PSU tier list 2.0

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Hey man, many thanks for the list. It's a great reference for even experienced builders.

I will personally only use or recommend Seasonic, Flextronics, Super Flower or Delta Electronics OEM PSUs to anybody.
 


Then it would be more ideal if you buy the GTX 950 now, which costs about 35% less than the GTX 960 4GB (which is closer to the performance of a GTX 960 4GB than you think) so you can afford a GTX 970 or whatever is the new GPU sooner.

I would atleast not spend money on the GTX 960 4GB, but the 2GB version instead. You're overpaying for very little gain in performance compared to the 2GB version. The 4GB version might only be use in SLI configurations.
 
I disagree 4gb are very but very useful and I personally regreted not getting the 4gb version (i got the 2gb). About the psu. Get a corsair,thermaltake,seasonic,xfx,evga psu only with 80 plus gold + certification. I got the corsair vs650 but in the tier list its very low than i expected..
 


Might need to do more research on that. Just because it has 4GB it doesn't mean It's much better. In fact, they are dead similar in performance at every resolution.

People think very simple, 4GB must mean It's much better! It's what Nvidia and AMD take advantage of. They know people don't do their homework.
 


Agreed, the 960 is not powerful enough to use 4GB unless you are using 2 in Sli. Otherwise it's just a marketing ploy just like AMD putting 8GB on the 3xx series rebrands. This is not the place to argue about graphics cards though.
 
Hi guys 😀
My ZT750W (tier 3) is good enough for 980Ti + i7 4790k, or should I sell it and pick something better (tier 1 750w+)?
 
Nothing wrong with a tier3 psu, per se. They may not be the highest quality or have the most dependable reliability, but they'll do the job. If your ZT750 is pretty new, it'll be ok to run a 980ti, that gpu will run just fine on a quality 550w, the 750 has enough power to make up for any discrepancy in power outputs between the two. If the ZT750 is aged, coming up on the end of its warranty, I'd start saving and shopping around for a replacement. The components used to build tier3 units are in general much lower quality and dependability than what's used in tiers one and two, and that degradation of parts starts from the first time it's plugged in.

Considering the cost of a 980ti and the cpu and the mobo they sit on, shortchanging them with a psu that started life as mediocre and is already going downhill isn't what most would consider a healthy relationship.
 
It has 2 years of usage. Actually, low usage, since it only runned a FX 6300 and a HD 7950. I was planning CrossFire, but too many issues with it, and a 6300? Pff. So, without overclocks (until I change it) can I run this setup "safe"?
 


Yeah, there is basically no difference between 2gb and 4gb 960s. Unless you SLI them (pointless anyway with cards like this) the 4gb doesn't even get used.

In what situations are you seeing your card's vRAM max out?

Also, forget Thermaltake. They make more junk than solid stuff. Generally not a good brand to recommend. There are tons of GOOD quality bronze units, so recommending only GOLD units is not a good idea as well.
 
Well, a 6300 is a 95w cpu, beyond even the 77w 3570k/3770k that I run, and thats at stock voltages, and the HD 7950 is a @200w card, so your definition of light usage might differ somewhat from mine.

2 yrs old, so you should have at least another year under warranty, and thats about where I usually draw the line. You don't want to run any psu ever, no matter how quality it is, out of warranty.

The ZT750 isn't a terrible unit, so figure on being ok for at least the next year, but as with all electronics, there are no guarantees on lifespan.
 
Got it. What I mean by "light", is that my system barelly needed 500w. Actually, the ZT750 has 5 years of warranty, so maybe I could use it a little bit more :)
 
In reality, considering the 9 given on Jonnyguru, and everything aside from a slightly sloppy build quality, that unit should probably be a Tier 2 unit. Ripple, noise and voltage regulation were great on the primary rail and slightly worse but still within spec on the secondary rail, and it does have full modularity and a good warranty, so at least I think it would have been a Tier 2B on the old list. It does have Chinese caps, although not the worst ones, so longevity may be an issue.
 


I would use it and not worry about it. Those are good units.
 


Sorry for a brief off topic, but vram, as I understand it, is beneficial for 1440p / 4k gaming. However, the 960 isn't powerful enough of a chip to take advantage of the 4g vram in 1440p / especially 4k. Thus, don't get the 4 gb. If 2gb vram is too low, then get the R9 280x with 3 gb vram for around $220.

As far as PSU goes, I rarely just look at brands anymore. But If I must, then it is Seasonic, XFX, and perhaps Antec too.
 
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