Power Supply Question

[CmdrJeffSinclair]

I've been brainstorming what parts will last a long time and what parts I will murder from use...but I have no idea how long a PSU would last and I don't know what factors contribute to a longer living PSU. If any such factors exist when operating at or below 80% of the PSU's maximum load capacity, I've thought of some questions to basic confusion of how PSU's may live, die, or have higher quality than others.

Hypothetical:
Assuming that all PSUs are equal in quality, where only the Wattage and Efficiency are variables............................................

1) Efficiency Ratings and Loads--
At 80% or less PSU load per day, would a Platinum rated 850W PSU last longer than a 850W Gold rated PSU? (very generally speaking)

2) Time Death vs Use Death--
If I bought a PSU that was 1500W but only ever averaged half of its maximum capacity, is it reasonable to assume that it would last longer since it's never being used to its fullest capacity? Or would simple usage over time kill it anyway regardless of never tapping its maximum potential?

It's my hope to understand why some people invest in a very nice PSU and why some buy a cheap one and expect to replace it sooner than later. Since I've learned the main reason of efficiency ratings is to save money, I wonder why GAMERS opt for a Platinum PSU of "x" Watts over a normal Bronze when they could never save the money in electricity that they invested in at the time of purchase. Are they misinformed or am I missing some small aspect?

 

[DasHotShot]

Using less or more of the available power band will not "kill" or deteriorate the PSU quicker or slower.

The parts what will wear out much more quickly are the fan/fans as they have moving parts and bearings.

The main reason smart people buy a "nice" high quality brand/certification PSU is for reliability both in terms of overall durability (these PSU's simply seem to last longer on average than cheaper units due to build quality etc, not how they are used) and MAINLY, because they are shown and proven to provide "cleaner" energy.

That means, they deliver a consistent current which drives the components without any spikes or distortion.

Cheaper or badly built units have been shown to do this and effectively bombard components with "bad" or uneven energy over time, sharply shortening the lifespan of those parts.

Lastly, the sole reason you see people who need 500w buying 850w supplies, and do not be fooled here, is that they just dont know any better.

All the online calculators and suggestions on part picker sites are not accurate and include loads of headroom, so that they remove a degree of liability when advising someone on the part they need to buy and in some e-store cases to have people buy more expensive stuff...naturally.

Look at the total tdp by all your parts, it should say what they need as a maximum value (this includes headroom!) and use the sum to guide you.

Being general here, a single gpu system with say a 980 gtx or 290x, cpu, 2 ram sticks, an hdd and ssd an optical drive and the normal amount of usb devices attached etc will use up to 500 watts. You will almost never need anything more that a 550 watt supply for those systems.

Should you plan for a second card in 6-12 months, you can put in a 750 watt supply as the most power hungry modern gpu units need about 250w tops (titan x does 224w)

As a good supply last a long time (gold/plat) you can also safely buy a 750/850 unit and use it in a future build as the standards in this area only change slowly and are unlikely to be very different in 3-4 years time.

Your choice, hope this helps

 

[CmdrJeffSinclair]

Using less or more of the available power band will not "kill" or deteriorate the PSU quicker or slower.

The parts what will wear out much more quickly are the fan/fans as they have moving parts and bearings.

The main reason smart people buy a "nice" high quality brand/certification PSU is for reliability both in terms of overall durability (these PSU's simply seem to last longer on average than cheaper units due to build quality etc, not how they are used) and MAINLY, because they are shown and proven to provide "cleaner" energy.

That means, they deliver a consistent current which drives the components without any spikes or distortion.

Cheaper or badly built units have been shown to do this and effectively bombard components with "bad" or uneven energy over time, sharply shortening the lifespan of those parts.

Lastly, the sole reason you see people who need 500w buying 850w supplies, and do not be fooled here, is that they just dont know any better.

All the online calculators and suggestions on part picker sites are not accurate and include loads of headroom, so that they remove a degree of liability when advising someone on the part they need to buy and in some e-store cases to have people buy more expensive stuff...naturally.

Look at the total tdp by all your parts, it should say what they need as a maximum value (this includes headroom!) and use the sum to guide you.

Being general here, a single gpu system with say a 980 gtx or 290x, cpu, 2 ram sticks, an hdd and ssd an optical drive and the normal amount of usb devices attached etc will use up to 500 watts. You will almost never need anything more that a 550 watt supply for those systems.

Should you plan for a second card in 6-12 months, you can put in a 750 watt supply as the most power hungry modern gpu units need about 250w tops (titan x does 224w)

As a good supply last a long time (gold/plat) you can also safely buy a 750/850 unit and use it in a future build as the standards in this area only change slowly and are unlikely to be very different in 3-4 years time.

Your choice, hope this helps

I wish I could promote you and I wish all answers were as fantastically superb as yours. You even answered questions I did not ask. This thread is solved and thanks for your wisdom

 

[DasHotShot]

Using less or more of the available power band will not "kill" or deteriorate the PSU quicker or slower.

The parts what will wear out much more quickly are the fan/fans as they have moving parts and bearings.

The main reason smart people buy a "nice" high quality brand/certification PSU is for reliability both in terms of overall durability (these PSU's simply seem to last longer on average than cheaper units due to build quality etc, not how they are used) and MAINLY, because they are shown and proven to provide "cleaner" energy.

That means, they deliver a consistent current which drives the components without any spikes or distortion.

Cheaper or badly built units have been shown to do this and effectively bombard components with "bad" or uneven energy over time, sharply shortening the lifespan of those parts.

Lastly, the sole reason you see people who need 500w buying 850w supplies, and do not be fooled here, is that they just dont know any better.

All the online calculators and suggestions on part picker sites are not accurate and include loads of headroom, so that they remove a degree of liability when advising someone on the part they need to buy and in some e-store cases to have people buy more expensive stuff...naturally.

Look at the total tdp by all your parts, it should say what they need as a maximum value (this includes headroom!) and use the sum to guide you.

Being general here, a single gpu system with say a 980 gtx or 290x, cpu, 2 ram sticks, an hdd and ssd an optical drive and the normal amount of usb devices attached etc will use up to 500 watts. You will almost never need anything more that a 550 watt supply for those systems.

Should you plan for a second card in 6-12 months, you can put in a 750 watt supply as the most power hungry modern gpu units need about 250w tops (titan x does 224w)

As a good supply last a long time (gold/plat) you can also safely buy a 750/850 unit and use it in a future build as the standards in this area only change slowly and are unlikely to be very different in 3-4 years time.

Your choice, hope this helps

I wish I could promote you and I wish all answers were as fantastically superb as yours. You even answered questions I did not ask. This thread is solved and thanks for your wisdom

Thank you, glad to help!