PSU question...getting a new one

I need to upgrade my PSU here and have some general questions.

I am upgrading from a 500 enhance PSU which has served me well.

However, I am upgrading because I am running into heat issues on my system and have decided on investing in a better case, fans etc. On top of that, I will be updating my GPU to a much better card here in the near future.

With that in mind, my rig:

ASRock Extreme3
AMD 945 Quad core 3.0gz, will be OC'd shortly
8gigs DDR3 1600 memory
(2) 7200 SATA Drive
(1) 10,000 SATA Drive
Would like to add a SSD card for my OS in the near future
GTX 260

With the above mentioned, I am looking at buying either the Antec 1200 v3 case or the coolermaster HAF X case (unless someone has a better recommendation).

With all that, I would like to upgrade my PSU to something bigger.

I have been looking at Corsair and Antec PSU and a few things I wanted to ask:

PSU Comparison

Looking at the above, they range from 650-750. I was leaning towards the 750 range so I can have the extra room incase I run SLI or Crossfire.

What I was curious about was the +12v Rails: Corsair has only 1 rail? Where antec has multiple. I was under the impression that more than one rail was better?

That was really it.
Anyone have any recommendations on the above PSU'?

Thanks.

Sektor

corsair 750hx or 750tx

mrmdtek said:

corsair 750hx or 750tx

Click to expand...

I see those received great reviews.
Does it matter in regards to the +12v Rails?

I was leaning towards the 750tx.

Oh, and should I go with a 750 or would a 650 fill my needs?

i don't know but i have the corsair 750hx and its great

The HAF 932 is a great case, collects dust but a great case, my next will have filters on a intake fans. I thought a 750w would be enough for my needs but i find im looking to replace it with in 6 months for a bigger one. Once you start to add all the goodies, more fans, sli it, oc it the 750w starts to look alitttle low. You can pick up a 1000w on sale for the same price as good 750w and you wont worry agian.

I started with a budget build and upgraded as i had the money, never would have though a 750w was small but ill tell you what, its small.

cravinmild said:

The HAF 932 is a great case, collects dust but a great case, my next will have filters on a intake fans. I thought a 750w would be enough for my needs but i find im looking to replace it with in 6 months for a bigger one. Once you start to add all the goodies, more fans, sli it, oc it the 750w starts to look alitttle low. You can pick up a 1000w on sale for the same price as good 750w and you wont worry agian.

I started with a budget build and upgraded as i had the money, never would have though a 750w was small but ill tell you what, its small.

Click to expand...

Oh wow, really?
Know of any good sales right now? I would gladly go with a 1000w PSU if I could get it for the same price as a 750w PSU.

Thanks.

A good 750w will cost below $100, a good 1000w is around $170ish. With seller instant discounts and a mail in rebate on top of that you are looking at $100 bill plus shipping. NCIX, Tiger, Newegg. Stick to a good brand name, pretty lights are nice but dont make the psu any better.

sektor said:

I see those received great reviews.
Does it matter in regards to the +12v Rails?

I was leaning towards the 750tx.

Oh, and should I go with a 750 or would a 650 fill my needs?

Click to expand...

Sektor,

The single vs multiple rails question pops up a lot here and it's a valid question. In our "Sticky" here:

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548862

your questions will be answered and the explanations are about as good as it gets. In the end, it's a non-issue with the top-end power supplys.

RollingThunder said:

Sektor,

The single vs multiple rails question pops up a lot here and it's a valid question. In our "Sticky" here:

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548862

your questions will be answered and the explanations are about as good as it gets. In the end, it's a non-issue with the top-end power supplys.

Click to expand...

much obliged.

sektor said:

I see those received great reviews.
Does it matter in regards to the +12v Rails?

I was leaning towards the 750tx.

Oh, and should I go with a 750 or would a 650 fill my needs?

Click to expand...

With what you posted in your first post a 650 would more than meet the requirements.

yea lol anything but corsair and your pc is gonna be a fireball by months end hahaha jk

but a 750 would be a nice upgrade if you plan to addon a beefier card or 2

and a 650 would handle atleast one beefier card

If you never plan on Xfire/Sli (which I wouldnt plan on unless you have a 2560x1600 or multi monitor setup), Grab a Corsair 550VX and you will be just fine for any single GPU card on the market.

Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, and Cooler Master seem to get the best reviews from what I've read. If loudness doesn't bother you, get the cheapest one of those brands that fits your power needs. If noise does matter, do a little research on what aligns with your personal needs. I chose Seasonic because from what I read, they made the least amount of noise across the load spectrum, which is paramount to me. However, on my secondary build that I don't sleep next to, I chose Corsair Builder Series.

Not cooler master... and some antecs.

There is a guide in my signature that should help out as well.

EarthDog said:

Not cooler master... and some antecs.

There is a guide in my signature that should help out as well.

Click to expand...

You say not Cooler Master yet that is one of your recommended 1000Ws

Not my list, and thats ONE of many they make. Are there others on there that is in this guy's price range? Not that I can see.

EDIT: ANd to be frank, Im not sure why its on that list..

Performance (40% of the final score) - I have mixed feelings, right here. On one hand, I wish to encourage the Cooler Master's OEM, FSP, to keep improving. But on the other hand, the blandness of the unit's voltage regulation cannot be ignored. So, here's what I'm going to do. From a perfect score, I'm taking three and a half points off for the so-so voltage regulation and missing heatsink screw. From there, I'm going to let the excellent ripple and noise suppression put two points back on. That's going to land this unit an 8.5 here...

Summary

Rounding off to the nearest 0.5 as I usually do below the 9.5 total score level, the Silent Pro M at one thousand watts just barely misses a recommendation. Some aspects of this unit were among the best I have ever seen, but still others were among the blandest I've ever seen. That combination does nothing to help the score. Fortunately, if you are looking for a unit this powerful, this power supply is not a bad choice at all.

Click to expand...

EDIT2: There is even a coolermaster to stay away from...

Coolermaster GX-750 750W

majinwar said:

With what you posted in your first post a 650 would more than meet the requirements.

Click to expand...

Alright, that is good to know.

wagex said:

yea lol anything but corsair and your pc is gonna be a fireball by months end hahaha jk

but a 750 would be a nice upgrade if you plan to addon a beefier card or 2

and a 650 would handle atleast one beefier card

Click to expand...

Going from a 500 to anything would be a boost.
Going to OC a bit, not nothing extravagant.
Beefier card is definitely going to happen.

EarthDog said:

If you never plan on Xfire/Sli (which I wouldnt plan on unless you have a 2560x1600 or multi monitor setup), Grab a Corsair 550VX and you will be just fine for any single GPU card on the market.

Click to expand...

I have 24" monitor, so I should be good on resolution (1900x1080) for awhile. I would have to go to a 27" or 30" (which is not a possibility due to space limitations.) for higher resolutions. So, no need to crossfire/SLI.

Black C5 Z06 said:

Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, and Cooler Master seem to get the best reviews from what I've read. If loudness doesn't bother you, get the cheapest one of those brands that fits your power needs. If noise does matter, do a little research on what aligns with your personal needs. I chose Seasonic because from what I read, they made the least amount of noise across the load spectrum, which is paramount to me. However, on my secondary build that I don't sleep next to, I chose Corsair Builder Series.

Click to expand...

The only thing I would throw out there and wanted to mention this is, being that I am going to buy a new case (either HAF X or Antec 1200 v3), I am going to have a lot more fans sucking up power. With that in mind, would a 650 be enough for me, or should I go for 750? Looking at the cases, the Antec alone can have (7) 120mm fans running plus a 200mm fan on top. Coolermaster has bigger fans and it sounds like I could swap out a 200mm fan for some 120mm fans.

Either way, many more fans that will be running in the system.

Just a few I was looking at and hoping to get feedback on:

Antec 650

This one received a great review from JonnyGuru:

Johnny Guru Review Antec 650

Downsides I can see are its not modular and cables are not sleeved (but I think I can do that on my own?).

Here is a corsair:

Corsiar 650W

Also looking at a Seasonic 620W PSU. I would like to have modular and sleeved cables, but it is not necessarily a requirement. It is more of a nice thing to have.

Anything else that I should pay attention to?
Much appreciated.


Much appreciated!

Sek

Most fans (120-140mm) suck up 2-3 watts a piece, nearly negligible.

You can't go wrong with a Corsair or Seasonic. From the reviews I've read, the Corsair performs just as well as the Seasonic, but Seasonics are extremely efficient and quiet.

From my own experience, I can tell you my Seasonic is so efficient and runs so cool, the fan has yet to come on...never...not once.

+1 ^^!!!

Though my X750 fan blips on from time to time when gaming. I also have a much more powerful GPU and CPU (both overclocked) too.

EarthDog said:

+1 ^^!!!

Though my X750 fan blips on from time to time when gaming. I also have a much more powerful GPU and CPU (both overclocked) too.

Click to expand...

ED,

Was that the one you had at Torin's? I never asked the wattage but that label sure caught my eye!

The X-560 is on my wish list............