PSU tier list 2.0

[MarkW]

Not in my opinion. I recommend Tiers 1 and 2 for any gaming system. That way you are getting a quality power supply, and can do what we expect a system to do, without any major degradation of the power supply for at least 3 years. And you get the full amount of power you should be getting in those units.

I had someone asking about a 450 watt power supply last night. On the +12 volt rail, it offered 20 amps. I then went to Seasonic and looked at their 450 watt unit because I know they make really good power supplies, and their 450 watt unit offers 37 amps. In fact here is the label on that Seasonic:

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Is tier 3 good for moderate overclocking then?

I never recommend anything below tier 2. The PSU is the most important part in a build.

 

[Onus]

Well, that 450W Corsair CSM is coming up on a Shellshocker later today, so I may bite the bullet and buy one. I'll probably use it to power an old C2D system that I will donate as a light business box.

Alternately, what is the absolutely cheapest PSU you'd consider yourself for a light-duty machine? GPU will not require auxiliary power.
Edit: I'm thinking this 300W Seasonic: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151146

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

XFX Core. It is under 50 dollars or an Antec.

The Antec Earthwatts are decent from what I see.
EA- series

 

[Onus]

The Earthwatts has been my go-to PSU for years in budget builds, but the EA-380D is $45 now, and is notably more powerful than needed. Your choices are fine for a budget gamer, but this will be even lowlier.

 

[MarkW]

What about this? $40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151090

 

[Onus]

If I needed a TFX PSU, that is a very likely choice. The PC in question is in a standard ATX mid tower.

 

[Karadjgne]

I'd much rather get a 14/20 pin converter and an ATX psu, than trap myself with a TFX psu. Gives a little leeway on upgrades or replacements.

 

[MarkW]

It was just an idea... Mainly because it was cheaper than the other options that had been offered up. I don't really like SFX/TFX power supplies, but I thought it might work for him. I was wrong.

 

[AJFev]

Not in my opinion. I recommend Tiers 1 and 2 for any gaming system. That way you are getting a quality power supply, and can do what we expect a system to do, without any major degradation of the power supply for at least 3 years. And you get the full amount of power you should be getting in those units.

I had someone asking about a 450 watt power supply last night. On the +12 volt rail, it offered 20 amps. I then went to Seasonic and looked at their 450 watt unit because I know they make really good power supplies, and their 450 watt unit offers 37 amps. In fact here is the label on that Seasonic:

Problem is, I can't afford to spend £75 on a PSU. I have a limit of £55 including post and packaging.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9 - best bet.
or
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1450sx2b9

 

[Onus]

Where are you located, and where (what web site) can you buy? What CPU and graphics card do you have (will determine size of PSU needed).

 

[AJFev]

Where are you located, and where (what web site) can you buy? What CPU and graphics card do you have (will determine size of PSU needed).

I am in the UK and prefer to use Amazon due to free shipping. My CPU and GPU are a FX 8350 and a recently acquired Sapphire Dual X R9 270 (the reason for the upgrade needed)

 

[AJFev]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9 - best bet.
or
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1450sx2b9

Would you say I would be alright to purchase second hand from Amazon? Or should I not risk it?

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

I would try as hard as you can not to purchase one used.

 

[Onus]

I would not buy secondhand from Amazon or eBay. About the only secondhand source I'd really trust is the classified section in our own forums, particularly for items sold by longstanding members.

 

[AJFev]

Problem is, If I want to install the new GPU, I would otherwise have to wait till Tuesday for CCL to deliver a more expensive PSU than the amazon one. I just feel like it would be wasted.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

It is better to wait and get something good than get something now. Especially when it comes to the power supply.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Any time-frame when these units will get tiered?

Seasonic
ECO 430w Seasonic
Lighting Cube series Seasonic
M12-II EVO 2015 Seasonic - Also is this one suppose to be bronze?
Titanium series Seasonic
S12-II 2015 Seasonic - Same with the M12-II?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Probably when they get reviewed by a reputable site.

 

[nostall]

Well, that 450W Corsair CSM is coming up on a Shellshocker later today, so I may bite the bullet and buy one. I'll probably use it to power an old C2D system that I will donate as a light business box.

Alternately, what is the absolutely cheapest PSU you'd consider yourself for a light-duty machine? GPU will not require auxiliary power.
Edit: I'm thinking this 300W Seasonic: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151146

Edit: I just put that psu's slightly larger brother in a pc to replace a p.o.s.:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151143
The description used to have a picture; it is black instead of silver.
Hard to beat that $33 price, though.

 

[Darkbreeze]

For 33.00 I still believe the Antec VP-450 is hard to beat, despite not having active PFC.

 

[Exeonx]

So I'm currently using a T4 Aercool Strike-X PSU and am planning to upgrade my CPU and GPU, probably getting a 980GTX TI, so I guess it would be best that I change my PSU then?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Absolutely. Aerocool is very, very bad. Strike-X has been known to cause fires or damage other hardware on even the least demanding machines in some cases.

 

[Exeonx]

Absolutely. Aerocool is very, very bad. Strike-X has been known to cause fires or damage other hardware on even the least demanding machines in some cases.

Though I can obviously see the large list up here and have looked up some of the PSU's mentioned above, what PSU would you recommend to me?

Currently my PC is pretty low tier and old right now,
I5 3570
Nvidia 760GTX
16GB DDR3 Corsair dominator
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB SSD

I'm Planning to upgrade to quite high-end between now and 3 months, looking at a 980GTX or TI while going for either the 2011v3 socket or the new 6th coming out soon.

I'll probably be able to spend 100-120€ on a PSU maybe a tad more, I usually go long-term in my buys, I just didn't have the funds in the past though price-quality is still very important to me