Recommended PS Wattage for new build

T

thomasward00

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
185
Well guys, I think that i've decided to go with an FX 6300 and a Radeon 7770 over an A10.

What wattage PS is recommended? I will not be overclocking anything.


Thanks in advance
 
The 6300 is rated for 95 watts, and the 7770 GHz edition is rated for 83 watts, so you do not require such a beastly P.S.U.
 
fightingfi said:
Always buy more than what you need is the Best general rule of thumb. :D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100&name=Power-Supplies
Click to expand...

Holy crap dude. There's a difference between buying overhead and just being fucking stupid.

850w is well over 4 times what he needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151086
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029

All of these should do you just dandy. Next time come to the Power Supply section.
 
Jorona said:
Holy crap dude. There's a difference between buying overhead and just being fucking stupid.

850w is well over 4 times what he needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151086
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029

All of these should do you just dandy. Next time come to the Power Supply section.
Click to expand...

An Antec Eco 620w should do you just fine. Its got a nice and large single 12v rail and is 80 plus certified. If you were to buy one right now they have a nice 600w Corsair builder series on sale http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...39028&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-17-139-028-_-Homepage
 
...

Why are you guys recommending 600+ watt units? His system is going to pull 200 watts MAX. You guys are asking him to throw money away. There's giving overhead, and then there is just plain stupid. Even with the smallest I listed, he'll have a huge overhead. Going 3 times what he needs is just plain stupid.
 
Then go with one of the three I posted. The first one will require a PCI-E adaptor for the video card, but the 2 after it won't. The new CX430 is a great PSU, and I think it'll fit the bill great for you.
 
Yup the CX range are decent I've used a few for builds and no problems. I also like the coolermaster silent M series nice and quite psu's and reliable too.
Don't bother with high watts it's a waste of time. I'm not using even half my PSU's output not even close to it.
 
Jorona said:
...

Why are you guys recommending 600+ watt units? His system is going to pull 200 watts MAX. You guys are asking him to throw money away. There's giving overhead, and then there is just plain stupid. Even with the smallest I listed, he'll have a huge overhead. Going 3 times what he needs is just plain stupid.
Click to expand...

Because when you cheap out it breaks... and when it breaks theres a chance it takes your system out with it... and if it takes your stuff out with it it costs you more money
 
500 should be plenty but if you plan on running crossfire someday 600 can't hurt
I put 500's every system I build just for the efficiency
remember if you have a power supply thats 80% efficient at load of 500 Watts then its normally someware around 85--90% efficient if you are drawing <50% of what the unit is capable of
= cooler running longer lasting and _safer_
I have ordered a couple of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
there basically 550Watt units (seasonic made )
never had any issues with any of them
Continuous Power > power in bursts
 
Last edited:
Texanman said:
Because when you cheap out it breaks... and when it breaks theres a chance it takes your system out with it... and if it takes your stuff out with it it costs you more money
Click to expand...

And if I was recommending Coolmax or Diablotek, I'd understand your concerns about quality. But I'm not. I'm suggesting well regarded and highly rated units that will do everything the OP needs and more. You're suggesting the the OP spend twice as much as he needs to for more then twice the PSU he needs. I'm even reccomending the same line of PSU you are, just the lower wattage unit, 400w VS 620w. It's still too big, but you can't get decent quality going any lower.

Buy what you need, any more is a waste when it comes to a PSU.
 
Jorona said:
And if I was recommending Coolmax or Diablotek, I'd understand your concerns about quality. But I'm not. I'm suggesting well regarded and highly rated units that will do everything the OP needs and more. You're suggesting the the OP spend twice as much as he needs to for more then twice the PSU he needs. I'm even reccomending the same line of PSU you are, just the lower wattage unit, 400w VS 620w. It's still too big, but you can't get decent quality going any lower.

Buy what you need, any more is a waste when it comes to a PSU.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of what you say but one thing to take into account is how long he/she plans on using these parts. If they were to want to go to a 7970 level card next year then a higher wattage would be prudent. I bought a 750 watt 3 years ago (using a different 750 because I won it) and have never had to upgrade my PS since because it can handle any single card setups I choose to have.
 
thomasward00 said:
Well guys, I think that i've decided to go with an FX 6300 and a Radeon 7770 over an A10.

What wattage PS is recommended? I will not be overclocking anything.


Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
i would grab a 750 - 1kw psu 80plus gold or platinum this future proofs you for 5+ years just make sure you get a solid reliable brand two come to mind antec and cosair
 
JayJapanB said:
...lol
Click to expand...

i see no humor in my recommendation if you build your rig around reliable components, you should not see an issue with your build for around 5+ years. Hell i currently have an antec 550 watt powering my rig and this psu has been powering my rig with different configurations for 5+ years.
 
maxius said:
i see no humor in my recommendation if you build your rig around reliable components, you should not see an issue with your build for around 5+ years. Hell i currently have an antec 550 watt powering my rig and this psu has been powering my rig with different configurations for 5+ years.
Click to expand...

so why didn't you get a 750w-1kw gold recommended then?

It's extremely wasteful to buy overkill on a PSU. I made that mistake once. Never again. Most people can get away with a 430-500w good unit with a powerful video card.
600w antecs can give a little extra breathing room. The only reason to get a bigger unit is for xfire/sli.
 
J Macker said:
so why didn't you get a 750w-1kw gold recommended then?

It's extremely wasteful to buy overkill on a PSU. I made that mistake once. Never again. Most people can get away with a 430-500w good unit with a powerful video card.
600w antecs can give a little extra breathing room. The only reason to get a bigger unit is for xfire/sli.
Click to expand...

i got this psu 5+ years ago dude. it is always good to future proof, i will revise my recommendation to 600-1kw 80 plus gold or platinum
 
maxius said:
i got this psu 5+ years ago dude. it is always good to future proof, i will revise my recommendation to 600-1kw 80 plus gold or platinum
Click to expand...

There's future proof and then there's fcking stupid. Yea op you're on a budget but buy this PSU with 5x as much wattage as you'll ever need for only 4x as much coin as you need to spend.

Op. Get the cx430 posted earlier and ignore trolls like I quoted above. Presuming you haven't already made your purchase.
 
Skripka said:
There's future proof and then there's fcking stupid. Yea op you're on a budget but buy this PSU with 5x as much wattage as you'll ever need for only 4x as much coin as you need to spend.

Op. Get the cx430 posted earlier and ignore trolls like I quoted above. Presuming you haven't already made your purchase.
Click to expand...

OP get what you think is best if plan for the future you wont have the burden of extra cost when you make an upgrade. now to address the above being disrespectful to my opinion and calling me a troll is totally uncalled for did you get your forum etiquette out of a dumpster? I gave my opinion in an open forum obviously you disagree with my opinion on the matter at hand. Yet you decided to take your opposition to a uncivil level. if you have any further problem with my posts go forth and multiply with yourself! have a nice day :D
 
Last edited:
maxius said:
i got this psu 5+ years ago dude. it is always good to future proof, i will revise my recommendation to 600-1kw 80 plus gold or platinum
Click to expand...

What do you expect him to upgrade to that will use close to 1000W? Heck, even 700 or 600?
We are trying to find a good psu to compliment the power of his rig not pretend he's going to upgrade to some tri sli monster.
My 850w is overkill for everything I've had and since I've bought it I came to the realisation that as gfx cards and processors become more efficient I will never use it to it's full potential.
I would if I was constantly running a high end multi gpu rig but that is not what I am ever in the market for. Given the OP has a 7770 I figure there is a lot of leeway between that and something that draws 750w.

Reliability is the key thing here.
You can have something that is reliable without overselling the shit out of a high watt and overly high level of efficiency

That is why I "lol"

Corsair CX430 or Seasonic S12II 430W is my pick
 
Anyone recommending over 500W has no idea what they are talking about. 500W from a reliable brand (Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, FSP, etc) will power an i7 + a 7970 OCed, and could handle SLi/Xfire at stock ratings.

I did testing on my own with a kill-a-watt. My system was a i5-3570K + 7970Ghz. i5 @ 1.3V, 4.5ghz, and 7970 @ 1.38V, 1150/1625, draws about 360W at the wall max during Heaven DX11 maxed out. Average during Heaven was 320W. Fudge in some overhead for peak numbers, we'll round it out to 400W. At 80% efficiency, that means that my power supply need was: 320 watts. During my average, I drew no more than 260 watts.

The Corsair 430W is a brand name, reliable unit which often goes for around $25. Anything over 600W will run you at least twice that. I agree with the CX430.
 
Last edited:
Eureka! said:
Anyone recommending over 500W has no idea what they are talking about. 500W from a reliable brand (Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, FSP, etc) will power an i7 + a 7970 OCed, and could handle SLi/Xfire at stock ratings.

I did testing on my own with a kill-a-watt. My system was a i5-3570K + 7970Ghz. i5 @ 1.3V, 4.5ghz, and 7970 @ 1.38V, 1150/1625, draws about 360W at the wall max during Heaven DX11 maxed out. Average during Heaven was 320W. Fudge in some overhead for peak numbers, we'll round it out to 400W. At 80% efficiency, that means that my power supply need was: 320 watts. During my average, I drew no more than 260 watts.

The Corsair 430W is a brand name, reliable unit which often goes for around $25. Anything over 600W will run you at least twice that. I agree with the CX430.
Click to expand...

Pics or it never happened :). I kind of believe you, but if it was the case, then why do people not use a 430w psu like me?

I put you're system into a calculator, and without any OC added to the videocard, you have 380w recommended. But i think most people like higher watts for extra cables.
 
Robertmarcus said:
Pics or it never happened :). I kind of believe you, but if it was the case, then why do people not use a 430w psu like me?

I put you're system into a calculator, and without any OC added to the videocard, you have 380w recommended. But i think most people like higher watts for extra cables.
Click to expand...

No pics but I explained more detail in this: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2280529

Also you'll find more inputs from other people.

2 reasons for the high PSU rating myth:
1) Calculators rate high, and mainly because of
2) Most PSU manufacturers lie about their ratings.

For example, your (and also my) OCZ PSUs are rated only for maximum power. It cannot handle that power all the time. So we must derate our PSU's to match the ratings of say, Corsair or Seasonic. However, to be safe, calculator sites like Thermaltake or Newegg uprate the power usage to maximum, so that if you buy a cooler master or OCZ, the ratings will still be sufficient.

Your 650W PSU is probably the same as a 550W-600 Antec/Corsair/etc, because those brands rate their power continuously.

The calculators aren't the best way to rate computers, by the way. You can add up TDPs and load ratings from reviews, which are tested much more rigorously. Calculators will always be higher than what you are actually drawing, just to be on the safe side. And yes, it doesn't hurt to go a bit higher, but for OP, 600W is far overkill. 600W is a good number for mid-range computers and multi-card setups. 800W will do tri-sli/tri-fire.

The bottom line, companies will oversell PSUs just because they don't want to be blamed for power shortages. It also allows them to sell more ($60 for a 600W PSU, versus $25 for a 430W). For OP, 430W already has enough headroom and plenty more (to go to a 7970 easily).
 
The thread that just keeps on loling and loling and loling and loling and...

CX430 has enough power for him to even crossfire 7770s in the future.

Also, just an FYI, The OCZ ZT series is a big ol' pile of Great Wall mediocrity. Do yourself a favor and in the future avoid OCZ.
 
Robertmarcus said:
Pics or it never happened :). I kind of believe you, but if it was the case, then why do people not use a 430w psu like me?

I put you're system into a calculator, and without any OC added to the videocard, you have 380w recommended. But i think most people like higher watts for extra cables.
Click to expand...

According to "Extreme Power Supply calculator", my system draws 325W. According to my kill-a-watt though, it draws about 175W while encoding video, downloading and playing HD video at the same time with Asrock IES on and about 200W with IES off.

So take these calculators with a grain of salt, they are bloating the numbers (for the joy of psu manufacturers of course).
 
Jorona said:
The thread that just keeps on loling and loling and loling and loling and...

CX430 has enough power for him to even crossfire 7770s in the future.

Also, just an FYI, The OCZ ZT series is a big ol' pile of Great Wall mediocrity. Do yourself a favor and in the future avoid OCZ.
Click to expand...

OCZ may do us a favor and go bankrupt for us. I'm just hoping they do it after I get my rebate for my PSU. I only went with OCZ myself because I'm fine with mediocrity when it's half the price of everything else.

As a sidenote, if the OP so desires, I think more money could be spent on a modular PSU (of a close rating). Oh the joys of not having to hide cables.
 
maxius said:
i see no humor in my recommendation if you build your rig around reliable components, you should not see an issue with your build for around 5+ years. Hell i currently have an antec 550 watt powering my rig and this psu has been powering my rig with different configurations for 5+ years.
Click to expand...

I found it very humorous. 100w or 200w over, I could see, but what you recommended was just plain wrong and misguided.
The OP had a budget and I am sure that a quality 1KW would be WAY more then he wanted to spend.
The thing that Jorona and others are trying to do is not only help but educate.
 
I don't know if this matters anymore but I am still using a 550W Antec on a 6100 and running SLi with 4 HDDs Raid0. Not a problem on my end.

EDIT : Wow I thought it was a 550, turns out to he an HE500. and its 6 years old ! lol, on a serious note though, don't believe the hype !
 
Last edited:
I went with the Corsair TX 430 Watt...

Do far so good, I also don't run multiple internal HDD's anymore.
 
Already bought a ps.Was going to tell you to look at the Antec TP3-430 it cost 30$
 
thomasward00 said:
I went with the Corsair TX 430 Watt...

Do far so good, I also don't run multiple internal HDD's anymore.
Click to expand...

You'll prob be fine. I've run a 550 Watt for 2.5 years with my Unlocked X3 which turns it into a 126 watt processor according to CPU-Z. A 560Ti, 3 Hard Drives, just ordered a 840 Pro SSD to toss in there as well. I think I bought a Corsair 430 for my GF's sisters PC when her stock Dell went out or whatever, been running fine even with wind power on/off outages.

This thread is crazy funny though, cuz of posters goin all ragey over PSU's lolz!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top