[SOLVED] Do power supplies impact computer performance?

[odiukurac70]

I just got back into discovering more about components and computers overall recently and instantly remembered this site and community, I have always had good answers here, so after a long time I came back. My question is: could it be that my components are underperforming because of a power supply?

 

[nofanneeded]

Not with a GTX 1060 and an i7.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3G...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-550gb3

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rx...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-650gb3


$60 !!!

 

[COLGeek]

But to me that doesn’t make sense. The PSU cannot tell the system it is reaching its limit and to throttle down. The system just draws the current it needs from the rails, if the psu cannot meet that current requirement and the voltages go out of spec the system will crash/restart and not throttle. I may be missing something, the bit I don’t follow is the psu and system don’t communicate with each other and the system just tries to draw what it needs. I’ve also never seen any reviews claim or show performance can be impacted but seen it mentioned in forum posts many times.

I get it. An overtaxed PSU can get quite warm/hot. This could be problematic in terms of performance (contribute to conditions leading to throttling).

"Dirty" power can also be a concern in a similar fashion, especially if the GPU is drawing more power than the PSU can provide (stability). If you have to dial back the graphics settings to account for this overtaxing, it impacts performance.

These are the sorts of "performance" impacts that can occur.

 

[DSzymborski]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3G...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-550gb3

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rx...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-650gb3

And I assume you also have a link that SeaSonic stopped outsourcing this to Shenzhen Ruishengyuan?

 

[nofanneeded]

And I assume you also have a link that SeaSonic stopped outsourcing this to Shenzhen Ruishengyuan?

This is GOOD power supply . he does not need better ones. it is good and reliable.

 

[odiukurac70]

But to me that doesn’t make sense. The PSU cannot tell the system it is reaching its limit and to throttle down. The system just draws the current it needs from the rails, if the psu cannot meet that current requirement and the voltages go out of spec the system will crash/restart and not throttle. I may be missing something, the bit I don’t follow is the psu and system don’t communicate with each other and the system just tries to draw what it needs. I’ve also never seen any reviews claim or show performance can be impacted but seen it mentioned in forum posts many times.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3G...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-550gb3

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rx...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-650gb3


$60 !!!

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[odiukurac70]

But to me that doesn’t make sense. The PSU cannot tell the system it is reaching its limit and to throttle down. The system just draws the current it needs from the rails, if the psu cannot meet that current requirement and the voltages go out of spec the system will crash/restart and not throttle. I may be missing something, the bit I don’t follow is the psu and system don’t communicate with each other and the system just tries to draw what it needs. I’ve also never seen any reviews claim or show performance can be impacted but seen it mentioned in forum posts many times.

I get it. An overtaxed PSU can get quite warm/hot. This could be problematic in terms of performance (contribute to conditions leading to throttling).

"Dirty" power can also be a concern in a similar fashion, especially if the GPU is drawing more power than the PSU can provide (stability). If you have to dial back the graphics settings to account for this overtaxing, it impacts performance.

These are the sorts of "performance" impacts that can occur.

But sizzling made an interesting reply. Could it be that the components don't actually communicate with the psu in terms of throttling down and such?

 

[King_V]

Yes, well your generic 400 PSU is a bust. You need to replace it with a proper model asap. With only 14 amps on the +12 volt it can only push 168 watts where you need the most power. Who knows if it has any operational protective circuitry at all?

Ugh, yet another PSU where the name/model has a number in it, in this case, to imply 400W, when it's actually a 250W unit according to its power specs label.

(but, as @Archaic59 pointed out, for real-world purposes, it's 168W)

 

[King_V]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3G...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-550gb3

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rx...-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-ssr-650gb3


$60 !!!

The Seasonic Core, Focus, Focus Plus, and Prime are all excellent PSUs.
The Seasonic S12II models (note Roman Numeral 2) are old designs, but very solid.

The Seasonic S12III (note Roman Numeral 3), however, is NOT known to be a quality PSU, and should generally be avoided.

EDIT: also, those are US prices. It would help to know what country OP is in, and what countries they can purchase/order from, to try to get a good PSU.

In the US, the Corsair CX 450 (2017) is currently $45 after $20 mail-in rebate. With an i7 and GTX 1060, it should be able to handle the load. It's the bare minimum that I'd suggest.

 

[nofanneeded]

The Seasonic S12III (note Roman Numeral 3), however, is NOT known to be a quality PSU, and should generally be avoided.

sorry you are wrong . more over these power supplies come with 5 years warranty from the best PSU maker on the planet.

your problem is "not listed in tier bla bla list"

here are the full specs

https://seasonic.com/s12iii?__cf_ch...6sfUX4QIcsncxLAKUCHnszMYLts6L6g#specification


@op , This power supply is very good and enough.

 

[King_V]

No, I actually don't use the Tier List.

And yes, I believe the question that @DSzymborski asked, and you neglected to answer, is VERY relevant.

Further, from here:

THAT being said, there ARE some units being sold with the Seasonic label that are NOT built by Seasonic. They use Seasonic designed platforms but are built by RSY. For now I believe these are limited to the S12III models, and they should be COMPLETELY avoided, because they are not good quality and in my opinion should not be allowed to carry the Seasonic name, but instead should have been relegated to the Hydrance or Energy power enterprise products which I understand are Seasonic subsidiaries that do not carry the Seasonic brand name. They are not good units based on reviews so far and should be avoided. If that changes based on new information then I will happily remove this paragraph but until then, stay away from them if you are expecting something that is "typical" of Seasonic. These S12III models, are not.

 

[DSzymborski]

This is GOOD power supply . he does not need better ones. it is good and reliable.

So then, the answer is no, you do not have the link, then?

Let's see the oscilloscope readout.

 

[COLGeek]

But sizzling made an interesting reply. Could it be that the components don't actually communicate with the psu in terms of throttling down and such?

While it is true that the components, in this case, don't communicate, there is an indirect relationship.

 

[Archaic59]

No, I actually don't use the Tier List.

And yes, I believe the question that @DSzymborski asked, and you neglected to answer, is VERY relevant.

Further, from here:

The fact that the S12III is not made by Seasonic and lacks OCP & OTP is enough to put me off.

 

[DSzymborski]

sorry you are wrong . more over these power supplies come with 5 years warranty from the best PSU maker on the planet.

your problem is "not listed in tier bla bla list"




@op , This power supply is very good and enough.

And your problem is that you continually give awful advice, something for which you're notorious for among the regulars. There's a reason that fewer than one-in-100 of your posts result in a solution.

And SeaSonic giving only a five-year warranty, less than the warranty they give for the stuff they make does speak volumes, just not what you think they're saying. If given the opportunity, you'd give the go-ahead to a power supply that was just peanut butter smeared on a cracker if someone slapped an 80 Plus sticker on it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think this is the exact answer you are looking for.

https://www.corsair.com/eu/es/blog/why-does-a-better-power-supply-mean-a-better-computer-experience

 

[odiukurac70]

I think this is the exact answer you are looking for.

https://www.corsair.com/eu/es/blog/why-does-a-better-power-supply-mean-a-better-computer-experience

Yes, that's about it! A few other things, but overall, yes. Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

If given the opportunity, you'd give the go-ahead to a power supply that was just peanut butter smeared on a cracker if someone slapped an 80 Plus sticker on it.

Those are delicious, if you don't mind picking plastic out of your teeth afterwards. Not very useful for running hardware though, much like some lesser quality power supplies.

 

[King_V]

Well, now I'm hungry.

 

[Archaic59]

Well, now I'm hungry.

I'm allergic...sigh.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Peanut allergies and cheap power supplies, those are both the worst. Except Covid. That's worse. LOL.

 

[DavidLee45484]

I just got back into discovering more about components and computers overall recently and instantly remembered this site and community, I have always had good answers here, so after a long time I came back. My question is: could it be that my components are underperforming because of a power supply?

Yes. Lower watt PSU leads to underperforming . You can find the computer is slow and the power supply is always hot.

 

[jonnyguru]

Hmmm I have seen it stated that a psu can impact performance but I’m yet to see any reviews or testing to back that up and have my doubts about the claim but cannot say for sure. I agree it can impact stability and length of component life. I have never seen a psu cause lost performance.

Problem is, reviewers are like, "Got this new product! It works! Yay! 5 stars! Off to the next review!" tear down, set up all new parts.

The only people that know the facts are the ones in the trenches working in IT, tech support and RMA that see failures every day.