Question Is there a disadvantage with buying a bigger PSU besides the price?

[Jtlie]

Hi, so I'm planning to build a new PC and I was thinking about buying the Corsair HX750 V2 or Corsair HX850 V2. But after that, I noticed Corsair HX1000 V2 was actually the same price or cheaper in some stores. I know 1000W is overkill but is there a disadvantage over buying Corsair HX1000 V2?

Also, what is the difference between the Corsair V2 series and the Corsair i series? Like the Corsair HX850 V2 and Corsair HX850i.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Metal Messiah.]

What are your FULL PC specs first of all ? It won't matter if you grab a higher Wattage PSU, you are just going to have some headroom for future upgrades. I don't think there is any disadvantage though. But first we need to know how much your PC really requires in terms of Wattage.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Btw, I just wanted to add some extra info on this issue, kind of off topic.

Wattage number alone is not always important. The quality and the make matters. The main concern is the "quality" of the power, the quality of the components used/CAPS, as well as the total AMP drawn on the +12V RAIL (output), the efficiency under load, "ripple suppression", among other factors.

The total wattage number of any PSU is not always really the most important deciding factor, primary concern is the 'quality' of power it produces, and the total capacity of the 12V source etc.

Also, the extra power won't go wasted, it just won't get fully utilized. Let me explain------------> If suppose you have a 500W PSU installed on any RIG, then that does not mean that it will always draw the full wattage/500 W.

Nope....... The amount of power drawn is determined by the number of components on that rig/computer, and how much they actually require. The amount of power drawn will only be equal to what is required, and not more.

Suppose, if all the components of a rig require 400 W to run, then the "load" on the PSU will be 400 W, and hence the power draw of that particular PC will always be 400 W (depending on the efficiency obviously), regardless of whether a 500 Watt or a 1000 W PSU is installed. PSU efficiency is a different matter though, as how well the PSU converts the AC power it receives from the outlet, to DC.

Any electricity which is not converted from AC to DC, is given off as heat. A PLATINUM certified PSU might help you save a little on your electricity bill, over a year, though this depends on many other factors as well. Because any high quality Tier 1 platinum certified PSU is rated for at least 90% efficiency at 20% load, 92% at 50% load, and 89% at 100% load (just a rough estimate).

 

[Satan-IR]

A computers PSU's DC output is equal to the power the components need at any given moment, which might vary marginally due to power saving or max power settings on components like CPUs and GPUs etc, however the PSU selected must be able to meet the peak/maximum load plus 10-15% overhead.

So if for example the peak power requirement of your PC is 470W it doesn't matter if you have a 550W or a 750W or a 1KW PSU. The output would be 470W.

The disadvantage, if you can call it that, is decent PSUs are at the peak of their efficiency when they are at certain loads (for some it's around 50% load for example). When you get an overkill PSU the unit would work at for example 35% of it's capacity and that affects efficiency. That is the PSU draws more from the AC outlet to give you a certain amount of DC at lower efficiency levels/loads. This however is not a harmful effect per se. Although if you're concerned about conserving energy, and being "green" as it were, efficiency matters.

EDIT: I didn't refresh and Metal Messiah must have posted while I was typing. He said it all, my post is somehow redundant.

 

[Jtlie]

What are your FULL PC specs first of all ? It won't matter if you grab a higher Wattage PSU, you are just going to have some headroom for future upgrades. I don't think there is any disadvantage though. But first we need to know how much your PC really requires in terms of Wattage.

I'm not 100% sure which components I'm gonna get. I'm probably gonna wait for the new Ryzen CPU's te be released and wait for the reviews.

I'm currenctly thining about:

• Ryzen 3900x
• Some X570 motherboard (No idea which)
• Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro CMW32GX4M2A2666C16
• Corsair Carbide SPEC-OMEGA RGB Zwart
• Gigabyte GTX 1070 G1 Gaming (still form by old build)
• Corsair Hydro H115i RGB Platinum
• Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB
• 2 HDD from my old build

Might have forgotten some things

 

[Metal Messiah.]

That's okay....But still 1K high quality PSU might be a bit overkill, but I don't see any problem using a higher Wattage PSU either. If you are getting it at the same price, or even cheaper, then grab it. It would be very good investment for the future, IMHO.

 

[lux1109]

I agree with all the above replies given. It won't hurt getting a high wattage psu, and like you have mentioned, the price is also attractive, then it's a good deal, imo..