[SOLVED] Good power supplies for PC flips?

Insane Potatoz

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Sep 22, 2019
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Hey everyone, I have gotten into PC flipping and have constantly had trouble finding a decent power supply to use. Every time I suggest one I get shot down by you guys, so here I am just asking; what are power supplies that are good for flipping low end to mid range PCs?
 
Solution
A few decently priced budget options are:
Corsair CX (grey label, NOT green label), TXM, CV650 (CV <650W is group reg rather than DC-DC, avoid those units), CXM (750W and above has the same internals as green label CX, but you shouldnt be using CXM to power anything that actually needs that much power)
bequiet System Power (U)9, Pure Power 10, Pure Power 11
Coolermaster MWE Bronze
EVGA B3

These are among the cheapest units that are still DC-DC regulated and dont have any other significant issues. Most cheaper units will be group regulated, where multiple voltage rails are regulated together, and when a crossload occurs (for example, when 12V is loaded a lot, and 5V a little), this tied together regulation often causes the rails to go...
A few decently priced budget options are:
Corsair CX (grey label, NOT green label), TXM, CV650 (CV <650W is group reg rather than DC-DC, avoid those units), CXM (750W and above has the same internals as green label CX, but you shouldnt be using CXM to power anything that actually needs that much power)
bequiet System Power (U)9, Pure Power 10, Pure Power 11
Coolermaster MWE Bronze
EVGA B3

These are among the cheapest units that are still DC-DC regulated and dont have any other significant issues. Most cheaper units will be group regulated, where multiple voltage rails are regulated together, and when a crossload occurs (for example, when 12V is loaded a lot, and 5V a little), this tied together regulation often causes the rails to go out of spec in performance for voltage regulation.

And if you ever do something higher end (around 2070S/5700XT is where I draw the line):
Corsair TXM, RMx, RM (though this is a pretty loud unit), HX/HXi
EVGA G2/P2/T2, G3 (also can be a loud unit, thanks to the poor fan curve)
Coolermaster MWE Gold
bequiet Straight Power 11
Enermax Revolution D.F.
Bitfenix Whisper M, Formula Gold
Seasonic Focus, Prime

These have more protections than the aforementioned budget units.
 
Solution

Insane Potatoz

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Sep 22, 2019
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How is your PC flipping going? I tried it for 3 years. Not what I call my best years. The worst part is when they call you when something is not working.

"Well you sold me the computer so why is my chrome crashing?"
Not the worst ever. I kinda just got into it. I've been building PCs for people for a long time, but this is the first few times I've actually bought parts and tried to sell without someone asking me first.
I recently just sold a computer for $400 that I managed to put together for $140 cause I got free parts :)
 

Insane Potatoz

Reputable
Sep 22, 2019
768
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4,990
A few decently priced budget options are:
Corsair CX (grey label, NOT green label), TXM, CV650 (CV <650W is group reg rather than DC-DC, avoid those units), CXM (750W and above has the same internals as green label CX, but you shouldnt be using CXM to power anything that actually needs that much power)
bequiet System Power (U)9, Pure Power 10, Pure Power 11
Coolermaster MWE Bronze
EVGA B3

These are among the cheapest units that are still DC-DC regulated and dont have any other significant issues. Most cheaper units will be group regulated, where multiple voltage rails are regulated together, and when a crossload occurs (for example, when 12V is loaded a lot, and 5V a little), this tied together regulation often causes the rails to go out of spec in performance for voltage regulation.

And if you ever do something higher end (around 2070S/5700XT is where I draw the line):
Corsair TXM, RMx, RM (though this is a pretty loud unit), HX/HXi
EVGA G2/P2/T2, G3 (also can be a loud unit, thanks to the poor fan curve)
Coolermaster MWE Gold
bequiet Straight Power 11
Enermax Revolution D.F.
Bitfenix Whisper M, Formula Gold
Seasonic Focus, Prime

These have more protections than the aforementioned budget units.
Thanks for the detailed reply!
How do you feel about the SeaSonic S12III? I know they're not seasonic manufactured... Are they group regulated too?
 
What is the cheapest power supply you'd put in a low end PC flip?
Define "low end". Because there are some PCs that I would be okay with putting a "decent" group reg unit into, if its the only option for something decently priced. Stuff like APU systems or systems with no or very little supplemental power going to the graphics card, like RX 560 or GTX 1050/1650. For anything ~1660 Super and above though, I wouldnt do that.
 

Insane Potatoz

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Sep 22, 2019
768
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Define "low end". Because there are some PCs that I would be okay with putting a "decent" group reg unit into, if its the only option for something decently priced. Stuff like APU systems or systems with no or very little supplemental power going to the graphics card, like RX 560 or GTX 1050/1650. For anything ~1660 Super and above though, I wouldnt do that.
Talking about like first to 3rd gen intel with r9 270x type thing
 

punkncat

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Something that I would "add" to the conversation.

In normal pricing times there are a variety of name brand value PSU available. In my own experience I have had very good luck in the past with Corsair, Antec, and Thermaltake units. I have had what I could consider acceptable performance from the cheap EVGA white units. The IMPORTANT aspect here is both a considered risk as well as a rule of thumb, as it were. IF you are going to go with a cheap power supply make sure you recognize who they are and rate it's output to 200% what you consider the peak draw of the target system (if possible).

You can find many of the units I have referenced above, during normal pricing, from $25-50 and ranging in the 400+ to 600 watts. Many of these units are perfect for i3/5, R3/5 builds, older refreshes, etc. and will power lower to mid end cards. Particularly where you are dealing with total supply of used equipment to build a budget machine, normal conventions like using top end power supplies can take a back seat to value for the dollar against competitors. I don't feel like even the cheap name brand power supplies are more or less worse than some of the pre built offerings.

Just my .02 and not by any means "right", just for your consideration. It all comes down to frequency of repair/warranty if you offer such. Good luck.
 
Something that I would "add" to the conversation.

In normal pricing times there are a variety of name brand value PSU available. In my own experience I have had very good luck in the past with Corsair, Antec, and Thermaltake units. I have had what I could consider acceptable performance from the cheap EVGA white units. The IMPORTANT aspect here is both a considered risk as well as a rule of thumb, as it were. IF you are going to go with a cheap power supply make sure you recognize who they are and rate it's output to 200% what you consider the peak draw of the target system (if possible).

You can find many of the units I have referenced above, during normal pricing, from $25-50 and ranging in the 400+ to 600 watts. Many of these units are perfect for i3/5, R3/5 builds, older refreshes, etc. and will power lower to mid end cards. Particularly where you are dealing with total supply of used equipment to build a budget machine, normal conventions like using top end power supplies can take a back seat to value for the dollar against competitors. I don't feel like even the cheap name brand power supplies are more or less worse than some of the pre built offerings.

Just my .02 and not by any means "right", just for your consideration. It all comes down to frequency of repair/warranty if you offer such. Good luck.
model > brand, as always. A lot of "name brand units" exist that I wouldnt touch, like EVGA N1, W1, Corsair CX green label, VS 2012, and a lot of thermaltake units. But do make sure the company you buy from has at least decent customer support/warranty. The actual quality of the product will depend a lot more on what OEM the company chose to use, what specifications they gave that OEM, and how the OEM designed it.

As for the 200% point, I wouldn't really say that much. Ideally you want to keep PSU load at 60-80%, any lower and you lose efficiency (and that wont really hurt, but you dont gain anything from going lower), and going higher is generally not a good idea for longevity. You also want to leave a bit of room for transient spikes, 25-50W I'd say. So while a 500W PSU for a 2080 Ti + 3700X build (for example, which would draw just around 450-500W) is a terrible idea, 850-1000W is just a waste of money.
 

punkncat

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model > brand, as always. A lot of "name brand units" exist that I wouldnt touch, like EVGA N1, W1, Corsair CX green label, VS 2012, and a lot of thermaltake units. But do make sure the company you buy from has at least decent customer support/warranty. The actual quality of the product will depend a lot more on what OEM the company chose to use, what specifications they gave that OEM, and how the OEM designed it.

As for the 200% point, I wouldn't really say that much. Ideally you want to keep PSU load at 60-80%, any lower and you lose efficiency (and that wont really hurt, but you dont gain anything from going lower), and going higher is generally not a good idea for longevity. You also want to leave a bit of room for transient spikes, 25-50W I'd say. So while a 500W PSU for a 2080 Ti + 3700X build (for example, which would draw just around 450-500W) is a terrible idea, 850-1000W is just a waste of money.

But the question here isn't quality so much as expected ability to do the job for a profitable flip.

I don't use EVGA 600W white builds on my personal gaming rig, but totally have used it for an R3 GTX960 build that I put together for a flip under budget. Ideal? No, but totally workable. Out of quite a few of those units I have purchased both new and refurbished I have had ONE issue out of all of them on a system that I well surpassed my rule of thumb on power draw. The 200% was a bit tongue in cheek.

I cannot see the point in recommending a $80-100 power supply on a used equipment resale that's targeted to the ~300 range.
 
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