Is it worth it to buy a more expensive PSU for less watts?

[cdawall]

Just fyi the nzxt psu's have been getting great reviews on jommyguru and well everywhere else...

 

[FordGT90Concept]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=187

thats what happens when you buy a higher wattage low cost unit looks nice doesn't even hit 600w

78amp 12V across two rails? My 850w Enermax Revolution 85+ has 180amp 12v across six rails.

Just from the label, you can tell that PSU is a POS.


I only buy 80+ certified PSUs with Active PFC and modular cables. I try to get Silver/Gold 80+ cert. whenever possible.

 

[TIGR]

78amp 12V across two rails? My 850w Enermax Revolution 85+ has 170amp 12v across six rails.

Your Enermax 850w has 70a across all six 12v rails. Each 12v rail on its own can handle 30a of current but the PSU can not supply them all with 30a simultaneously.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

The 1050w and 1250w has the exact same components (only exception is 1250w model is 220v only) and rating. It's mostly marketing.

 

[TIGR]

The 1050w and 1250w has the exact same components (only exception is 1250w model is 220v only) and rating. It's mostly marketing.

A person who actually needed 1250w and bought the 850w model thinking it has the exact same components and rating as the 1250w would be in for a surprise. While the individual rails are rated to handle the same amount of current individually, the rated difference in total 12v output available is 34a—408 watts of difference. Although the Revolution85+ 920w has been shown to be capable of at least 80w more output than it's rated for (link), I would not recommend loading the 850w version to 408w over its rated DC output.

 

[Bo$$]

That NZXT one is truely amazing, you can pull an additional 100W and ripple, noise, voltage regulation and efficiency remain lower than any PSU out there
my NEXT PSU will be a NZXT

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Although the Revolution85+ 920w has been shown to be capable of at least 80w more output than it's rated for (link), I would not recommend loading the 850w version to 408w over its rated DC output.

I quote:

Here we were limited by our equipment, which can only pull up to 1,000 W from power supplies. So, this power supply may be able to deliver even more power than we were able to pull from it.

80w over was their limit, not the PSUs.


I wouldn't recommend it either but when push comes to shove, it will most likely deliver because the hardware is there to do it.

 

[robal]

Just in general.
From my experience (lots of PSUs and rigs), always go for proper PSU.
Never buy a 'cheap' one, even if it has higher rating.

Read reviews.

Active PFC is a must. Single rail preferred.
For a PC with high end CPU and GPU you won't need more than 600W.

Only PCs that use extensive overclocking or with dual GPU, or SLI/Xfire configuration need more.


Cheers,

 

[TIGR]

The 1050w and 1250w has the exact same components (only exception is 1250w model is 220v only) and rating. It's mostly marketing.

80w over was their limit, not the PSUs.

That's why I said it's been shown to be capable of "at least" 80w more output than it's rated for.

To make sure I am not misunderstanding: are you saying you believe that the highest loads that could be safely put on the 1250w model would also be safe on the 850w model?

 

[robal]

I mean, is that worth it/recommended? Surely a bigger wattage number at a lower price = win?

Sorry, forgot to follow up on that.

It's not 'win' unfortunately.
Advertised wattage is 'input', not the wattage of load that PSU can handle.
Cheap 850W PSU will actually handle less than hi-end 550W. Just read some reviews.

Cheers,

 

[{JNT}Raptor]

Is it worth it to buy a more expensive PSU for less watts?


Your PSU plugs into everything of worth in your rig....why on earth would you want to chintz on it....rule of thumb is to buy the best PSU you can reasonably afford.

And as most here have stated....yes...a higher Quality PSU can fail......It's just ALOT less likely to occur.

Hope it helps.

 

[Kreij]

Advertised wattage is 'input', not the wattage of load that PSU can handle.

No.
The advertised wattage of the PSU is the output (load), not the input.
A typical US circuit (120V @ 15a) is capable of supplying 1800w before the breaker trips.

 

[TIGR]

No.
The advertised wattage of the PSU is the output (load), not the input.

That's correct. A "650w" PSU is one that can put out 650w of DC power to the computer's components. The amount of AC power it draws from the wall will always be more than the amount of DC power it puts out, and "PSU efficiency" indicates the difference (there is some loss of power when converting electricity from AC to DC). For example, a PSU that is 85% efficient at 650w of DC output will draw ~765w from the wall while supplying 650w of DC power to the computer's components (650 is 85% of ~765).

 

[H82LUZ73]

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready...

Single 60A Rail for 100 bucks

or if your planning on buying another 6970,
CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EP...

That thing acts like a 1k watt according to johnnyguru

Same with the TX line still have not seen my corsair break a sweat,Stable 12 volt line under full load goes to 12.056 volts Never cheap out your power.

 

[Thatguy]

the XFX 750w PSU's scored extremly well at JohnnyGuru and They should have enough power. right around $119 at most etailers right now and a good warranty to !

 

[FordGT90Concept]

To make sure I am not misunderstanding: are you saying you believe that the highest loads that could be safely put on the 1250w model would also be safe on the 850w model?

If both were plugged into 220v, it would likely be able to operate safely at those parameters, yes. I just wouldn't recommend it. I'm also specifically talking about the Enermax Revolution 85+ 850w, 950w, 1050w, and 1250w models. They all have the same innards. 920w and 1020w versions have 4 rails (140amp) instead of 6 (180amp) so they most likely couldn't take as much abuse as the other models.

Oh, it also isn't likely to stay at over 85% efficiency when overdrawing either but I still think it would deliever the power.

 

[iamtheone]

Checking into this now. Will take a bit.

Out of interest, this is the 850W PSU I was originally referring to in my first post (though there are smaller rated ones avaible.

XFX 850W Pro Edition (Non-Modular)

There are a couple of reviews on the model, but one guy who left a comment somewhere said he didn't like it because there's a "warranty void if removed" sticker on top one of the screws. He complained it meant he couldn't take off the grill and then clean it and the fan without voiding warranty.

Would it be such a big problem? Its a good price for them.

 

[streetfighter 2]

I dunno if anyone has posted this (relatively recent article) yet but what the hell?
Who's Who In Power Supplies: Brands, Labels, And OEMs

Moral of the story: Never judge a book by it's cover.

 

[claylomax]

When I upgraded my system last summer I got a Silverstone Strider Plus 1000w; before I had an Antec Signature 650w. Whenever I overclocked my GTX 480 with AB using extra voltage (1.138v) the computer would shut down; since I got the Silverstone I don't have that problem. The funny thing is that with the GPU overclocked (as well as the cpu) the power consumption is around 500w, nothing serious for the Antec; but because the power is "locked" on the rails, you can overload one rail and not use another too much. Anyway it was good to know the the OCP was active and working.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

There are a couple of reviews on the model, but one guy who left a comment somewhere said he didn't like it because there's a "warranty void if removed" sticker on top one of the screws. He complained it meant he couldn't take off the grill and then clean it and the fan without voiding warranty.

Would it be such a big problem? Its a good price for them.

I've never cleaned out a PSU before. If I wanted to, I'd just spray canned or compressed air into one of its many crevases. It sounds like that reviewer has a bit of an OCD problem so, for most people, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[iamtheone]

I've never cleaned out a PSU before. If I wanted to, I'd just spray canned or compressed air into one of its many crevases. It sounds like that reviewer has a bit of an OCD problem so, for most people, it wouldn't be a problem.

not the reviewer, the reviews seem to be stunningly positive. it was a guy who presumably had an xfx psu before who made that comment.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/xfx-pro-series-850w-power-supply-review/
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1042/pg10/xfx-pro-series-power-supplies-650w-750w-and-850w-review-conclusion.html

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Most PSUs have at least one of those "warranty void if broke" stickers.


Edit: After looking at those reviews, I wouldn't have any problems buying that specific power supply. Just make sure it has all the power connectors you need.

 

[cdawall]

the XFX 850 and NZXT 850 are the same PSU

 

[H82LUZ73]

Out of interest, this is the 850W PSU I was originally referring to in my first post (though there are smaller rated ones avaible.

XFX 850W Pro Edition (Non-Modular)

There are a couple of reviews on the model, but one guy who left a comment somewhere said he didn't like it because there's a "warranty void if removed" sticker on top one of the screws. He complained it meant he couldn't take off the grill and then clean it and the fan without voiding warranty.

Would it be such a big problem? Its a good price for them.

My old Enermax Galaxy Dxx 850 has that too .But ounce the 3 years was up (only used it in reality for 2 1/2 ) the 12 volt rail started dropping below 11.50v,So by then it was declared EOL and the warranty was not uphold.I kept it going by using a air compressor to blow 65 psi into it to get the dust out.
So it made it easy to go for Corsair .

 

[yogurt_21]

My old Enermax Galaxy Dxx 850 has that too .But ounce the 3 years was up (only used it in reality for 2 1/2 ) the 12 volt rail started dropping below 11.50v,So by then it was declared EOL and the warranty was not uphold.I kept it going by using a air compressor to blow 65 psi into it to get the dust out.
So it made it easy to go for Corsair .

you can use an air can without removing the sticker, galaxy 1kw EGX1000EWL here it's the b revision with 24amp max per rail rather than 17amp max as was on the original, still 75amp max 12v. Will have had it 4 years in may still going strong no v droop and capable enough to handle gtx480 sli.

fyi 11.42 is still within parameters so at 11.5 it wasn't dead. that said my runs at 11.96 under load.