PSU Calc ***Release Candiate*** v0.99

Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Messages
36
Hi folks, new around here, but I've been helping out the enthusiast community for quite a while as the Power Supply Editor at Overclock.net. ;)



PSU Calc v1.0 goes live tonight at

6:00 PM Eastern Time




There will be a ~30 minute server downtime as we move over the new database. The app will not work during this period.




RC Download Here!

psu_calc_v0_99_by_phaedrus2401-d4co08b.png


Release notes:
-Release Candidate! Feature freeze!
-Fixed two major math bugs
-Fixed numerous minor bugs
-Added save/load configuration functionality. Exported configurations saved as .psu files and can be loaded on any other computer with PSU Calc v0.99 and up
-Added reset button
-Updated database



File Bug Reports Here


OVER 1600 DOWNLOADS
psucalc_downloads_by_phaedrus2401-d4d9vtl.png


Thank you everyone for your support!
(Note, this doesn't count those who downloaded the program while it was still in beta, which is another 400-500!)



PSUCalc v1.0 PREVIEW:
psu_calc_v1_0_preview_by_phaedrus2401-d4dg5cw.png



Info: This program was made by myself and FiX, one of OCN's devoted New Zealand members. Fix originally demonstrated a mock-up of the program, then we got to work, with FiX doing the programming and other technical wizardry, and me doing the calculator math and such.



Disclaimer: The creators of this program are not liable for damages caused by use or misuse of this program or its advice. All wattage numbers given are approximate recommendations and are not intended to be definitive, nor necessarily indicative of actual power consumption. This tool is meant to help enthusiasts, not to be relied on exclusively.
 
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Thanks guys. :) Make sure to fill out a bug report if anything weird happens. And try out the save/load mechanic as well!
 
Works great. Should be a good tool for shopping for PSUs.

Edit, just noticed that you cannot enter decimals for fan amperage.
 
Works great. Should be a good tool for shopping for PSUs.

Edit, just noticed that you cannot enter decimals for fan amperage.

Aw crap. That's the THIRD time that bug has come up, been fixed, and then shown up again. I think James maybe isn't saving his work or something. :p We'll fix that.
 
looks cool, but its still missing a few choices, like what speed drives your using, say 10k rpm, 7200, 5400/5200 GP drives..

ya may want to look at outvisions web based psu calculator thats a little more extensive, but this is good though for the average consumer.
 
looks cool, but its still missing a few choices, like what speed drives your using, say 10k rpm, 7200, 5400/5200 GP drives..

ya may want to look at outvisions web based psu calculator thats a little more extensive, but this is good though for the average consumer.

Actually this is far better than the outervision tool, and every other online PSU calculator;)

Regarding the drives, the differences are small, and those of us that do use 15k rpm SAS drives do know how to estimate the power requirements for their setups without the need for such tools;)
 
I don't want to bad mouth a competitor, but Outervision's app isn't perfect. They have a bad case of what's called "false precision"; that is, it gives you a more precise number than it can honestly back up. They give recommendations down to individual watts and they bump their number up or down based on insignificant power draws like SSDs or lights, that would be lost in the general noise of hardware variances.

My recommendations are based on long experience as PSU Editor and Guru for Overclock.net and seeing thousands of hardware configurations and their power draw, as well as real world power consumption measurements from dozens of sources. It's less fine grained than Outervision's calculator, but it is, in my opinion, more accurate, and does not offer false precision.
 
Nice App. I like it a lot. One question though. I am getting a power draw of 570W and its recommending me 550W power supplies. Any idea why?
 
CPU - Quad Nehalems i7 --> Overclocked over 40%
GPU - HD5850 -- > Overclocked
3 Ram Sticks
1 SSD
1 Optical Drive
2 Case Fans

Runs F@H/BOINC etc. 24/7
 
Ahh, I misunderstood you, nvm that.

The suggestions that are marginally below the power rating of your rig are perfectly ok, there's already a margin added to the total, truth is your system won't be pulling more than 450W in any circumstances, the suggestion is a little higher due to efficiency reasons when folding/bitcoin mining/etc 24/7 ;)
 
One thing I would change is the fact that it recommends PSUs that are only just enough under peak usage. I like to get a PSU that my system will typically utilize at 50-60% so I can be in the peak of the efficiency curve.
 
One thing I would change is the fact that it recommends PSUs that are only just enough under peak usage. I like to get a PSU that my system will typically utilize at 50-60% so I can be in the peak of the efficiency curve.

And this is exactly what it does, because your system won't stay @ full load for extended periods of time unless you're folding/mining/etc ;)
 
cool app but this calculator only says i need a 450W for my system??? AMD/ATI say i need that for just 1 card, let alone 2 and im running it 40% or higher overclock.
 
cool app but this calculator only says i need a 450W for my system??? AMD/ATI say i need that for just 1 card, let alone 2 and im running it 40% or higher overclock.
You most likely didn't select the second card in the calculator.. however, you're system would run perfectly well on a solid 600W PSU;).. 6850s are very modest in terms of power requirements.
 
One thing I would change is the fact that it recommends PSUs that are only just enough under peak usage. I like to get a PSU that my system will typically utilize at 50-60% so I can be in the peak of the efficiency curve.

And...

And this is exactly what it does, because your system won't stay @ full load for extended periods of time unless you're folding/mining/etc ;)

Exactly.
 
This is really cool. My only problem is I am looking at 3 video cards, and this only supports 2!
 
FWIW, this calculator pegged my system at 550W... Which is also pretty much the exact number a Killawatt gave me when I tested Prime95 and Furmark at the same time.

Of course the number provided by the PSU is less than what's pulled from the wall, however during these tests obviously my 2 HDs and 1 SSD weren't pulling their max.

Definitely a good program, it seems to get pretty darn close.
 
FWIW, this calculator pegged my system at 550W... Which is also pretty much the exact number a Killawatt gave me when I tested Prime95 and Furmark at the same time.

Of course the number provided by the PSU is less than what's pulled from the wall, however during these tests obviously my 2 HDs and 1 SSD weren't pulling their max.

Definitely a good program, it seems to get pretty darn close.

If you're seeing 550W from the wall with an HX750, you're in the 86-88% efficiency range, so that's maybe 478W from the PSU. Your HDDs won't increase in power consumption since the motor is the main power draw from those and that draw doesn't change (power draw might change with "Green" drives that spin down when the drive is not in use), and SSDs consume mere milliwatts.
 
Excellent work Phaedrus. It's pretty accurate. Also very cool that it recommends PSU's and lets you click on them to get prices.

PSU's are one of those grey areas that a lot of people rush past when planning a new build, and the scary thing as many of us know is how many overrated PSU's there are on the market, claiming a particular certification level (silver, gold, etc) which turns out to be bogus when randomly sampled by a review site and tested. There are certain companies that seem to be notorious for it and other companies that are more honest. It helps to do the homework and familiarize. The problem is the "model" PSU that gets sent in for a certification often isn't the same PSU steaming over from HK in container ships and showing up on store shelves.
 
Excellent work Phaedrus. It's pretty accurate. Also very cool that it recommends PSU's and lets you click on them to get prices.

PSU's are one of those grey areas that a lot of people rush past when planning a new build, and the scary thing as many of us know is how many overrated PSU's there are on the market, claiming a particular certification level (silver, gold, etc) which turns out to be bogus when randomly sampled by a review site and tested. There are certain companies that seem to be notorious for it and other companies that are more honest. It helps to do the homework and familiarize. The problem is the "model" PSU that gets sent in for a certification often isn't the same PSU steaming over from HK in container ships and showing up on store shelves.

Thanks mate. :)

I don't think the problem is quite as bad as it's made out to be. Certainly there's some slight cheating going on; using PSUs with shorter cables (to reduce resistance), cherry picking the best out of ten units. That's common, but relatively inconsequential, as most units this is done with would clear the cert anyway; the company just doesn't want to risk spending another $5000 to recertify it if it just happens to not meet the spec. Of course, there are companies that outright lie... Raidmax, Ultra... A lot of companies that use Andyson, in fact.

Also, in my experience, it isn't so common, among enthusiasts at least, to find someone who skimps on their power supply. In fact, it's far, far more common to go totally overkill on power supplies, buying PSUs with two, even three times the necessary wattage (I've seen the ever popular and mediocre Corsair HX1000 used to power systems with just a Radeon HD5770). That's one major thing I'm trying to combat with this, the wasting of money on overkill power supplies.





Also...


OVER 1600 DOWNLOADS!!!!!

psucalc_downloads_by_phaedrus2401-d4d9vtl.png




Thank you everyone for your support! :D
 
V1.0 going up tonight at 6:00 PM EST. Expect a 30 minute server outage as we transfer the new database over; the app won't work during this time.
 
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