Question Power supply wattage vs. price, question

SpinningFan

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Dec 23, 2019
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Recently, I decided to get a graphics card upgrade from my old gtx 970 to rtx 2070 super (evga OC) or even rtx 2080 (doesn't seem wise as those are only a bit more powerful but a lot more expensive, soooo). They recommend at least 650W PSU, so my older Aurum 550W won't be enough.

I checked the reviews on tomshardware website and decided to get the Seasonic Focus plus (fully modular, which I like for cable management), here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073H33X7...colid=394WDJAEODKGF&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Since the 650W isn't currently available to buy on Amazon I checked the higher wattage options, that's 750W and 850W and there's one thing that surprised me;

Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750 Gold SSR-750FX 750W 80+ Gold ATX12V & EPS12V Full Modular 120mm FDB Fan 10 Year Warranty Compact 140 mm Size Power Supply
Seasonic FOCUS Plus 850 Gold SSR-850FX 850W 80+ Gold ATX12V & EPS12V Full Modular 120mm FDB Fan 10 Year Warranty Compact 140 mm Size Power Supply

there's literally no difference, just the wattage, but for some reason, the 850W version costs $110 which is $40 cheaper than the 750W version! Since higher wattage doesn't make my electrical bill any higher (the PSU draws whatever the components ask for + some overhead for heat losses), I'd be a fool to buy the more expensive less wattage PSU, wouldn't I? Where's the catch? Is there something obvious I'm missing here?

Thanks.
 
Actually, someone at Amazon might've spotted it and they made all of it unavailable (even though it said available in Feb '20 before).

It's also sold out at newegg...the review of PSU's was "best PSU's 2019", do PSU really become obsolete after one year so much so that I can't even find it in stock, like it's something really old and not worth buying anymore? :O

Since I'm at square one again, can someone recommend a good PSU around 700W, good rating and not much more than $100?
 
That's also a $70 PSU
Well that's nice, but not according to newegg. I searched all over, amazon, newegg, many PSU's were out of stock for some reason and the one I found was that much... All other options for the same product have much higher prices. What determines it's a $70 PSU anyway? BTW the one you posted said $90 instead of $70 and the 750W version is $140, so even more than the one 750W I ordered...just curious, what country are you viewing the prices from? I'm in the USA...not sure if newegg works anywhere else in the world.

Funny thing is, a day after I ordered it the status on it went "out of stock". The status on the order has been "packaging" for two days now. Now I wonder if I actually bought the last item, or they just found out they don't have it and are trying to figure out what to send to a customer...
 
Funny thing is, a day after I ordered it the status on it went "out of stock". The status on the order has been "packaging" for two days now. Now I wonder if I actually bought the last item, or they just found out they don't have it and are trying to figure out what to send to a customer...

If your order doesn't go through you might consider the Phanteks AMP series. They're based on the Seasonic Focus Plus Gold models and come with 10 year warranty. A better option than the EVGA G5 series. The 650 watt model is $99. Phanteks AMP 650
 
If your order doesn't go through you might consider the Phanteks AMP series. They're based on the Seasonic Focus Plus Gold models and come with 10 year warranty. A better option than the EVGA G5 series. The 650 watt model is $99. Phanteks AMP 650
Thanks, I'll definitely consider this (last two in stock on amazon btw) if the order doesn't come through. I guess we'll see on Monday :)
 
I explicitly stated the EVGA 650W G5 was $70 after mail in rebate.

Ok, sorry, after consulting internet sale history, the RMx 750W typically sales for $80-90. In the past 10+ years of following PC component pricing on a daily basis, I typically focus on 550-650W units, so that's what's most prominent in my memory.

The China tariffs have seemingly hit PSUs the hardest. But that doesn't mean you can't get good prices still, it's just harder to find.

Much like what the crypto craze did to GPU pricing (quadruple pricing), just because there's a certain price on something doesn't mean it's a good price.
 
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