Choosing PSU: Gold/Platinum ~850W for high-end build

[N1kosBond]

Hey guys, Im looking for an 850W 80plus gold/platinum PSU. I have heard/read that the difference between a platinum and a high-end gold PSU can be so insignificant that depending on the sample there can be a gold psu performing nearly as good as a platinum one

I live in Greece and currently I cant order anything from abroad, so I will list the options I have along with their prices here(They may be stretched, happens a lot -_-)

Gold ones:
-EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 150€
-XFX ProSeries 850W Black Edition 155€
-Corsair RMi Series 850W 160€
(Has both single/multi rail options through corsair link, dont know how important it is though)
-Seasonic X-Series 850W 205€

Platinum ones:
-Thermaltake DPS G 850W 180€
-Corsair HXi Series 850W 185€
-Corsair AX Series 860W 210€
-EVGA SuperNOVA 850 P2 225€
-Antec High Current Pro HCP-850 225€
-Corsair AXi Series 860W 235€
-Seasonic Platinum Series 860W 245€

As you can see there's quite the price difference among them. Its not that I cant possibly give the extra money, but I would rather not to. So basically my question is whether the quality is worth the premium cost or not

Also, the system Im planning to put this on will have an i7-6700K(oc'ed) and 2 RX480(I will add the 2nd one later on) so the power draw will be around 450 at full load. Since PSUs have maximum efficiency at 50% load, do you think 850W are fine or would you personally go for less?

 

[weberdarren97]

I think that the Corsair RM850i is the best option for you if you're trying to keep costs down.

The Corsair HX and AX series offer several extra features as well as increased efficiency, but these upgrades are not necessary to run two cards and a single CPU.

 

[Rogue Leader]

850w is fine for your setup. I personally feel Platinum efficiency is overkill, unless power is ultra expensive where you live you will never see a monetary benefit. As well you will not see a performance benefit either.

I like the EVGA 850G2 in this group.

 

[weberdarren97]

EVGA G2 series is also very good quality. But I like the Corsair Link that's built into the RMi series, it gives you the ability to see what's going on with voltages at a hardware level. Not just that, but you can monitor other attributes of the power supply as well.

 

[_MOJO_]

I have a 1000 w EVGA SuperNova P2. I absolutely loved eveything from the packaging (I still use the bag for extra cords) to the extra features on the PSU. EVGA builds good GPUs and PSUs and Im sure you know the reputation of their customer service. My opinion is that the PSU is one of the key components of your build. I choose modular and Gold or Platinum and no less whatever I decide. GPUs are becoming more power efficient especially with the 10 series cards which are more efficient and powerful than some SLI configs. Anything over 1000 watts is probably overkill for your standard system.

When I was researching my build, I visited http://www.jonnyguru.com/ for a weatlh of information, reviews and insight for making a sound decision on your next PSU. It seems that you are taking this very seriously and have already done your homework based on your listed options. Im sure you will make a good choice. gl hf!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

If you don't use link , get thr RMx series.

 

[N1kosBond]

850w is fine for your setup. I personally feel Platinum efficiency is overkill, unless power is ultra expensive where you live you will never see a monetary benefit. As well you will not see a performance benefit either.

I like the EVGA 850G2 in this group.

With gold or platinum it goes without saying that it wont burn any parts of the build and that there is no real benefit between these for electricity cost like for example bronze vs platinum, I know that much
But what I care about is the quality of the power it provides, meaning longer lifespan for my components. The components that allow for higher efficiency also provide more stable power with less ripple and variation at the voltages of the +3.3v/+5/+12v rails

The thing is, if we suppose that the pc will be in use for 7 years, will it make that much of a difference?

 

[Rogue Leader]

850w is fine for your setup. I personally feel Platinum efficiency is overkill, unless power is ultra expensive where you live you will never see a monetary benefit. As well you will not see a performance benefit either.

I like the EVGA 850G2 in this group.

With gold or platinum it goes without saying that it wont burn any parts of the build and that there is no real benefit between these for electricity cost like for example bronze vs platinum, I know that much
But what I care about is the quality of the power it provides, meaning longer lifespan for my components. The components that allow for higher efficiency also provide more stable power with less ripple and variation at the voltages of the +3.3v/+5/+12v rails

The thing is, if we suppose that the pc will be in use for 7 years, will it make that much of a difference?

No it won't and to be honest CPUs tend to last forever if you don't overheat them.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

850W RMx is a better power supply and has a 10 year warranty.

 

[N1kosBond]

850W RMx is a better power supply and has a 10 year warranty.

No offense, but Corsair says otherwise:
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/blog/2015/june/rm-rmi-hxi

 

[N1kosBond]

No it won't and to be honest CPUs tend to last forever if you don't overheat them.

I built a pc for by brother on december, and got a gpu burned cuz I bought the cheapest 750W 80+ gold psu I could find, so Im overreacting a bit, or a lot, whatever 😛

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I meant over the the G2.

Not over RMi.

 

[Rogue Leader]

No it won't and to be honest CPUs tend to last forever if you don't overheat them.

I built a pc for by brother on december, and got a gpu burned cuz I bought the cheapest 750W 80+ gold psu I could find, so Im overreacting a bit, or a lot, whatever 😛

Yep Cheap PSU could do that, Efficiency ratings have no relation to performance or quality. There are some Gold PSUs out there that are junk.

 

[N1kosBond]

I meant over the the G2.

Not over RMi.

Oh sorry then


I will go with a gold one, RMi / G2 /XFX Pro depending on what reviews I can find, thx for the help

 

[N1kosBond]

No it won't and to be honest CPUs tend to last forever if you don't overheat them.

I built a pc for by brother on december, and got a gpu burned cuz I bought the cheapest 750W 80+ gold psu I could find, so Im overreacting a bit, or a lot, whatever 😛

Yep Cheap PSU could do that, Efficiency ratings have no relation to performance or quality. There are some Gold PSUs out there that are junk.

Sorry for not specifing, when I talk about PSUs its only between Seasoning/XFX/EVGA/Corsair rarely including Antec or Thermaltake

It was an XFX TS 750W Gold
There was a bigger varriation in voltages than it should, you wouldnt call it faulty, just not good enough

 

[Rogue Leader]

That is very surprising, as the XFX TS is an excellent PSU and actually manufactured by Seasonic. Very likely it was faulty, because that should not have happened with such a good PSU.