Question about Thermaltake TR2 PSUs

[spdragoo]

Just a question as to whether they're any good or not. I've had mine for a little over a year, haven't had any problems with it (TR2 750W, 80 Bronze), but I'm looking into a possible GPU upgrade shortly & wondering if I also need to consider upgrading the PSU.

And yes, I checked the PSU Tier list, & they're on the "unrated" portion.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Not a whole lot of professional reviews for it. I found this one below but its not your specific model, they seemed to like it.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/

 

[Archaic59]

The TR2 is not a very good quality PSU. If you'll be buying a high end GPU I recommend upgrading to an EVGA G2.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-rx-750-w-power-supply-review/9/

 

[Dunlop0078]

The TR2 is not a very good quality PSU. If you'll be buying a high end GPU I recommend upgrading to an EVGA G2.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-rx-750-w-power-supply-review/9/

Yeah that seems like the right review must have missed it, disregard my previous post.

 

[tominsac]

TR2 PSU is the reason I had to build a new PC, Burned everything. Look at something else

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Not a whole lot of professional reviews for it. I found this one below but its not your specific model, they seemed to like it.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/

Gabriel Torres is always very generous on his reviews. Just something to be cautious about, what he says is a "great option" in 2016 could well be referred ton as "poor quality".

 

[spdragoo]

What about EVGA's GQ instead of their G2? I see they're both a Tier 1 PSU (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html), & the local Micro Center is offering it for about $20 less.


GQ: http://www.microcenter.com/product/457260/GQ_750_Watt_80_Gold_Semi_Modular_ATX_Power_Supply

G2: http://www.microcenter.com/product/457338/SuperNOVA_NEX750G_750_Watt_G2_ATX_12V_Power_Supply

 

[turkey3_scratch]

The GQ 750W was not good, it had out-of-spec ripple on the 3.3V rail. However, the 850W, 1000W, and 650W ones were really high quality. The 1000W GQ for $120 is a great deal.

 

[toyftw]

Not a whole lot of professional reviews for it. I found this one below but its not your specific model, they seemed to like it.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/

Gabriel Torres is always very generous on his reviews. Just something to be cautious about, what he says is a "great option" in 2016 could well be referred ton as "poor quality".

Hi - Don't think that's an accurate characterization, one thing I've noticed over the years, is there are more
Hardware Secrets reviews leading to PSU's landing on or contributing to the "Lemon List" (johnnylucky.org)
than any other PSU review site.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Not a whole lot of professional reviews for it. I found this one below but its not your specific model, they seemed to like it.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/

Gabriel Torres is always very generous on his reviews. Just something to be cautious about, what he says is a "great option" in 2016 could well be referred ton as "poor quality".

Hi - Don't think that's an accurate characterization, one thing I've noticed over the years, is there are more
Hardware Secrets reviews leading to PSU's landing on or contributing to the "Lemon List" (johnnylucky.org)
than any other PSU review site.

I think he has a large gap, he has no middle-ground. Things are either "fantastic", "very good", or "absolute garbage". But his reviews are fantastic, his end conclusion is just his personal opinion - all the information is there for us to delve through.

It also makes sense that most lemon PSUs are from Hardwaresecrets reviews because Torres is one of the only PSU reviewers who tests the protections. He overloads PSUs to the point at which they either burn or shut off, so that's why he finds a lot of PSUs that blow. Other PSU reviewers are hesitant to do this, so they don't test OPP, OCP, SCP, etc.

 

[spdragoo]

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457325/SuperNOVA_750_Watt_B2_Power_Supply

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457324/SuperNOVA_750_750W_Watt_Bronze_ATX_12V_Power_Supply

Are there any critical differences between these 2 PSUs? The B2 is a Tier 2 option, but the B1 isn't on the list.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457325/SuperNOVA_750_Watt_B2_Power_Supply

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457324/SuperNOVA_750_750W_Watt_Bronze_ATX_12V_Power_Supply

Are there any critical differences between these 2 PSUs? The B2 is a Tier 2 option, but the B1 isn't on the list.

You do not want to get the B1. It's also known as the NEX B, you'll see it as. There have been no reviews done on the NEX B, and the NEX G is not thrilling, so I don't expect it to be any better.

 

[spdragoo]

Rrghh...figures that the ones relatively high on the list (Tier 1 or 2) are currently sold out. There appear to be some Tier 3 PSUs available at the store this week, which I suppose is better than my current untiered PSU...maybe...

 

[spdragoo]

OK, final thoughts, based on what's available at Micro Center. Unless I note otherwise, they're all rated for 750W (same as my current PSU).

Possible Tier 1 PSUs:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/457328/SuperNOVA_750_Watt_80_Gold_Modular_ATX_12V_Power_Supply -- EVGA's "SuperNOVA G2" model, I believe.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457338/SuperNOVA_NEX750G_750_Watt_G2_ATX_12V_Power_Supply -- Also shows as an EVGA "SuperNOVA G2", but the "NEX" part makes it a little confusing.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/453370/SuperNOVA_750_Watt_80_Plus_Platinum_ATX_Power_Supply -- EVGA's "SuperNOVA P2" model, I believe.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457296/Professional_Series_AX860_860_Watt_ATX-EPS_Modular_Power_Supply -- Corsair's AX (Seasonic) 860W model. Surprisingly, even without rebates it's cheaper than the 760W model (http://www.microcenter.com/product/457297/Professional_Series_AX760_760_Watt_ATX-EPS_Modular_Power_Supply).

Possible Tier 2 PSUs:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/457279/V750_750_Watt_ATX_Power_Supply -- appears to be Cooler Master's "VS" series, but not 100% sure.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457355/Silencer_Mk_III_750W_ATX_Modular_Power_Supply -- Firepower's "Silencer Mk III" series.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/457301/RM_Series_RM850_850_Watt_ATX_Modular_Power_Supply -- Corsair RM (Channel Well Technology), 850W model

Ideally, I'd like to make sure I have a Tier 1 PSU (although obviously a Tier 2 would be more than sufficient). It just makes me wonder to see the possible EVGA Tier 1 PSUs running for roughly the same prices as the Tier 2 PSUs (i.e. $150 or less), particularly with Corsair's AX models running over $200. But at least I'm seeing some that are actually in stock today, so I'm planning on stopping by after work this afternoon.

 

[Archaic59]

Supernova NEX is a G1 unit and is lower quality than the G2. P2 is nice but platinum efficiency really isn't necessary. From what you listed the Supernova G2 750, The CM V750 (made by Seasonic), or the AX860 (made by Seasonic) are all good options. I'm pretty sure the G2 has a 10 year warranty and is the one I'd get.

 

[spdragoo]

Thanks! Think I will go with the G2 -- although it turns out I had the wrong link (it appears to be a G1, not a G2), but the 850W G2 (http://www.microcenter.com/product/457339/SuperNOVA_850G2_850_Watt_Gold_Modular_ATX_12V_Power_Supply_ECO_Thermal_control) is only $150, so still a really good deal.

 

[spdragoo]

Update: took a little while last night to get the old PSU yanked out & the new PSU installed, but it worked perfectly. Loved the tester they include with that PSU. Especially loved that not only is it fully modular, but I had apparently forgotten to take advantage of my case's cable management features so I was able to move the cables into a more logical configuration (i.e. didn't need the SATA power splitter anymore). Only had 2 minor hiccups:
-- On one of the VGA power cables, the 8-pin portion that plugs into the PSU wasn't 100% separated on the pins (possibly from a defect in the plastic mold), but a quick slice or 2 with an Xacto knife fixed it up really quick.
-- The SuperNOVA G2 is apparently a little longer than my old TR2 PSU. I had to reposition my bottom case fan a bit (& it's now using the mesh portion with only 2 screws instead of 4), but otherwise it still fit in OK.