Question Need help and advice picking a decent PSU for my first dedicated gaming. Plus a psu for future proofing.

[hicks451]

Hi all.
I am in the middle of building my first gaming PC (specs below) but I need some help and advice picking a decent PSU that will have enough power for my current setup but enough power for when I upgrade to a better CPU and graphics card. I am running a Alderlake 12th Gen i5 but want to get a i9 at some point and I am also using a Nvidea Msi 3060 but also want to upgrade to a better 3 series or even a 4 series in the future. Is it even possible to do it like this or should I just opt for a PSU that best suits my build now and upgrade the PSU again once I upgrade the pair I want? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

AL i5
Msi Meg Z690 Ace Motherboard
Msi Nvidea 3060 GC
Samsung M2 ssd
32 gb ddr5 memory
240 CPU cooler and 4 120 fans

 

[Ralston18]

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Be sure to run some of the calculators. Look for a consensus wattage value.

 

[hicks451]

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Be sure to run some of the calculators. Look for a consensus wattage value.

Thank you Ralston18. I will check them out and let you know how I get on later today. Thanks again 👍

 

[DRagor]

The question about future proofing is how soon you will upgrade? If within two-three years or faster it certainly makes sense to buy PSU with your future build in mind. If it will take longer you may buy just for current build. The reason is new cards will (probably) soon start using 16-pin connector and none of current PSUs have it; so even if you buy high wattage unit now it may not be capable of running future GPUs because of that. And we still even don't know if adapters will be possible.

 

[Eximo]

ATX 12VO is also on the horizon. And given the silly power requirements they are talking about for the next gen GPUs we can use all the efficiency we can get.

 

[WarWolverineWarrior]

NewEgg has a sale on EVGA. You can pick up a EVGA 1000W Gold or 850W Platinum. I think there is a new connector for GPUs that is coming out, so you should research that for "future proofing".

 

[hicks451]

Thanks again for your help Ralston18. That link was a great help to me. I think I might abandon the future proof idea and just get a suitable PSU for this setup and just upgrade the PSU when I finally upgrade my Cpu & Gc to save me from making any over power mistakes. I have been looking at the (Corsair RM750X) but I will ask around for some more advice before I go ahead and buy one. Thanks again. Have a great rest of your week. ✌👍

 

[Eximo]

Thanks again for your help Ralston18. That link was a great help to me. I think I might abandon the future proof idea and just get a suitable PSU for this setup and just upgrade the PSU when I finally upgrade my Cpu & Gc to save me from making any over power mistakes. I have been looking at the (Corsair RM750X) but I will ask around for some more advice before I go ahead and buy one. Thanks again. Have a great rest of your week. ✌👍

A fine choice for a 3060.

 

[Ralston18]

You are welcome.

But absolutely do look around and watch your post for other ideas and suggestions such as have been made.

PSU requirements and the selection process is a common question and overall concern.

The more you learn the more likely you will find a good quality PSU suited to your requirements.

And do not forget to take a close look at potential sellers/vendors. Especially with respect to RMAs. Just in case....

 

[geofelt]

A very relevant question.
For sizing a psu, I find this chart to be handy:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
For a 3060, the indicated power is 550w.
I think it does pay to plan ahead on a big jump in gpu power.

There is good news on two fronts:

1. A overprovisioned psu will only consume the power required of it, regardless of the max capability.
2. The incremental price difference from 550w/650w/750s/850w can be very small.

Some supposed 4000 series cards are rumored to require lots of power.
OTOH, smaller chip tech should be working in the other direction.

CPU power may be greater for a I9 class processor, but not by all that much.

I might guess that 850w will do the job for some time.
Yes, new cards may have a different 12 pin power connector, but there will be adapters or such cards will not sell well.

What you should not scrimp on is PSU quality.
In the absence of other quality info, look for a psu with a 7 to 10 year warranty and you should be ok.

I might add that if your processor needs a 240 aio, it is likely that a good twin tower type air cooler will perform equally well.

Here is a new review worth reading:
https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/noctua-nh-d12l-cpu-cooler-review,1.html

A well ventilated case is needed for either air or liquid.

 

[Zerk2012]

Thanks again for your help Ralston18. That link was a great help to me. I think I might abandon the future proof idea and just get a suitable PSU for this setup and just upgrade the PSU when I finally upgrade my Cpu & Gc to save me from making any over power mistakes. I have been looking at the (Corsair RM750X) but I will ask around for some more advice before I go ahead and buy one. Thanks again. Have a great rest of your week. ✌👍

Depends on the future upgrades. I would buy nothing less than 850 watts and probably 1K watts since the rumors are the RTX 4000 series are going to require more power.

For your average person they usually only upgrade the video card one time during the life of the PC.

Upgrading for myself I can't think of a single time I just upgraded a processor, since I buy Intel that always means a new motherboard also since they are only good for 2 generations or sometimes just a refresh.

 

[hicks451]

A fine choice for a 3060.

Thank you Eximo. 👍

 

[hicks451]

You are welcome.

But absolutely do look around and watch your post for other ideas and suggestions such as have been made.

PSU requirements and the selection process is a common question and overall concern.

The more you learn the more likely you will find a good quality PSU suited to your requirements.

And do not forget to take a close look at potential sellers/vendors. Especially with respect to RMAs. Just in case....

Will do Ralston18. 👍

 

[hicks451]

Depends on the future upgrades. I would buy nothing less than 850 watts and probably 1K watts since the rumors are the RTX 4000 series are going to require more power.

For your average person they usually only upgrade the video card one time during the life of the PC.

Upgrading for myself I can't think of a single time I just upgraded a processor, since I buy Intel that always means a new motherboard also since they are only good for 2 generations or sometimes just a refresh.

Thanks for the reply Zerk2012. Appreciate the help. Have a great weekend. ✌️

 

[hicks451]

A very relevant question.
For sizing a psu, I find this chart to be handy:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
For a 3060, the indicated power is 550w.
I think it does pay to plan ahead on a big jump in gpu power.

There is good news on two fronts:

1. A overprovisioned psu will only consume the power required of it, regardless of the max capability.
2. The incremental price difference from 550w/650w/750s/850w can be very small.

Some supposed 4000 series cards are rumored to require lots of power.
OTOH, smaller chip tech should be working in the other direction.

CPU power may be greater for a I9 class processor, but not by all that much.

I might guess that 850w will do the job for some time.
Yes, new cards may have a different 12 pin power connector, but there will be adapters or such cards will not sell well.

What you should not scrimp on is PSU quality.
In the absence of other quality info, look for a psu with a 7 to 10 year warranty and you should be ok.

I might add that if your processor needs a 240 aio, it is likely that a good twin tower type air cooler will perform equally well.

Here is a new review worth reading:
https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/noctua-nh-d12l-cpu-cooler-review,1.html

A well ventilated case is needed for either air or liquid.

Thank you for your reply geofelt. This is the 3060 I have bought (MSI GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GAMING X Ampere Graphics Card ) It comes with a 8 pin & 6 pin connectors so I am hoping the PSU I get will have the cables I need so I wont have to purchase any extra cables. I have also already purchased a aio but I think I might have made a mistake as I bought the MSI 240P and have seen that the R version has been having major issues so I might just use the i5 stock fan to start and pick up another aio that doesn't have any issues. I bought the Msi version so that everything matched with my motherboard before I saw the news on the R version so a noob mistake on my end. Well I will keep you all posted on the Psu I am considering and hopefully I can see what everyone thinks before I go ahead and order one. Have a great weekend geofelt

 

[hicks451]

The question about future proofing is how soon you will upgrade? If within two-three years or faster it certainly makes sense to buy PSU with your future build in mind. If it will take longer you may buy just for current build. The reason is new cards will (probably) soon start using 16-pin connector and none of current PSUs have it; so even if you buy high wattage unit now it may not be capable of running future GPUs because of that. And we still even don't know if adapters will be possible.

Thanks for your replyDRagor. You make a really good point there and something I didn't consider. From what I have been reading and watching It does look like the new cards are going to be power hungry little beasts so it does make sense that they will change the connector plugs to a new and bigger size so that might be something everyone will have to consider? Thanks again for your help. 👌

 

[hicks451]

I just want to apologise for deleting a comment because of a typo mistake at my end. I wanted to delete my comment as it duplicated but I think it may have deleted the whole reply. I also want to thank everyone for all your help and support. You have all been a massive help. Have a good one al. ✌️👌👍

 

[hicks451]

You are welcome.

But absolutely do look around and watch your post for other ideas and suggestions such as have been made.

PSU requirements and the selection process is a common question and overall concern.

The more you learn the more likely you will find a good quality PSU suited to your requirements.

And do not forget to take a close look at potential sellers/vendors. Especially with respect to RMAs. Just in case....

Dear Ralston18, May I ask you another noob question regarding the Psu and the difference between the plus versions and the x & w versions? I have been trying to find some more details regarding the difference but I have been unable to find a place where it explains everything in some detail. Apologise for the noob question. Many thanks 👍

 

[hicks451]

Here is one of the psu units I am considering as well as the Corsair RM750 X.
MSI MPG A850GF Modular ATX PSU - 850 W .
I am still considering the future proof idea but it looks like I might be better of just getting a Psu for this setup and just buy a more powerful Psu once I finally upgrade the CPU & GC. Who would of thought getting a Psu would be this important 😁Thanks again for all your patience and support!! Very grateful. 👍

 

[Ralston18]

"W" is for wattage.

However, I am sure that you already know that. Can you provide some reference regarding a "w" version?

The "X", as I understand it all, means that the PSU uses Japanese capacitors which are higher quality and more expensive to use. "Non-X" would be PSU's using Chinese capacitors - lower quality, less expensive. That is the trade-off....

However, I do not know if there any specific requirements involved. For example: all the capacitors must be Japanese or maybe just some number or percentage of them.

Unfortunately some of the actual differences may be more marketing than anything.

There may be other comments and information offered.

 

[hicks451]

"W" is for wattage.

However, I am sure that you already know that. Can you provide some reference regarding a "w" version?

The "X", as I understand it all, means that the PSU uses Japanese capacitors which are higher quality and more expensive to use. "Non-X" would be PSU's using Chinese capacitors - lower quality, less expensive. That is the trade-off....

However, I do not know if there any specific requirements involved. For example: all the capacitors must be Japanese or maybe just some number or percentage of them.

Unfortunately some of the actual differences may be more marketing than anything.

There may be other comments and information offered.

You are a gentleman Ralston18 and thank you kindly for taking the time for explaining the difference between the versions. Have a great week. 👍

 

[hicks451]

Ok I have finally seen the two Psu units I am considering. I am going to do some more digging on them first before I go ahead and finally chose the unit I will purchase.
Msi MPG A850GF 850 Watt Psu.
Corsair RM750X Psu.
Now I just need a case but the budget is fairly low. 😒

 

[hicks451]

I have finally decided on the Psu unit I am going to choose for my final build set up as well as the case to finish everything off.
After much consideration I have decided to go with the Corsair RM750X for this layout and will just have to purchase a more suitable Psu once I have upgraded both the CPU & GC.
I will leave a full list of the complete build below . Thanks again for everyone's help & support plus advise. It's been much appreciated and most welcome.

Final build.
AvP Artimis RGB Case.
Corsair RM750X Psu. I managed to find a RM850X for a better price than the RM750X so I bought that version instead.
Alder lake 12th Gen Cpu.
Msi Meg Z690 Ace Motherboard.
Msi Nvidea 3060 GC.
Samsung M2 ssd.
32 gb ddr5 Memory.
240 CPU cooler and 4 120 fans.

 

[hicks451]

A fine choice for a 3060.

Thanks again for your help and post. I finally decided to go for the Corsair RM750X so I look forward to receiving it in the next couple of days with the case I also bought. Now on to the next part and that is building it and loading a debloated ISO version of Windows 10 Pro but that is what I am in the middle of building at the moment using NtLite so if you or anyone else know of good tutorials for a stable debloated ISO Window10 Pro for gaming only that would be much appreciated 👍Thanks again.✌️

 

[hicks451]

Thanks again for your help and post. I finally decided to go for the Corsair RM750X so I look forward to receiving it in the next couple of days with the case I also bought. Now on to the next part and that is building it and loading a debloated ISO version of Windows 10 Pro but that is what I am in the middle of building at the moment using NtLite so if you or anyone else know of good tutorials for a stable debloated ISO Window10 Pro for gaming only that would be much appreciated 👍Thanks again.✌

Dear T-H Devs.

Could you please close this thread down and add solved if possible. I finally managed to get a brand new Corsair RM850X 2021 version Psu plus some Corsair Type 4 Pro cables for my MB plus 2x Cpu & Pci Expess cables for my MSI Nvidea 3060 GC so I am no longer in need of any more help on this thread. I would also like to thank the T-H Dev Ralston18 for also being kind enough to educate me plus have the patience to teach me what to look out for when choosing the best Psu and wattage for the parts I had bought for my first dedicated gaming PC. Toms Hardware has been a saving grace for me and the support from the Devs has been second to none so I owe them for all their help and support they have given me when I have been in need of help and advice. Thanks again gentleman!!!👍👌