Question "Budget" Mini ITX Build - Which of these PSUs should I get? Or should I look into other ones you suggest?

[Garen D]

Context​

Hey all, recently I've been able to get a couple "hand me down" PC parts and was curious about making an ITX build with them but my main concern with the build I have right now are the PSU options I have. My main priorities when looking at a PSU are: Reliability/Warranty Coverage((Will I become homeless because of this PSU? Does it have good reviews?)) as well as Affordability/Price and Efficiency.

Build Specifications:​

CPU - Ryzen 5 3600
GPU/GFX Card - Sapphire RX 580 8GB
Motherboard - ASRock B550M-ITX/AC
Case(Potential) - Cooler Master NR200P(White)(SFF ITX Case)
Storage(Potential. Might just use second hand parts.) - Kingston NV2 500GB NVMe M.2, Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD, Crucial MX500 1TB SSD.
Country: Canada
Usage: Gaming([Primary], Desktop[Secondary], Workstation[Tertiary(PC would most likely be left on to render as it's CPU/GPU aren't the best for it. But they're better than nothing.)] Due to it's compact size I'd probably use it when I'm travelling.

[[Estimated Wattage @ PCPartPicker = 384W]]

PSU Options - Featuring my opinions and rambling about these PSUs.​

LIAN LI SP850: Judging from reviews that were made over a year ago, there were some issues with this PSU, and it could be a fire hazard. (Hardware Busters,

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh4ZM5WjUrw​

& https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/). Upon looking into this a bit further, I was led to the Lian Li subreddit, where a user who seems to represent Lian Li says, "You are not at risk. The reviewer was sent a pre-production unit. This issue has been addressed before mass production." My main issues with this are: A) The representative doesn't really give much else other than this statement, which I don't know if it's assuring or just outright odd that they don't go into more detail. B) There aren't many more recent in-depth reviews like the video I previously linked. This PSU is one of the few that meets the wattage and price targets I have, so this one has been the one I've been most interested in.​

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FSP 450W(FSP450-50SAC): I have never heard of FSP until recently, and judging from what I've read on the cultist tier list, this one seems to be a tier C speculative PSU. I can't seem to find any in-depth reviews for this, which seems to be the reason why it's currently in a speculative position on the tier list, so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this model. FSP itself seems to be a known OEM brand, from what I've seen so far.​

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EVGA SuperNova 750 GM: Tier B on the Cultist tier list and it's from EVGA which is a brand I'm aware of so I think this PSU would be the best choice even considering its price. High Wattage could allow me to upgrade in the future.​

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Cooler Master V750 SFX: Tier A lower priority. It's a decent price but the lower priority rating concerns me, even if its Tier A over all. High Wattage could allow me to upgrade in the future.​

Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 600W: This one I'm conflicted on, as I've read it does well in many ways but has some protection issues that don't seem like a characteristic a PSU should have at this price point. https://hwbusters.com/psus/thermaltake-toughpower-sfx-850w-gold-psu-review/11/​

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SilverStone Technology 450W(T45SF-V3-USA): The 3-year warranty does not inspire confidence, but the price and some customer reviews make this one tempting to buy. It also doesn't seem to be on the cultist list, which combined with the low warranty period makes this an almost definite no. But this review, https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/silverstone-st45sf-v3-sfx-450w-psu,5121-11.html, does make it seem more promising.​

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Corsair SF Series SF750: This PSU is possibly the most expensive one I have mentioned here and is from a brand I am very familiar with. It has a long warranty coverage period as well as a high rating on the PSU Cultist list, that being Tier A. If I were treating this build seriously, i.e., not trying to save as much money as possible, I would definitely get this PSU.​

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Let me know if you have any suggestions!They also need to be an SFX or SFX-L PSU so it can fit in the PC case.​

 

[turtletarget111]

The EVGA SuperNova 750GM is a very solid unit and should serve you well. It's cheaper than the CoolerMaster, comes with the same efficiency rating, and the same ten year warranty. You should never cheap out on your power supply, and if the SilverStone manufacturers don't have enough confidence in their product to give it a longer warranty, then I would stick with the EVGA. You would also be just fine picking up a 650 watt unit, but considering the price difference on a high quality 650 PSU is only about 20 USD, I would just pay the extra few bucks for 100 extra watts. If the price difference for something like the Corsair RM650 is a little higher than that in Canada, you would be saving some money going with that unit instead and wouldn't be missing out on much.

 

[Garen D]

The EVGA SuperNova 750GM is a very solid unit and should serve you well. It's cheaper than the CoolerMaster, comes with the same efficiency rating, and the same ten year warranty. You should never cheap out on your power supply, and if the SilverStone manufacturers don't have enough confidence in their product to give it a longer warranty, then I would stick with the EVGA. You would also be just fine picking up a 650 watt unit, but considering the price difference on a high quality 650 PSU is only about 20 USD, I would just pay the extra few bucks for 100 extra watts. If the price difference for something like the Corsair RM650 is a little higher than that in Canada, you would be saving some money going with that unit instead and wouldn't be missing out on much.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm looking for an SFX / SFX-L sized PSU and not an ATX sized PSU because it won't inside the case I listed.

 

[turtletarget111]

My mistake. I was looking for a 650 watt PSU to better suit your needs and completely forgot about your requirements for a SFX unit. With such a specific form factor, there seems to be little to no savings going with a unit with lower wattage. Stick with the SuperNova.

 

[Satan-IR]

With a good 650W you'd have some headroom too.The SeaSonic Focus Gold SGX-650 SFX is a good choice at $146. Note sure if customs and tax charges apply and what's final price with shipping and not sure if you're on a budget limit : here.

Corsair SF750 is a good unit and it's Platinum rated so it might even be more efficient in long run as far as use of electricity goes but it's
$170 gain link from Amazon here.

Also EVGA SuperNova GM 650W is not bad either at $105 here. But it has a 7 year warranty compared to the 10 year for the SeaSonic.

Corsair one is also 7-year warranty. The longer the warranty period somehow translates into more reliable the manufacturer believes their product to be. Otherwise user might not use a PSU that long.

 

[Garen D]

With a good 650W you'd have some headroom too.The SeaSonic Focus Gold SGX-650 SFX is a good choice at $146. Note sure if customs and tax charges apply and what's final price with shipping and not sure if you're on a budget limit : here.

Corsair SF750 is a good unit and it's Platinum rated so it might even be more efficient in long run as far as use of electricity goes but it's
$170 gain link from Amazon here.

Also EVGA SuperNova GM 650W is not bad either at $105 here. But it has a 7 year warranty compared to the 10 year for the SeaSonic.

Corsair one is also 7-year warranty. The longer the warranty period somehow translates into more reliable the manufacturer believes their product to be. Otherwise user might not use a PSU that long.

Unfortunately for me, the SGX-650 is borderline 240$ and that's not even including taxes. Seasonic PSUs are my personal favourite simply because of the long warranty coverage and the fact that my first ever build uses one. But I've had good experiences with corsair PSUs and their customer service so I trust the brand and the models I've used so far. EVGA I've heard horror stories about some of their PSU models and how their customer service was kind of bad (e.g EVGA PSU Caught on fire! & EVGA 850W P2 PSU Caught on Fire - Faulty PSU randomly ignites! & ) . Although it seems to be a couple models it still leaves a kind of bad impression on me, even if the current EVGA PSU I have has been fine. The SuperNOVA also seems to be sold out from my usual sources and they're approx 200$ before shipping & taxes.

 

[Satan-IR]

Unfortunately for me, the SGX-650 is borderline 240$ and that's not even including taxes. Seasonic PSUs are my personal favourite simply because of the long warranty coverage and the fact that my first ever build uses one. But I've had good experiences with corsair PSUs and their customer service so I trust the brand and the models I've used so far. EVGA I've heard horror stories about some of their PSU models and how their customer service was kind of bad (e.g EVGA PSU Caught on fire! & EVGA 850W P2 PSU Caught on Fire - Faulty PSU randomly ignites! & ) . Although it seems to be a couple models it still leaves a kind of bad impression on me, even if the current EVGA PSU I have has been fine. The SuperNOVA also seems to be sold out from my usual sources and they're approx 200$ before shipping & taxes.

I see, well I though I said above, all 'better' PSU brands have good models and meh and really bad ones. So it's not so much a matter of make/brand as it is a matter of model. SeaSonic has had meh and Corsair has had very bad models too.

With SeaSonic point is they are the OEM as well, they design and make them from scratch and don't just rebrand something made by another OEM.

Another good PSU, maybe not as good as the above in some regards, but still a reliable one is the Fractal Design Ion SFX-L 650G. It' is That is a good PSU too and it's been reviewed on TH by Aris here. Note sure if this one falls into your budget range or not.

 

[Garen D]

I see, well I though I said above, all 'better' PSU brands have good models and meh and really bad ones. So it's not so much a matter of make/brand as it is a matter of model. SeaSonic has had meh and Corsair has had very bad models too.

With SeaSonic point is they are the OEM as well, they design and make them from scratch and don't just rebrand something made by another OEM.

Another good PSU, maybe not as good as the above in some regards, but still a reliable one is the Fractal Design Ion SFX-L 650G. It' is That is a good PSU too and it's been reviewed on TH by Aris here. Note sure if this one falls into your budget range or not.

I tried finding the PSU you mentioned and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be sold anywhere in Canada. I went to Fractal's website and quickly went through all the different options but unless I glossed over it, I couldn't see it anywhere. A good thing is I found another potential candidate and it honestly looks really good. Its from a brand I have never heard of and it's the CENTURY MINI 750 GOLD. It's a tier B pick and comes with a 7 year warranty at 95$ USD pretax.

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[Satan-IR]

I tried finding the PSU you mentioned and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be sold anywhere in Canada. I went to Fractal's website and quickly went through all the different options but unless I glossed over it, I couldn't see it anywhere. A good thing is I found another potential candidate and it honestly looks really good. Its from a brand I have never heard of and it's the CENTURY MINI 750 GOLD. It's a tier B pick and comes with a 7 year warranty at 95$ USD pretax.

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That is made by Montech I think. I could find 'a sort of a' review on it here. The design and the insides looks like the OEM is Channel Well, maybe. If that's the case it's not an unknown OEM and makes PSUs for many known brands and has made good models throughout the years.

A 7-year warrany is not bad, not the best either. Anyway I'd say the PSU one of the most or the most important component in any PC as the proformance and longevity of all other components depends on it. I am aware of the price differences but if possible a better PSU although more expensive is worth it. I'm not sure it's as good as the ones above but point is availability of unit to the user within their budget bracket.

You can wait and see if others have some input on this or if anyone had seen another review of it by some reliable source. The one I linked is not a really great review.

 

[Garen D]

That is made by Montech I think. I could find 'a sort of a' review on it here. The design and the insides looks like the OEM is Channel Well, maybe. If that's the case it's not an unknown OEM and makes PSUs for many known brands and has made good models throughout the years.

A 7-year warrany is not bad, not the best either. Anyway I'd say the PSU one of the most or the most important component in any PC as the proformance and longevity of all other components depends on it. I am aware of the price differences but if possible a better PSU although more expensive is worth it. I'm not sure it's as good as the ones above but point is availability of unit to the user within their budget bracket.

You can wait and see if others have some input on this or if anyone had seen another review of it by some reliable source. The one I linked is not a really great review.

I would go with the SF series if I wasn't trying as hard as possible to find any alternatives that are good and within budget.

Is 7 years not enough, the highest warranty period I've ever seen was 10 years so wouldn't 7 be the next best thing as compared to the other ones that are like 3-5 years? I agree which is why I'm trying to find the most reliable and decently priced PSU I can look into. Currently the SF, SuperNOVA and Montech ones are the 3 most likely candidates.

 

[Satan-IR]

I would go with the SF series if I wasn't trying as hard as possible to find any alternatives that are good and within budget.

Is 7 years not enough, the highest warranty period I've ever seen was 10 years so wouldn't 7 be the next best thing as compared to the other ones that are like 3-5 years? I agree which is why I'm trying to find the most reliable and decently priced PSU I can look into. Currently the SF, SuperNOVA and Montech ones are the 3 most likely candidates.

Yes longer period is 10-12 for some SeaSonic and Corsair models.

Then there are those with 7 which is not bad. Finally, there's those with 3-5 which kind of shows the manufacturer/venodr doesn't believe it's product is going to last much longer than 3 or 5 years.

I understand and if you, or anyone, can find a good option and spends less I'm all for it. Out of the 3 you mentioned as candidates I would go with the Corsair SF. It is a platinum rated for efficiency, that means better and more accurate design and components. The platinum rated units should be able to perform in quite tight ranges in terms of voltage regulation, hold-up time and ripple suppression and so on. Hope you can find the best bang for you buck. In a nutshell, personally (if possible) I wouldn't choose a tier-B unit as you said (Montech) over a Platinum rated of good Corsair series which has had good reviews.

Also another 750W unit which has had good reviews is FSP Dagger Pro 650W at $150 here. There is a 750W model too at $180. These have a 7-year warranty too.

 

[Garen D]

Yes longer period is 10-12 for some SeaSonic and Corsair models.

Then there are those with 7 which is not bad. Finally, there's those with 3-5 which kind of shows the manufacturer/venodr doesn't believe it's product is going to last much longer than 3 or 5 years.

I understand and if you, or anyone, can find a good option and spends less I'm all for it. Out of the 3 you mentioned as candidates I would go with the Corsair SF. It is a platinum rated for efficiency, that means better and more accurate design and components. The platinum rated units should be able to perform in quite tight ranges in terms of voltage regulation, hold-up time and ripple suppression and so on. Hope you can find the best bang for you buck. In a nutshell, personally (if possible) I wouldn't choose a tier-B unit as you said (Montech) over a Platinum rated of good Corsair series which has had good reviews.

Also another 750W unit which has had good reviews is FSP Dagger Pro 650W at $150 here. There is a 750W model too at $180. These have a 7-year warranty too.

Seems the Dagger Pro isn't sold in Canada and the shipping itself would be like 80$ extra lol. Though I might go with the SF model at this rate if I can find a cheaper ITX case with a tempered glass panel.