PSU quality: XFX PRO 550W vs. Corsair CX 650W

[Wort]

Hey. I'd like you guys to give me some opinions on those 2. I know the XFX one has 100W less, but I want to know which one is better overall? I want to buy R9 290x Tri-x so I really need to know if they're capable of doing that.

 

[Thanatognomonic]

the XFX PRO 550W PSU is the better quality PSU, but i'd suggest that you get the 650W equivalent of it so you can use and overclock the R9 290x effectively.

 

[prit87]

xfx is much better than corsair cx .

corsair cx is a crappy PSU with poor capacitors where as xfx units are made by seasonic.

you can get this one for some extra head room.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9

 

[MeteorsRaining]

CX 650W is known to fail on high loads, so avoid it completely, its very poor quality. XFX Pro 550W is much better quality, but 550W is pushing it too high. And have you considered the GTX 970? Its on par performance wise, cheaper, more efficient, and will work on a 550W PSU.

 

[i7Baby]

See http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html - for rankings.

 

[unknownofprob]

Will be fine if you refrain from overclocking -

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_r9_290_review_benchmarks,10.html

Note - the R9 290 has the same power consumption as the 290X.

However, later on I suggest you buy a higher wattage power supply.

 

[prit87]

No the r9 290 has a max tdp of 275 watt and r9 290x has a max tdp of 290 watt

 

[MeteorsRaining]

OP, if you can provide the site(s) you'll be purchasing the PSU from (if you're buying online), we might be able to source out the best PSU per your needs with budget in mind

 

[unknownofprob]

No the r9 290 has a max tdp of 275 watt and r9 290x has a max tdp of 290 watt

Where is that information sourced from? Power target and TDP are the same when core is at the same clock (most people overclock the cards clock 40Mhz to be at the same speed as the X variant). The R9 290 is the locked opposer, but has the same overall power consumption. As for it's stock clock, the TDP is less as it is 40Mhz underclocked, but as stated above, people tend to change that. 40Mhz on the core clock and a few locked cores does not drain 15W more.

 

[prit87]

No the r9 290 has a max tdp of 275 watt and r9 290x has a max tdp of 290 watt

Where is that information sourced from? Power target and TDP are the same when core is at the same clock (most people overclock the cards clock 40Mhz to be at the same speed as the X variant). The R9 290 is the locked opposer, but has the same overall power consumption. As for it's stock clock, the TDP is less as it is 40Mhz underclocked, but as stated above, people tend to change that. 40Mhz on the core clock and a few locked cores does not drain 15W more.

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/2397/radeon-r9-290.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/2460/radeon-r9-290x.html

 

[unknownofprob]

Power target in CCC aims both cards to draw the same power when doing the same things. As for TDP, I have seen different wattages everywhere, So I am unsure what to believe.

 

[Wort]

Thank you all for your answers. I'll stick with XFX 550W then. It has been working great since I've bought it.

OP, if you can provide the site(s) you'll be purchasing the PSU from (if you're buying online), we might be able to source out the best PSU per your needs with budget in mind

My friend sells Corsair CX 650 which he doesnt use anymore and I bought my XFX 550W 6 months ago, so there's no site to provide 😛

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Please stick with your current PSU.

 

[unknownofprob]

also - that's not "max tdp of 275 watt and r9 290x has a max tdp of 290 watt"

That is standard TDP. Max/Peak TDP is above the classified TDP.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7481/the-amd-radeon-r9-290-review/15

^Custom cooled R9 290 breaches the above TDP (Max). Tri-X model which is factory overclocked.

Stick with the XFX PSU.

 

[VincentP]

Corsair CX series aren't too bad, they get a bad rap because of cheap capacitors that may reduce the life span.
The XFX Pro 550 is a better qualirty supply.

AMD specifies the R9 290X with a TDP of 250W.
Factory over clocked card might pull 290W.
XFX Pro 550 is rated at 44A on the +12V rail.
With a 125W CPU, you would be loading this to about 79%.
Anything under 80% is OK.
Even better if you have a lower powered CPU.

The GTX 970 mentioned above is faster and uses less power than the R9 290 if you have the option.

 

[Wort]

Corsair CX series aren't too bad, they get a bad rap because of cheap capacitors that may reduce the life span.
The XFX Pro 550 is a better qualirty supply.

AMD specifies the R9 290X with a TDP of 250W.
Factory over clocked card might pull 290W.
XFX Pro 550 is rated at 44A on the +12V rail.
With a 125W CPU, you would be loading this to about 79%.
Anything under 80% is OK.
Even better if you have a lower powered CPU.

The GTX 970 mentioned above is faster and uses less power than the R9 290 if you have the option.

The thing is that I'd buy R9 290x from my friend for 250€. New GTX 970 is 330€+, which is at least 80€ more. If 550W PSU can handle the power of R9 290x TRI-X, I'd go with that card, because it's still a great card for quite low price.

 

[unknownofprob]

You can't really compare new to used.

 

[Wort]

You can't really compare new to used.

I'm not comparing the two. I'm just stating what is more convenient for me.

 

[unknownofprob]

I realise, just stating out that point. The R9 290X is a great card, and if you want it, get it. Your PSU will cope, but it is recommended later on you replace it.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

IMO, 290X still is beastly, no matter how much power it sucks, at the end of the day, it does compete with 970 in terms of gaming. Also, the next upgrade you'd be looking for after this GPU upgrade, should be for a higher wattage PSU

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Never heard of a CX 650.

 

[Wort]

Never heard of a CX 650.

My bad. Either it's CX 600 or CS 650... either way, as far as I'm aware, none of them is as high quality as XFX one. I could be wrong though.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Yes that's true the XFX is much better , but the Corsair HX , HXi , AX , AXi , TX Version 2 are all very good.

 

[VincentP]

Corsair CX series aren't too bad, they get a bad rap because of cheap capacitors that may reduce the life span.
The XFX Pro 550 is a better qualirty supply.

AMD specifies the R9 290X with a TDP of 250W.
Factory over clocked card might pull 290W.
XFX Pro 550 is rated at 44A on the +12V rail.
With a 125W CPU, you would be loading this to about 79%.
Anything under 80% is OK.
Even better if you have a lower powered CPU.

The GTX 970 mentioned above is faster and uses less power than the R9 290 if you have the option.

The thing is that I'd buy R9 290x from my friend for 250€. New GTX 970 is 330€+, which is at least 80€ more. If 550W PSU can handle the power of R9 290x TRI-X, I'd go with that card, because it's still a great card for quite low price.

I just noticed your CPU in your signature. This is an 84W CPU, a little higher with over clocking.
You should comfortably stay under 80 % of rated capacity on the +12V rail.
You should be fine to get the R9 290X if you want.