Discussion PSU recommendations and power supply discussion thread - Tom's hardware

[Aeacus]

Let's hold off on getting into anything until after the list is actually done. Unless it's actually something that requires it's own column on the spreadsheet, because if there IS, I'd rather not have to add that all in after everything else is done. If there is not, then I'd rather do edits than worry about it right now because it would likely only affect specific models or maybe a specific architecture.

Sure.

Oh, just noticed, Intel ARC GPUs are missing. Are you adding those in your list as well?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Not now. I WILL add them later, but that information seems to be a lot harder to come by as I've been looking around. And, a lot of it will require it's own research, because there are clear disparities in what a given ARC card needs based on board partner and model, so, since that is not a huge part of the market right now, I want to, but it will need to wait until the rest is done. Fortunately it is relatively easy to add another column or four, and add it in later.

 

[stonecarver]

Thank you Darkbreeze​

Enough info there to be a quick reference to get anyone in the right direction if and when whoever needs guidance.

Thank you again for all you personal time you have put into your project. Gonna print it and stick it to the wall.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Thanks man.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Right, I get that, but given the fact that SOME OEMs have gone back, recently, to offering some somewhat ok models that are on the 600/700 etc. capacities, I'm going to stick with what the data says. If nothing "reasonably good" is available, then of course, a person will want to opt to round UP to the next highest available capacity and often that is the best thing anyhow. If somebody opts to round down, then they will be going against what I will expressly recommend against in the preamble. And again, if they won't read, then that is their problem.

Understandable. maybe you can rename it to "Recommended Minimum wattage" instead

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, it's "recommended". It is not "minimum". It is not, "if you were REALLY smart, you'd do this". It's, "recommended", and it is for sure, in EVERY case, more than the general recommendation of Nvidia for FE cards or basic board partner cards. For the most part, I've tried to incorporate at least 50-100w more than what any average card from a given model tier would require. And, specifically, beyond the whole system requirement assuming something like an i9, couple of SSDs and some fans. There MAY be discrepancies, and once finished, that's what I'm hoping you all will help me out with. No amount of parsing data is ever going to be entirely all encompassing, but, do the best you can and go from there seems like a good policy.

Plus, if we are a bit over, and we WILL be on almost every recommendation, it automatically pads what is really needed, and that is good, because a LOT of users ARE going to go with a cheaper PSU, in which case, it might afford them at least a small cushion for the fact that what they chose, is going to be like dogs on Youtube videos and say "Won't". LOL.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

By "recommended minimum wattage" I was trying to imply the numerical "wattage" amount instead of confusing others with PSU wattage/model. But I see your point.

 

[Karadjgne]

For me, minimum or even recommended 'wattage' was something of a misnomer. There were simply far too many seriously cheap, but widely available psus (like Circle) that were completely unsuitable for gpu usage. You'd get a 700w psu that came with 4x seperate rails, and 2 of those would be 10-15amp rated with attached single 6pins.

Only recently have psus developed to where the 12v rail essentialy becomes the wattage rating of the psu, but any of the older or cheaper group regulated designs still incorporate the minor rails into the sum total.

Granted, anyone with even a hint of computer building experience will understand the differences and requirements in a psu, but for most of the general public, they are clueless and 700w should be fine, plenty big enough. Right?

I'd almost be happier if there was a listing for rated gpu requirements from a psu, like a particular card needing 250w (22A) 12v, along side the total wattage recommended.

 

[Darkbreeze]

For me, minimum or even recommended 'wattage' was something of a misnomer. There were simply far too many seriously cheap, but widely available psus (like Circle) that were completely unsuitable for gpu usage.

Or Ultra, which Tiger direct sold to just about every idiot that bought anything from them and didn't know better. Or Corsair older (And now, also the latest 2023 models) CX, or VS, or CS. Or Raidmax. Or Apevia. Or half of Thermaltake and Cooler master's catalog. Also the majority of what Rosewill and Zalman have ever sold. And so on.

 

[Aeacus]

I'd almost be happier if there was a listing for rated gpu requirements from a psu, like a particular card needing 250w (22A) 12v, along side the total wattage recommended.

Something along the lines of this perhaps?
Link: https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards-20
(Not updated for a while.)

Same list with legacy GPUs too: https://forum-en.msi.com/faq/article/power-requirements-for-graphics-cards

 

[Darkbreeze]

Those are mostly useless though, because they only apply to specific cards made by THAT company. Other cards, and other MODELS of cards within the same family, might or might not have the same capacity requirements and in many cases not even the same number or type of auxiliary connectors. Which is exactly why I am doing just like RealHardTechX did, and going with a somewhat medium consensus using data from multiple sources to get the "most common" average for both capacity and how many of which type connectors. They are not only not all going to be the same, some won't even be similar. In some cases, card X might require only a single 6 pin connector while another card from the same family might require an 8 pin or a 6 pin and an 8 pin. Or some might require none, while others require at least a six pin. There is no way to cover all the bases. None.

 

[Brandon Umali]

Hi, I'm from the Philippines.

Here's the build I'm about to purchase, I just need your recommendation on which PSU should I proceed with.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800 X3D AM5
CPU COOLER: Deepcool LT720 85.85 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
MOBO: MSI MPG B650 CARBON WIFI ATX AM5 or GIGABYTE B650 AUROS ELITE AX
GPU: Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB
RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z5 32GB 2 x 16GB DDR5 6000Mhz CL30 or TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32GB 2x16GB 6000Mhz CL30 DDR5
SSD: 2pcs Western Digital Black SN850X NVMe 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD - 2TB
CASE: Deepcool CH560 DIGITAL ATX Mid Tower Case or Montech Air 913 Max
CASE FAN: 3pcs Cooler Master MOBIUS 120P ARGB 75.2 CFM 120 mm Fan
MONITOR: 2pcs Gigabyte M27Q-X 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz

Available 1000W PSU to choose from :
1. MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX
2. Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise Platinum ATX 1000 Watt
3. Seasonic SSR-1000FX (White) Focus GX-1000 - 1000W 80 Plus Gold - White
4. BE Quite Pure Power 12M 1000watts 80+ Gold Fully Modular PCIe 5.0

 

[Aeacus]

I just need your recommendation on which PSU should I proceed with.

As said in the initial line of this topic;

this thread is intended as a landing place for questions or discussions regarding specific units, platforms or related PSU tech, all of which are all welcome to be discussed here

So, if you have questions about specific PSU(s), you can ask it here.

Available 1000W PSU to choose from :
1. MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX
2. Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise Platinum ATX 1000 Watt
3. Seasonic SSR-1000FX (White) Focus GX-1000 - 1000W 80 Plus Gold - White
4. BE Quite Pure Power 12M 1000watts 80+ Gold Fully Modular PCIe 5.0

But for individual suggestions on which PSU to choose from, make your own topic instead.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

@Darkbreeze why 750W and 850W for the 7900XT and the 7900XTX respectively? That is the minimum and does not give much OC overhead.

the reference board design is rated for 355W for the 7900XTX but the AIB cards go well beyond that. The 7900XTX pulls upwards of 400W in 4k - inline with the 4090. Many OC AIB cards have 3 X 8 pin power connectors.

The same goes for the 7900XT. 1000W for 7900XTX and 850W for 7900XT would be the - recommendations are not intended to be "minimum", as there is certainly some overhead built into these recommendations"

 

[Karadjgne]

So that beggars the question, just who do you choose? With nvidia it's easy as they have a reference design for every model, same with Intel, but what model do you pick for AMD? It's nice to say 'well some AIB partner models....', but really there should be a standard base and not any kind of performance model either. It'd need to by necessity something like a MSI Ventus or Asus Dual model that can be used across any brand as reference.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

^ or, account for the OC versions as well when stating the PSU wattage. This can be denoted by a wattage value in brackets in the card name field?

Only few cards like the Kingpin or ROG matrix go out of their way to build an overkill BIOS and humongous power draw.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Not going to even try to account for all the various models, different connector configurations, different power requirements, different brands, etc. I already said this. The listings on there are generally either based on reference designs, the most common configurations or base models, except where some amount of the work was already done by realhardtechx as with some of the specific models of older cards. Especially since I have health issues right now.

 

[67Elco]

Concerning a dual system pc - I was planning on using one water cooling loop and pump for both cpu's (only one system running at a time). There will be two separate psu's (one for each system). Will there be a problem concerning backfeed by using a sata splitter at the pump even though one psu will be dormant?

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is not the place for a question like that. You should create your own thread as you will get much better replies that are specific to your question.