Question Is buying an overpowered PSU a bad idea ?

[7medd]

Good evening,
I want to know what PSU to buy for my PC . I made this one https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GJtvyK and put inside a 2 years old LC-POWER LC8850III V2.3 ARKANGEL 3 / 850W .. I know it was too much, I had that PSU in my gaming PC and worked fine. Now when transferred to new PC it worked for like a week and then died (smelt burnt)

Now I will buy a new one . I was wondering if it was a mistake to put a 850W psu into a system that pulls like 150W max ? I might buy this one MASTER V550 / 80PLUS GOLD V2 if it is safe

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

was wondering if it was a mistake to put a 850W psu into a system that pulls like 150W max ?

a system will only draw the necessary power to run it's components.
so having an "overpowered" power supply would have no negative aspect whatsoever.

using a lower quality unreliable model on the other hand, is a very bad idea and probably the largest cause of system failures and damaged components.

Cooler Master makes some high quality models, while also producing some very low quality potentially dangerous models, but i've no personal experience with this V550 that you mention.

 

[bill001g]

In some ways it might be better to have a power supply that is lot larger than the expected load. It would run more efficiently and in some cases could run with out the fan running or the fan running very slowly so it would be quiet.

Very few people do that because of the cost. What people do is try to buy a larger power supply for the same cost as power supply with less power. If both power supplies are high quality then you are fine but it usually doesn't work out that way.
Most times with power supplies quality power supplies have similar prices and cost more than a lot of the lessor known brands.

A power supply is one of the harder things to buy because there is no easy way to tell what parts are really inside. This is one of those things you are better off buying a very well known brand and avoid the budget models even from the best suppliers.
Now if you want to buy a 1500watt power supply to put in your machine that only need 350 as long as it is a quality power supply the only downside will be how much money you have left in your wallet.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, "overpowered" isn't really a thing. An 850W PSU no more kills itself because it only puts out 250W of power than a Ferrari blows up because you're only driving 50 mph. Only the power that is because used is relevant and only the powerbeing asked for is being used. It could be something else with the PSU that is unrelated; this PSU looks reasonably competent for an LC-Power, but there's a reason I say for an LC-Power. It's a bargain basement company that stuffs as many cheap parts as they can into their PSUs. An 850W Gold-rated PSU with a modern topology but still saved money by not having proper power factor correction is absolutely hilarious, like going to a high-end restaurant and one of the appetizers is "gas station hot dog purchased fresh from the gas station at the corner."

I think you'd do best not obsessing about whether your PSUs are overpowered and thinking a little more about what your PSUs are good and whether they're meeting your needs.

 

[logainofhades]

The coolermaster V series golds are decent units, but there are better options, that are typically cheaper. More PSU doesn't hurt anything. At worst it will be less efficient, as it has such a low load. Your old PSU was a low quality unit.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Treat yourself to a high-quality power supply. It’s worth it.

 

[7medd]

Thank you all for the clarifications , now I looked into this tier list and the CM V550 V2 MPY-AFBAG looks like a good unit I think . It is rated tier 1 and in my country I couldnt find better choices like 400 W gold and well rated units

 

[kerberos_20]

so having an "overpowered" power supply would have no negative aspect whatsoever.

there migh be drawback on increased wattage on low load over smaller PSU

 

[Vic 40]

Do you think you will add dedicated gpu in time?

 

[7medd]

Do you think you will add dedicated gpu in time?

No it is for using office and basic software

 

[geofelt]

Nothing wrong with overprovisioning a psu. The extra cost is really the only negative.
Whenever you buy a PSU, do not buy a cheap psu.

A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It may not have all safety and overload protections.
The danger is if it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability;
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive.

Do not buy one.

Tier lists are opinions, and not always good.
To my mind, look at the warranty of the psu you are buying. If it is at least 7 years, you will get a good quality unit. Corsair rmx or seasonic focus are good places to start.

 

[sonofjesse]

Buy quality unit, it will last a LONG time.

If never adding a GPU, then you can go lower wattage.

 

[logainofhades]

Thank you all for the clarifications , now I looked into this tier list and the CM V550 V2 MPY-AFBAG looks like a good unit I think . It is rated tier 1 and in my country I couldnt find better choices like 400 W gold and well rated units

You happen to have some links to sites your are looking at for this? There's nothing really wrong with that CM, but want to make sure you get the best deal possible, while staying with a quality PSU. That PSU tier list is severely out of date.

 

[AntonyLovric]

Putting a higher rating power supply will have no negative effects. I've done this just recently because I had a 180W PSU in a small HP case, I needed 300'ish watts and purchased a 500 watt supply, it should run cooler than a 300 watt one.

One important thing I'll echo, you're better off to get a quality supply that has a slightly lower rating. (Better construction, quieter, etc.)

 

[7medd]

You happen to have some links to sites your are looking at for this? There's nothing really wrong with that CM, but want to make sure you get the best deal possible, while staying with a quality PSU. That PSU tier list is severely out of date.

Yes I'm aware that list is outdated but it is was the most helpful site I found.
Concerning the choice I'm quite limited because of where I live. This is where I'm looking. 1$ = 3.11 DT
That cooler master costs 122 $