[SOLVED] How much power PSU I need ?

Swiftbasic1978

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Sep 18, 2021
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Seems to me for 10+ years, my Zalman 850 did not work correctly any more...

Please advise me how much power I need:

Core 11400
ASUS Z590-P
16 GB DDR 4 HYPER X
GTX 980
SOUND BLASTER

and the usual's as DVD ROM, 2 SSDs, etc.

In general, PC for gaming. There is no point in overpaying for 850 watts?
 
Solution
That is a low-quality model; ancient, group-regulated (this can be seen by the fact that it can't do anywhere near its total output in +12V power) and very inefficient. Basically on a 15-year-old Enhance platform with cheap capacitors and limited filtering. Wouldn't run a GTX 980 with this, let alone a 3080.

DSzymborski

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So even if I buy in a year Geforce 3080 I will be safe with 750 watt?

Probably, though 850W is recommended because the 3080 is very spiky.

However, that's a quality PSU. It's hard to say without knowing the exact model, but Zalman sells a lot of low-quality PSUs, some at high wattages, and if you have one of those, you lucked out by not having enough damage to the PSU from years of poor voltage regulation and high ripple to have a problem you could see with the naked eye.
 

Swiftbasic1978

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Sep 18, 2021
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However, that's a quality PSU. It's hard to say without knowing the exact model, but Zalman sells a lot of low-quality PSUs, some at high wattages, and if you have one of those, you lucked out by not having enough damage to the PSU from years of poor voltage regulation and high ripple to have a problem you could see with the naked eye.
[/QUOTE]

My current model is ZM850-HP. It doesn't look like a low quality model... The only issue I have with it now is 3,744 V (highlighted in red in Bios) instead of +3,3 V
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
That is a low-quality model; ancient, group-regulated (this can be seen by the fact that it can't do anywhere near its total output in +12V power) and very inefficient. Basically on a 15-year-old Enhance platform with cheap capacitors and limited filtering. Wouldn't run a GTX 980 with this, let alone a 3080.
 
Solution

Swiftbasic1978

Prominent
Sep 18, 2021
55
1
535
That is a low-quality model; ancient, group-regulated (this can be seen by the fact that it can't do anywhere near its total output in +12V power) and very inefficient. Basically on a 15-year-old Enhance platform with cheap capacitors and limited filtering. Wouldn't run a GTX 980 with this, let alone a 3080.
Which PSU models around 850 W you can recommend me? Thanks!
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
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Swiftbasic1978

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Sep 18, 2021
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Thanks. I have installed Corsair RM850X (2021 Edition).
Quick question - I have Geforce 980. Do I need to plug 2 different 8 pins PCIe to PSU and to video card? Each cable has additional 8 pins on one end.
SO the question do I use single PCI e and use both 8 pins or I need two separate PCIe?
 
Last edited:
Always best practice to run two separate cables from the power supply. And if your case has a cutout in the bottom where the power supply goes, that can be used to draw cool air into the power supply and then exhaust out the rear of the case with the fan facing down and is better in my opinion. If there's no cutout, fit it with the fan facing up as facing it down with no cutout would mean it wouldn't be able to draw in cool air.
 
Why FAN up? Even if this case has a place for taking the air from the bottom?

Jon is also right, you can do it either way. I prefer the power supply pulling in cold air from the bottom and that air never entering the case. But if you have the fan facing up, it can also act to pull warm air out of the case.

If you have a case with good airflow, I'd mount it facing down. But if airflow isn't so good, might want to have it facing upwards sucking hot air out of the case.