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What PSU should I be using??

C

cat824

n00b
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
25
Hey everyone,

Quick question about my Micro ATX build, which PSU should I be using for it and how many watts would I need? This build will be for general use and gaming such as BF3 and possibly BF4. I've added a WLAN card as I may be moving about for gaming sessions.

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 500GB
(SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 2.5" 120GB)
MoBo - Gigabyte GA-B75-D3H
CPU - Core i5 3470 3.2GHz
RAM - Corsair XMS3 Vengeance CL9 DDR3 1600MHz 2x4GB
WLAN - TPLink TL-WDN4800
GFX - Gigabyte GTX660 OC 2GB
CHASIS - CM Elite 343
OPD - LG GH22NS50
PSU - ???

Any comments and critiques are welcome, thank you in advance. :)
 
Hi Skillz,

Thanks for replying quickly. Would it be wise to get the modular version for the Corsair CX500 or would it be a waste of money? Also, did you suggest removing the OCZ SSD from the plan so I could save money or because of something else?

Thanks again. :)
 
The modular CX500, IMO, would be a waste of money. The non-modular CX500 is recommended for being a cheap yet capable PSU (that actually runs at its rated power level, a feat that many other PSUs at that price range are incapable of).

Many of the GenHard regulars don't recommend anything OCZ due to the Vertex series' history of performance issues (mainly stemming from their SandForce 2xxx controllers) and OCZ's (even longer) history of quality control and customer service problems. Assuming that you don't already own one, there are plenty of better alternatives (in either performance or reliability, if not both) available.
 
I recommend the Samsung 840, Crucial M4, Plextor M5S/M5P, or Samsung 840 Pro over any OCZ SSD.
 
tiraides said:
The modular CX500, IMO, would be a waste of money. The non-modular CX500 is recommended for being a cheap yet capable PSU (that actually runs at its rated power level, a feat that many other PSUs at that price range are incapable of).

Many of the GenHard regulars don't recommend anything OCZ due to the Vertex series' history of performance issues (mainly stemming from their SandForce 2xxx controllers) and OCZ's (even longer) history of quality control and customer service problems. Assuming that you don't already own one, there are plenty of better alternatives (in either performance or reliability, if not both) available.
Click to expand...

OCZ SSDs embedded within SandForce controllers really work flawlessly. I have been using OCZ vector series for a long time now & never had any kind pf performance issues! touch wood ;) Only things you will need to take care are to keep the controller firmware up to date & also SSD manufacturer firmware up to date as well. If these are taken care off, then trust me any SandForce based controllers never say die & can be amazingly faster as well!!
 
John** said:
OCZ SSDs embedded within SandForce controllers really work flawlessly. I have been using OCZ vector series for a long time now & never had any kind pf performance issues! touch wood ;) Only things you will need to take care are to keep the controller firmware up to date & also SSD manufacturer firmware up to date as well. If these are taken care off, then trust me any SandForce based controllers never say die & can be amazingly faster as well!!
Click to expand...

Just because you've never had a problem, doesn't mean their isn't a problem. It's been pretty well documents that the older Sandforce controller has a random BSOD issue that was never really fixed. Just like Crucial had a bug in their firmware with their SSDs after reaching so many hours it would cause issues, but it was resolved with a firmware update.

Also, OCZ's customer service, regardless what you buy is not worth dealing with ever.
 
John** said:
OCZ SSDs embedded within SandForce controllers really work flawlessly. I have been using OCZ vector series for a long time now & never had any kind pf performance issues! touch wood ;) Only things you will need to take care are to keep the controller firmware up to date & also SSD manufacturer firmware up to date as well. If these are taken care off, then trust me any SandForce based controllers never say die & can be amazingly faster as well!!
Click to expand...

Really? The OCZ Vector is a relatively new series (released around Fall 2012) and it uses an Indilinx-based controller.
 
Thanks Skillz and everyone. Your comments were really useful as I'm new to the SSD world. I've decided to leave out the SSD to save some money, I'm sure there are other ways of cutting cost but this will do for now.

One more question though, how does one determine how many watts a build requires? On the Gigabyte website for the GTX 660 OC, it said it requires 450W. Does this mean it'd need 900W PSU for an SLI build with the same card? How would one account for the other components?

Many thanks. :)
 
cat824 said:
One more question though, how does one determine how many watts a build requires? On the Gigabyte website for the GTX 660 OC, it said it requires 450W. Does this mean it'd need 900W PSU for an SLI build with the same card? How would one account for the other components?
Click to expand...

With that GTX 660 OC, the "450W" requirement is for the entire build, not just the GPU. It assumes that you'd be using an upper midrange CPU, two sticks of RAM, two hard drives, one optical drive and three fans. With two GTX 660s, a 550W to 600W PSU is recommended.
 
I quit buying CX series psus after buying several that had coil whine despite being brand new right out of the box.

They are very good deals if you can get one without coil whine; if you don't, you'll spend more on cross-shipping getting it either RMA'd or exchanged that you might as well have spent more up front on something better.
 
I've got two CX series PSUs in two of my builds (HTPC and NAS) and neither one have coil whine; both bought this year.
 
Yes. Older Sandforce controllers had lit bit of performance issues, which according to me have been fixed with latest firmware fixes. I have been using Intel 520 SSD for a while now & extremely happy with the overall performance. According to me OCZ & Intel technically function the same as they are embedded with SF-2281 controller & hence if only OCZ has BSOD issues then it can mean that the OCZ SSD firmware is not fully compatible with sandforce. Try updating this. This should surely work ;)
 
OCZ and Intel are nothing alike. For one, Intel uses it's own firmware. Secondly, Intel cares about it's customers.
 
John** said:
Yes. Older Sandforce controllers had lit bit of performance issues, which according to me have been fixed with latest firmware fixes. I have been using Intel 520 SSD for a while now & extremely happy with the overall performance. According to me OCZ & Intel technically function the same as they are embedded with SF-2281 controller & hence if only OCZ has BSOD issues then it can mean that the OCZ SSD firmware is not fully compatible with sandforce. Try updating this. This should surely work ;)
Click to expand...

Stop. Just stop.

You're not going to convince us anti-OCZ folks to change our tune. And we're not going to recommend OCZ SSDs when better options are available.
 
yes I agree with everybody else on the psu. Modular or not is up to you. modular is easier to deal with and can provide better air flow for cooling.
 
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