PSU Question

[Daboydman]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum

I'm hopefully going to be building a computer in the next few months and I've found 2 psu's that I'm confused about. They are:

http://www.ebuyer.com/352621-coolermaster-gx-lite-600w-86-single-12v-rail-230v-rs600-asabl3-uk
and
http://www.ebuyer.com/200489-coolermaster-gx-550w-psu-rs-550-acaae3-uk

I'm not sure which is better because the 550w psu has 52A on it's 12v rail and 12*52=624, so shouldn't it be able to output 624w? Not 550.

The 600w psu has 45A on it's 12v rail and 12*45=540 so that's 10w under the quoted value.

From what I've read on other forum topics what I've come to understand is that the higher that amps the better for power hungry components.
Am I correct in saying that the 550w psu is the better one? Or am I wrong?

Hopefully you can clear this up for me, thanks in advance

 

[jay_nar2012]

The 550W can handle more power hungry components.
What manufacturers made each one (PSU)?

 

[jay_nar2012]

I read your post wrong...
Yes, the 550W one would be better in terms of power.

 

[Daboydman]

Thanks, I thought there was something a bit odd about the lower wattage psu with more amps 😛

 

[jay_nar2012]

i think less current is supplied through the 5v and 3.3v rails and more through the 12v rail.

 

[Silvune]

I hope you're not planning to buy either of them because they are both fairly bad choices.

The GX 550W should be the better choice because it is in a higher end product line from CM, but other members of that series have reviewed poorly. So if the GX series performs badly then surely the GX Lite series will be even worse.

The other thing to remember is that you should always read the label, not just the large wattage number, because it doesn't tell the full story.

And with low quality units the label isn't always that honest, so reading reviews from people who know what they are talking about is important as well.

In terms of power ratings the GX 550W doesn't have a 52A +12V rail, it has a 44A +12V rail. You can see an accurate power table here:
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6641
The GX 650W version has a 52A +12V rail.

In terms of what I would recommend instead of those Cooler Master units:
Antec High Current Gamer HCG-520M (£55 @ Scan)
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/520w-antec-high-current-gamer-hybrid-modular-87-eff-80-plus-bronze-eps-12v-135mm-silent-fan-atx12v-v

XFX ProSeries 550W Core Edition (£50 @ Scan / Dabs / Amazon / £55 @ Ebuyer)
http://skinflint.co.uk/624026

 

[Robi_g]

I wouldn't go with CM for PSUs, the OCZ ZS series are decent, but look at corsair, antec and XFX as well.
+1 for ebuyer, but look on novatech as well

 

[Daboydman]

Thanks guys for the info and suggestions, that XFX Pro Series PSU is looking quiet attractive atm