Best 750w PSU?

[Shigeki]

The build I'm planning: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3v5ie
I want a 750w PSU that is ready for future upgrades, like an i7-4770k, GTX 780 etc..

 

[DeadGraphics]

What is your budget for your PSU?

 

[DeadGraphics]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gNT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gNT/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gNT/benchmarks/

Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $59.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-20 10:21 EDT-0400) Great 80+ bronze 750w Semi Modular power supply

 

[tiny voices]

a 650w PSU is more than enough for an i7 and a 780TI. 750w is way overkill.

Also, don't even bother with an i7. Even in the future you will find it doesn't matter in games.

Also, get a cheaper motherboard. Unless you are going for maximum overclocks and trying many CPUs or coolers out in terms of benchmarking, get a board that is $60-$70 cheaper and use the saved moeny to get a 770.

 

[DeadGraphics]

a 650w PSU is more than enough for an i7 and a 780TI. 750w is way overkill.

Also, don't even bother with an i7. Even in the future you will find it doesn't matter in games.

Also, get a cheaper motherboard. Unless you are going for maximum overclocks and trying many CPUs or coolers out in terms of benchmarking, get a board that is $60-$70 cheaper and use the saved moeny to get a 770.

SLI down the line

 

[tiny voices]

He said nothing about SLI.

 

[neon neophyte]

i like 750 personally. i overclock and would like the option of a 2nd card. lots of hard drives etc etc. never hurts to have more than you need

 

[tiny voices]

You can easily overclock he CPU and a gtx780 on 650w. HDDs barely use 5w each so they don't even really factor in.

Most people claim they want to SLI, but actually never do. Unless you plan to do it within 1-1.5 years and KNOW you will, you should just get a 650w unit. PSUs should be replaced every 4 years regardless of load or usage or quality, so why risk a brand new card and an SLI setup to a 3-4 year old PSU? Even quality units fail when they age.

 

[neon neophyte]

better chance of them failing the harder they work. harder they work after a certain point, less efficient they are. as capacitors age they become less efficient. peace of mind. it is a personal preference.

 

[tiny voices]

Actually PSUs are MOST efficient between 40-65% usage. Below 40% PSUs are VERY inefficient and often out of spec.

I would MUCH rather have a 650w unit and use 350W of it than a 750w unit and use 350w of it.

Your GPU probably pulls about 220w MAX and your CPU probably 160w MAX. Add alot of HDDS, and your build would easily run on 500w. and would probably be most efficient on a 650w unit. A 750w unit does give you the option of adding a second card, so thats the trade off. Although, you could probably use a high quality 650w unit for it.

Don't forget that a quality 750w unis is more like a relabeled 850w unit and a high quality 650w unit is actually 750w relabeled. Your PSU is actually good for up to 875w while still performing within full ATX 80+ specs. So your build is probably at the very bottom or below the 40% efficiency threshold. I'm guilty of this as well as you can see as my Delta built HCG-750 is actually a 900w unit. and I currently have only a 660ti, but previously I had 2 580s. I'm looking to sell it for a good 650w unit though.

 

[neon neophyte]

my cpu alone uses (up to) 175 watts...

i wasnt saying a psu running at 20 percent capacity is more efficient. i was pretty much saying the exact same thing you are about efficiency. it's why i said "after a certain point." =P

 

[tiny voices]

Your GPU likely pulls no more than 220w though so that is only 395w +40w for everything else (overestimate) = only 435w. I agree about the efficiency, This is why I always try to recommend non-overkill PSUs.

 

[neon neophyte]

lets round up and say 450 watts out of 750. you just said a psu runs most efficient between 40 and 65 percent. tada. my comfort zone.

there was always the chance i would scoop up a 2nd videocard for cheap as well. had i stumbled upon a cheap one when i had a few extra dollars in my pocket, i would have 2. i like 750.

 

[Shigeki]

I am not sure about the CPU, I am going to do much editing, but I don't know how good the CPU must be for my editing desires. I heard i5-4670k is best for gaming at a budget build like mine, but still not sure if it's enough for what kind of video editing I will do.

Which motherboard would you recommend for my build then?
Overclocking, I don't know, I am not going to do it so extreme I guess. Never overclocked before, so I don't know how it works. But if it gives better performance in gaming I will defiently go for it, but how higher I overclock, how better performance for video editing/gaming?

And yes, I didn't mention I would SLI down the road, because I am not sure what I want to upgrade in the future. That's why I asked for a 750w PSU, and I find 650w and 750w PSU's all around the same price.

 

[tiny voices]

A stock 6950 pulls 158w MAX load so I REALLY doubt your pulls anything more than like 200w in reality. I would guess something like 180w. But still, your build is fine, but 750w is still overkill. It just isn't needed unless you are going to SLI. It isn't bad or anything, just a bit of a waste of money in my opinion. Like I said, my PSU is WAY overkill for my current build too, so I don't have much room to talk.

 

[VolvoDoto]

EVGA Supernova G2 750w

At 130$, nothing can beat that.

 

[tiny voices]

EVGA Supernova G2 750w

At 130$, nothing can beat that.

I would MUCH prefer the Antec HCG-750 that I have. It is only $100 and is a gold rated Delta (Best OEM in the game along side Seasonic) 875w unit relabeled as a bronze 750w unit for easier marketing at a lower price.

 

[Rammy]

As great as the Antec HCG750 is, I feel like it's basically out of it's price bracket right now. You can pick up the semi modular of the same range (even though it is internally, a totally different unit) for $70 after rebates, the 650W version (which is likely to be sufficient as mentioned) is $60. It's hard to compete with that kind of value for money.

When you step up to the higher prices, there's so many good options in the ~$100-130 bracket if you want something really nice that you can basically pick based on brand preference, retailer preference or whatever gimmick you place value in (massive warranty, efficiency ratings, modular/semi-modular cabling).
EVGA 750G2, Seasonic M12II-750, Seasonic G-750, Rosewill Tacyhon 750, XFX 750XTR, all quality stuff in a very similar price bracket.
If you desperately want a Corsair (as some people seem to) then the AX760 isn't vastly more expensive.

One thing about efficiency and wattage capacity - you don't want to hit the "sweet" spot at 100% load, as A) very few tasks exploit 100% CPU and GPU and B) most PCs spend far more time in idle than they do at load. The exception to this would perhaps be some sort of mining rig where you have a much better idea of your actual usage. Going over capacity for the sake of it, especially when both CPU and graphics tech is generally trending towards efficiency seems like poor advice.