• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Is modular worth the extra money?

A

Actuary

2[H]4U
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
2,468
Was looking to upgrade my case, power supply, and grab another hard drive. Have been leaning towards Corsair because I've heard great things about their PSUs.

Was originally considering the 520 Watt, but figured I would go with the 620 to be safe and allow for further upgrades (4 hard drives in the system already).

Anyway, the Corsair 620W comes out to $79.99 after the Mail in rebate. The 620W modular comes out to $125 after the rebate, and then down to $110 after the 10% off promo code.

What do you guys think? Is it worth $30 more for a modular PSU? Maybe I should save some money and get the 520 modular instead?
 
Modular is a godsend for system builders since its inception. Cut down on cabling mess and saves room, a godsend for us who use SFF setups.
 
Aww. I was just going to post about how newegg has the 750W after the rebate and promo code for $90.

So...620W modular for $110 over the 750W non-modular for $90?

Do you think a 620W will meet my needs for a while to come? I'll probably be running 5 hard drives and my 8800GTS for a while with my e6400. After that...probably a new mobo, cpu, and vid card down the line.
 
i went from a modular psu to a standard one....big mistake. i've got cables just lying around my case, mocking me while impeding air flow. filthy bastards.
 
Modulars are well worth the extra green; the Corsair ones specifically for the way they design the cables, helps greatly with management and airflow.
 
I'm not denying that modular would be nice. I'm just thinking maybe bumping up to the 750, which is $20 cheaper than the modular 620, would allow me more room for future upgrades (like the video card, which will probably be next.)
 
Aye, the 750 is a good deal. I just got really sick of having a mess of wires. No need to bunch up and stash the unused wires somewhere. With modular, you use what you need and nothing you don't. It's perfect. Too bad motherboards and such aren't modular. :D
 
The 620W would be plenty for your current system and for future upgrades. I say go for it.
 
If you're in a reasonably large case the modular PSU really doesn't have much to offer. In a SSF? Sure. In something P180/182 size or larger? No.
 
silent-circuit said:
If you're in a reasonably large case the modular PSU really doesn't have much to offer. In a SSF? Sure. In something P180/182 size or larger? No.
Click to expand...

Heh, and I was considering upgrading my older coolermaster (about the size of the centurion) to the Cooler Master HAF 932.
 
I was using a TTake 700w modular for my previous build, and it made wire management much easier in my mid-tower case.

I was planning to get a Corsair 750tx for the longest for my new build because of outstanding reviews, but eventually went with a Tagan ABS 700w modular and now I know that I definitely made the right choice. In fact, I have a cleaner wire setup now than I did before with the old setup. The Tagan has longer cables with more leads, which eliminated having to use two separately routed cables for the optical and hard drives. One cable for drives, one cable for molex, two pci-e cables, and the 24 and 8 pin motherboard cables are all I have running through my case.

So yeah, I would say that modular is the way to go if you're working with anything less than a full tower case.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Once you use a modular PSU, you won't even consider non-modular PSUs anymore.
Click to expand...

exactly, +1 :p

I always had normal PSUs and they were great but when I install first modular psu in my case (ultra x-connect 500W), life had been easier

now I have enermax liberty 400W and it works very good (I have very small case, CM elite 340)
it holds e6320 + 8800gts 512 + 2xhdd + (for test I plug 6x120mm 6W fans)
and its hold very stable volatges
so 620W shouldn't be worse :D
 
I'll add another vote for the modular PS. After building my HTPC with one I had to have modular even with my Lian-Li PC-A20, which is not exactly small. :) The 620W should be plenty as long as your (future) video cards don't need more than the two PCIe power connectors it supports.
 
I am never ever going back to a non-modular PSU. Especially with a beefy PSU for a beefy system, with lots of connectors, it would be a fucking nightmare.
 
Before I got my Antec 850w Signiture Series PSU, I would of said no.

But man it sure helped with space and airflow in my Antec 900 case.

YEs modular is worth it
 
DASHlT said:
Before I got my Antec 850w Signiture Series PSU, I would of said no.

But man it sure helped with space and airflow in my Antec 900 case.

YEs modular is worth it
Click to expand...

900s are notoriously bad for cable routing, so yes, in a case with those kinds of issues, or a SFF, modular makes sense. Otherwise, not so much.
 
IsLNdbOi said:
Are the SilverStone Strider PSUs the only 100% modular PSUs?
Click to expand...

No, there are others. However, it doesn't really make a difference since nearly all of the PSUs that aren't completely modular only have the main power cables attached permanently, which you will always need anyway.
 
silent-circuit said:
If you're in a reasonably large case the modular PSU really doesn't have much to offer. In a SSF? Sure. In something P180/182 size or larger? No.
Click to expand...
I'll agree that it doesn't matter as much in some larger cases, but the P180/182 is not such a case. It helps a LOT having a modular PSU in that case since it's kinda cramped.
 
depends on what case you're using, i used a corsair 750 in the bottom of a lian-li v1000b and it was great, but in something like a pc-65b nooooo lol.
 
if u r using many components i found no advantage to modular because you wind up using almost all the connectors anyway. also, there's a voltage drop and power loss across the modular connectors.
 
I have a 750TX in a P180 and I just tuck the extra cables on top of the PSU (not obstructing the fan ofc)... wiring is nice and clean. I came from a 500w Antec modular PSU.
 
I say yes, since you can reduce the amount of power cables sitting in your case. A lot better airflow & less clutter means a whole lot, especially when an 80-plus certified PSU is used.
 
Hey guys, I just bought a PC65b Lian Li mid tower, and I'm in the same boat as joe. What do you guys think?

DSCN1881.jpg



Seeing as I have a removable mobo tray, do you guys think I could tape all the excess in the little top area?
 
If there's enough space in the case to store the unused cables, you could go non-modular. But, in my TJ-08, where there's no space at all, even a modular PSU makes a wire mess. I wouldn't imagine something else in there.

It depends on the amount of cables the PSU has VS how many you need as well. I have an older system in an Antec 900 using a FSP 350W fanless PSU. It's not modular, but it doesn't have many cables either so it doesn't cause problems : only one cable is unused, easily hidden in the lower HDD cage.
 
I will never go back to non modular. I have all my wires tucked under the motherboard and its great to have a neat, clean and non air-restricted case. Since this "is" a hobby after all I can't fathom ever again doing a system build, spending all that cash and then having everything just laying all over the place in the case.
 
It depends on how anal you are about having something that is clean enough to show off or just clean enough for decent airflow. If you're like me, it doesn't matter as long as you have someplace to tuck the bundled cables out of the way. My side panels are solid and I don't like the glowy lights anyways, so as long as it isn't a rat's nest impeding air flow or my access to parts I don't give a damn.
 
Raz1r said:
Hey guys, I just bought a PC65b Lian Li mid tower, and I'm in the same boat as joe. What do you guys think?

DSCN1881.jpg



Seeing as I have a removable mobo tray, do you guys think I could tape all the excess in the little top area?
Click to expand...

i have the same case and what i do with the excess wires is put them ontop of the dvd burner drive in the bottom.

ill take pics l8r

 
joeshmo1985 said:
Aww. I was just going to post about how newegg has the 750W after the rebate and promo code for $90.

So...620W modular for $110 over the 750W non-modular for $90?

Do you think a 620W will meet my needs for a while to come? I'll probably be running 5 hard drives and my 8800GTS for a while with my e6400. After that...probably a new mobo, cpu, and vid card down the line.
Click to expand...

i run the 650 with a

4850
q6600
6 harddrives
DVD burner
2 120mm fans with white leds
1 80mm fan

runs fine,.
 
silent-circuit said:
If you're in a reasonably large case the modular PSU really doesn't have much to offer. In a SSF? Sure. In something P180/182 size or larger? No.
Click to expand...

I had a non-modular thermaltake 420W psu in a mid tower case (similar to a p180/p182) with a 8800gt as my gpu. With this setup my gpu ran at 84c under load. I arbitrarily upgraded my psu to a Raidmax 530w psu and discovered that my gpu temp dropped to 64c under load.
 
I dunno if its really worth it. The Corsair in my sig is my first modular and yeah it was nice when I was building it but once I was done I kinda forgot about it. I guess if you had a window or if you had a really tiny case it would be worth more to you. $30 could be the next step up in CPU or video card or whatever though.
 
looks cleaner with modular, pop out an extra cable in case you need more molex or sata power connectors. They look nicer, and have less clutter in your case. you can save money by going to a non modular if you really want to take more time hiding cables. But with modular its better because you don't have to.
 
SBSuperfly said:
I had a non-modular thermaltake 420W psu in a mid tower case (similar to a p180/p182) with a 8800gt as my gpu. With this setup my gpu ran at 84c under load. I arbitrarily upgraded my psu to a Raidmax 530w psu and discovered that my gpu temp dropped to 64c under load.
Click to expand...

The fact that you bought a RaidMax PSU in the first place basically invalidates your opinions in this entire subforum.
 
I will have to say that i had a strider series modular psu and it actually made more of a mess than with a standard in my book i can do more with a pcpowerandcooling psu than my strider which is an okay psu but just made it harder, forgo i did have less unused cables but it still made it harder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top