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How Many Watts for Futureproof?

Circumnavigate

Circumnavigate

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 26, 2009
Messages
240
Hey I'm about to purchase a Corsair AX power supply but I am not sure how many watts I should get. The 1200 is overkill for sure, I prefer systems that only have 1 graphics card in them. Right now I am looking for a new graphics card to upgrade from my 9600 GT, probably a GTX 580.

Will the 650 Watt be enough for me? Or should I get the 850 Watt to future proof my system? On Nvidia's website they state the GTX 590 requires a 700 watt powersupply :confused:

Also if I were to buy an 850 over a 650 watt, would this mean my computer would be using more electricity all of the time?
 
Circumnavigate said:
Will the 650 Watt be enough for me? Or should I get the 850 Watt to future proof my system?
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650W is plenty for any single GPu system, it's actually more than you need for a single GTX 580 setup.. 850W is the suggested wattage for a GTX 580 SLI setup, if you don't intend to add a second GTX 580 to the system there's no point in buying the 850W unit.
Circumnavigate said:
On Nvidia's website they state the GTX 590 requires a 700 watt powersupply :confused:
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The GTX 590 is a dual GPU card and is trash, don't buy that.
Circumnavigate said:
Also if I were to buy an 850 over a 650 watt, would this mean my computer would be using more electricity all of the time?
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Only marginally more at idle and very low loads.

ps. I'd suggest you go for a 7970, better card, better value at a similar cost.
 
I'm goign to chip in and say that looking at wattage IS THE WRONG QUESTION regarding PSU future proof.

If you want future proof, and you want at least a dual card setup, maybe a stock clocked 3 card setup in the future, look at a powersupply that you will pay for once, and will last a lifetime.


So if i were you, I'd look at Ultra power supplies. They come in every iteration, and all of them have a LIFETIME warranty. If the 1000 watt gold ultra existed when i bought my HX1000 from corsair... i wouldnt have an hx1000 from corsair.

wow... after some looking, it seems their x4 series (the 1000watt, 1200wat, and 1600watt) psu's are all gone. :(:(:(:(

http://www.ultraproducts.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=106

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?MfrId=1583&CatId=106
 
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Danny Bui said:
With that said, I would not get hung up over the efficiency rating that much:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/09/15/80_plus_irrelevant_to_you_when_buying_psu/
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True. There are quite a few companies that use such efficiency labeling without proof (or worse, they submitted a completely different unit for testing than what they actually sell).

On the other hand, the lack of an "80Plus" certification or a brand-claimed efficiency rating of less than 80 percent on a PSU almost always means (nowadays) that it's an old, inefficient design that's unsuitable for modern systems.
 
If you want a PSU that will last you a very long time, thesecond gave good advice about getting a lifetime warranty, but IMO it is not just about the manufacturer's guarantee. The best guarantee you can get is a PSU that has solid Japanese capacitors, high build quality, etc etc. A high quality PSU that has a five year warranty (which is easy to come by if you have trained eyes) is in my opinion a safer bet than an Ultra with an Andyson build and a lifetime warranty.

You said that highest number of graphic cards you would use is only one. I respect your situation but if that's the case a 600w would be plenty for a single card build. If you really want a future proof PSU you want between 750 and 850 watts. This will allow you to safely power almost any dual GPU solution with plenty of fans and peripherals and anything else.

Tell us how much you want to spend and how much you value low noise and we'll give you a recommendation.

Very high quality, great price/performance, the fan stops spinning at under 30% load because it is so efficient
 
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You know you can't go wrong with the Seasonic PSU. They're not a big name like antec's or corsair's but they've been around for a long time and if I'm correct, Seasonic use to OEM their PSU's to the likes of antec. or was that Enermax that use to OEM.
 
spammedhardware said:
You know you can't go wrong with the Seasonic PSU. They're not a big name like antec's or corsair's but they've been around for a long time and if I'm correct, Seasonic use to OEM their PSU's to the likes of antec. or was that Enermax that use to OEM.
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Actually, Seasonic still does OEM PSUs for Antec, Corsair, XFX and NZXT. The Antec NEO ECO line, certain Antec High Current Gamer models up to 620W, the Corsair TX v2 and AX lines up to 850W, all XFX PSUs and the NZXT HALE 82 line are all Seasonic-based.
 
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Thanks for the replys.

Right now I'm willing to spend up to $200 so I think ill go for either the AX 750 or the Seasonic.
 
The X750 is such a good deal that I personally wouldn't be able to justify $30 more (after you get the rebate). The AX750 does have a 7 year warranty compared to 5 on the SeaSonic but I doubt either of them will give you problems.
 
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