Budget build questioning power.

[freeprince]

I was looking to upgrade my fx6100 cpu to fx 8350 cpu and I am wondering if power will be an issue.

Here are my components currently:


ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 || AMD FX-6100 || NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti FTW || 16GB(2x8)
DDR3 1866 G.SKILL SNIPER || 475W Diablotek PSU || Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A

The only thing I have recently changed from this is adding the 1TB Seagate SSHD ST10000DX001-1NS162.

I can't buy top of the line, I also did see a 750watt evga on sale at new egg 80plus bronze it was like 38dollars after rebate, but, really don't want to buy anything unless I absolutely have to.

My psu is not 80plus it's 78% efficiency so I really don't care what anyone has to say about 80 plus certified. It runs crystal cool. I just need to know if It can tolerate the power load of the stronger processor or if I'm going to HAVE TO buy a better power supply.

 

[logainofhades]

Even if you were not upgrading the cpu, I would recommend getting rid of that fire hazard of a PSU. Get a tier 1 or tier 2 unit, 500w+, asap. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 

[firefoxx04]

Its not that the power supplies cant handle the load, its a question of how long they can handle the load. Will they tolerate abuse?

Power supplies are the one thing that I will NEVER AGAIN go cheep on. Ive run cheep everything at one point or another and its always been fine except for the power supply. Cheep ram, fine. Cheep board, usually fine. Cheep CPU fine. Cheep case, all good. Cheep PSU is asking for some trouble.

 

[freeprince]

well so far so good, but the question remains unanswered. It so far hasn't blown up anything or even dispensed any heat. I have never crashed with it and I've had no issue period. It's just a psu slightly less efficient then entry tier. The question was... will it be able to pull the cpu the new cpu is a higher tdp. The FX 6100 gives a TDP of 95 watts, meanwhile the fx 8350 is offering a TDP of 125 watts. How big is this difference, will it fit, will it gimp.

edit: How do I test if my computer is running on too low of power?

 

[Dethan1999]

I think you will be borderline close to really boosting your power supply, which in some cases can end tragically. If you run a heavy game that uses a lot of CPU and Graphics power, it can cause stress to the PSU and there may be issues ahead. I recommend a better PSU like the one you mentioned. Trust me, I know you don't want to spend money unless necessary, but I'd hate to see your system break because of a overloaded PSU. Replacing parts will cost 10x more than the new PSU. I think it's worth buying a new one. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

 

[freeprince]

okay I will use a lot of caution if I upgrade my cpu. I will not push any specs at all until I upgrade to a better psu. I wouldn't want to cause a fire.

 

[freeprince]

But still my question was never answered anyway, must have been a hard question.

 

[logainofhades]

well so far so good, but the question remains unanswered. It so far hasn't blown up anything or even dispensed any heat. I have never crashed with it and I've had no issue period. It's just a psu slightly less efficient then entry tier. The question was... will it be able to pull the cpu the new cpu is a higher tdp. The FX 6100 gives a TDP of 95 watts, meanwhile the fx 8350 is offering a TDP of 125 watts. How big is this difference, will it fit, will it gimp.

edit: How do I test if my computer is running on too low of power?

It has nothing to do with efficiency/rating, but quality of the components used. I had a low quality PSU die and take a motherboard, and CPU, with it. Fortunately, it was not my main system. PSU wattage rating was far more, than the system needed, and was rated @80+. That PSU dies, the chances of taking other components out with it, are very high.

Your question was answered also. Your PSU is not adequate for your current system, much less with an upgrade. You were also given information to choose a more suitable unit.

 

[Dethan1999]

But still my question was never answered anyway, must have been a hard question.

I'm sorry, I thought I answered it clearly. I said that it MAY become an issue in the future. There's really no way of predicting. I think it puts a hefty load on the PSU which puts it at risk, but I suppose it can handle it. We are all trying to give advice here. We'd hate to have the PSU crash on you and potentially fry all of your parts. Does that answer your question?

 

[freeprince]

thanks for all your answers I will do as you all have suggested. But, that's what I figured what you would already say. I just wanted to know if it could be used, I guess I will have to go off my own intuition for whether it will plug and play well.

 

[Barty1884]

To be honest, it's not a hard question, but you don't sound like you want to hear the answer.

You're increasing your max power draw by 30W (a 95W CPU to 125W), so generally speaking a 475W PSU should be sufficient to cover that.

The issue with the PSU you have is it really is not decent quality. There are more than likely 'spikes' where it can and cannot provide adequate power to your components. You really are running the risk of damaging components by even using it at the moment, let alone adding the 30W potential additional load.

I'm not trying to railroad you into spending money, just highlighting the potential damage. People have run poor quality PSUs for years with no issues, others have run them for seconds/minutes/days/weeks depending on their specific situation (and luck of the draw).

To put it in perspective:

you didn't want to spend $38 after a rebate for a better quality PSU (any EVGA would be better than what you have, but P2, G2, B2 would be significantly better). Appreciating 750W was excessive for your rig, but that price if it was a quality PSU is pretty much unbeatable.

Compare that $38 to the potential damage such a poor PSU can cause. Taking any (or all) of your Motherboard (and any OEM OS)/RAM/CPU/GPU down with it. Replacing even one of those items would set you back $60 minimum.

Today, this is the best price to quality PSU I can see: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze

It sounds like you knew these reponses were coming, and hoped somebody would tell you otherwise.
Now that we've all confirmed what you thought, you still want to trust your intuition?

I wish you luck with it and hope you don't do any damage to your rig.

 

[freeprince]

To be honest, it's not a hard question, but you don't sound like you want to hear the answer.

You're increasing your max power draw by 30W (a 95W CPU to 125W), so generally speaking a 475W PSU should be sufficient to cover that.

The issue with the PSU you have is it really is not decent quality. There are more than likely 'spikes' where it can and cannot provide adequate power to your components. You really are running the risk of damaging components by adding even the 30W potential additional load.

To put it in perspective, you didn't want to spend $38 after a rebate for a better quality PSU (any EVGA would be better than what you have, but P2, G2, B2 would be significantly better). Appreciating 750W was excessive for your rig, but that price if it was a quality PSU is pretty much unbeatable.

Compare that $38 to the potential damage such a poor PSU can cause. Taking any (or all) of your Motherboard (and any OEM OS)/RAM/CPU/GPU down with it. Replacing even one of those items would set you back $60 minimum.

Today, this is the best price to quality PSU I can see: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze

thanks for directly addressing the issue. I know it's way more common sense to just get the evga, but part of that is rebate and I wanted to take a girl out next week. I guess I'll be taking her out on the credit card if that's how it's going to go, lol.

I knew when I bought the psu it was not high quality, but I was told I had way more wattage than I would need so the power supply wouldn't be under stress, even then, I was told it would be better to go with the better brands but there were no good sales at the time and the evga and be quiet were really expensive even for low wattage psu. This psu was never meant to be permanent, but, I really started thinking harder about it when I thought about upgrading my cpu because I know there is going to be higher power and higher speeds running through my components if that happens. Plus, yeah, I like to do a small overclock, and up until now I've never blown anything up, lol. But, hey they say there's a first for everything, at least, I hope not!

Thanks again for all your help everyone, I know I'm stubborn and I don't flex a heavy wallet, but, I do want to be responsible, and I think everyone was pretty clear what the more responsible decision would be.

 

[freeprince]

my mistake it wasn't an EVGA it was a corsair, here is the link to the power supply I was talking about. I don't know how I overlooked the brand. Am I still in good company with this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139040&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL011216&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL011216-_-EMC-011216-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17139040-S0M

10 dollar promo code 20 dollar mail in rebate

 

[Barty1884]

thanks for directly addressing the issue. I know it's way more common sense to just get the evga, but part of that is rebate and I wanted to take a girl out next week. I guess I'll be taking her out on the credit card if that's how it's going to go, lol.

I knew when I bought the psu it was not high quality, but I was told I had way more wattage than I would need so the power supply wouldn't be under stress, even then, I was told it would be better to go with the better brands but there were no good sales at the time and the evga and be quiet were really expensive even for low wattage psu. This psu was never meant to be permanent, but, I really started thinking harder about it when I thought about upgrading my cpu because I know there is going to be higher power and higher speeds running through my components if that happens. Plus, yeah, I like to do a small overclock, and up until now I've never blown anything up, lol. But, hey they say there's a first for everything, at least, I hope not!

Thanks again for all your help everyone, I know I'm stubborn and I don't flex a heavy wallet, but, I do want to be responsible, and I think everyone was pretty clear what the more responsible decision would be.

Hey, I totally get it. Take the girl out and leave the computer spec "as is" for the moment. I wouldn't upgrade the CPU until you are ready to replace the PSU also. Better safe than sorry.

I would recommend you avoid any OCing until you have a quality PSU as a base. The potential variables & power draw is just too much of a headache/risk on that PSU.

Reading your response, you know the pitfalls. You know you are potentially playing with fire (figuratively I hope, not litteraly) and the PSU should be replaced.

 

[logainofhades]

CX series PSU use poor capacitors, so I wouldn't recommend those either. Better than what you have, but still not good. The Seasonic 520w, mentioned earlier, is plenty for your system, and a quality unit. A few dollars more can get you the Seasonic built XFX 550w. http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze%2Cxfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9/

 

[Barty1884]

my mistake it wasn't an EVGA it was a corsair, here is the link to the power supply I was talking about. I don't know how I overlooked the brand. Am I still in good company with this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139040&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL011216&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL011216-_-EMC-011216-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17139040-S0M

10 dollar promo code 20 dollar mail in rebate

The CX line from Corsair isn't very good, no. Don't get me wrong, it's much better than your Diablowhateveritis, but that was the specific PSU I replaced in my own rig to something of better quality.

There are some poor components in the CX line and while it's significantly better than your existing PSU, peace of mind costs around $5 more than the CX PSU would after rebate (around $55) for either the SeaSonic I listed earlier, or the XFX unit logainofhades linked

 

[freeprince]

well now that i'm getting scared you make me feel like this thing is just waiting to burst into flames.

 

[Barty1884]

well now that i'm getting scared you make me feel like this thing is just waiting to burst into flames.

Nobody is trying to scare you, but we're all trying to help. If all is running well, keep things at stock, don't make any changes (no CPU update, no OCing) until you can replace the PSU.

The CX line, if / when it dies, it should have sufficient protection (generally) so you only suffer a "dead" PSU. It sucks, but it's not the end of the world.

The Diablotek has no protection (as a general comment) and also falls into a category with PSUs that are commonly mislabled, simply useless and potentially dangerous. If it was to die, you'd be extremely lucky if damage was limited to the PSU. Any, all, or any combination of your components could be taken out with it.

Nobody can categorically state your PSU will catch fire, or that it will die in X amount of time, but I think we all know enough to recommend you replace that ASAP and do not put your rig under too much load in the meantime.

 

[freeprince]

you forgot the promo code it's literally only around 39 dollars plus 3 shipping. idk I guess i'm going to have to keep looking i'm not willing to pay 80 dollars for a power unit. I'm not pushing 1080p or 4k on my monitors i'm not trying to push 300fps or the newest high power graphics card. I just want something that keeps above the baseline.

 

[freeprince]

it has a 3 year warranty so if it dies soon i'll just get it replaced. I mean i'm ready to buy it immediately but so many warnings...

 

[Barty1884]

you forgot the promo code it's literally only around 39 dollars plus 3 shipping. idk I guess i'm going to have to keep looking i'm not willing to pay 80 dollars for a power unit. I'm not pushing 1080p or 4k on my monitors i'm not trying to push 300fps or the newest high power graphics card. I just want something that keeps above the baseline.

Nobody has recommended an $80 unit? You've been linked a 520W, $55 unit with a $5 rebate ($50) or a slightly higher (550W) unit for $55 - both are really good quality and would remove the potential issues.

it has a 3 year warranty so if it dies soon i'll just get it replaced. I mean i'm ready to buy it immediately but so many warnings...

Quality PSUs have 5 or 10 year warranties. 3 Year is "meh".

Sure, you'll get a replacement, but would you want a replacement PSU of a model that died on you?
The Corsair isn't as bad, but still:
Consider, would you want a replacement PSU that damaged something else as with it dying breath?
The warranty wouldn't compensate you for damage caused by a dying unit, just the unit itself.

 

[freeprince]

imo don't see why I would prefer those to a 750 watt corsair

 

[logainofhades]

imo don't see why I would prefer those to a 750 watt corsair

Quality of components is why. Wattage mean zip, if the PSU is not a quality unit.

 

[freeprince]

Alright screw it i'll just leave it alone until I see another price drop and see if I can pick up something fancier. Everyone wants caviar but i'm here eating pb&j and ramen noodles. I'm not going to spend 50-60 dollars for a few more watts when i'm not even using the ones I have. I don't see how I could possibly burn out a 750 watt psu unless somehow i'm pushing the crap out of it and I doubt I could possibly do that i'd need to sli or something. I don't completely get the science of electricity, but, if it's built to maintain the 750 watts how are my 4xx watts going to short anything?

 

[Barty1884]

imo don't see why I would prefer those to a 750 watt corsair

Please read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

It explains what makes a good and bad PSU. Wattage is really not the "be all end all" with PSUs. Neither is 80+/Bronze/Silver/Gold etc.

You want quality components inside, protection from spikes/surges and a variety of other things.

It's not the brand that's on the PSU you have the worry about, it's who makes the units & the components used.

Corsair don't make their own, Channel Well, SeaSonic & Flextronic (amongst others) make PSUs for Corsair to brand.
SeaSonic are a great example as, not only do they make quality units for others (XFX, Corsairs 'good' PSUs and others), they also brand & release PSUs themselves under their own name.

Compare that to a poor PSU manufacturer - say HEC (EVGA's 'lesser' quality PSUs, Thermaltakes poor quality PSUs and others). They "hide behind" known brands and don't release their own.