 White 230V - V2
5. Corsair CV550 - Bronze
6. Corsair CV650 - Bronze
7. EVGA 600 W1 - White
8. Thermaltake Hamburg Pro RGB 550W - Bronze

if none of the above is not recomended, for a few more euros i can also choose one of the
1. Corsair CX550 - Bronze
2. Be Quiet Pure Power 11 600W - Gold

Which one do you think it fit my needs and which you prefer?
Thank you.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I personally don't recommend the lower tier CV and CX lines of Corsairs. Their specs are fine, they just don't live up to the reliability reputation the Corsair brand earned in the early days.

Other than that, I would get the best your budget allows. And I recommend at least "Bronze" certified, "Gold" would be better. Going above Gold (Platinum or Titanium) is typically not worth the extra cost as it would take many years to make up the difference in energy savings.

I recommend you pick a supply and plug it into Google with the word "review" and see what the professional review sites say. Pay attention to regulation, ripple suppression and noise. And check the warranty periods.

 

[Frick]

I personally don't recommend the lower tier CV and CX lines of Corsairs. Their specs are fine, they just don't live up to the reliability reputation the Corsair brand earned in the early days.

Other than that, I would get the best your budget allows. And I recommend at least "Bronze" certified, "Gold" would be better. Going above Gold (Platinum or Titanium) is typically not worth the extra cost as it would take many years to make up the difference in energy savings.

I recommend you pick a supply and plug it into Google with the word "review" and see what the professional review sites say. Pay attention to regulation, ripple suppression and noise. And check the warranty periods.

I thought the CXs were fine these days. Have they redesigned them again?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Seems simple
Only one gold on the list.

 

[Frick]

For a few more euros Pure Power 11.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
No seasonic prime psu's around ?

 

[John Naylor]

It was very difficult to find reviews from worthy sites on the BeQuiet System Power S6 Line. Anandtech reviewed the System Power 350 and the title of the review was "Round 11 : Cheap PSUs. It had some good componentry but , in the end, the rest results left it in the "I would rather have something bett" category.

"be quiet! is clearly out of ATX specification during the second crossload test while noise and temperatures are low. The 3.3V and 5V rails start slightly above specification during 10% load; they then drop, reaching 3.30V and 4.91V at maximum load. The 12V rails start high at 12.14V and drops to 11.86V with 10% overload. These voltage drops will not cause any problem at all when this PSU is in use in a system. "

As this review is 12 years old and that reviews of these PSUs are extreme;ly scarce, just not enough info to make a sound decision

If you asked the question: Does Corsair make ....

a) Great PSUs
b) Good PSUs
c) Mediocre PSUs
d) Crappy CPUs

The correct answer is "e) None of the above as Corsair doesn't "make" anything. If you chane the question to :Soes Corsair sell ...then the correct answer is "e) All of the above. The CX and CV series are Corsair's offering the low budget market ,,, the typical PC you might find in Walmart for under $500.

Recognize the Broince, Silver, Gold, Platiunun, Titanium are NOT reliable indicators of unit quality. The Higher ratngs do not mean 'this PSU has great componenty with low ripple and great voltahe regulation ... it just means that each higher rating is more energy efficient.

While it was good that you pointed out that in your country many brands are scarce, naming the country would have been a big aid to a recommendation

Germany - Seasonic S12III 500 (€51.99)

SeaSonic S12III 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

de.pcpartpicker.com

Seasonic S12 III 650 (€57.69)

SeaSonic S12III 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

de.pcpartpicker.com

It must be said that the S12 III is by no means the equal of the SII series. Have found no in depth reviews, and it is known that it uses Teacon caps on the secondary side. But Id still put well above the Corsair CV / CX

Personally, in Germany, Id go for the
Seasonic Focus Gold (€86.61) which is Cheaper than the Pure Power 11 600 (€94.69) on your list

SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

de.pcpartpicker.com

In Spain A Focus Goold 550 watter will cost you (€106.83) ... S12 III 550 (€73,94_). The Corsair RMX 550 is the same price as three Focus Gold but I'd rather have the Focus Gold. The pwer 11 is (€98.06) but again, I'd leap and the xhance to get the Focus Gold for just 8 euro more.

In France I'd go with the Seasonoic Focus 550 (€91.49) or the Gold version at (€106.83 ) ... The BeQuiet System Power 11 (€106.86 )

In UK, again the Seasonoic Focus 550 is (€83,97) but the Gold 650 version at (€86.72 ) ... The BeQuiet System Power 11 (€85.48 )

It's not that Seasonic is the "be all and end all" of PSUs.... just that in Europe, the Focus / Focus Gold, at this point in time, have the most attarcrive procing for what I'd feel comfortable recommending. If the BQ Syster Power 11 is within your budget, I'd go for the Focus / Foucus Gold wheich seem to be same price or cheaper in the selected Euso countries.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I thought the CXs were fine these days. Have they redesigned them again?

No. Perhaps that's the problem as they need to. As I noted, they have decent specs and reviews verify that. And if you get a good one, then odds are it will serve you fine. But they just are not as reliable as they were when Corsairs first splashed on the scene - at least based on what we are seeing here.

I am just saying, if I were going for a budget PSU, I would go with a different brand.

Hi,
Seems simple
Only one gold on the list.

Ummm, it is not that simple. "Gold" only means it is certified to be a couple points more efficient. Gold does NOT in any way imply better regulation, tighter tolerance, better ripple suppression, or better reliability than Bronze - just as Titanium does not imply anything other than better efficiency over Gold.

 

[dirtyferret]

I thought the CXs were fine these days. Have they redesigned them again?

They are, Bill just personally doesn't like them.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Bill just personally doesn't like them.

Well, it is not just because I don't like their color or something similar. I have a shop and we have a group of fellow independent techs in my area and we all have observed higher premature failure rates with the entry level tiers of Corsair PSUs - as opposed to EVGA, TT, CM, Rosewill and the budget lines of other brands.

So it is opinion, but it based on empirical evidence - not bias.

Now their upper tier models are a different story and I would not hesitate to recommend them.

 

[Frick]

No. Perhaps that's the problem as they need to. As I noted, they have decent specs and reviews verify that. And if you get a good one, then odds are it will serve you fine. But they just are not as reliable as they were when Corsairs first splashed on the scene - at least based on what we are seeing here.

I am just saying, if I were going for a budget PSU, I would go with a different brand.
Ummm, it is not that simple. "Gold" only means it is certified to be a couple points more efficient. Gold does NOT in any way imply better regulation, tighter tolerance, better ripple suppression, or better reliability than Bronze - just as Titanium does not imply anything other than better efficiency over Gold.

Their splash with the first gen CXs were what, a decade ago? And if they are fine and reviews confirm it, why not go for them? They tend to be overpriced because od the brand name, and some stores stock mostly Corsair whoch means you are missing out sure, but if it is between CX and say BeQuiet Power 9's I'd go CX purely for the warranty (5 vs 2 years).

Well, it is not just because I don't like their color or something similar. I have a shop and we have a group of fellow independent techs in my area and we all have observed higher premature failure rates with the entry level tiers of Corsair PSUs - as opposed to EVGA, TT, CM, Rosewill and the budget lines of other brands.

So it is opinion, but it based on empirical evidence - not bias.

Now their upper tier models are a different story and I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Do you have actual numbers? If you sell more units of something obviously you'll see more duds.


EDIT: Personally I wouldn't buy them because of the price, but as I said in some places it's a CX or something worse or something with a shorter warranty and then they might be the best option.

 

[stinger608]

Refer to this post:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/general-nonsense.232862/page-396#post-4337671

If not for the quality Seasonic gold PSU I think the entire system would have been trashed.

 

[Frick]

Refer to this post:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/general-nonsense.232862/page-396#post-4337671

If not for the quality Seasonic gold PSU I think the entire system would have been trashed.

Uhh.. So what made the pop? And Seasonic people are not wizards; any competently designed PSU will have the same protections as the next one. And these days there are a whole lot of good PSU's.

 

[stinger608]

Uhh.. So what made the pop

The power cord shorted out.

No, I'm not saying that Seasonic is the end all power supply, I'm simply saying that a person should get a top quality power supply that is gold rated at the least.

 

[dirtyferret]

Their splash with the first gen CXs were what, a decade ago? And if they are fine and reviews confirm it, why not go for them? They tend to be overpriced because od the brand name, and some stores stock mostly Corsair whoch means you are missing out sure, but if it is between CX and say BeQuiet Power 9's I'd go CX purely for the warranty (5 vs 2 years).



Do you have actual numbers? If you sell more units of something obviously you'll see more duds.


EDIT: Personally I wouldn't buy them because of the price, but as I said in some places it's a CX or something worse or something with a shorter warranty and then they might be the best option.

There are at least seven different variants of that line last I counted and it's extremely popular so it's expected to be seen a lot. The thing I find interesting is that its a very mature platform from CWT yet you see the same platform and/or worse platforms with basically the same parts being recommended from different brands because it's not Corsair...

So PUQ platform with Corsair logo = Junk
PUQ platform with Silverstone logo = quality

It must be said that the S12 III is by no means the equal of the SII series. Have found no in depth reviews, and it is known that it uses Teacon caps on the secondary side. But Id still put well above the Corsair CV / CX

It's by no means equal to the latest CX series either since it's not made by seasonic, probably why they won't send it out for review. Not sure how you would put it "well above" the CX series without even knowing what's inside of it.

 

[Bill_Bright]

And if they are fine and reviews confirm it, why not go for them?

That's the problem with reviews, isn't it? They don't go back 2, 3 or 4 years later and see how the products are holding up.

I have no intention of getting into a debate over which entry-level, budget PSU is better. Most of you have heard my analogy of buying a brand new Porsche then fueling it up at the corner Tobacco and Bait shop. Don't do it! Everything inside the computer case depends on good, clean, stable and reliable power. So there is no budget, bottom of the line PSU I would ever recommend.

And yes, I am aware that more units sold results in more duds. And no, I don't have numbers. But because I am aware more units means more duds, I feel I have a good grasp on these failure rates. I don't see a disproportionate number of ASUS or Gigabyte motherboards that have failed, for example - even though they sell more motherboards among the home builders. And to that, I see home builders using EVGA and Seasonic PSUs a lot. But not always their top tiers. And their failure rates after a few years are not even close to Corsairs (or no name generics).

As I said, I am not just an home enthusiast. I have a shop so I see more than just my own personal computers. While that may still be anecdotal, more samples mean greater accuracy. So I do not recommend entry-level Corsairs. If you have had good experience, then great! But that would still be anecdotal too. You have to decide, based on your own personal numbers experienced, if that represents the bigger picture, or not.

 

[Hardcore Games]

My HX1000i is still going strong.

 

[Selaya]

[ ... ] The thing I find interesting is that its a very mature platform from CWT yet you see the same platform and/or worse platforms with basically the same parts being recommended from different brands because it's not Corsair...

[ ... ]

The CX have variable bom - some are made by CWT, some by GW (according to this, at the very least ...) - it's possible the GW ones all dud out and drag the entire series down with them.

My HX1000i is still going strong.

Nice entry-level Corsair you've got there!

 

[dirtyferret]

The CX have variable bom - some are made by CWT, some by GW (according to this, at the very least ...) - it's possible the GW ones all dud out and drag the entire series down with them.

Yes, it's part of the "at least seven different variants" of the CX series I mentioned above. Corsair has used GW several times and they are a legit OEM so I doubt the switch created a mass issue. Most likely it's the CX500,600 first two versions which had mediocre caps, short warranties (1-2 years) and rated for low temps and efficiency. I never said the whole line was decent just the latest units.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

The coolermaster mwe is supposedly supposed to be pretty decent

 

[Bill_Bright]

Nice entry-level Corsair you've got there!

Yeah right!

This is 100% just a guess, but I think Corsairs problem here is inconsistent quality control (oversight) in their parts supply chains and manufacturing. "When the cat's away..." syndrome. I say that because clearly, not all of their entry level PSUs with the same model numbers have premature problems. But also because we have seen similar quality inconsistencies with other Corsair products.

As I have also reported on this site, we have had mixed experiences with some of their cases too. In general, like their PSUs, their designs and their included fans are great. But on at least 4 cases, the workmanship in the construction has been disappointing. I have seen more than one that were not "true". That is, they did not have exactly 90° bends in the sheet metal. This resulted in only 3 of the 4 feet sitting firmly on the floor allowing the case to wobble. It also meant the side panels were difficult to align and install properly. Note the shipping boxes these cases came in were in perfect condition suggesting they were not dropped, crushed or otherwise mishandled during transport.

We have also seen rough edges on the cut sheet metal where they should have been "finished". Typically these edges are rolled or ground down and smooth. But on these Corsairs, the edges were sharp and jagged and actually resulted in bloody knuckles. Not fun. In recent years, we have used of lot of Fractal Design cases, including several budget models. All sat firmly on all 4 feet. All side panels aligned perfectly. And none caused bloody knuckles. I'm just saying... .

In fairness, I have not done a recent build with a Corsair case - but that may be because I can still see the scars on my knuckles!

 

[dirtyferret]

This is 100% just a guess, but I think Corsairs problem here is inconsistent quality control (oversight) in their parts supply chains and manufacturing. "When the cat's away..." syndrome. I say that because clearly, not all of their entry level PSUs with the same model numbers have premature problems. But also because we have seen similar quality inconsistencies with other Corsair products.

It was nothing more then a money grab by "increasing revenue streams" through brand dilution. Corsair saw CM, thermaltake, Antec, among others selling a bunch of mediocre to junk PSU at low prices and wanted to get in on it and take market share away from them. I'm not saying this business decision is right or wrong or other companies have not done it (hello evga PSU) or tried something similar (xfx PSU). Even Seasonic is starting to get in on it. I'm also not shocked if they are doing the same thing with their cases and they would not be alone (hey Antec). I owned the corsair 400R, great case and well built but looking Microcenter's collection of Corsair cases I took a pass when it came to my last few builds.

That's why a laugh when people talk about brand loyalty in PC hardware. A) barely any PC hardware brands actually make their own stuff, they just handle the front end (marketing, sales channel/distribution, warranty) and B) brands are not loyal to customers they are loyal to the owners/stock holders.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It was nothing more then a money grab by "increasing revenue streams" through brand dilution.

"Nothing more"? Nah! Brand dilution is part of it, but it certainly is more than just that.

Companies are always looking for more and more ways to cut costs and increase profits. And another way to do that is to cut quality assurance testing of the discrete components in their supply channels used to make their products, and in quality assurance testing of the final products that come off their assembly lines.

Pulling samples out of their assembly line runs to ensure quality and compliance with published specs takes time, personnel, and logistics and that's money cut directly from profits - profits that already are based on thin margins due to stiff competition. So instead, they assume the product will work, and if they have to deal with RMAs, they will just write those off - as long as there are not too many.

That's why a laugh when people talk about brand loyalty in PC hardware.

I agree - to a point. Even major subassemblies (motherboards, graphics cards, RAM sticks, monitors, etc.) are typically made of assembled components that were made by another company. But other factors play into brand loyalty too. In particular, after sales service. Gigabyte, for example, didn't hesitate to replace, for free! , a 4 year old motherboard of mine that had leaky caps even though the 3 year warranty had long expired. I've been a loyal Gigabyte buyer ever sense.

Then of course, other factors like warranty lengths, price, included extras (if they don't raise the cost) can affect brand loyalty too. As long as brand loyalty does not cause one to become blind to everything else (or unjust bias against quality competition) I see nothing wrong with it.

 

[pavle]

I'd choose Be Quiet Pure power 11 600W Gold.

 

[dirtyferret]

I'd choose Be Quiet Pure power 11 600W Gold.

Gold does NOT in any way imply better regulation, tighter tolerance, better ripple suppression, or better reliability than Bronze - just as Titanium does not imply anything other than better efficiency over Gold.

The Be Quiet is older FSP ACRF topology platform while the CX uses a more modern LLC resonant topology hence why they were probably priced around the same amount even if one was gold efficient (reiterating Bill's comment about Gold rating not being a proper way to judge PSU).