Best psu between 600-700W

[Lucas]

Hi all,
I'm trying to figure out what's the best psu for my next system...

I'm gonna buy a intel e8500, gainward 4870 1GB, 2x750gb samsung hdd so this system shouldn't be particularly energy-hungry...
I actually have a tagan 480w and it would be enough for my next pc but as I'm upgrading I would like to upgrade the psu too with something newer and more powerful.

I think something between 600 and 700W should be enough to satisfy future upgrades towards dual gpu or CF video cards...

In the last 8 years I bought only enermax and tagan psu but recently I've read bad things on certain tagan and enermax models so I would like you guys to help me.

Reading around the web i made the following list of possibe choices:

1) Tagan "pipeRock" BZ-600 or BZ-700 (according to reviews these tagan piperock seems really bad in termns of stability and voltage). Are they really so bad?

2) Tagan "superRock" ITZ II 600 or 680. (according to reviews these tagan have a bad power line correction). Are they really so bad?

3) Enermax Pro82+ or Modu82+ both 625W (these seems to be very good).
One is modular, the other one is not.. is that the only difference?

4) Enermax Liberty Eco 620W (this seems to be very good too)

5) Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 650W W0163RU (this should be one of the best psu actually available). What about the other thoughpower models between 600-700W, do they work well too? Is there a toughpower model better than the one listed above?

6) OCZ / PC POWER & COOLING Silencer 610 or Silencer 750 QUAD (these are rated very well)

7) Corsair HX620 or TX650 (I've read they are both produced by Seasonic, with better caps and 5yr warranty: one of the best psu available). Is there a big difference between them? Should I prefer one instead of the other?


Which is the best one? Is there other psu performing better than these I listed above?

Should I prefer single rail or multiple rail solutions?

Do I've to look at 8pin "pci-e 2" ready solutions? I ask this because I saw that certain models have only 1 pci-e 8pin connector instead of 2 so in order to use 2 videocards I should use an adapter to have the 2nd pci-e 8pin connector...

Sorry for my bad english...

[HOOfan_1]

Antec Signature 650...Zippy Emacs 600W although both are priced out of the 600W price range.

If you plan to get another HD4870 I would suggest getting enough PCI-E connectors to begin with.

[Acid]

I thought the Corsair 650w was a CWT? The PCP and cooling is a seasonic fitted with an 80mm fan and i've heard its very quiet its also going for cheap on newegg at the moment.

Also the 4870 takes 2x 6-pin PCI-e connectors, I favor power supplies which offer PCI-e connectors which double up as a 6 or an 8 pin connetor.

Should I prefer single rail or multiple rail solutions?
I wouldn't worry about that for now

7) Corsair HX620 or TX650 (I've read they are both produced by Seasonic, with better caps and 5yr warranty: one of the best psu available). Is there a big difference between them? Should I prefer one instead of the other?
The corsair HX620 is a modular solution, the corsair TX650 is just a standard PSU.

Also you posed an interest in crossfire, in which case I would look at getting the corsair 750TX which isn't a lot more expensive but offers a full 4 pin pci-e connectors (which you will need for 2x 4870s') and more headroom.

Hoped this helped a bit

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I thought the Corsair 650w was a CWT? The PCP and cooling is a seasonic fitted with an 80mm fan and i've heard its very quiet

Seasonic. The 750W is the CWT.

A Silencer is indeed very quiet... if you've been listening to Turbocools all day long.

[Hondacity]

why limit your range from 600w-700w?

i think its better if you specify your budget...

here's some i would get ..but i'm more leaning towards 1kw+ psus

1. corsair tx750 is a single rail...with 4x6+2 connectors
2. pcpower s750 is single rail with 2x6 and 2x6+2 connectors

[kimandsally]

Seasonic M12 750 but I don't know about price over there, for extra headroom if usung 2 cards Corsair 850, Antec Signature 850, Seasonic M12 850 and Enermax Revolution 850.

[Hondacity]

seasonice m12d 750 is 250$ at that price..its just too expensive...you can get good power supplies at lower prices or higher wattages with that...

[Lucas]

Thank you all for the answers.

I limited my research between 600-700W because I thought that was enough for my needs but I could easily made a mistake...

According to this online calculator http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp an hi-end system with:

a) e8500, 2x1GB ddr2, 2 sata hdd, 5 powerful fans and a 4870 1GB should be around 360W consumption

b) same configuration with 4870 CF should be around 470W

c) same configuration with ONE overlocked 4870x2 should be around 495W

d) same configuration with TWO overlocked 4870x2 CF should be around 700W

I think I will never have a D point configuration, the only possible upgrade solutions (from the 4870) could be B,C or again A with a more powerful gpu and for these cases the max power cosumption actually is 500W...
The total wattage side should be ok with a 600 to 700W, the only thing we have to check is the amperage or wattage available for the videocard on the 12V rails...

I've found this "videocard power consumption" chart http://mark.zoomcities.com/images/gfx/GFXpowerchartby3d.png and according to this chart:

1) TWO Radeon 4870 CF needs from 65 to 260W
2) ONE dualgpu Radeon 4870x2 needs from 69 to 264W
3) [just for fun :D] TWO dualgpu Radeon 4870x2 CF needs from 149 to 512W

Corsair HX620 seems to have 170W max (3.3V and 5V) and 600W max (12V1,V2,V3).

Enermax PRO82+ 625W seems to have 140W max (3.3 and 5v) and 600W max (12V,V2,V3)

How can we calculate more or less how many available watt we should have on the 12V rails?

[kimandsally]

It's a good thing to run a PSU at a medium say 50-70% capacity that way the PSU will run quieter cooler so last longer also it will be more efficient PSU's typically run at their highest efficientcy at around 50% of total power.

[Hondacity]

How can we calculate more or less how many available watt we should have on the 12V rails?

most of the power supplies provide 12v rail ratings...

for example the corsair hx1000

12v1 : 40A
12v2 : 40A

you do have a point with total power consumption...even if you have a corei7 you'll be fine with 600-700w

good luck

[davidhammock200]

Highest Quality, Cost Be D@mned:

Antec SG 850W

Seasonic MD12 850W

Zippy (several)

PC P&C TC 860W

Enermax (several w Silver 80 PLUS or possibly higher)


"Best Bang for the Buck" (Depending on who has what on Sale!)

Corsair TX850W (about $120)

Silverstone (several)

Antec TPQ 850W

Zalman ZM 750W/850W

BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-680

Seventeam ST 750/850

XCLIO DIAMONDPOWER 680W 680W

PC P&C Silencer 750W (about $90)


My Personal Choices Are:

Corsair TX850W (about $120)

PC P&C Silencer 750W (about $90)


Good Luck & Best Wishes,
Dave:beer:

[gemini]

with an intel dualcore and a single 4870 you don't need bigger PSU than 500w and you still be on 50% at peak usage.
you could run that with a 400w fsp atx-400pnf
guys over at prohardware.hu had pentium D dual core OC'd (draws more than a core2duo even without OC) with a 8800gtx running with an fsp saga 350w without any problems.
so please don't suggest psu towards 1kw since it makes no sense.
enermax modu 525 or corsair hx520 tops.

[Acid]

PC P&C TC 860W



A Silencer is indeed very quiet... if you've been listening to Turbocools all day long.

Didn't OW just say they were noisy :D? The silencers are pretty cheap at the moment for what they are, i think that would be your safest bet.

[HOOfan_1]

Everyone says the Turb-Cools are noisy...the 1000W and above units are apparently almost unbearably noisy.

[theAnimal]

with an intel dualcore and a single 4870 you don't need bigger PSU than 500w and you still be on 50% at peak usage.
you could run that with a 400w fsp atx-400pnf
guys over at prohardware.hu had pentium D dual core OC'd (draws more than a core2duo even without OC) with a 8800gtx running with an fsp saga 350w without any problems.
so please don't suggest psu towards 1kw since it makes no sense.
enermax modu 525 or corsair hx520 tops.

The OP is planning to get a second card.

[gemini]

The OP is planning to get a second card.

until he's not moving towards quadcore and heavy overclocking, 525w modu82+ is a safe bet for a 4870 crossfire too.
tweaktown for instance measured 430w out of the wall for a 4870CF with a Q6600
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1481/13/sapphire_radeon_hd_4870_in_crossfire/index.html page 13
counting with 85% efficiency it is still a mere 365w under load

[spursindonesia]

Is that particular Enermax unit equipped with 4 PEG 6 pins connectors ? Because if it isn't, having to use adaptors sucks in my book. If you have the budget for two mid to highend cards, it's very unlogical you go cheap with your PSU solution, considering the price difference beetween 500+w to 700+w unit isn't all that big to begin with. I love to have a peace mind, i don't really like living on the edge, and using PSU that is only just adequate to power my highend rig that cost me serious money isn't exactly complying to my philosophies.

[gemini]

Is that particular Enermax unit equipped with 4 PEG 6 pins connectors ? Because if it isn't, having to use adaptors sucks in my book. If you have the budget for two mid to highend cards, it's very unlogical you go cheap with your PSU solution, considering the price difference beetween 500+w to 700+w unit isn't all that big to begin with. I love to have a peace mind, i don't really like living on the edge, and using PSU that is only just adequate to power my highend rig that cost me serious money isn't exactly complying to my philosophies.
I see your point. it's a shame that the 525w version has only 3 pieces of 6+2 pin pci-e power plug since it is able to power a 4870 CF
but if he goes for the 625w version he'd be still good, no need of a kilowatt PSU. and the 625 has 4 pci-e power plug.

[Lucas]

until he's not moving towards quadcore and heavy overclocking, 525w modu82+ is a safe bet for a 4870 crossfire too.
tweaktown for instance measured 430w out of the wall for a 4870CF with a Q6600
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1481/13/sapphire_radeon_hd_4870_in_crossfire/index.html page 13
counting with 85% efficiency it is still a mere 365w under load

Is that particular Enermax unit equipped with 4 PEG 6 pins connectors ? Because if it isn't, having to use adaptors sucks in my book. If you have the budget for two mid to highend cards, it's very unlogical you go cheap with your PSU solution, considering the price difference beetween 500+w to 700+w unit isn't all that big to begin with. I love to have a peace mind, i don't really like living on the edge, and using PSU that is only just adequate to power my highend rig that cost me serious money isn't exactly complying to my philosophies.

As usual, I think the truth or the better way to follow is in the middle :D
When I'll end my psu and memory research I'll buy also a 4870 to upgrade my old and overlocked 9800gtx so I think I won't pair another gpu to make CF or I won't buy a powerful gpu to upgrade the 4870 shortly.

My actual tagan 480w shouldn't have problems to power up a 4870 system but as I'm upgrading the rest I would like to buy a brand new psu too.
Tagan is in a perfectly working order, but it's almost 3 yrs old so it doesn't have 8-pin PEG and for sure it's not like today models in termns of efficiency and stability.

In a couple years we will probably have 28pin motherboard connectors, 10 pin PEG connectors (just an example to say that things change really quickly in the computer area) so I think buying a 900W or 1200W psu to be ready for the future wouldn't worth the cost because if you don't really need so much power shortly you risk to waste your money for something, for sure powerful, but probably too old to be used in future.

On the other side I don't wanna buy a 500W psu first because I already have a 480W so this won't bring me extra room but just new pci-e connectors, second because 500W in not enought for a 4870 CF or a 4870x2 and I want at least to be able to make this upgrade, third because there's almost no price difference between 525W and 625W solutions, fourth I'm not worried about a 2% difference in termns of efficiency but I think that a psu under 70% load will produce less heat/noise and will last longer than one around 90-95% load.

Something around 650-700W should suit my price, power and quality requitements best, otherwise a more powerful psu but only if I'm able to find it in the same price range without losing in quality...

According to your suggestions/proposals I decided to buy one of the following:

1) Enermax Pro82+ 625W over Modu82+ and Liberty Eco 620W because
a) 25% cheaper compared to Modu82+ 625W and Liberty Eco 620W
b) Same characteristics of Modu82+ but not modular: I've a lian-li huge case so I don't need modular and I can save money, it's supposed to be more efficient because it's not modular (even if according to 80p that's not true)
c) 625 vs 620W and 25A instead of 22A on 12V rails compared to Liberty, it also has better PF, better efficiency (80 plus bronze vs 80 plus standard) and it should have temp overheat protection


2) Thermaltake QFAN 650W

3) Corsair 850TX over Corsair 750TX, 650TX and 620HX because:
a) 850TX is more powerful than the others and the price is close to the 750W model
b) 850TX is more efficient than the others
c) It's more stable than tx series, similar stability compared to 620hx


Well, it's time to make the final choice :D
Speaking of efficiency the best one is enermax with 80p bronze, followed by corsair tx850 and then Thermaltake.
Speaking of stability the best one should be Thermaltake followed by the other 2 at the same level.
Speaking of price/performance the best one is for sure Corsair because despite it's the most powerful, it has very good stability and efficiency, it's really cheap.

I would say "CORSAIR 850TX FTW" if there are no objections here... (I don't think the stability or quality difference between this one and the Thermaltake is so huge to compensate both the higher price and the lower wattage.)

Let me know guys :)

Sry for the poem and my crap english...

[spursindonesia]

I see your point. it's a shame that the 525w version has only 3 pieces of 6+2 pin pci-e power plug since it is able to power a 4870 CF
but if he goes for the 625w version he'd be still good, no need of a kilowatt PSU. and the 625 has 4 pci-e power plug.

Yeah, we have consensus there, i just think, if you find a great deal out of a unit in the market, you should grab it, even if the rated wattage is rather overkill. Say, you find a Corsair TX 850w priced the same as an Enermax Modu82+ 625w, i'll go with the TX most likely.

[davidhammock200]

I would say "CORSAIR 850TX FTW" if there are no objections here... (I don't think the stability or quality difference between this one and the Thermaltake is so huge to compensate both the higher price and the lower wattage.)Excellent choice, now if Corsair would just offer a modular version... :beer:

[Smirnoff]

I think Redbeard did indicate they were working on something modular for the void between the 620 and 1000 next.